Syllabus Update to Include Final Exam

Please make note of the following change on the syllabus regarding the weight of the final exam. I have reproduced the section below for quick reference.

Best,
s.

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Course Requirements & Grade Distribution

  I.   Response e-Journal (30%) – To complete this requirement you must (a) join this class’s online blog; (b) frequently reply to posts as prompted; (c) participate by writing at least 200 words per response. Each journal entry is due on the specified day, before the class convenes. The weblog’s homepage is: http://profdamato11.blogspot.com/

II. Short Papers (30%) – These short two to three page (2-3) formal papers seek to illustrate reading comprehension via emotional and thoughtful engagement with the course text(s). Outside sources, other than a dictionary, must be approved prior to submission and referenced according to current MLA standards.

III. Final Paper (30%) – Due at the end of the semester during finals week, this assignment requires you to compose a well-organized formal paper in which you critically analyze at least three course texts from two different genres. More details on the structure and page-length of this last submission of written work will appear in the last few weeks of the semester.

IV. Final Exam (10%) – Given at the end of the semester during finals week, this exam is comprised of ten short answer essay questions on the course’s assigned readings. Students have one hour and fifty minutes to answer any six questions of their choosing.

V. Attendance and Participation – As a university student, coming to class prepared is vital. Similarly, remaining attentive, taking notes, and joining in-class discussion are essential means to obtaining the most out of this course. If your participation is poor or excellent it may affect your final grade by as much as one letter down or up, respectively.

Study Questions for Final Exam

Below are sample essay questions to guide you when studying for the final exam. The final will be closed-book; therefore, your text will not be allowed. As a result, you will have to rely on your knowledge and experience from reading the course texts throughout the semester to fuel your answers.

Remember that we meet on Monday 5/21 for the final in our regular room at the regularly scheduled time. You have one hour and fifty minutes to complete the exam.

Please answer six of the following questions below thoughtfully and completely by composing a full paragraph for each response. Recall the assigned readings you encountered this semester from Stanford’s Responding to Literature, as well as our in-class discussions and your written work to help fuel your writing. If you should need more space, please utilize and attach a separate piece of paper. You have one hour and fifty minutes to finish this exam.

1.)   In Patricia Grace’s short story “Butterflies,” which character did you find to be the most agreeable? Which did you find to be the most troublesome? Explain your answer using examples from your own life, if possible.

2.)   In Tim O’Brien’s war story entitled “The Things They Carried,” the author writes of “the burden of being alive” (944). Describe what this burden may be according to the characters of the text, both tangibly and intangibly. Then, offer your view of how life is a burden. How do the characters in the story overcome this seemingly impossible obstacle? How do you?

3.)   Kurt Vonnegut is a unique war author, in that he himself experienced the atrocities of World War II and survived to tell the tale, albeit in a fictional and sometimes nonfictional way. Based on his short story “Just You and Me, Sammy” the argument can be made that killing is sometimes acceptable. Using what you remember from this text, agree or disagree with this argument.

4.)   The trials and tribulations of being in love is a theme that the main character displays in James Joyce’s story “Araby.” Growing from innocence to experience is another theme that is presented through this text. Offer an example from you own life that relates to the experience of the main character in this short story.

5.)   Being physically ill is unfortunately something that most of us have had to experience at one point or another in our lives. Yet, suffering from a mental illness is something that is certainly less common; it is a type of illness that is frequently misunderstood and even criticized by many people to this day. How does the mental illness of the main character in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story “The Yellow Wallpaper” manifest itself physically? Is she to blame? How have you felt physically and/or mentally trapped in your own life? 

6.)   Sadly, while poetry is certainly one of the oldest forms of literature, it is frequently viewed as a genre of writing that is difficult for many contemporary readers to grasp. Based on your readings of Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” Shelley’s “Ozymandias,” Kinnell’s “When the Towers Fell,” and the various poems we encountered by Dickinson, express your feelings about poetry. Which of the aforementioned texts was the most engaging for you as a reader and which text was not? Explain why.

7.)   Whether we like it or not, conflicts in human relationships seem to be natural and almost expected. Reflect briefly upon Wendy Wasserstein’s drama The Man in a Case. Describe the relationship between the man and the woman in the play. What is important to each of them and what is important to them both? What is the source of their conflict? Does their relationship remind you of any relationships you know about?

8.)   In Jean-Paul Sartre’s play No Exit, Garcin’s famous line “L'enfer, c'est les autres” or “Hell is other people” touches upon the absurdity of the human condition. First, deconstruct the meaning of Garcin’s utterance. Second, describe what about this play did you find to be absurd. Third, consider how this play could be enlightening in its critique and exposure of human nature.

