Poetry: An Introduction - Hybrid Format

Lit 355, Fall 2012
Office: 413 Cullimore Hall
Hours: M, 2-3; Th, 1:15-2:15, and by appointment
Mail: Humanities Dep't, NJIT, Newark, NJ 07102

Professor Burt Kimmelman
Phone: 973.596.3376, 3266
Fax: 973.642.4689
E-Mail: kimmelman@njit.edu

Welcome to “Poetry: An Introduction.” Since this course will operate in a hybrid format, you will have to be able to work independently in it; we will have only one class meeting per week but the class will also "meet" online at the same time, and what you do outside of our face-to-face gatherings is critically important. To succeed in this course you need to be internet-proficient—and this will mean being proficient in Moodle, our course venue (you may have to learn how this system works, but it is really not that difficult after a short while, and there are some tutorials at: http://moodle.njit.edu/).*

Please think seriously about the fact that this course will be run partially in a “distance” format. Distance learning is definitely not for everyone. Some people prefer it but others have a really hard time with it. Again, you will need to be able to work independently and otherwise to be self-directed. In fact, you would be wise to take a quiz that will help you determine if you are right for this course; to do so click here.

Now, let's please take note of one other crucial factor: Lit 355 is a literature course. So, if you are not adept at reading literature (indeed, at reading literature in English) and in being able to analyze it, and if you are not adept at writing in English, then you should seriously think about withdrawing from this course before it is too late. You will not pass the course simply because you have genuinely made an effort to pass it. There are other courses, courses that do not require the ability to analyze and write clearly about literature; these other courses can also satisfy the HSS elective requirement. Please make a sober decision about this course now. The course may simply not be right for you. Don't stay in this course simply because it fits easily into your schedule.

Now that I've gotten my cautions to you out of the way, let's move on to considering the nuts and bolts of this course. Below I’ll sketch out in more detail for you how this course is going to work, what is expected of you, and what you can expect from me, your course instructor.

You can easily do well in this course; but in order to do well you will have to follow the course guidelines carefully and especially the course calendar, to meet all the deadlines. Because this is in part a distance course, the course structure becomes especially important. Success usually comes to people who are proactive, that is, who look ahead at what is coming and prepare for it. This strategy is especially key to succeeding in a course that operates on-line, in a distance format, and particularly in what is known as an "asynchronous" format (that is, you have the freedom of “attending class” at your convenience, but for one face-to-face meeting each week at a specified time--yet that freedom can turn out to be a burden if you are not going to be responsible, if you are not going to be disciplined).

There is only one book required for this course and within it, along with explanations of various aspects of poetry, there are a number of wonderful poems (see the course syllabus). I hope the course texts will provide you with a fertile aesthetic and thinking experience. Besides reading, we will also be doing a lot of writing. If you wish to succeed in this course you will, as I have already suggested, need to adhere strictly to the course schedule by getting your reading and writing assignments done on time; indeed, you would be smart to start reading ahead of the scheduled class activities—moreover, as soon as possible, you should begin to think about your term research project and about posting your thoughts about your possible topic in the designated discussion forum at our homepage in Moodle, and/or ask about it in class.

I have tried to anticipate your needs as well as the needs of this course by setting up a number of venues for us to communicate among ourselves (again, on our course homepage in Moodle). Please place comments in the appropriate forums (such as you find them indicated in "Discussion Forums" when you click there). Check for new postings in this bulletin board and elsewhere frequently and respond to them as required or otherwise as you wish, with your comments or questions (please realize that daily/weekly classwork (including online) makes up a major portion of your course grade--one third of it). Overall, you will need to familiarize yourself with all the various course functions—which allow us as a class many ways to communicate—the Moodle class conferencing system provides. There is also a “chat” venue that you can use with others in the class or with me—of course, you can always write to me in Moodle (or email me, but only if there is an emergency, at my normal NJIT email address); see the appropriate icons on the course homepage.

I STRONGLY recommend you learn the Moodle system thoroughly right away; you may wish to begin your learning process by following the links listed under “Need Help?” at the main Moodle website (look for “Tutorials”).

