Dr. Yoder
Spring 2008      English 4150/4250.01
Reading Poetry Seminar
House Rules

1. Do your homework. Come to class. Be prepared to talk. Always bring the text to class.


2. Writing Assignments: There will be several types of writing assignments: 3 very short papers (2-3pp.) on various aspects of poetry, a slightly longer "reading" paper (4-6pp.), a "scavenger hunt" portfolio, and weekly journals. All paper assignments are here. You will have some choice in the poems you discuss, but the paper topics will be assigned by me. In some ways the weekly journals will be the most important of the writing assignments. These should be no less than a full typed page (roughly 250 words), and they should be about the class. Journals that stop only at "I like this; I do not like that" remarks will receive no credit. Instead you should use the journals to push your understanding of the dynamics of reading poetry. The best approach is to try to have fun thinking about poetry. Feel free to speculate, to venture, to invent, even to try out poetry of your own that applies the principles we are discussing in class. Since the individual entries are not graded, you have nothing to lose by taking chances. These journals should be posted to the course listserve and are due by 11am on Monday (before class); journals not received by the start of class on Monday will not be accepted. The individual journal entries will be ungraded, but you will receive a collective grade based on how many journals you actually submit. NO LATE JOURNALS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
   
   
3. Grading: I use a 4-point grading scale:
   For final grades: A=4; B=3; C=2; D=1;F=0.
   
   For individual assignments: A=4; A-=3.7; B+=3.3; B=3; B-=2.7; C+=2.3; C=2;
                                                C-=1.7; D+=1.3; D=1; D-=0.7; F= 0.
   
   The relative value of the assignments is as follows:
   
   

   Paraphrase	10%
   Structure Analysis	10%
   Sound Analysis	10%
   Scavenger Hunt	10%
   A "Reading"	20%
   Journals	20%
   Attendance/Participation*	20%

   
   *My attendance policy is usually fairly flexible, but I weighting attendance and participation more heavily in this class (20%).
   I shall take attendance every day. There are roughly 30 class days in the semester; at the end of the semester, I shall
   count up your absenses and assign a grade based on the usual percentages (90%=A; 80%=B, etc.); thus, if you miss 40% of
   the classes (12 classes) expect an F for Attendance and Participation. Excuses will only be granted in advance. If
   you miss roll call, you must confirm your presence on the roster before leaving class that day in order to receive credit.
   
   All formal assignments must be completed to pass the class.


4. Secondary Education Minors: Those students with Secondary Education Minors must participate in the assessment process. The assessment assignment is here. Assessment materials must be submitted to Chalk & Wire at the Chalk & Wire E-Portfolio Page. If you do not already have one, you will need to establish a Chalk & Wire account. Contact . . . for Chalk & Wire accounts. A PDF with instructions on how to post your assessment materials is available here. Failure to complete the assessment assignment will result in your final grade being withheld.


5. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another's work, whether directly quoted or paraphrased.
   It is intellectual theft and will not be tolerated. The best a plagiarist may hope for is an "F"
   on the particular assignment. If you have questions about plagiarism, please do not hesitate to ask.

Students with Disabilities: It is the policy of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or to accurate assessment of achievement, such as time-limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned video, please notify the instructor as soon as possible. Students are also welcome to contact the Disability Resource Center, telephone 501-569-3143 (v/tty). For more information, visit the DRC website at http://ualr.edu/disability/.

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