This literature survey course introduces students to a selection of some of the most impactful pieces of modern literature, and the historical context, through periods of Enlightenment, Neoclassicism, travel, encounter, colonization, slavery, war, resistance, emancipation, Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism. Read works by authors from around the world such as: Pu Songling, Zeami Motokiyo, Kong Shangren, Molière, Voltaire, Locke, Kant, Jefferson, Rousseau, Cao Xueqin, Bashō, Ramprasad Sen, Diderot, Swift, Goethe, Ghalib, Dostoyevsky, Dickens, Marx, Maupassant, Nietzsche, Zola, Equiano, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Wordsworth, Ruben Dario, Christina Rossetti, Rosalía de Castro, Baudelaire, Mallarme, Rimbaud, Kipling, Twain, Nguyễn Du, Liu E, Dostoyevski, Flaubert, Chekhov, Tagore, Ichiyō Higuchi, Pirandello, Woolf, Kafka, Eliot, Borges, Neruda, Camus, Yehuda Amichai, Derek Walcott.

Writers will forever look backwards into the past with what Harold Bloom calls the “anxiety of influence,” in order to take place in the eternal dialogue that crosses oceans spans centuries. As contemporary writers draw on the popular themes and forms of past eras to speak about the world today, an understanding of literary devices and terms becomes indispensable in a reader’s quest for meaning and beauty.      

The course will be centered on reading, analyzing and writing about short fiction, poetry, drama, and excerpts of longer fiction written between 1650 and the present, considering the historical circumstances that these texts grew out of and often respond to. As a literary survey course, as opposed to a composition course such as 1A, the largest bulk of the work is in reading and studying the texts, in order to respond in short answers and short essays on the midterm and final. We will be reading selections from a variety of genres and eras.

Prerequisites/corequisites/advisories

• Pre/Corequisite: None 
• Advisory: Readiness for college-level English or ESL 188

Student Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Explain the major genres, themes, and textual concerns of literature from the1650 to the Present.
2. Analyze individual texts in relation to the significant historical, cultural, and/or social issues of the era.
3. Analyze the content and formal structures of the text.
4. Integrate textual evidence and literary criticism when writing essays on key works of the era.

 *Find more details on this course in its official Course Outline of Record

Class Meetings

This online class is taught asynchronously and there won’t be class meetings. Assignments are due at the end of the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Discussions posts are due Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Each week’s Module will be published before noon on Sundays.

Course Web Site

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system [for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades].  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, please use the Student Canvas Guides or live support available through Canvas Chat.

For 24/7 help with Canvas, use Canvas Chat Support.

You can visit my CCSF instructional website outside of Canvas.

Textbooks

Required Text: Norton Anthology of World Literature: 1650 to the Present. (Fourth Edition) Vol. Package 2: Volumes D, E, and F. Ed. Martin Puchner. 2018, ISBN-10: 0393265919, ISBN-13: 978-039326591. *Note: You may purchase a new copy of the three-book set at the CCSF bookstore, or but the book used online, as a set or individually. It’s quite a bit cheaper to puchase the three used books separately online. 

Recommended Text: Puchner, Martin. The Written World: The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, and Civilization. Random House, 2017, IBSN: 978-0-8129-8827-7.

Field Trips

There will be no required field trips. 

Instructor Contact

Dr. Steven Mayers

• Canvas Inbox is preferred.
• Email: smayers@ccsf.edu 
• CCSF Phone: (415) 452-4871
• Virtual Classroom: This class is taught online in Canvas
• Office Hours: Tuesdays from 9-10am and by appointment
• Office Location: all office hours are held on Zoom
• I will respond to all course email within 48 hours, Monday-Friday, exclusive of school holidays. Once the course begins, I prefer to get messages through the Canvas "Inbox."
• You can visit my CCSF instructional website outside of Canvas

Communication Plan

Please contact me any time through the Canvas Inbox. I'll respond to your messages within 24-to-48 hours but usually more promptly! 

