An overview of ENGL 151L (English II), Northampton Community College

1. English 151L – Summer 1 2017
Highlights from the Syllabus
detailed schedule & policies in the main syllabus

2. Hi! Welcome to the class.
I am Kathryn Gordon (you may see Elizabeth in
places – same person!)
My email is kgordon@northampton.edu
Backup e-mail is walk33@gmail.com
Office hours: Mon 3-5 PM and Wed 5-7 PM
Working then? No problem.
We’ll find a time that works for you.
I am often online in the course Sat afternoons too.
Office hours by phone, skype, text or email.
I do not mind texts: 518/364-6813

3. My Nitty Gritty Slam team after winning a slam
in Buffalo this summer.
I’m at the end. Right side.

4. Our Book
The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature,
11th Edition, by Michael Meyer
ISBN number: 978-1-319-03727-7
(ISBN found on the back of the 2nd page)
Unfortunately, the department is requiring
a new edition. So there are fewer used
books around. Some options here and here. If you plan to rent
by the chapter, ask me which we’ll definitely be using.
NOTE: The bookstore suggests two tip sheets. These are not
required by me and are not used at all in the course.

5. Get the book ASAP
You need the book from the start. This is an
intensive, compressed course. There is no
"Intro" week, unless you choose to start early.
Find a way to have the book at the start. Those
who don’t tend to fall behind. Give yourself
the tools you need to succeed.

6. Part of the course 1,100 Point Scale Point-earning chances Pace
Essays 400-450 4 essays. All essays earn points.
No essay turned in “fails”
See guidelines in Learning
Content.
Forum discussion 200 + many extra point
opportunities
Up to 20 points per week with
many extra point & Bonus Point
chances. Not your usual forum
One forum with 3-4 threads
per week. Forum closes
Sunday 11PM.
Response Journal 200 + 2 extra posts accepted
after maxing out
Up to 20 points per One per week. Always open.
No late penalty. No more
than 2 catch-up posts in a
week.
Reading Checks 200 + occasional Bonus
Point Opportunities
20 points each. Test your
memory of readings & lectures.
One per week. Always open.
No late penalty. No more
than 2 catch-up in a week
Creative Blog 100 + 2 extra posts accepted
after maxing out
Up to 25 points each post.
Topic options given each week
Self-paced, serious attempts
only counted
Bonus Point
Opportunities
No maximum. Worth 10-20
points each and very rare Big
Bobus Point Opps worth 50
In all above areas Self-paced, unlimited

7. About those Bonus Point Opportunities
Where points go Ways to earn Bonus points
Essays
Added to your points for that essay. No max
Essay guidelines describe ways to earn bonus points. Could be an amazing title,
extra sources, or adding an extra story/poem/play.
Weekly Forum Discussions
Added to your Forum points for that week,
which adds to your forum total for the semester
 10 xtra - Go above & beyond the 3-5 required posts. Talk a lot. Write a lot &
interact well with other posts
 10 xtra - Scavenger hunt: Check announcements for things to look for in the
past or current weekly forum. Email in answers for the bonus points.
 20 xtra - What we Said - Summarize all our posts on a certain thread.
 20 xtra – In some weeks I invite students to start a thread. Moderate to keep
it going and get the full 2
Improve the course points
Added to the Bonus Pts column in the
gradebook
Flag a schedule glitch, suggest a link, or in any way improve the course for 5-10
bonus points. Let me know by well-written email. The quality of the email effects
the points, and there is a mistake in this sentence. Find it for 5 bonus pts. (Hint:
some nouns try to act like verbs). Thanks for alerting me to typos (two-finger
typist here) but no bonus points for typos in the forum. Elsewhere = 5 pts.
Journal and Blog
Added to your post for that week
 Exceptional journal and blog entries can earn an extra 5 or even 10 points.
 Once you have maxed out in points, up to 2 extra posts will be accepted up
until May 14th.
Reading checks  Some reading checks have bonus questions. Look for bonus offers in essay
feedback too.

8. Q & A about Bonus Points
Q: What if I have enough points for an A before the end of the semester?
A: You can skip the last essay, or other work. You earned it. But please do stay around in the discussion forum.
Q: Do I have to try to earn bonus points?
A: No. Bonus points are not in the grading scale. You can earn none and still get an A. Bonus points provide a
buffer if you have some crisis or a busy time during the semester. If you can earn them early, why not? Plus,
less experienced writers who score low on essays can still do well in the course, because bonus points.
Q: Where do bonus points go?
A: Most go into the Bonus Point column in the gradebook. Forum bonus points go in the forum column. Essay
bonus points just add to an essay’s overall score.
Q: What is the maximum bonus points I can earn?
A: There is no maximum! Some students last semester earned close to 20% of their total from Bonus Points.
Some earned none or very few yet still received a high final grade.
Q: How come we can turn in only 2 Bonus Point opportunities in a week?
A: I don’t want people disappearing and then bulking up on points at the end. And it would be unfair to those
with busy schedules who don’t have time to do much extra work at the end yet have worked steadily all along.

9. Schedule Note
Our week runs Monday morning through Sunday at 11 PM.
Students have persuaded me that this works best. If you
prefer your week to end on Friday or Saturday, great. You’ll
always be early.
Avoid weekend-only discussion forum posting. If you must
do most of your forum posts on the weekend, post in the
next week when you can (i.e., early rather than late). This
way more of the class hears what you have to say.
You can post in the forum even before you finish the
reading / viewing. Not all threads relate to the reading /
viewing.

10. Summary of the schedule
 Forum closes Sunday 11PM except for Thanksgiving week
when it is extended.
 Reading Checks stay open. Aim for 1 per week.
 A journal post should be done each week, but the deadline
is flexible. Two catch-up posts can be done in any week.
 Creative blog is self-paced. Posts can be done any time.
 Most Bonus Point Opportunities are self-paced. Can be
done any time. No semester maximum!

