Welcome to English 241 American Literature Online Orientation

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Welcome to English 241 American Literature
Online Orientation

• April N. Shockley
• Instructor of English

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Course Information

• English 241 examines American literary works from
  the colonial to romantic period.
• The structure of this course is designed to
  produce benefits in at least two major areas of
  learning. First of all, since the course views
  major writings as an expression of a given period
  and since time is spent demonstrating the
  thinking of that period, the student learns
  valuable insights into the American personality.
  The student, in short, learns how we got where we
  are today and why we are the way we are now.
  Since the course takes the Jungian theory into
  account, we will actually be tracking the student
  through the history of American literature.
  Furthermore, the course provides, through its
  readings and activities, aesthetic rewards that
  hopefully will last a lifetime. Reading or
  listening to a good novel or poem will definitely
  demonstrate that fact.

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Welcome

• I look forward to working with each of you this
  semester. Do not be afraid to ask questions. If
  you have a question, chances are someone else has
  the same question. Do not be afraid to take
  ownership over your own interpretation of a work
  we are not supposed to glean the same message or
  provide the same interpretation of a work. It is
  acceptable and appreciated to think outside of
  the box. This intellectual challenge possesses
  the power to make this course, and the material
  covered within it, valuable and provocative.

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Instructor Information

• April N. Shockley
• Warsaw Campus Annex (Office)
• 804-333-6782 (Voicemail)
• 804-333-0106 (Fax)
• ashockley_at_rcc.vccs.edu (E-mail)

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Instructor Availability

• Campus Office Hours
• M and W 1100 a.m.-1200 p.m. and 400 p.m.-600
  p.m.
• T and R 915 a.m. -1115 a.m.
• Please post all questions to the Procedural and
  Policy Questions forum in Blackboard before
  emailing me with them. This will allow all
  students to benefit from the response.

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Course Materials

• McMichael, George. Concise Anthology of American
  Literature. 6th edition, Prentice Hall, 1993.
• You should also purchase a copy of a current MLA
  handbook. If you took ENGL 111 and/or 112 within
  the past two years, the MLA handbook from that
  course is sufficient.

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Technical Requirements

• Software/Hardware Requirements
• Minimum system requirements Pentium
  processor, 512 RAM, 56.6 K modem or network
  connection. Obviously, more RAM and a faster
  modem will expedite downloads and make it easier
  for you.
• An Internet Service Provider and e-mail software.
  
• Netscape, Firefox or Internet Explorer, Version 6
  or higher
• Word processing software (MS Word preferred)
• Windows XP or higher/Mac Equivalent
• A sound card properly configured to run WAVE and
  MIDI sound files
• Plugins--gtAdobe Acrobat Reader, Flash Player,
  Java, Quick Time and others as appropriate. Can
  be downloaded from Blackboard in Start Here area.

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Dates to Remember

• Mandatory FLO Orientation August 20
• Deadline to Add/Drop September 4
• Deadline to Withdraw without Grade Penalty
  October 27
• Classes End December 10
• Grades Due December 18

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Grading/Evaluation

• Weekly Posts to Blackboard Discussion Board 25
• Research Papers (2 _at_15 each) 30
• Tests (3 _at_ 15 each)
  45
• See detailed Assignment Grid listed in
  Blackboard under Assignments.

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Testing

• Three tests will be administered during the
  course. They are to be completed during Weeks
  Five, Ten, and Fifteen.
• Tests will be completed in the Testing Center at
  any of the RCC campuses. It is your
  responsibility to familiarize yourself with
  Testing Centers hours and policies.
• You are permitted two hours to complete each
  test, and you will be permitted to use your
  textbook, as it will be necessary to cite textual
  evidence in response to test questions.

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Getting Started with Assignments

• Week One
• Review the syllabus and course orientation
  PowerPoint presentation.
• Post any questions about the course to the
  Blackboard forum, "Procedural and Policy
  Questions."
• Read the Unit One lecture, which is available
  under "Unit Lectures."
• Review the Citing Sources notes, which are
  available in the Unit Lectures section.
• Read pages 1-37 in the Concise Anthology of
  American Literature.
• Post one message of introduction to the "Course
  Introductions" forum in Blackboard by Thursday,
  August 23, at 1159 p.m.
• Post one message to the Week One discussion board
  forum by Thursday, August 23, at 1159 p.m.
  Close this post with a question about the
  reading.
• Respond to a question posed by a classmate by
  Sunday, August 26, at 1159 p.m.
• Please visit the folder, entitled "Research Paper
  1," to review the first research paper
  assignment. 

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Evaluation

• In order to truly improve, we must evaluate the
  class. Please complete your course evaluation
  when posted in Blackboard near the end of the
  semester.
• Only you can make the course better by giving me
  constructive feedback.

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Login Help
Email for help at RCChelp_at_rcc.vccs.edu
Online Resources Help Page http//www.rcc.vccs.edu
/distancelearning/onlineresources.shtml
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Email and Blackboard Tips and Tricks

• If using AOL or other broadband internet
  providers, please open another browser such as
  Internet Explorer or Netscape 6.0 or higher.
• Make sure when sending attachments that the
  filename contains no spaces or special characters
  such as hyphens or symbols.
• If you are having trouble with opening blackboard
  or your email, make sure to view the VCCS outage
  page at http//helpnet.utility.vccs.edu/central/Lo
  gs/outagelog.htm.
• If you are typing a long email, you might want to
  type it in word and then cut and paste the
  information into your email message.
• Other tips can be seen at the Webmail manual at
  https//email.vccs.edu/help/apps/brands/_at_/locale/e
  n_US.ISO_8859-1/webmail/FramesLayout.html.

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Special Information for Vista Users

• Are you using Microsoft Vista Operating System?
  Please read the information below
• If you have the new Microsoft Vista Operating
  System on your computer, make sure you do the
  following before you attempt to take a test or
  participate in a Discussion forum. Otherwise you
  will not be able to answer essay questions, and
  you may have difficulties with adding threads to
  discussion forums. Click "Tools" on the left side
  of your Blackboard screen. Then click "Personal
  Information." Choose "Set Text Box Editor
  Options," and click Unavailable" and "Submit."
  Remember to do this for all your future
  Blackboard courses. If you continue to have
  problems, please email the RCC helpdesk at
  Rcchelp_at_rcc.vccs.edu.

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Have a great semester!

• I look forward to working and learning with each
  of you this semester.