Cooking up Stories: Women, Life Writing, and Food

ENGL/WOMS 3370

Instructor:     Dr. Peggy Kulesz                                Term: Fall 2010                   

Phone:             no office phone                                  Time: MWF  9:00am

Office:             Carlisle 620                                        Web page: www.uta.edu/faculty/kulesz

E-mail:            kulesz@uta.edu                                 Class Location: 310 Preston Hall

Office Hours: I will generally reserve 10:00am to 11:00am for drop in office hours. However, I may be required to attend a meeting as part of my position here at UTA. If I am not available during these hours, I will always schedule an appointment with you at another time.         

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIAL:

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COMPUTER AND EMAIL:  All students must have access to a computer with internet capabilities. Students should check email daily for course information and updates. I will send group emails through MyMav. Your UTA email will be the official class email address.  The course web page will be your link to our course assignments, extra resources, reading material, videos, and changes to the schedule. Please check this web page daily. I will occasionally post information, questions or handouts in this location, and I will not distribute copies of this material. You may print handouts and assignments at home or in a UTA computer lab. Keep in mind the UTA copy allowance

E-CULTURE POLICY:  I am happy to communicate with students through email. However, I ask that you be wise in your use of this tool. Make sure you have consulted the syllabus and web page for answers before you send me an email. Remember, I do not monitor my email 24 hours a day. I check it periodically during the school week and occasionally on the weekend. The University of Texas at Arlington has adopted the University email address as an official means of communication with students.  Through the use of email, UT-Arlington is able to provide students with relevant and timely information, designed to facilitate student success.  In particular, important information concerning registration, financial aid, payment of bills, and graduation may be sent to students through email. All students are assigned an email account and information about activating and using it is available atwww.uta.edu/email.  New students (first semester at UTA) are able to activate their email account 24 hours after registering for courses.  There is no additional charge to students for using this account, and it remains active as long as a student is enrolled at UT-Arlington.  Students are responsible for checking their email regularly.

ENGLISH MAJOR LISTERV:  To unsubscribe--i.e., leave--the ENGMAJOR list all that is necessary is to email the command: signoff engmajor to listserv@listserv.uta.edu (Please do not send the command to the engmajor list!)

ELECTRONICS POLICY: Please turn off and put away all cell phones, pagers, and other electronics during class. During class do not use lab computer unless instructed.

UNIVERSITY CLOSINGS:  In some cases the university is unable to have class on campus due to weather or other circumstances. However, our 3370 section WILL have class electronically. Please check the course web page for information on how our class will proceed in the event of campus closings.

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES: In this course, we will examine writing about and by various American women. Guided by the method of inquiry set forth by Smith and Watson, we will consider ways of interpreting life narrative. We will also focus on the way in which functions literally and metaphorically in the various texts.  We will question issues of gender construction, expectations, and ideology as we encounter various texts this semester. English 3370 is a demanding upper level English course, and it is expected that all students enrolled will be able to read, discuss and write at a sophisticated intellectual level informed by various critical methodologies.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Students should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a variety of texts by American women writers.
2. Students should be able to analyze and interpret texts and films employing close reading skills as well as a variety of other theories and methods employed in   English Studies.
3. Students should be able to effectively communicate orally with small groups and in front of the entire class.
4. Students should be able to perform independent research, using the MLA bibliography and other methods.  
5. Students should be able to express their ideas in clear, logical, organized, concise, and persuasive ways, in both written and oral forms.
6. Students should be able to respond critically to all course material, using synthesis, analysis, comparison, contrast, critique and evaluation.
7. Students should be able to use web-based scholarly sources and library resources in an effective manner.
8. Students will be able to effectively and appropriately participate in small group collaborative learning situations.

ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION: English 3370 is not an introductory course. It is an upper level offering and requires students to come to every class prepared to take an active role in the learning setting. Obviously, you should read each assignment carefully, think about it critically, and generate ideas and questions from your analysis. As your instructor, I will serve as a facilitator to learning, not as the repository of all knowledge. I will provide a beginning point for your own exploration of texts, ideas, and topics. Because this is a demanding upper level course, the responsibility for learning lies with you. It is expected that students in this course will actively engage in class discussion and participate in collaborative learning situations. Class attendance is very important. Attendance figures into the computation of the participation grade as no assignments completed during a class meeting time may be made up. Additionally, if you miss four MWF classes, you will have 10 points deducted from your final grade. Each absence thereafter will result in five more point deductions. Since I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences, it is best to use your "free" absences for real emergencies. Please don't bring me doctor's excuses or tell me sad stories about your absences. NO, you cannot make-up anything you missed in class, and YES, you will miss something. Get information and notes from a classmate. I do not have notes to give you.  Students who arrive in class after we have begun, may be counted absent. Please be in class on time, ready to begin the day's activities. I may lock the door and choose not to admit late students. Habitual tardiness is considered a rude distraction and is indicative of serious time management issues. Don’t ask me to repeat information that has been given while you were not with us or to give you what you missed by email.