9.)   When we inquisitively look at nature, we are often shocked at how often we gain a greater understanding of our selves, rather than the specimen in question. Therefore, according to Virginia Woolf’s essay “The Death of the Moth,” what does her examination of the dying moth reveal to her as the author and to you as the reader?

10.)   When exposed to the inevitability of death, we, as living creatures, are often compelled to question our lives, their meaning, and our place and influence upon the world. How does Alice Walker’s essay “To Hell with Dying” and Stephen Jay Gould’s essay “The Median Isn’t the Message” expose this line of questioning? Has death caused you to question things in a similar or dissimilar fashion as Walker and Gould? Explain using personal experiences.

HW#8 -- The Great Teacher: Death

Reflect upon Walker's "To Hell with Dying" and Stephen Jay Gould's "The Median isn't the Message" in order to answer the following prompts in-class today. If you are absent, you can submit your reply below.

1.) What do the narrator and her brother learn from the many "rescues" they perform for Mr. Sweet? Do you see these lessons as negative, positive, as a combination? Explain.

2.) Gould admits that his technical knowledge helped him to understand his illness. However, what does he say about the limitations of technology, and what does he say was most necessary to his survival, more important even, than all the research he conducted?

3.) In many ways the narrators of these two essays experience an epiphany or anagnorisis. How is death a teacher? What lessons does it force us to learn? How have you gained a better understanding of the world through loss? Explain why you feel the way that you do.

End-of-Semester Changes

Due to illness, I must cancel class tonight. Therefore, some changes need to be made on the schedule. I have reproduced below what is reflected on the Schedule, Readings, and Rubrics page.

Stay tuned for a forthcoming study guide for the final exam on 5/21.

Best,
s.

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M 4/23
: CLASS CANCELED

M 4/30
: RL – Intro to Nonfiction (78-82)
: RL – Woolf, “The Death of the Moth” (895-898)
: e-jrnl#7

M 5/7
: Revised Short Paper #3 Due
: RL – Walker, “To Hell with Dying” (1180-1185)
: RL – Gould, "The Median Isn't the Message" (1131-1135)
: e-jrnl#8

M 5/14
: Final Paper Due

M 5/21
: Final Exam (6p in 2A05)

HW#7 -- Nonfictive Nature

Please answer the following prompt in response to Virginia Woolf's "The Death of the Moth" (895-897).

How do you see nature? As benign, hostile, indifferent, restorative, or wondrous? An inspiration or an obstacle? In a poem entitled "The Tables Turned," William Wordsworth writes, "Come forth into the light of things / Let nature be your teacher." To what extent has nature been a teacher in your own life? Include in your response your own experiences and compare and contrast them to the perspectives expressed in Woolf's text. (Due 4/30)

Updates to Schedule

Hello Everyone,

I noticed that I had mistakenly assigned Spring Break one week late... Therefore, changes in the schedule need to occur. Below you will see the modified schedule for the next few weeks of class. Please make note of the changes, namely when SP#3 and RV#2 are due. These changes are reflected on the Schedule, Readings, & Rubrics page as well.

Thank you,
s.

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Weeks Nine – Twelve ((Drama)) – Writing to Respond, Compare, Analyze, Explicate, and Evaluate

M 3/26
: RL – Intro to Drama (70-78)
: RL – Wasserstein, “The Man in a Case” (17-23)
: RL – Synge, "Riders to the Sea" (874-883)
: Revised Short Paper #1 Due 
: Rubric for Short Paper #3
: e-jrnl#5

M 4/2
: Sartre, No Exit
: e-jrnl#6

M 4/9
: No Classes (Spring Recess)


Weeks Thirteen – Sixteen ((Nonfiction)) – Argument, Critical Thinking, and Research

M 4/16
: Revised Short Paper #2 Due 
: Short Paper #3 Due – Bring two extra copies of your paper to class for a peer-edit

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HW#5 -- Hell, Marriage, & Death

Hello everyone.

I received word from the campus bookstore that Sartre's No Exit is now available. In case you plan on obtaining the text from an outside source, here is the publisher and ISBN of the edition I would like you to purchase.

Vintage: 0679725164

 
And, here is the prompt for e-journal #5.

In a well-developed paragraph, please focus your response on one of the two plays assigned for Monday; i.e., either Wendy Wasserstein's The Man in the Case or John Milington Synge's Riders to the Sea. You can write on one of the following options:

1. Provide a detailed analysis of one character.Why did you choose to focus on this character over others?
2. Offer commentary regarding the play's theme or moral or lesson.
3. Discuss how the structural elements of the play; for example, setting, stage directions, etc., inform your response.
4. Write a subsequent Act to your chosen play, in correct dramatic format. That is, imagine how the play would continue beyond its ending.

