ASSIGNMENTS & PROCEDURES

Semester Course Work:

WRITING:

• one short essay (5 pages), preceded by a prospectus
• anthology of at least 15 associated poems from the Nelson anthology accompanied by a 7-10 page introduction and preceded by a prospectus
• readers' reports on two anthologies
• periodic postings formulating and/or addressing questions about the readings or commenting on the purpose, meaning, agony or thrill of reading poems
• opportunities for extra credit performances, imitations and parodies, and/or reviews of Iowa City poetry readings and slams
  

EXAMINATIONS:

Both the midterm and the final will have two parts: brief definitions of terms, techniques, and issues drawn from official web-based glossaries and class discussions and an essay on a poem we have not discussed in class.

DISCUSSION & PARTICIPATION:

1. For each class, there will be 3 types of reading: a) poems from the Nelson anthology, b) supplementary materials from the MAPS website and/or other internet sources, and c) terms from the on-line glossaries hotlinked into the syllabus, the Old English Dictionary (available through Infohawk Gateway), and other designated sources. Assignments will require an average of three hours of preparation per class: it is crucial not just to read but to reread the poems, to listen closely to the sound files, and to think through your postings. Always check the syllabus before doing an assignment. Don't fall behind.
2. Since the class meets just two days a week, students are expected to attend and participate in all class sessions. Punctual, regular attendance is a requirement. More than three unexcused absences will significantly reduce the grade for the course; more than six absences will result in a failing grade.
3. Participation means being in class not just in body but in mind and focus. It means exchanging ideas in person, on the website, and in reading groups. It means being willing to be at a loss with a poem as much as it means being willing to be found by a poem.

GRADING:

Grading is without a doubt everyone's least favorite activity in any course, but it's particularly problematic in a poetry course that depends on risk, imagination, and play. In assessing your work in the course, I am more interested in energy than accuracy, since with dense, rhythmic, figurative language no one has all the answers and in most cases "wrong" answers go as far, and sometimes farther, than "right" ones.

On the other hand, because grades are important for a student's record I want to be clear about the process through which I determine them. My preference is to grade holistically--i.e., in terms of each person's whole immersion in the class--with, rather than against, the grain of each individual's approach to learning. Each of the assignments, however, is important and will be read carefully.

Rough proportions:

15%	first paper
20%	attendance & participation
30%	anthology & reader's reports
15%	midterm
5%	extra credit assignments, including postings and parodies
15%	final

Department and Collegiate Policies & Procedures:

1. Disabilities: I would like to hear from anyone who has a physical, mental, or learning disability that may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during my office hours. Before this visit, it is the student's responsibility to contact Student Disability Services, 3100 Burge Hall (5-1462), to obtain a Student Academic Accommodation Request form (SAAR). This form specifies what course accommodations are judged reasonable for a given student. If necessary accommodations can't be provided, I will contact the Student Disability Services counselor who signed the request form within 48 hours of receiving it from the student.

2. Academic Policies. Because this course is given in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by CLAS regulations. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College. Details of University policy of cross enrollments may be found here. Students should assume, unless told otherwise, that all courses taken in the English Department employ plus-minus grading.

3. Disputes: A student who has a complaint against any member of the college's teaching staff is responsible for following the procedures described in the Student Academic Handbook, which is available here. Serious disagreements about grading or other policies are generally resolved through negotiations. The first step is to talk with the instructor--which would be me; if we cannot come to a satisfactory agreement, the second step is to talk with the Associate Chair of Undergraduate Programs, Professor Douglas Trevor (douglas-trevor@uiowa.edu, 335-0472); if that doesn't work, the third step is to talk with the English Department Chair, Professor Jonathan Wilcox (jonathan-wilcox@uiowa.edu, 335-0454). After these options have been exhausted, a student may turn to the CLAS administration and submit a written complaint to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Professor Helena Dettmar, whose office is 120 Schaeffer Hall (335-2633). Please note that in complaints involving the assignment of grades, it is college policy that grades cannot be changed without the permission of the department concerned.

4. Plagiarism and Cheating: All students are expected to be honest and honorable in their fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations. Plagiarism and cheating are serious forms of academic misconduct. Specific examples of these practices are available in the CLAS Handbook. Review these examples carefully. Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's work as one's own and may involve lifting language from published essays or books, copying sources found on the internet, or using other students' work (as, for example, from a roommate or a dorm, fraternity, or sorority file). The English Department works with individual instructors to detect plagiarism and cheating and to ensure that appropriately serious punishments are applied. An instructor who suspects a student of plagiarism or cheating must inform the student (in writing) as soon as possible after the incident has been observed or discovered. Instructors who detect cheating or plagiarism may decide, in consultation with the departmental chair, to reduce the student's grade on the assignment or the course, even to assign an F. In either case, the instructor will write an account of the chonology of the plagiarism or cheating incident for the departmental chair, who will send an endorsement of the written report of the case to the Associate Dean for academic programs. A copy of the report will be sent to the student, who has the right to request a hearing within the Department and/or within the College.

5. Homework Expectation. On average, students should expect to spend approximately six hours per week outside of class preparing for class sessions. When particularly arduous reading or writing assignments are due, you may need to schedule additional out-of-class preparation time.