Every week you will have reading to do. You will do this reading and then you will post a comment in the Discussion Forums area (clicking on the appropriate link there). The comment length should be from 100 to 150 words (no credit for fewer than 100 words). The comment should be interpretive. The comment should be your informed opinion on part or all of what has been assigned for the week. The comment should not be merely summative. It should, rather, provoke discussion.

During this same week you must also respond (click "Reply") to at least one comment by someone else in our class. This comment should be at least 50 words in length (up to about a 100 words--no credit for fewer than 50 words). Again, it should be thoughtful and otherwise it should not merely regurgitate information. The idea is not merely to repeat facts. To be sure, this is not a course in which you need to memorize anything (the final exam will be open-book). On the other hand, you are being encouraged to think creatively in this course.

In any case, each week for about the first half of the course I'll post an advisory grade for your class participation in Moodle (and I may very well comment on your comments). Again, keep in mind how much course participation is worth, and also that if you don't participate weekly at least minimally then your papers and exam will be disqualified (so you won't be able to pass the course).

Because a lot will be going on in our course, online, it is important that we do things in an orderly way, such as by specifically replying to postings so that a bulletin board discussion thread is formed for future reference, and such as by making sure that all messages you send are spell-checked and proofread for grammar and otherwise for clarity (in a distance or hybrid course this is crucial—we want to prevent unnecessary “noise" that can be debilitating, that will wear us all down—doing things on-line is a unique experience, as you may know already).

It is best to compose your messages in a word-processing program and then copy and paste them into Moodle when you are ready to send them, after you have spell-checked and proofread them (BUT: please keep in mind that text composed in a word processor and then pasted into Moodle will end up being preceded by a lot of programming code--i.e., textual "garbage"--which shows up in the Moodle text window, and so you will have to reenter the window, by clicking on "edit," and remove that "garbage" coding). Again, all postings to the class must be spell checked before sending; check for grammar problems too. CLARITY and ORDERLINESS is VERY IMPORTANT in an on-line course (so let's keep the useless "noise" to a minimum).

All writing in this course (including weekly posts but excluding in-class quizzes and the final exam)--if it is to earn credit--must be spell checked and to the best of your ability grammar checked, and must adhere to standard English and standard formal writing protocolss.

Aside from questions, answers and discussions, you will have to write two papers. Please see paper guidelines on the course website (which can be accessed via a special link on the course homepage in Moodle, and see the link for the course website below). Again, don’t hesitate to post your ideas or queries about a term paper project as soon as possible in the discussion forum designated for that purpose; sharing your ideas with the entire class will benefit everyone, and some people may want to make suggestions or have questions that will be useful to you. The project topic has to be approved by me. The topic for it is open so long as it falls within the purview of the course's area of inquiry. Keep in mind, in any case, that your term paper must contain some close, analytical reading, some detailed literary analysis.

The final exam will be "open-book" (but don’t kid yourself that you won’t have to study for it) and in essay format. The final exam will take place during finals week, in a classroom.

What you can expect from me in this course is that I will be fair and helpful. But please keep in mind that on-line, and to some extent hybrid, courses operate according to a different paradigm than the warm-body variety. In the real-time, on-site, physical classroom the course instructor is more the “sage on the stage” than, in our case, the “guide on the side.” This course is YOURS, not mine. Take control of it. Use it and it will pay off for you. When you are asking questions or volunteering your opinions, you are allowing the process of understanding and appreciation to go forward. The end result of this process, if you allow it to happen, is well thought-out exam essays and papers that earn high grades. If you are “silent” in this course, that is, if you don't participate, then the great likelihood is that you will do poorly in it and may even fail it.

What have I left out? How about plagiarism? Okay, then, here’s the deal: If I find you have plagiarized something, I’ll fail you for the course. Blatant plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Students. It is not at all unlikely that if you commit plagiarism it will be discovered. Please see here and its linked pages:http://integrity.njit.edu. If on occasion you are to make use of the ideas or words of someone else in your writing, then the source(s) of those ideas and/or words must be cited; that is, when appropriate, papers must be fully documented (you must cite sources--using footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical documentation, which include when possible specific page numbers keyed to particular passages in one's text, and complete bibliographical information). If you are not sure about documentation principles and/or procedures, you should consult a freshman English textbook such as The Beacon Handbook or better yet The MLA Handbook. Both Writing and Documentation help can also be found at the course website, or at my website (http://web.njit.edu/~kimmelma/) by clicking on "Writing Guide" (http://web.njit.edu/~kimmelma/writing.html) and "Documentation Guide" (http://web.njit.edu/~kimmelma/documentation.html).