As always, providing textual references in correct MLA format in a necessity. Email if you have further questions.

Revision Update!

I am extending the revision of Paper #1 by one week, until 3/26; however, Paper #2 is still due on the 19th. Please visit the Schedule, Readings, and Rubrics page to see this update.

I encourage you to send me emails regarding your papers, #1 or #2, over the remainder of the week. I will be on campus Wednesday morning from 10:30 until 2:30pm (teaching from noon until 2pm). Should you wish to schedule a time to meet that day, shoot me an email to do so.

Remember: Bring three copies of Paper #2 to class on Monday for the peer-edit. To receive revision credit you must attach the marked-up draft of Paper #1 to the revision due on the 26th.

Short Paper #2 Rubric Posted!

The guidelines for Short Paper #2 have been posted on the Schedule, Readings, & Rubrics page. Please refer to this document when composing your second formal writing assignment, due Monday 3/19.

Short Paper #1 Rubric Posted!

The guidelines for Short Paper #1 have been posted on the Schedule, Readings, & Rubrics page. Please refer to this document when composing your first formal writing assignment, due Monday 3/5.

You will notice that I added a new page to the blog titled Formal Paper Descriptions. Seeing as you have a paper due soon, it would behoove you to read over this information so that you comprehend the various qualities of academic essays.

Also, I provided a link to an updated course syllabus to include changes in the required texts. Please view, download, and print the newest version (v.1.2) for your records. The old syllabus can be properly recycled.

HW#3 -- People in the Walls

For the next class meeting I would like everyone to have read the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Using this story, as well as your knowledge of character following our discussion tonight on People (Stanford 32-41), please answer the following prompt:

As a result of its eerie mood and setting, Gilman's text has often been labeled as a ghost story. Do you see the woman in the wallpaper as a supernatural element? What other possibilities can you suggest?  

On such suggestion is as follows... While it is clear that there are multiple characters in this short story, it may not be so clear that within the main female character exists more than one persona. In other words, the reader could make the argument that the woman in the room and the woman in the wallpaper are actually two "parts" of the same main character. If so, how are these "parts" similar? How are they different? 

Explain your response using direct evidence from the short story as support.

HW#2 -- Soldiers and the Spoils of War

For our next meeting, Tuesday 2/21, I would like for everyone to have read the short stories by O'Brien and Vonnegut. The Vonnegut text can be accessed via the Schedule, Readings, & Rubrics page by clicking the link embedded in the author's last name. Please print and annotate this text before bringing it to class Tuesday. Also before class meets, please submit your second e-journal response to the following prompt:

Draw a relationship between the two war stories written by O'Brien and Vonnegut. First, name one theme or element from each text that you found to be similar, thus making a comparison. Second, name one theme or element from each text that you found to be different, thus highlighting a contrast. 

Lastly, express in a few sentences which story you responded to "more," and explain why in detail. Here are some general questions to guide you... Explain why you found a certain character compelling or troublesome? How were the stories' settings (both physical and mental) made vivid in your mind's eye as you read? Is there some personal connection to either of these texts?

Direct references to the readings are required, so be sure to cite page numbers when offering quotations or paraphrases.  

HW #1 -- Personal Butterflies

Please respond to the following prompt by posting a reply below.

Recall the short story "Butterflies" by Patricia Grace. In class it was argued that when the little girl shares her butterfly story in school, she undergoes an anagnorisis, which is a moment of awakening as to one's true situation or the transition from innocence to experience. Given this argument, first identify what it is that the little girl is "awakened" to; and second, describe a time in your own life when you experienced what could be called an anagnorisis or epiphany, be it large or small. Provide sensory detail and, of course, draw connections between the text and your own life. (Due 2/13)

Intro: How to Join and Contribute

As a member of our ENG 200 course it is your responsibility to join this e-journal blog and, crucially, to participate when asked throughout the semester. You will do this in three ways: (a) by submitting your journal entries as comments to posts of at least 200 words, (b) by following the prompt's directions, and (c) by turning-in these assignments before the class period in which they are due.

Importantly, this site will also serve as a message board from me to you and you to me. I will most likely have to pass on important information regarding class meeting times, assignment deadlines, changes in the syllabus, etc. throughout the term. Therefore, be sure to check this site frequently, especially on days before and after we meet for class, to be sure you are current with the goings-on of the course.


