Welcome!

1. Welcome! Hello and welcome to English Composition 102, Introduction to Literature. I am looking forward to exploring, writing, and discussing literature with you this semester! Susan Goldstein Professor, English s_goldstein@mwcc.mass.edu

2. Introduction to the Course English Composition 102 combines reading and writing about literature and becoming familiar with the resources, techniques, and conventions of research.  The teaching methodology will emphasize assigned readings, weekly discussion board responses, exams, and two essays.  We will use the electronic discussion board to "talk" about the stories, poems, and plays we read with the purpose of engaging each other in meaningful dialogue and enriching our individual reading experience.  Each week, class notes will offer introductions to the stories, poems, and plays we will cover, as well as links to material on the web that you are required to read.

3. Required Texts You will need two texts for this course: Literature: A Portable Anthology by Gardner, Lawn, Ridl, and Schakel (second edition) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safer Foer

4. Course Structure & Requirements This is a full semester course. Each week you will read selections from your text and "talk" about them on the discussion boards. You should post at least one substantial answer to each discussion question (by Sunday evenings, usually) as well as four to five shorter responses to comments made by your peers by Wednesday evening of each week.  In addition to the weekly readings and discussions, you will be responsible for two essays, a midterm, and a final exam. Please read the syllabus for more details.

5. How This Course is Organized in Blackboard: Announcements Be sure to read the Announcement page at least once each week, preferably before the Sunday deadline for your main post. The Announcement page is where I will often summarize the conversation from the week before and talk about what’s coming up for readings and assignments. If there are any changes in deadlines or assignments, I will post information on the Announcement page.

6. Important Buttons The other important places to look on blackboard include the button marked “Syllabus”, “Assignments,” and “Discussion Board.” Here you will find just about everything else you need to succeed in this course: copies of the syllabus and other important documents (such as sample essays); links to the discussion board; weekly lists of assignments and access to the external links about the authors we will be studying each week.

7. The Discussion Board Here are your weekly requirements on the Discussion Board: you should post at least one substantial answer to each discussion question–by substantial, I mean approximately 300 words-- as well as four to five shorter responses to comments made by your peers.  Your responses should be engaging, thoughtful, and demonstrate an understanding of the assigned readings. Your responses should not be a copy of what others have said. You must post your initial response by Sunday of each week and peer responses by Wednesday, no later than midnight. This gives you and your classmates additional time to respond to each other's comments. The Discussion Board is also a forum for asking any questions you have about our readings.

8. Succeeding in This Course The most difficult part about an online course is just remembering that it’s there! Without a physical classroom to serve as a weekly reminder, sometimes it is easy to forget about the course. I always advise students to mark our two deadlines on a calendar (Sundays and Wednesdays) and make it a habit to visit our Blackboard site at least on these two days. Try not to wait until the last minute to finish the readings! Our week really starts on Thursdays, so you have until Sunday to finish the reading for the week and get on Blackboard to post your first major response. If you can, read the week’s discussion question first. Then read the material, with the question in mind. This might help you to focus more on the most important parts of the story, poem, or play that we are reading. If you can mark up the story as you read - with a pencil - this will also help you when you get to the discussion board because you will have random notes available that might help you to formulate an answer. Read the material, maybe more than once. Get on the discussion board and really try to respond to the question as best you can. Talk with your peers. I think you will be amazed at what you will learn from each other! Since this is an online course, it is easy to peruse other sites on the web for ideas and analysis. Please do not do that! Try to come up with your own ideas. Remember, using other ideas without giving credit is plagiarism. One incident of plagiarism is absolute grounds to withdraw you from this course with an F. Please read my plagiarism policy on the syllabus and on the Week 1 discussion board. All essays will be submitted through Safe Assign, a plagiarism discovery site built into Blackboard. Finally, if for some reason you fall behind, don’t let things go too far. You can catch up---to a point. Contact me right away (e-mail is best and I check it at least twice each day) and let’s try to figure out a plan. some tips on succeeding in the course.

9. Weekly Checklist • Each week you will: • Read the Announcement page • Read the weekly assignments due under the Assignment button • Complete all required readings and answer questions on the discussion board • Some weeks a rough draft or final draft will be due. You will submit these assignments through Safe Assign, the anti-plagiarism software in Blackboard, or e-mail them to me directly. You have two deadlines each week (generally): • Main 300-word posts are due by Sundays at midnight • Four to five responses to your peers is due by Wednesday at midnight

10. Attendance Students are expected to “attend” class by completing assignments and posting responses on the discussion board each week.  Students are allowed two absences from the discussion board. Attendance records are kept weekly by this instructor and factor into the final grade.

11. Getting Help If you have questions about the course, please contact me (see all of my contact info on the syllabus). If you are having technical problems, please contact MWCC’s toll-free support center 24/7 at 1-866-520-7129. Please also let me know if you’re having technical problems so I will be aware.

12. Communicating with Me The best way to reach me is through e-mail. I check my e-mail usually twice each day so my responses are fairly quick: s_goldstein@mwcc.mass.edu

13. What to Do the First Day Our course starts the very first week of school. An assignment is due on the discussion board by Sun., Sept. 12 and Wed., Sept. 15. You should visit our Blackboard course, scroll through the site and become familiar with it, read the Announcements and the weekly assignment schedule for Week 1, and then visit the discussion board to read about your first assignment. Also make sure you just explore and practice around the site so you are familiar with how to use the discussion boards, how to find your grades, and more.

14. Wrapping Up • I look forward to working with you! • Please send me an email with: • A note letting me know you’ve completed this orientation • Any questions you might have about the course • See you online! • Professor Goldstein • S_goldstein@mwcc.mass.edu • (978) 630-9344