 DROPS/WITHDRAWALS: I am not allowed to "drop" you from this course. You must familiarize yourself with and follow university policies, procedures and deadlines. If you stop attending class and fail to officially drop the class, you will receive an "F' grade in the course. The final drop date is Nov. 5, 2010. 

ASSIGNMENTS:  All course work must completed on time. Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. Quizzes and in-class assignments may not be made up. Assignments must be completed according to the specific assigned format. Assignments are due on the date they are listed in the syllabus.  Work done outside of class should be typed. Essays and major assignments will be accepted up to three calendar days after due date. However, a ten percent deduction per calendar day is applied to this work. If you must be absent, your work is still due on the assigned date. Coming to class ill-prepared could result in your being asked to leave the classroom.

Many writing assignments for this class will be submitted through the Safe Assignment tool on Blackboard. This checks for material available on the internet and previously written papers. As part of this class, it is understood that your written work will become part of the UTA essay database. Please contact  me if you have questions or concerns about this agreement.

CONFERENCES AND QUESTIONS:   I have three regularly scheduled conference times each week. These times are reserved for students to drop by or to make an appointment to discuss  course work , grades, or other class related concerns. I will be happy to make other appointment times for you, if your class schedule conflicts with regular conference times or if I must be away from my office due to other job responsibilities here at UTA. If you receive a grade on an assignment or quiz about which you have questions, please wait twenty-four hours before discussing it with me. This gives you time to process the assignment comments and to think about how your course work meets the requirements set forth for each assignment. I do not discuss individual student issues in the classroom before, during or after class.

THE WRITING CENTER: The Writing Center, Room 411 in the Central Library, will assist you with any writing assignment while you are a student at UT-Arlington. You may schedule appointments online by following directions available at www.uta.edu/owl/appointments, by calling 817 272-2601, or by visiting the Writing Center. If you come to the Writing Center without an appointment, you will be helped on a first-come, first-served basis as tutors become available. Writing Center tutors are carefully chosen and trained, and they can assist you with any aspect of your writing, from understanding an assignment to revising an early draft to polishing a final draft. However, the Writing Center is not an editing service; tutors will not correct your grammar or rewrite your assignment for you, but they will help you learn to solve your grammatical and organizational problems. I encourage each of you to use the Writing Center.

METHODS FOR ASSESSMENT AND REQUIREMENTS FOR CREDIT:  Class may begin with a short reading quiz. Additionally, during the semester three to four short essays will be required. The due dates are listed in the course schedule, but actual essay assignments will be posted on the course web page. Please make sure you read and follow all assignment guidelines. We will have a mid-term exam which will require you to demonstrate knowledge of the texts and your ability to analyze and synthesize authors' works, historical contexts, and literary theory. Students will present a review and analysis over a film at the end of the semester. Each student will also engage in research culminating in a longer, researched paper.

Grading Scale

DISABILITIES: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112 -- The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act - (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. If you require academic accommodations due to disability, please contact me as soon as possible
 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Your work is to be your own, and it is to be prepared originally for this course. It is considered academic dishonesty to present work done by someone else and to claim it as yours. It is also inappropriate to hand in a paper or portions of a paper written for another class.  Any borrowed information (from books, websites, and other sources) should include the correct documentation to identify it as originating elsewhere. Academic dishonesty of any type (plagiarism, cheating, preparing work for others, etc.) is unacceptable. All instances of academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to UTA policy and procedures, and I will send a copy of questionable work to the office of the Dean of Students to be kept on file. I will assign a zero to any plagiarized work or work where even a phrase or sentence is plagiarized. I also reserve the right to award a failing grade for the entire course to students who engage in this unethical practice.  It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents’ Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22) 

 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES:  The University of Texas at Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to their courses. These resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers, developmental education, advising and mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals to resources for any reason, students may contact the Maverick Resource Hotline at 817-272-6107 or visit www.uta.edu/resources for more information. 

LIBRARIAN TO CONTACT:  Rafia Mirza; Reference and Instruction Librarian for English, History, Communication: rafia@uta.edu    817-272-7428