Dr. Maggie Harada                                                

mharada@bcc.ctc.edu

Office: R230R; Phone number: 425-564-2064       

Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays 9:30am-noon

 

English 130/131: Intro to Irish Literature

Winter 2005 (5 credits)

Mondays & Wednesdays, 12:30-2:40pm        

 

Course Description:  Throughout the 20^th century, the people of Ireland endured cultural, social, and political upheaval. The novelists, playwrights, and poets whose works we will examine this quarter will shed some light on how Irish literature—and a country itself—flourished over the course of a tumultuous century.  Some of the authors we’ll read include Eavan Boland, Brian Friel, Samuel Beckett, James Joyce, Seamus Heaney, J.M. Synge, and William Butler Yeats. 

 

Prerequisite: English 101 is recommended, but not required.

 

Objectives: By the end of this course, you should be able to

• Demonstrate an awareness of Irish history and culture as reflected in the literature
• Demonstrate an awareness of varying points of view within this culture
• Identify major themes and ideas
• Recognize how style relates to content in various writers’ works
• Apply the analytical process to literary works
• Apply academic writing skills to analyzing literature

 

Required Texts                      

 

Attendance: All students are expected to attend class daily. Excessive absences and tardies will adversely affect your grade in this course.  When you must be absent from class, get in touch with one of your classmates to find out what you missed.  I cannot contact individual students who are absent and fill them in about make-up work (even via email). 

 

Workload expectations: College courses can be very fast paced, and this course is no exception.  For every hour that you spend in a college classroom, you should expect to spend twice as much time outside of class reading, writing, and studying.  This class meets four hours each week, so that means you should spend eight hours of time outside of class on homework! 

 

Classroom Behavior:  Since this is a college course, I expect students to take responsibility for their own learning and conduct themselves as though they have chosen to be here.  That means putting forth your best effort at all times.  You can do that by completing assignments conscientiously, coming to class with an open mind, accepting and giving feedback graciously, and helping to create a positive learning environment.  Arriving late, talking while others are speaking, and ringing cell phones are detrimental to that environment.  For additional information on student procedures and expectations, consult the Arts & Humanities website: http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/artshum/policy.html

 

Grades

 

Group Project:  This project will require students to read an assigned text outside of class and complete a series of assignments in connection with that work, including group discussions, an essay & an oral presentation.  This assignment will be discussed in more detail at a later date.

 

Participation: Your participation grade is based on attendance, in-class assignments, drafts, homework, and quizzes. These points cannot be made up if you are absent or late. According to Arts & Humanities policy, students who miss more than 20% of class meetings (that’s 4 class meetings for a Monday/Wednesday class) will fail the course.

 

In-class essays: At the end of units 1 (short stories) and 3 (drama), each student will write an in-class essay based on the assigned readings.  These points cannot be made up unless a make-up has been arranged with me in advance.

 

Formal essay:  Near the end of the quarter, students will write a 1000-1500 word essay about the assigned work they have been reading in their groups.  More details about this assignment will be forthcoming. Late papers will drop 10% for each day they are submitted after the due date.  Papers that are more than two days late will not be accepted.

 

Exams (100 points each):  We will have both a midterm and a final exam.  They will cover course readings, authors, presentations, videos, and literary terms. Make-up exams must be arranged in advance.

 

Special needs:  If you require accommodation based on a documented disability, have emergency medical information to share, or need special arrangements in case of emergency evacuation, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.  Students with disabilities who have accommodation needs are required to meet with the Director of Disability Support Services (B132) to establish their eligibility for accommodation.  Telephone: (425) 564-2498 or TTY (425) 564-4110.