Welcome! Please reach out to me any time. Reach out if you are confused about how to do something in the class. Reach out if you want to run an idea by me. Reach out if you have any questions about City College or are looking for a particular resource. Reach out if you need to brainstorm a solution to a new challenge or problem. Reach out to say hello and chat! 

There are three ways to meet with me:

1. Canvas message: Send me a message from the  Canvas Inbox  any time and I’ll respond promptly. I prefer this to emails though you are also welcome to email.
2. Videoconference using Zoom: To book an appointment you can click on the Calendar icon on the left of the page. Click on "Find Appointment" on the right side and you'll see open 15-minute slots available at the time of the office hour. Click on the time slot you'd like and then click "Reserve." Here's a video tutorial on how to use the Calendar in Canvas and sign up for office hour appointments. I'm also available outside those hours, so if you'd like to meet on another day or time, just send me a Message or Pronto text, and we can schedule a time to meet. You can also create a free Zoom account, which is optional. Here is the page where you can  sign up for a Zoom account. Then send me a Canvas Message to schedule an appointment. I will set the appointment up on Zoom and send you login information. Basically, you’ll just click on a link in the message I send you, and it will open up our Video Conference. You can send me writing to look at together while we talk on video chat.
3. Text conversation or video message using Pronto: First, find the Pronto icon at the bottom of the vertical column along the left-hand side of your Canvas page. Click on it and send me a text message any time. I’ll respond as soon as I can. You can also send me a request to schedule an appointment and we can have a text-chat appointment on Pronto.

Building Community

This community fosters an inclusive learning environment where diverse perspectives are respected and recognized as a source of knowledge.  Students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives should feel respected in this community and students' learning needs should be addressed. I try to present materials and discussions that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. I invite you to participate in the forming community policies of our online community this semester!

Please practice "netiquette" in all your communications.

• Be kind and respectful to others.
• Use full sentences.
• Avoid jargon and acronyms.
• Use language that supports others.

When you give feedback to other writers, you want to be authentic, insightful, curious, and generous. It’s easy to have a reaction, but it is more beneficial to see into a piece of writing, its consciousness, and infer its intentions. The last thing we want to do is get in the way of the writer’s process.

This is hard work! We can’t read the writer’s mind. This is why we have to learn from published writers and ask the right questions whenever we read and analyze writing.

Instructor Announcements 

The instructor will post announcements on the “Instructor Announcements” page in Canvas throughout the semester. Canvas notifies students according to their preferred Notification Preferences as soon as the instructor creates an Announcement. 

Q&A Discussion

A “Q&A Discussion” is available on the home page as a quick link. The Q&A Discussion is for you to ask for the assistance of your classmates or the instructor.

Participation Policy

Since this is a fully asynchronous online class, attendance is not taken. You have the freedom of entering discussions at any time of the day or night. It is important to participate throughout the week in order to form a meaningful and engaging learning experience for you and the rest of the members of our online community.

You will receive credit for posting in any class discussion as long as the post is made before the Final Exam. Our student-to-student interaction begins in the reading assignments themselves. You’ll open each reading assignment directly from the Week’s Module in Canvas and it will open up in an application called Perusall, which allows you to ask questions and make comments in the margins of the texts. For each reading assignment, you’ll be required to make five-to-seven in-text comments.

From there, you can expand on one or two of the comments in the class Discussion in Canvas. To receive full credit for the Discussion, you’re required to make an initial post of at least ten sentences and at least one post replying to another student’s post at least four-to-fine sentences. The posts can be typed or can be audio or video recordings.

The ideas you start in the margins of the texts will grow in the class Discussions and can then be brought directly into your essay drafts!

The Discussions are set to be due on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:59pm. If you miss the deadline, you can still enter and participate in the discussions for full credit at any time before the Final Exam.

