Southern New Hampshire University / Literature 316 / Syllabus

LITERATURE 344 / CONTEMPORARY DRAMA
Summer 2006 / July 3 - August 27, 2006
Prerequisite: ENG 120

SYLLABUS

Instructor Information
Textbook
Course Description
Grading Policies
Academic Honesty Policy
Attendance Policy

Students with Disabilities
Assignments & Schedule
Blackboard Tools
General Expectations
Off Campus Library Services
Technical Support

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

George Wilkerson, Ph.D.
gwilkers@nycap.rr.com
Phone: 518.346.6414 (Daily from 9am to 10pm and weekends from 10am to 6pm)

TEXTBOOK

Types of Drama
Authors: Barnet, Burto, Ferris, and Rabkin
Edition: 8th
Publisher: Longman
ISBN#: 0-321-06506-9

COURSE DESCRIPTION & GOALS
LIT 316 is a consideration of modern plays from 20th-century literature. The American, British, Russian, Scandinavian and Irish theaters are among those studied.

GRADING POLICIES
Your grade in this course will be calculated on the basis of your contributions to the class and your weekly assignments. In some instances, you may be given the opportunity to resubmit a paper to make it acceptable. The grade for papers is based on the level of accomplishment you reach.

C - All assignments submitted on time; minimal contribution to class (Numerical Equivalent = 70 – 80)
B - Assignments submitted on time and occasional outstanding quality and occasional outstanding contributions to class (Numerical Equivalent =80 – 90)
A - Assignments submitted on time and consistently outstanding; contributions to class consistently outstanding (Numerical Equivalent = 90 – 100)

Your grade for Online Discussion is pass/fail. Pass requirement is a minimum of three contributions on three different days.

Of the two elements, the discussion constitutes 40% of the final grade and papers are 60%.

More than likely, if there are any serious problems which preclude your being able to complete the course in a timely manner they will show up on the first assignment. In such situations, I will strongly recommend that you drop the class. So…if you’d like to determine whether or not you have any such potential problems, feel free to send me the first assignment and if I detect any problems with your writing, I’ll notify you immediately. (If the paper is acceptable, you will have already completed the first assignment.)

If extenuating circumstances preclude your finishing the course on time, an Incomplete may be awarded provided you have submitted a request for said grade at least one week prior to the end of the term.

ATTENDANCE POLICY
While Distance Education classes are generally asynchronous, they are not correspondence or self paced. Students must attend (defined as logging in to the blackboard classroom and interacting; posting questions, thoughts, homework assignments, etc.) class during the first week, and at least three times per week thereafter. Failure to attend during the first week will result in an automatic withdrawal. Extended absences, defined as failure to post into the Blackboard classroom for more than five days, must be coordinated with the instructor.

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY
Southern New Hampshire University requires all students to adhere to high standards of integrity in their academic work. Activities such as plagiarism and cheating are not condoned by the university. Students involved in such activities are subject to serious disciplinary action. Plagiarism is defined as the use, either by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another without full and clear acknowledgement. Cheating includes the giving or receiving of unauthorized assistance on quizzes, examinations or written assignments from any source not approved by the instructor. For a full definition of academic dishonesty please refer to the undergraduate catalog, graduate catalog or CE bulletin.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Southern New Hampshire University is committed to and concerned with meeting the needs of students challenged by physical, emotional and/or learning disabilities. At the beginning of each term, or as soon as you become aware of a disability, we encourage you to request those accommodations which you need to meet your academic goals. To ensure that all of your needs are met, the University recommends that you meet with one of the following individuals who will assist you in making contact with appropriate faculty and support services staff regarding accommodations.

For questions concerning compliance matters, grievance or legal issues:
Jet Goldberg
Coordinator of Counseling Services, Wellness Ctr.
603-645-9679
j.goldberg@snhu.edu

For questions concerning support services, documentation guidelines, or general issues:

ASSIGNMENTS & SCHEDULE
There are three kinds of assignments in this course: reading, posting, and writing.* The reading assignments are from the textbook. The posting assignments are done on the class web site in response to the discussion items I'll be posting each week to get us started. The writing assignment is a paper written with a particular focus on one of the plays in the textbook.

A table showing the reading and writing assignments for each week and the due dates for the writing assignments is available in the ASSIGNMENTS area of the BlackBoard site. All reading assignments are from the textbook. The writing assignments are due no later than midnight of the date shown. The focus of each assignment is shown in parenthesis.

Please be aware that your final assignment will most likely require more than one week to complete, so you should begin work on it early enough to have it ready by the time we discuss the readings and your paper is due.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE & BLACKBOARD TOOLS
Your course is organized through Blackboard CourseInfo. Below are the tools in your class, how we will be using them, and expectations associated with each. Take time to acclimate yourself to the tools and contact me if have questions.

Button How each tool and the sub tools or documents within are to be used; the expectations associated with this area, and any other relevant information.
Announcements Posted as necessary; check this area daily
Course Information Background info, grading policy, etc; if material is added here, I will notify you via the announcements
Course Documents On occasion, I will post commentary, links, and exemplary students papers
Assignments As it says; they are posted here
Communication Check the forums in the discussion boards on a daily basis; feel free to comment on others or post your own.
Student Tools These are generally self explanatory; use the Digital Drop Box to submit assignments; if you have questions, send me an e-mail (that’s one of the tools)
External Links I’ve posted some of these to support your reading; read the policy on plagiarism carefully to avoid misusing them
Faculty Information BB says “Staff Information”; if you’re curious about your instructor, check this out

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

Expectations for Students
Assignments and due dates are firm. The electronic date stamp on each assignment must be no later than midnight of the date due. This means you have to schedule carefully in order to have your work submitted on time. If you have a problem meeting an assignment deadline, you must contact me to let me know when you will have your work to me. I have to plan my schedule too and I will respond promptly to questions and problems but you are responsible for letting me know when you need help.

All of your written work must follow the conventions of standard English; if your writing errors are so distracting that I cannot understand the content of your work, your grade will be affected. At the very least, spell check your work. If you have someone you can call on to proofread for you, all the better. You or someone else must proofread for typos and. I also expect you to know how to use the correct MLA documentation. You can reach it at the Dr. Write web site http://www.drwrite.com/home/

Expectations for the Instructor
I will do my best to respond to questions or problems within 48 hours of receiving a direct email from you and more quickly if it’s posted to the BlackBoard site. I check my email [gwilkers@nycap.rr.com] several times a day. I also check in to the Blackbaord site regularly. I will return assignments with my comments before the next assignment is due so you know if you need to revise or rewrite them

OFF-CAMPUS LIBRARY SERVICES
Off-Campus Library Services (OCLS) has been established to provide holdings, materials, and services for faculty and students at continuing education centers and in distance education programs. A barcode is required to access materials. To obtain your barcode you can access a request form online. For further information or inquiries please contact Off-Campus Services Librarian Ed Daniels at ocls@minerva.snhu.edu or go to http://de.snhu.edu/library/ocls.htm

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
Online support for technology and Blackboard software issues can be found at SNHU's Technical Support site. This site is a useful resource with information and solutions to common technical problems. Additional questions related to technology and Blackboard software issues should be directed to de-support@minerva.snhu.edu or by calling the Computing Services at 603 645 9628.

PLEASE COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING FORM
CLICK ON THE "SUBMIT" BUTTON WHEN FINISHED.