An awareness of our own and others' unique perspectives is a vital part of our learning community, and the diversity of students' perspectives is an asset in our class. I will do everything I can to create a high trust, low stress community where we can all learn from each other's unique encounters with the texts we are reading, but it will take all members of the class to maintain that environment by actively participating and valuing each other's contributions so that we can all learn from our texts and from each other.

At the end of the semester, students will be able to:

• Think critically and flexibly about how meaning is made in language;

• Understand broadly different 20th- and 21st- century approaches to literary and cultural texts;

• Use analysis and evidence from texts in support of claims;

• Communicate complex thesis-driven and evidence-based ideas orally and in writing, which includes listening to and taking seriously ideas that challenge their own.

This class meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:00-11:50 in Crawford 609.

Although I will occassionally lecture about difficult theoretical topics, this will be a highly interactive class. You will be signing up for days on which you are responsible for partially guiding class discussion; however, even on days where you are not signed up, the success of the class depends on a high level of engagement from all students. I believe that learning is accomplished through doing not only through listening, so you'll be offered a lot of opportunities to do the work of literary theory, rather than just listening to me do it.

There are 19 of our 43 class days where reading will be due. Although readings will often be short (about 20-30 pages), they will be dense, and will require close attention. You should come to class prepared to ask questions and talk about the reading.

On days where there is no new reading, you are still expected to come prepared to engage with the discussion, including and especially when that discussion is being led by your classmates. Think about the type of engagement you would want from your classmates on days when you are presenting, and try to provide that to each other.

tl;dr: Every day, you should come to class well-prepared and ready to engage rigorously with the reading and with your classmates. I expect you to have questions and to ask them! I also expect us all to make the classroom and fun and exciting place to be.

On Friday afternoons, I'll send out an announcement alerting you to what is coming up the following week. I will make constant use of many of the features of our course page on Canvas, and you are responsible for attending to the information posted there.

As this is an in-person class, you will not be able to attend remotely. Attendance policies (see "Course Policies" below as well as the Assessment Page) will apply. If you miss a day of class, first get in touch with your group mates to get notes about what you missed. If you still have questions, I'll be happy to meet with you in office hours.

Plagiarism and AI

This class is intended to help you think in nuanced ways and communicate arguments in writing using evidence and analysis. You have made a (great!) choice to be in this course and to attend this university, presumably in order to learn. No one suffers more from acts of plagiarism than you do because it robs you of the opportunity to learn and to develop your own ideas. In continuing to attend this course, you are committing to me that the work you turn in is your own. 

If you plagiarize or allow your own work to be plagiarized by another student, you will receive a 0 on the assignment in question and likely the course regardless of the amount of plagiarized text. If you need more information about how to properly cite sources, please refer to the “Writing Tips” on our course site or make an appointment to meet with me. And please always get in touch with me if you aren't sure what plagiarism is, or if you're feeling tempted to plagiarize in order to complete an assignment. I'm sure we can come up with a better solution. Please read the university's academic honesty policy before committing to this course.

There has been a lot of discussion about AI and its place in the classroom. It is clear that learning to use AI-generated material may become an important part of many professions. However, this class is not intended to help you develop those skills. Rather, it is intended to help you gain tools to think independently and communicate your own ideas well and persuasively. Although I may not always be able to tell whether or not your writing has been created with the help of AI, writing created with AI programs like ChatGPT often contains major issues like false information about texts, internally inconsistent arguments, and fabricated quotations. If I identify these types of issues in your writing, I will need to assume that the writing is not your own and that you have broken your commitment to only submit your own work. If this occurs, you will receive a temporary 0 on the assignment until we meet to discuss the origin of your ideas. If it turns out that you have submitted work that is not your own, all future assignments must be done in person (proctored) without the benefit of a computer. In other words, turning in AI generated work means you agree to schedule proctored meetings outside of class to complete the remaining course assignments.

Technology Policy

This is a class in which we aim to increase our understanding through active discussion and collaboration. As screens become more and more intrusive, I've found that they almost always limit student participation and make our classrooms less interactive places. For this reason, our discussions will be a no-screen space. If you decide to use a screen without clearing it with me first, your engagement grade will be negatively impacted. Make sure you acquire our books in hardcopy so that you can actively participate in our in-class discussions.

If you feel you need to use a screen to manage your learning in this class, come talk to me in office hours.

Attendance

You may miss class without penalty 4 times over the course of the semester for any reason. These freebies can be used for any reason whatsoever, including illness, university-sanctioned activities, athletic events, etc. For each absence beyond these 4, 2 points will be deducted from your attendance grade, which is 10 points of a total 100 points. This applies to both verified and unverified absences. Using up all 10 attendance points (9 total absences), will result in automatic failure of the course.

You should not attend class if you are ill. Usually, illness should fall under your 4 freebies; however, in order to discourage the spread of COVID, the attendance policy will be waived if you test positive. You should get in touch with me as soon as you test positive (i.e. before you miss class). Your absences will not count against you, and I can provide accommodations for completing any work that is due.

What is Title IX? 

Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 is the federal law prohibiting discrimination based on sex under any education program and/or activity operated by an institution receiving and/or benefiting from federal financial assistance. Behaviors that can be considered “sexual discrimination” include sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, relationship abuse (dating violence and domestic violence), sexual misconduct, and gender discrimination. You are encouraged to report these behaviors. 

Reporting: Florida Tech can better support students in trouble if we know about what is happening.  Reporting also helps us to identify patterns that might arise – for example, if more than one complainant reports having been assaulted or harassed by the same individual.

Florida Tech is committed to providing a safe and positive learning experience.  To report a violation of sexual misconduct or gender discrimination, please contact Dennis Kwarteng, Title IX Coordinator at 321-309-3068 or dkwarteng@fit.edu. 

*Please note that as your professor, I am required to report any incidents to the Title IX Coordinator.  Confidential support for students is available by contacting the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Center at 321-674-8050. 

Academic Accommodations

Florida Tech is committed to equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in the participation of activities operated/sponsored by the university.  Therefore, students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable educational accommodations.  The Office of Disability Services (ODS) supports students by assisting with accommodations, providing recommended interventions, and engaging in case management services.  It is the student’s responsibility to make a request to ODS before any accommodations can be approved/implemented.  Also, students with approved accommodations are encouraged to speak w/the course instructor to discuss any arrangements and/or concerns relating to their accommodations for the class.  

Office of Disability Services (ODS):  Telephone: 321-674-8285 / Email:  disabilityservices@fit.edu / Website:  https://www.fit.edu/disability-services/

Note: The above is language I'm required to include by the university; however, I know that we all learn in different ways, and you may need accommodations in order to learn better regardless of whether or not you have a documented disability. I'm committed to making this course as inclusive and accessible as possible. If I can do something to support your learning in a different way, please let me know!

Recording Disclosure (Privacy Waiver)

This course may be recorded for use by students and/or faculty. Enrolled students are subject to having their images and voices recorded during the classroom presentations, remote access learning, online course discussions, and remote office hours/meetings. Course participants should have no expectation of privacy regarding their participation in this class.  Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not registered in the courses, or uploaded to other online environments.  All recordings will be deleted at the conclusion of the academic term.