I understand that students represent a rich diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The City College of San Francisco is committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects diversity. While working together to build this community I request all student members to:

1. share their unique experiences, values and beliefs
2. value each other’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
3. be open to the views of others
4. honor the uniqueness of peers
5. appreciate the opportunity that we have to learn from each other in this community

Canvas

Students will use the Canvas Learning Management system [for assignment instructions, submitting assignments, viewing classmates' work, sharing resources, and viewing grades].  I can help with the course material and with some Canvas issues. But, if you need help uploading an assignment or with the mechanics of Canvas, please use the Student Canvas Guides or live support available through Canvas Chat.

For 24/7 help with Canvas, use Canvas Chat Support.

Zoom Video Conferencing

If you wish to meet with me and you cannot come to campus. We can meet on Zoom.

To book an appointment you can click on the Calendar icon  on the left of the page. Click on "Find Appointment" on the right side and you'll see open 15-minute slots available on Tuesdays from 11am-12pm. Click on the time slot you'd like and then click "Reserve." Here's a video tutorial on how to use the Calendar in Canvas and sign up for office hour appointments (Links to an external site.). I'm also available outside those hours, so if you'd like to meet on another day or time, just send me a Message or Pronto text, and we can schedule a time to meet. You can also create a free Zoom account, which is optional. Here is the page where you can  sign up for a Zoom account. Links to an external site.. Then send me a Canvas Message to schedule an appointment. I will set the appointment up on Zoom and send you login information. Basically, you’ll just click on a link in the message I send you, and it will open up our Video Conference. You can send me writing to look at together while we talk on video chat. 

Required Software

• Adobe Reader (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
• Update your browser (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Important Dates

• Day Class Begins: August 29, 2023  [Find the following dates in the Instructional Calendar or in the online Schedule of Classes by hovering over the deadlines link next to your class listing.]

  Day Class Ends: December 19, 2023

  Last Day to Drop with a refund: September 7, 2023

  Last Day to Drop without a 'W' symbol: September 15, 2023

  Last Day to Drop with a W or apply for leave of absence: November 20, 2023

  Final Exam Date: December 19, 2023

Dropping the Class

 It’s important to keep me updated my sending me an Inbox Message in Canvas if you become inactive in the course. I’ll check in with you via Canvas Inbox Messages if you become inactive. Check the Important Dates for the various deadlines for withdrawing or “dropping” the course if you don’t plan to complete the course.

About ten days into the semester is the deadline to withdraw, for drop, a course for a full refund and no “W” for Withdrawal on your transcript. I will withdraw anyone who has not logged on to the course or responded to my Inbox message.

About three weeks into the semester, students can withdraw from course with no “W” for withdrawal on your transcript. It’s also the last chance “to qualify for 50% refund of international and non-resident student tuition and capital outlay fees.”

About three months into the semester and a month from the end of the semester is the last day to withdraw from or drop a course without applying for a “late withdraw.” I generally contact students before this date via Canvas Inbox and will withdraw students who have not been active or responded to my email. I often face the dilemma of not knowing whether someone is planning to complete the course if for example, they contacted me a few weeks before this date but then have not been active since.

Ultimately, while I try to withdraw students who have been nonactive in order to prevent them from receiving a non-passing grade, it can be difficult for me to know whether a student is planning to complete the course if they’ve fallen behind. That’s why it’s ultimately up to you to withdraw from a course you don’t plan to complete before the appropriate date or contact me so I understand your plan.

•   CCSF Add/Drop Procedure
•   Is Dropping a Class in College Bad?
•   Should I Drop a Class?

Pass‐No Pass (P/NP)

You may take this class P/NP. You must decide before the deadline and add the option online with College Scheduler or file the P/NP form with Admissions and Records. With a grade of C or better, you will get P.

You must file for the P/NP option by the date listed above. Once you decide to go for P/NP, you cannot change back to a letter grade. If you are taking this course as part of a certificate program, you can probably still take the class P/NP. Check with a counselor to be sure.

