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Contact Information

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Prof Nancy A. Taylor

Sierra Tower 812

Phone: 818.677.3410

Office Hours: W 12-12:50

Campus Email:
nancy.taylor@csun.edu

    ProfNancy's Main Page

     

          Course Links

                Course Assignments

                Lectures

                Major Assignments

                Stories for Discussion

                Carefully read each homework assignment -- our week to week schedule will vary. For your story analyses, you will either be required to respond in a whole-class WebCT forum or you will be asked to email a Microsoft WORD document to the Instructor. Check the schedule page for all due dates.

                Our Anthology Stories:

                "The Lottery"

                "Everyday Use"

                "Sonny's Blues"

                "A Worn Path"

                "Hills Like White Elephants"

                "Cathedral"

                "The Rocking-Horse Winner"

                "Araby"

                "The Yellow Wall-Paper"

                "I Stand Here Ironing"

                "The Man I Killed"

                "The Lives of the Dead"

                "The Magic Barrel"

                "Idiots First"

                "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall"

                "A Rose for Emily."

                "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"

                "A Hunger Artist"

                "My Life with the Wave"

                "How I Finally Lost My Heart"

                Required Materials

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                1. HEATH INTRODUCTION TO FICTION, 6TH ED.

                John J. Clayton, Editor

                2. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

                A Film by Ang Lee (rent or purchase)

                3. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN STORY TO SCREENPLAY
                (ISBN-10: 0743294165)

                Story by Annie Proulx
                Screenplay by Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana

                      Course Policies

                      Attendance & Late Work

                      Please come to our online discussions on time and prepared! Every absence will lower your overall grade. Should you miss more than three weeks of class (excused or unexcused) you will not be allowed to pass the course. Late papers and forum posts will be marked down one full grade per week and will adversely affect your overall class grade.

                      Grading

                      Your final grade will be determined as follows:

                      1. Response to Anthology Readings: 55%

                      2. Brokeback Mountain Midterm Paper (750-1000 words): 25%

                      3. Attendance, Preparation, Discussion & Group Presentation: 20%

                      NOTE: Whole-class forum postings will be graded 'A' for effort and thoughtfulness. Please leave yourself enough time to read and respond to your peers. You will receive a letter grade for each assignment sent to the Instructor via email.

                      Academic Dishonesty

                      According to the CSUN catalogue, plagiarism is the act of “intentionally or knowingly representing the words, ideas, or works of another as one’s own in any academic exercise,” and will result in a failing grade for the assignment. In addition, it may result in a failing grade for the course and disciplinary action on the part of the university. Internet software is available to assist CSUN faculty to scan student writing. ALL student assignments will be scanned for plagiarism.

                      Please adhere to the CSUN Student Conduct Code for all course activities, including email, forum and chat discussions, and written and oral analyses.

                            Accessibility

                            CSUN is actively revamping its Web presence to make the content universally accessible. It is the policy of the CSU to make information technology resources and services accessible to all CSU students, faculty, staff and the general public regardless of disability.

                            The California State University System is undertaking an unprecedented and coordinated effort to bring the CSU into compliance with federal and state laws pertaining to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.

                            Students concerned with accessibility to digital course materials should contact the Center on Disabilities (COD) for assistance.

                            Course Description & Requirements

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                            English 364OL - The Short Story

                            Course Number: 17540

                            Tuesday 4:20-6:45pm

                            Course Prerequisites:

                            Completion of the lower-division writing requirement and upper division standing. Not allowed for credit in the English major and minor.

                            Enrollment Procedures

                            CSUN regularly enrolled students register for online courses in the same manner as they register for any course. If you wish to add the course after the semester begins, you must email the course Professor for a permission number.

                            Students must email the instructor and receive an acknowledgement to complete the enrollment procedure. Directions will be given by the instructor about how to access the course website and complete the specific enrollment requirements for the course.

                            Students from other CSU Campuses who wish to enroll, must submit the Intrasystem Concurrent Enrollment Form to their home Campus. Anyone in the world may take the Online Courses through CSUN's Open University!

                            Student Learning Objectives

                            During the semester, you will learn to:

                            1. identify the elements of fiction;

                            2. trace different attitudes as seen in literature during different periods of writing;

                            3. evaluate style and thematic ideas;

                            4. discuss theoretical approaches to literature;

                            5. successfully navigate the Internet;

                            6. engage in synchronous (live chat) and asynchronous (bulletin board forum) discussions;

                            7. work in groups via the Internet;

                            8. create and present a culminating group project.

                            Course Requirements

                            Welcome to English 364OL, an upper division general education course in the genre of the short story! In this discussion-based virtual classroom, we will study a variety of stories with varying themes, written at different periods of time, and authored by a diverse group of writers. The goal of our course is to appreciate the short story as a genre of literature and to enhance students' analytical reading and writing skills.

                            NOTE: This class will meet LIVE online EVERY Tuesday from 4:20-6:45pm. Please check your availability BEFORE registering for this course. This is a live discussion-based course, so please plan to be online for the entire 2 3/4 hour class meeting!

                            Since this is mostly a discussion class, the success of this course depends on active participation. We will apply "Reader Response Theory" to all discussions. In other words, I want to hear how you, the reader, interact with the readings. All thoughtful opinions and insights are valued and welcomed -- just be prepared to explain your theories! In addition, you will be required to work in permanent groups of 4-6 students throughout the semester. Part of our class time will be devoted to group activities and small group chat rooms.

                            NOTE: CSUN's GE Upper Division Writing Policy states that all upper-division required GE courses be designated writing-intensive. In each such course, students will be required to complete writing assignments totaling a minimum of 2,500 words. To fulfill the GE Upper Division Writing Policy, you will be required to post responses to our readings in a variety of ways: Email, Whole-Class Discussion Forums, Live Internet Chat.

                            Technical Requirements

                            Students will need to have access to the Internet, either Microsoft Explorer, Firefox, or Safari, and an active CSUN email account to access the WebCT system. To activate your CSUN e-mail address or reset its password use the account utility page.

                            Can't login? If you see the main WebCT login screen repeatedly, despite entering a valid e-mail address and password, then you may need to enable cookies in your web browser's options or preferences area. WebCT requires access to cookies and will not allow a successful log-in until and unless your web browser has them enabled. Since Chat is a Java applet, you should visit the WebCT browser tune-up page to check your computer settings.

                            Instructions will be provided for all computer activities; you may visit CSUN's Office of Online Instruction site for information on online courses and programs. CSUN also provides information on computer resources and availability. Please be familiar with CSUN's online applications, particularly WebCT, prior to our first meeting.

                            NOTE: For chat preparation install Java before using chat!!! Because of a legal dispute between Microsoft and Sun, recent versions of Internet Explorer / Windows do not come bundled with Java, a program that WebCT chat relies on. If you try to use a Java-based program and Java has not been installed on your system, you will see a message indicating that you need to download "JAVA Virtual Machine." You may download and install Java directly from Sun at http://www.java.com/en/index.jsp (click the big yellow Get It Now button on that page). Follow the directions for installation, closing your web browser and/or restarting your system as it suggests. Once Java has been installed you should encounter no further trouble with WebCT chat.