Okay, so what's next?
Below I am going to detail how to join this blog and how to contribute. If you are unfamiliar with using blogs have no fear, Blogger is quite user-friendly and you should catch on quick. Remember, you can always email me with questions. What you should do is email me immediately if you are having trouble with the site, for journal entries may be submitted via email and handed in hard copy the day they are due if such internet hiccups arise.


How to Join
Via email you'll receive a link allowing you to gain authorial access to this blog. Follow the link and you'll have the opportunity to create a new Google username and password and officially join Blogger and the course e-journal. If you already use Gmail, you can use your existing account log-in information without having to create anything new. Please use your last name as your username!

From now on you'll use that username and password you select or create to log into this blog before you add a comment or a post. So write it down or email it to yourself so you do not forget this information!


How to Comment and Post
First, you must log in.

To comment to any post click on the post's title or on the ## replies link at the bottom of the post. You can also click on the post's title found under the archived posts on the right side of the site. At the bottom of the post you'll find an editable text box. Remember to write at least 200 words! You can offer something in response to the main post thread, or you can reply to a comment written by another student. If the debate gets intense enough then you, or I for that matter, may decide to move the discussion into a new thread (i.e., post) all its own.

To post a new topic or thread once logged in, go to the top of the site and at the right of your email address/username on the navbar you'll see a link titled "new post". This is your ticket. Once you've arrived at the post-editing screen you'll notice it's a bit more complicated than the comment box; yet, think of it like a word document screen and you'll catch on quickly.


More Editing and a Vital Disclaimer
If you happen to know html and/or java scripts you can use these to edit your posts to a greater degree---adding images, video, links, and more.

If a you should choose to add media to a post, keep in mind that inappropriate material and language will be subject to immediate removal. Depending on the level and degree of inappropriateness, the student faces disciplinary action such as receiving a zero on the assignment (minimum) or being reported to the Dean of Student Affairs (maximum). Please see the CUNY Computer User Responsibilities webpage for information concerning such disciplinary processes.


In Closing...
Be sure to bookmark this site on your personal computer so that you can check the blog frequently. As I recommended above, nearly once a day you should be visiting our e-journal. While you are required to only submit one writing per e-journal assignment, you may write as much at you wish on this blog. Contributing more with extra effort certainly weighs positively on your overall class participation!

Remember, the point of this blog is not only for me to impart important class announcement nor for you to just submit a weekly journal entry; rather, it serves as a birthplace for written ideas. The things discussed and argued here will undoubtedly come up in class, and should, so feel free to verbally reference the blog's content while we are in the classroom. Paper topics and sites of argumentation will also present themselves here. This is a vital component and goal of this site: for as we test and share ideas with one another, we further understanding of specific subject matter, thereby developing and deepening our ability to discuss the course's texts and topics to a greater degree.

I hope you join as soon as possible so that you can begin adding to your classroom e-community by contributing commentary and content to what is now our new ENG 200 course blog!

How to Access Library Databases When Off-Campus

• To access York's licensed databases off-campus, you must be a currently enrolled student or a faculty/staff member with an active ID in the York library system. Check at the York Library circulation desk to make sure your ID is active. See CUNY's FAQ for more information about remote access to licensed resources.
• You then need to enter the 14-digit Library I.D. (barcode) number from the back of your York I.D. card.
• Users can also access all of the licensed resources after logging into York's VPN (Virtual Private Network): use these links to connect to the Faculty/Staff VPN or the Student VPN. Contact Academic Computing's helpdesk (ext. 5300) for more information about VPN.
• AOL users may need to launch Internet Explorer in order to access online databases.
• Several New York State Library databases now offer remote access using your New York State DMV Driver License or Non-Driver Photo ID Number.
• You can also access CUNY-wide E-journals and Reference Databases off campus by logging into the CUNY Portal. Logon to the Portal and click on: E-Journals and Reference Databases.
• See information on using Find It!

Still have problems/questions connecting to the library databases remotely? Send e-mail to: helplibrary@york.cuny.edu

Include your name, barcode number (i.e., Library I.D. #), name of the database you were trying to access, and the time of day you attempted access. Also include the error message, if any.  You can also try calling the CUNY Computing Center Help Desk at 212.541.0981 or 212.541.0982.
 
Have problems/questions concerning the York College Library website? Send e-mail to: helplibrary@york.cuny.edu

Accessing Your York College Student Email

Visit this FAQ site for questions and answers regarding the initial activation and access to your York College Student Email account.

The direct link to your email appears on this blog's left sidebar under On-Campus Links for future convenience.