Participation

Since this is a fully asynchronous online class, attendance is not taken. You have the freedom of entering discussions at any time of the day or night. It is important to participate throughout the week in order to form a meaningful and engaging learning experience for you and the rest of the members of our online community.

You will receive credit for posting in any class discussion as long as the post is made before the Final Exam. Our class Discussions will all tale place in Canvas. You can type your Discussion posts, or record video or audio posts. To receive full credit for the Discussion, you’re required to make an initial post of at least twelve-to-fifteen sentences and at least one post replying to another student’s post at least six-to-ten sentences. The posts can be typed or can be audio or video recordings.

If you miss the deadline, you can still enter and participate in the discussions for full credit at any time before the Midterm Exam for the first half of the semester, and Final Exam for the second half of the semester. All of the assignments in the first half of the semester lock at the time the Midterm Exam is due and all of the assignments in the second half of the semester lock at the time the Final Exam is due.

Late Policy

All the work in this class is part of the final goal of producing strong literary analysis essays. All assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. PST on the due dates, which are Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can turn in, revise, and resubmit any Assignment as many times as you want all the way until the course ends with the Final Exam. You can also participate in Discussions for full credit any time as well and add more in order to raise your score. If you write four strong essays by the end of the semester, you’ll do well! I always curve final grades up. If you’re concerned about your status in the class, please reach out for encouragement and tips for success!

Methods of Evaluation

Your cumulative final grade is based upon the improvement of your reading and writing skills, class participation, and completion of reading, written work, and Midterm and Final Exams. We’ll take simple reading quizzes almost weekly, and the Midterm and Final Exams will draw on your quizzes. Everything you do in this class will earn you points. The sum of your points will determine your grade. 

You must turn in all quizzes, exams and essays to pass the course. All the work in this class is part of the final goal of understanding the texts. You can turn in, revise, and resubmit the first short essay as many times as you want all the way until the course ends with the Final Exam, the second short essay and a short video presentation. You can also participate in Discussions late for full credit any time as well and add more in order to raise your score, though all of the Discussions in the first half of the semester close at the submission time of the Midterm Exam and all of the Discussions in the second half of the semester close at the submission time of the Final Exam.  If you’re concerned about your status in the class, please reach out for encouragement and tips for success!

Your final grade will be calculated as follows:

•   Class Participation: 10%
•   Response Paper 1: 10%
•   Short Research Paper and Presentation: 20%
•   Quizzes (14):  20%
•   Midterm Exam: 20%
•   Final Exam: 20%

Grading Criteria for Essays

• 90-100:  In addition to the requirements for 80-89 papers, 90-100 papers are well-written and interesting; thoughtful; supported by evidence. They move well from one topic to another, are responsive to audience, employ precise language and more complex syntax and grammar, and display the author’s voice.

• 80-89:  80-89 papers are strong and carefully attentive to requirements. They show accurate and informative use of the readings, have a solid thesis that organizes topics, use correct grammar with appropriate choice of language, show evidence of audience-awareness, and demonstrate careful attention to editing, revising, and proofreading.

• 70-79: 70-79 papers follow the requirements of the assignment. They demonstrate competent but not exceptional control of language, syntax, grammar and mechanics, and an attempt at editing, revising, and proofreading.

• 0-69: 0-69 papers can be incomplete in several ways. They may not follow the requirements of the assignment, or may be so carelessly written that errors interfere with the reading. 

Voluntary Lab Work

The voluntary lab is highly recommended in English 44B.  It consists of extra activities during the semester geared towards helping you develop reading and writing skills. Working with tutors at the English Lab and completing Guided Leaning Activities (GLA’s) are two ways to do voluntary lab work to work on your reading and writing skills.

Exams

There will be online quizzes throughout the course and online midterm and final exams.The material comes from the textbook, class lectures, and supplemental materials. The cumulative exams will cover quizzes, tests, readings, notes, and handouts given throughout the entire semester. A zero will be recorded as the score if an exam is missed. It is your responsibility to take the online exams by the due date. 

