This document provides an agenda and overview for the first class of an American literature course. It discusses adding and switching between regular and honors sections of the class. It reviews the syllabus, known as the "Green Sheet", which outlines course requirements, assignments, materials, policies, and the class website. Students are expected to purchase two anthologies and two novels. The instructor emphasizes participation, attendance, and establishing a user account on the class website to complete and post homework assignments, including daily Question-Hypothesis-Question responses to readings.

1. Week 1 Class 1

2. Agenda
• Adding the Class
• Syllabus/Green Sheet
• Website
• QHQ

3. Adding the Class
• I can only take 45 students
• If you are on the waiting list, you can stay. I won’t
hand out add codes until at least Monday of next
week, and then, only if there is room.
• As we go over the syllabus, consider whether
you will stay in the class. If you want out, please
let me know, so I can offer your seat to another
student.
• If you are not on the waiting list, it is very unlikely
you will get into the class unless we have a mass
exodus after the syllabus!

4. Adding the Honors Section
• If you are in the Honors Program:
– Ask me for an Honors add code.
– Drop your regular section and then add the Honors section with
the new CRN#.
– The switch must be made during the first week of the quarter.
• If you are not in the Honors Program:
– You may take one Honors class if you qualify.
– Email the honors program coordinator at
dahonors@fhda.edu. for permission to add the honors section of
the class.
– Do not drop the regular section until you have been permitted
into the class.
– The switch must be made during the first week of the quarter.

5. Honors Section Expectations
• Honors Students will physically be in the exact same
class, but they will need to do a minimum of an
additional 10 hours of work outside of class in order
to earn the Honors designation. For this class, that
will include the following:
– an advanced library workshop
– An annotated bibliography(eight entries) for one text that
we read this quarter
– A final paper that includes this outside research.
Once a student switches over to the Honors section, then he or
she may NOT switch back. If the Honors work is not completed,
the student’s grade will drop one full letter.

6. The Green Sheet:
What you will find here
– Course
Requirements
• Assignments and
values
• Participation
– Required Materials
• Books
• Computer Access
– Class Policies
• Plagiarism
• Conduct and Courtesy
– The Class Website
• How to sign up for an
account
• How to post your
homework.

7. Texts and Required Materials:
Available at the De Anza Bookstore
• Baym, et al., The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th
ed., Vol. D—"Between the Wars 1914-1945."
• Baym, et al., The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th
ed., Vol. E—"Literature since 1945."
Available online and from local booksellers
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (There is a link to the full
text novel on the website).
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Buy it, Borrow it, or Beg for it).
• A stapler, loose-leaf paper or a notebook for notes and drafts, and
pens or pencils. Alternatively, you may use your computer for
drafting.

8. Requirements:
• Active participation in class discussions and
regular attendance. You will earn real points for
your participation in activities.
• Keeping up-to-date on the assignments and
reading.
• Formal writing: Two short formal essays
• Three exams
• A series of posts to the class website
• Reading quizzes, and in-class assignments.

9. Grading

10. Class Policies
Writing Submissions:
All out of class work to be submitted to me
electronically before the class period in which it is
due. Work must be submitted as an attachment in
Microsoft word. No other saved forms are
acceptable. If you do not have Microsoft Word
software available, leave yourself time to save and
send your work from a library computer. All work
must be in MLA format. I will read and return work,
in the order I receive it, with comments both in the
text and in the margins.

11. Attendance:
Success in this course depends on regular attendance
and active participation. Participation points will be
part of our daily activities. If you are not in class, you
cannot earn these points. You should save absences
for emergencies, work conflicts, weddings, jury
duty, or any other issues that might arise in your life.
It is your responsibility to talk to me your absences or
other conflicts. Work done in class cannot be made
up. Also, please arrive on time, as you will not be able
to make up work completed before you
arrive, including quizzes.

12. Exams:
– We will have three exams during the quarter. They will
likely be identification, short answer, and essay style. I
extend the opportunity to re-take or make-up one exam
on the last day of the quarter (before the final).
Late Work
– I do not accept late work. I do, however, extend an
opportunity to revise essay #1 for a better grade. If you
miss the due date, you may submit that work when the
revisions are due on the last day of the term. This does
disqualify you from revising another piece.

13. Conduct, Courtesy, and Electronic Devices:
 In this class, we will regularly engage in the discussion of topics that
may stir passionate debates. Please speak freely and candidly;
however, while your thoughts and ideas are important to me and to
the dynamics of the class, you must also respect others and their
opinions. Courtesy will allow each person to have the opportunity to
express his or her ideas in a comfortable environment.
 Courtesy includes but is not limited to politely listening to others
when they contribute to class discussions or while they give
presentations, not slamming the classroom door or walking in front
of classmates giving presentations if you do arrive late, and
maintaining a positive learning environment for your fellow
classmates. To help maintain a positive learning environment, please
focus on the work assigned, turn off all cell phones and Ipods before
class, and do not text-message in class. If your behavior becomes
disruptive to the learning environment of the class, you may be
asked to leave and/or be marked absent.

