Welcome to English 201! This is the 201 orientation.

1. Welcome to English 201! This is the 201 orientation.

2. Please put away your phones and all other electronic devices.

3. The professor’s name (that’s me) is Andrew Gottlieb

4. In German, Gottlieb means beloved of God.

5. Lieb means love. So, you could call me love, but then someone might get the wrong idea.

6. Got means God, so, you could call me God. That’s easy to remember, and I won’t mind a bit, but maybe that’s not such a good idea either.

7. Most students call me professor. That’s even easier, since you only need to remember one name for all your teachers. So, just call me professor and everything will be just fine.

8. English 201 is a literature and composition course. There are four genres (or types) of literature: short stories, novels, poems, and plays.

9. We will be read, discuss, and write about a short story, a variety of poems, and one play.

10. To access course materials, go to the class website at andrewd222.wordpress.com All of the materials and assignments are there.

11. The due dates for all of the writing assignments are on the class website at andrewd222.wordpress.com

12. CLASS RULES:

13. 1. No Coming Late or Leaving Early: Students who come more than ten minutes late or leave early will be marked absent.

14. 2. No Talking Out of Turn: Only one person can talk at one time. This means that private conversations are not allowed.

15. 3. No Rude or Insulting Behavior.

16. 4. No Electronic Devices: Students are not allowed to keep any electronic devices on their desks during class. This includes lap tops, IPads, and cell phones. All notes and writing in class must be done on paper.

17. 5. No Plagiarism: See BMCC policy on plagiarism on page 2 of the syllabus.

18. 6. No Sleeping in Class: Sleeping in class is not permitted. If you are sick or too tired to stay awake, tell your teacher and politely ask to be excused.

19. 7. No Eating in Class: It is against school rules to eat in class.

20. WRITING REQUIREMENTS Students in English 201 are required to write a TOTAL of 4 papers including a research project.

21. The three shorter papers are 4 double-space pages. The research project is 6 double-space pages.

22. Grading: The final grade will be based on the following: The average grade for the first three essays will count for 70% of the final grade. The research project will count for 30% of the final grade. The final grade may be reduced due to failure to follow the class rules or submit essays by the due dates provided on the class website at andrewd222.wordpress.com

23. Essays are graded according to the following criteria:

24. Clarity: A good essay is clear. Unity: A good essay is one that has a central or main idea or question. Arguments are thesis-centered. Coherence: A good essay is one in which the thoughts flow logically from one to the next.

25. Spelling: A good essay has no spelling errors. Punctuation: A good essay includes a correct use of punctuation. Grammatical Correctness: A good essay is grammatically correct.

26. Specifications (Outlined in the syllabus and on the class website at andrewd222.wordpress.com): A good essay follows all of the specification provided by the professor, including MLA formats. Length: Quality is a priority, but length counts as well. Essays that fall short of the length requirements will lose points.Essays that fall far short of length requirements will not receive credit. Writing assignments requiring 4 pages must be at least 3 pages to receive credit. The 6 page research project must be at least 5 pages to receive credit.

27. Style: Good writing has a certain style and flavor involving varied uses of language. Redundancy: Good essays do not make use of the same words in a repetitive manner. The language is varied.

28. Interest: A good essay is interesting. The degree to which an essay is interesting depends both on the quality of the ideas and on the way in which they are expressed. Originality: A good essay is one that stands out from other essays.

29. Online Handouts: Students required to print out the following handouts in which are the reading and writing assignments. These can be accessed at andrewd222.wordpress.com The Real One (short stories), The Research Project Cupid’s Arrow (poems), Oedipus the King (a play)

30. You can print out the handouts in the computer labs located in the following places: Main Building: Learning Resource Center S510F, S510G, S510H, and N261 FittermanHall: Lower Lobby: LL03 Murray Hall: M1109

31. THE REQUIRED TEXT: Sophocles – The Three Theban Plays – Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus. Translated by Robert Fagles. Introduction and Notes by Bernard Knox. Penguin Books.

32. To order the book online copy and paste the title into the Google search bar.Make sure to get the translation by Robert Fagles.

33. Other Materials:

34. Your papers will not be accepted unless they are stapled, so make sure to buy a stapler.

35. You will also need an 8/12 x 11 inch notebook and a pen.

36. SPECIFICATIONS: Papers must satisfy all of the specifications to receive credit. These specifications are in the syllabus which is on the website mentioned earlier and are included along with each of the writing assignments. We will go over these before each paper is due.

37. Paper Submission Protocols: Papers must be handed into the teacher in the classroom. Students are NOT permitted to leave papers in the teacher’s mail box. In the event students are absent on the day papers are due, they can send the teacher a copy of their paper via EMAIL to gottlieba587@gmail.com. They must, however, print out and submit a hard copy when they return to class. Students who have sent papers via email are responsible for confirming that they have been received.

38. Due Dates: To receive full credit for papers, students must fulfill the requirements outlined for each assignment and hand them in by the due datesprovided on the class website:andrewd222.wordpress.com

39. Late Paper Penalties: Later paper penalties are as follows:

40. Papers handed in one week late will incur a 3 point penalty. A 3 point penalty is equivalent to one half grade. Papers handed in two weeks late will incur a 6 point penalty. A 6 point penalty is equivalent a full grade.

41. Papers handed in three weeks late will incur a 9 point penalty. A 9 point penalty is equivalent to a grade and a half. Papers handed in four weeks late will incur a 12 point penalty. A 12 point penalty is equivalent to two grades. Papers handed in more thanfour weeks late will not be accepted and will be calculated into the final grade as zero.

42. Final Papers: Late paper penalties for final papers are greater than for the first three papers. Final papers that are one week late will incur a 6 point penalty. Final papers that are two weeks late will not be accepted and will calculated into the final grade as zero.

43. Penalty-free Extensions: Penalty-free extensions can be requested based on special needs and problems such as illness, disabilities, and other personal problems. Granting penalty-free extensions is entirely up to the discretion of the professor.

44. It is better to hand in any paper however insufficient than no paper at all. Even a C+ is far better than a zero. A student who has three A’s and a C+ will still receive an A. Students who, by the end of the semester, have handed in only three of the four assigned papers will receive a significantly lower grade. The final grade is calculated according to the provisions laid out in the syllabus. Even a student who has three A’s and has handed in only three papers cannot receive a grade higher than a C-. Those who have three A’s but who do not hand in the Research Paper by the due date will receive a final grade of D. This is why handing in any paper is better than handing no paper at all.

45. Students who have not handed in less than three papers will receive a grade of F. Even if the two papers handed in have received A’s, the student will still fail the course.

46. INC The requirement for an INC (incomplete) are as follows:

47. 1. To receive an INC, students must have a compelling reason. This can be a serious medical or family problem that prevents them from coming to class. In the case of a medical problem, a doctor’s note is required for verification.

48. 2. To receive an INC, students must have received three passing grades on at least three of four assignments.

49. 3. Students must request an INC no later than one week prior to the last day of class to receive one. Requests for an INC made later than this time will be denied.

50. 4. If the teacher has not received a request for an INC, he will determine the final grade by averaging the grades of whatever papers the student has handed in.