Grading Policy

Visit the “Grades” in Canvas to keep track of your grades. I generally grade Assignments within a day or two and Essays within a week. I post grades and comments on the online Canvas Gradebook.

  How do I view my grades, teacher comments, and an assignment rubric as a student?

Grades will be assigned as follows: 

If taking Pass/No Pass, you need at least 70% of the total class points and complete the midterm exam and the final exam to pass the class.

An “F” grade indicates that a student attended, participated, and completed the course but failed to master the course curriculum.

An “FW” grade indicates the student stopped attending a course after the “last day to withdraw” deadline and subsequently did not submit any work or participate in any exams. Please check with your counselor and financial aid advisor for possible implications of the FW grade on residency and financial aid status.

If you need classroom or testing accommodations because of a disability, or have emergency medical information to share with me, or need special arrangements in case the building needs to be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office hours are by appointment either on the Ocean Campus (9-4 p.m., Monday through Friday) or by Zoom video-conferencing.

Students seeking disability-related accommodations are encouraged to also register with Disabled Students Programs and Services located in Room 323 of the Rosenberg Library (415) 452-5481. Please see the DSPS website for more information and alternate locations.

If you

• need classroom or testing accommodations because of a disability,
• have emergency medical information to share with me,
• need special arrangements in case the building needs to be evacuated,

please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. Students seeking disability related accommodations are encouraged to also register with Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) located in Room 323 of the Rosenberg Library (415) 452-5481.

Students who register in CCSF classes are required to abide by the CCSF Student Code of Conduct. Violation of the code is basis for referral to the Student Conduct Coordinator or dismissal from class or from the College. See the Office of Student Affairs.

Collaborating on or copying of tests or homework in whole or in part will be considered an act of academic dishonesty and result in a grade of 0 for that test or assignment.

I encourage students to share information and ideas, but not their work. Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses that can lead to dismissal from City College and/or not passing the course. Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or words as your own without giving the original author credit for them. Read more about CCSF’s policy on our Academic Integrity page.

See these links on Plagiarism:

Encourage Academic Integrity and Prevent Plagiarism

Citing Information Sources

I want you to write your essays and homework assignments, not Artificial Intelligence. I want you to write every sentence you turn into me. I run your essays through the imperfect applications that check for writing that looks machine written and if it looks like a machine has written your essay, I’ll schedule an appointment to talk to you and let you rewrite the assignment. While I understand that some professors might have different policies, because this is an English reading and writing class, I specifically want you to not use AI such as Chat GPT, Grammarly, and Google Translate.

Equity

I understand that students represent a rich diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. The City College of San Francisco is committed to providing an atmosphere for learning that respects diversity. While working together to build this community I request all student members to:

• share their unique experiences, values and beliefs
• value each other’s opinions and communicate in a respectful manner
• be open to the views of others
• honor the uniqueness of peers
• appreciate the opportunity that we have to learn from each other in this community

Student Expectations

You will succeed in this course if you meet the following expectations:

Complete the assigned activities. Please let me know as soon as you can concerning difficulties you may have in getting assignments in on time. 

Complete the discussion posts and replies to the best of your ability within the given window of time. Our discussions are much more vibrant when we all participate! Complete the weekly Discussions, the four Essays, and the Midterm and Final Exams. If you write four strong Essays by the end of the semester, as well as the Midterm and Final Exams, you’ll do well! I always curve final grades up.

Think critically about the weekly topics. Is something surprising? Is it new to you? How does it contrast with what you know about XYZ, or how does it compare to ABC? 

Do your own and your best work. 

Instructor Expectations 

Here is what you can expect of me:

I will respond to your email or message within 48 hours during the week unless I inform you otherwise.

I will treat you and your ideas with respect.

I will grade your course assignments within a week. (If you have posted late work, it may take longer.) Grades on the final project and final exam will be done within a week.

You will see your grades in the Canvas Gradebook.

I will work hard to make this a great class.