11. Where & When to turn in Essays
 Essays are due Sundays at 11PM (unless
announced otherwise). One-hour grace
period. Sunday a bad day for you? Give
yourself an earlier due date. I’ll read yours
first.
 Turn in essays through the Learning Content
folder for that week. It’ll be right on top and
easy to spot. Email is the back-up turn in.

12. If you have to turn an essay in late
 Don’t panic! The late penalty is only 10 points, or less than
1% of the overall grade. You can make that up easily.
 Do get moving! Essays are accepted late for only one week.
 If you have to quit on an essay, don’t quit on the course.
The 4 essays are different. One may be hard for you, the
next easier. Many students find the last essay, a portfolio, is
easiest.
 You could miss a whole essay and still earn an A or B in the
course. There are many ways to earn points. Don’t quit.

13. E-mail details
 I’ll get to know your writing through your
essays. I’ll get to know you through your forum
posts & e-mails.
 This is a writing class. Take care with words.
Think about your tone. Revise before you send.
 To help me keep track of what you send, use a
clear subject line such as Question, Bonus point opp,
and your section (VC or VD)
 I apologize in advance for any emails I may lose.
It’s fine to send a follow-up e-mail or text after a
few days if you have not received a response.

14. Forum Posting
To earn the 20 weekly points, aim for 3-4 posts totaling about 800 words. Post early in the week
and come back to read replies. Finish by Sunday 11 PM. Weekend-only posts may earn less
points. Good rule, if you come to the course for anything, post something.
Posts should be interactive:
 Comment directly on assigned reading. Quote the reading and other
students’ posts
 Connect someone’s post to the reading, your life, world events
 Compare and contrast posts
 Point out a theme running through the posts that week
 Ask questions of the other students
 Answer questions
 Use people’s names
Mine is not a post-once reply-twice type forum.
Take more time, get more back.

15. Forum posting continued
Posts should be respectful:
 Good communication is a sign of respect. Be clear and readable.
Casual is fine for the forum, and some texting-type shortcuts are ok,
but keep your readers in mind. Explain & clarify where needed.
 You can edit or even delete your own posts.
 Are you a weak typist/speller? Try writing in your word processing
software first, then post. If you are an ESL student, put in the time to
be clear. Perfection isn’t necessary, but be clear.
 Contact me if you feel attacked or disrespected. Our studies will
generate lively discussions. Disagreement is fine; disrespect is not.
 Be respectful in what you write and how you react to others. I
read/skim all posts. Personal attacks will lose the attacker the points
for the week. Continued disrespect will lead to forced withdrawal.

16. Response Journals
 Up to 20 points each post for a max of 200
 Do one post per week on the assigned reading.
Two “catch-up” posts accepted in any week
 Learn and practice skills needed in the essays
 Other students cannot see journal posts
 We cycle through 3 types of responses
 React & Reflect
 Compare & Contrast
 Analyze an Element (elements taught in lectures)

17. Creative Blogs – a self-paced part of the course
 Up to 25 points each for a total max of 100 points
 Self paced
 Try out creative writing. Creative options to
choose from each week
 Other students can see blog posts (commenting
optional and not expected/required)
 Want more creative writing? Petition to trade up
to 100 points from another part of the course.
Send an email for details.

18. Mid-term and final
 there is no mid-term
 & no final
 (0:

19. My teaching approach
I revise the course regularly to make it:
 Interesting, Enriching, Inclusive
 Fair & Bias-free
 Challenging but Supportive
 Low-stress
 Useful to you in your career and life goals
I respect my students. You work hard, often juggling one,
two, even three jobs while caring for family and carrying
heavy course loads. I’m here for you not you for me. I take
pride in my work.

20. Quotes from recent course evaluations
 The class structure & content spoke to my mind & heart. My classmates and I
connected on all levels. Professor Gordon’s feedback on assignments was detailed,
encouraging, and positive. The selected literature allowed us to delve into technical
terms and concepts, but also addressed major social issues.
 Loved this course. You can tell [Prof Gordon] really loves what she does and cares
about her students!
 Quite frankly, I yawned when I selected this course. I thought for sure it would be
boring. As it turned out, of all the courses I took this semester, I enjoyed this one
most.
 What I most appreciate is that Prof. Gordon selected a variety of literary types
which made the course very interesting. She also helped us engage in thought
provocating [sic] discussions.
 The course outline doesn't appeal to just one type of student. There's an area for
everyone to excel in: weekly discussions, quizzes, essays, a free-write response
journal, and a creative blog. Professor Gordon definitely doesn't make it easy for
you to fail. While you do have to maintain a steady work ethic, there's always a
desire to be part of the class and let your voice be heard.

21. Earn Bonus Points already!
Explain the use of brackets on the previous
slide, “Quotes from recent course
evaluations.” They are used twice. Earn 10
points for a clear answer in a well-written
email. May take a little research.
Most Bonus Point Opportunities can be turned in at any time during the
semester. Please include a brief cover letter explaining what points you’re
trying for. Clear cover letter = more points. If I have to search to
remember what was asked for = less points. Communicate clearly. I offer
many Bonus Point Opps and add new ones unique to your class, so help
me help you get the most points as fast as possible.

22. These are highlights from the syllabus presented in
a way that I hope is
 Clear
 Encouraging
 Inviting
 Low stress
Send questions and comments any time to
kgordon@northampton.edu or 518/364-6813.
I do not mind texts

23. Let’s all make it to the end of the
semester. Everyone starts with 25 bonus
points. Because zero is so, well, zero. Let’s
go!