14. CLASS POLICIES:
• Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism includes quoting or paraphrasing material
without documentation and copying from other students
or professionals. Intentional plagiarism is a grave offense;
the resulting response will be distasteful. Depending
upon the severity, instances of plagiarism may result in a
failing grade for the paper or the course and possible
administrative action. All assignments will be scanned
and scrutinized for academic dishonesty. Please refer to
your handbook for more information regarding
plagiarism.

15. Syllabus
• The syllabus is a tentative schedule.
• It may be revised during the quarter.
• Use it to determine how to prepare for class.
Week, Dates, and Days
 
What we will
do 
in class

Homework due
before the next
class  

16. Website:
• Our class website is http://palmoreelit48C.wordpress.com. In
order to do the homework, you must establish an account. To
make your own FREE Word Press account, go to wordpress.com
and click on the large, orange button that says, “Get started here.”
The system will walk you through a series of steps that will allow
you to set up your own user-friendly Word Press blog, sign up for
just a user name or sign in with your Facebook account. Make
sure you sign in with YOUR Word Press username before you post
on our class page so you get credit for your work.
• If you prefer not to use your own name, you may use a
pseudonym. Please email me your username if it is significantly
different from your real name.
• If you cannot establish your website and username, please come
to my office hours as soon as possible, and I will help you with the
process. Much of our work will take place online, so establishing
this connection is mandatory.

17. On the Website:
http://palmoreewrt48C.wordpress.com
• Writing Assignments
• Reading Assignments
• The Green Sheet
• The Syllabus (The Daily Plan)
• Writing Tips
• Helpful Links
• Your Daily Homework Assignment (which is where
you post your homework.)

18. Posting Homework
• On the front page of the website, you will find the
homework post after each class.
• Below that post on the right, are the words “Leave a
comment.”
• Copy and paste your homework into the box.
• Click there and a comment box will open. Post your
homework in the comment box and click “Post
Comment.”

19. Homework
There is writing homework almost
everyday in this class. This is both
to help you think about your
reading and to help you produce
ideas for your essays.
In order to earn an A on your
homework, you must do the
following:
• Complete at least 90% of the posts.
• Post them on time.
• Be thoughtful in your responses.

20. Is this
class too
hard?
Is this class
History 10?
Will I be the
teacher’s favorite?

21. THE QHQ
Thinking about writing

22. How do I know what I think until I see what I say?
--E.M. Forster
Each text we study will provide material for response writing called a
QHQ (Question-Hypothesis-Question). The QHQ requires students to
have second thoughts, that is, to think again about questions that
arise during their reading and to write about questions that are
meaningful to them.
Begin your QHQ by formulating some question you have about some
aspect of the reading. The first question in the QHQ may be one
sentence or longer, but its function is to frame your QHQ writing. A
student might start with a question like, “Why is the house in this
story haunted? Or, “Why do I suspect the murdered child has come
back to life?” A student might even write, “Why am I having so much
trouble understanding this story?”

23. After you pose your initial question, focus on a close reading of the
text in search of a hypothesis. This hypothesis section comprises the
body of your text. The student who asked about the haunted house
might refer to multiple passages about haunting in the
text, comparing and contrasting them to other instances of haunting
with which he or she is familiar. The student who asked about the
dead child might connect passages associated with the death to
sections about a new child who abruptly appears in the text. The
student who struggled to understand the text might explore those
passages whose meanings were obscure or difficult to
understand, connecting them to other novels and/or cultural texts.
After carefully exploring your initial question (200-300 words), put
forward another question, one that has sprung from your hypothesis.
This will be the final sentence of your QHQ and will provide a base
for further reflection into the text.

24. The QHQ is designed to help you formulate your response to the texts
we study into clearly defined questions and hypotheses that can be
used as a basis for both class discussion and longer papers. The QHQ
can be relatively informal but should demonstrate a thoughtful
approach to the material. While the papers need to be organized and
coherent, because you will sharing them in class, the ideas they
present may be preliminary and exploratory.
Remember, a QHQ is not a summary or a report—it is an
original, thoughtful response to what you have read. All QHQs should
be posted on the website the evening before the class for which they
are due. This will give both me and other students time to ponder
your ideas and think about appropriate responses. Moreover, this
sharing of material should provide plenty of fodder for essays. Even
though you have posted your QHQ, you should bring a copy of it to
class in order to share your thoughts and insights and to stimulate
class discussion.

25. Homework
• Establish Your Webpage or
Username
• Explore The class webpage
• Buy Your books
• Read the introduction: pp. 3-22
• Post #1: QHQ introduction:
– For example, you might ask, ―What
does WWI have to do with American
Literature?‖
– or ―Why are we discussing Science
and Technology in a lit class?‖