I cannot emphasize strongly enough the fact that this course will have a lot going on it; trying to take it all in will be easier if you participate often and in a forthcoming manner. To be sure, you might wish to pause, now, and to ask yourself if you are really ready and willing to do what it takes to succeed in this course. A lot of people think distance/hybrid learning is easy relative to sitting in a classroom. Well, let me tell you: this kind of learning is not any easier and may be for you a lot more difficult. Therefore please be careful; don't let yourself get in over your head in this course. I know I’m repeating myself now but this is important: Don't go on with the course until it is too late to pull out of it unscathed. I have taught distance- and hybrid-learning courses for many years, and I have seen time and again too many students who operate on an out-of-sight-out-of-mind basis. They don’t keep up and so they can’t catch up. Also, they are not willing to post messages, even when a sizable portion of their grade depends on doing just that! One more time: if you wish to pass this course (or do well in it), then you will have to be disciplined and proactive.

Are you ready for this? Well, if you really, seriously, think that you are, then the very next thing I hope you'll do, now, once you have closed out this message from me, and then have familiarized yourself with Moodle, is to introduce yourself to the class, in the Discussion Forums topic sector called "Introducing Ourselves." Tell us about your likes and dislikes, about why you have signed up for this course, about what you hope to do in the future. What year of school are you in? What is your favorite book, movie, song? Do you have a hobby, a job? What is your impression of poetry? What has it meant to you? Why have you signed up for this course?

Oh, one final, final thing: We all must be aware of how we conduct our virtual selves on-line. Perhaps you have heard the term “flaming”; it means the verbal abuse of someone who is receiving your on-line message. People, if they don’t watch themselves, can end up flaming someone even without fully realizing what they are doing. Working on line has its frustrations, but that does not mean they should be taken out on anyone. Below are some “Netiquette” concepts I ask you to adhere to when participating in this course.
- Respect. Treat all participants with respect and in a professional and courteous manner in e-mail, chat, and in discussions.
- Kindness: Refrain from using profanities, insults, or other disparaging remarks.
- Truth: Endeavor to cite only the truth and not knowingly misrepresent, mischaracterize, or misquote information.
- Responsibility: Take responsibility for your own actions instead of blaming others.
- Cooperation: Work together with other students and the instructor in cooperation toward our common goals of seeking
and providing a quality education.
- Nondiscrimination: Respect the differences in people and their ideas and opinions.
- Civility: Always treat your fellow classmates and instructor civilly.

I look forward to getting to know you, to our exchanges, and otherwise to our sharing of our reading experiences that I think you will find enriching and enlightening.

P.S. Matters related to the above course introduction, which are meant to augment it, can be found at the course website. Please make sure you read the material there before going any further in this course. The course website is: http://http://web.njit.edu/~kimmelma/lit355hybrid.html.

* Once you’ve found your way around our course in Moodle, I recommend you do two things to make your life easier and also more functional, and so that you optimize (at least, I believe doing this will be an optimization for you) your chances of doing better in the course. First of all, click on “Participants”in Moodle (left side of the screen) and then click on your name. Then click on "Edit Profile.” Then select “Yes: Highlight new posts for me” in the box next to “Forum Tracking” (this is about halfway down the list of options in Edit Profile). Secondly, go to moodle.njit.edu and click on "Student Tutorials." Then click on number 12, “Email Digest Type,” and follow the directions you will then be presented with in a pdf file. Following these directions will allow you to receive email notifications of forum posts in a "digest" form. If you receive your Moodle notifications in a Digest form then you will be receiving the emails all at once but only once a day. This may be a better option for you, since you will be able to set time aside to prioritize your responses to the posts in Moodle, and you won’t feel overwhelmed by emails from the course constantly coming at you and perhaps distracting you.