Themes in Literature 2

Course Syllabus

Brian J. Buddenhagen
Teacher, English
Room 221
303.698.6100

Course Description:

This course continues to develop skills learned by students in Introduction to Literature and Composition. Students will extend writing skills by applying more complex sentence structure, while examining the short story, novel, and nonfiction works organized by themes. Reference skills will be developed through a variety of methods.

Contacting me:

Please contact me at the phone number or e-mail listed above. You can reach me at these times:

M:	7:15 – 8:15 a.m., 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
T and Th:	7:15 – 8:55 a.m., 2:45 – 3:00 p.m.
W and Fr:	7:15 – 7:30 a.m., 1:20 – 3:00 p.m.

If a student needs to speak to me regarding complaints or concerns, he or she should speak to me personally at these times, or before or after class. Students should not disrupt instruction time.

Grading Scale:

All grades are cumulative (I don’t average the six-week grades), so poor performance early in the semester can harm the final semester grade. Grades are awarded on the following scale:

90 –100 = A
80 – 89 = B
70 – 79 = C
60 – 69 = D
59 - = F

Homework Policy:

Students will have homework at least once a week, especially reading assignments.

Make-up Work:

Students are allowed to turn in one assignment late without penalty; to do this, they should fill out the attached form and give it to me. This can be used for any assignment, excluding the final exam.

Otherwise, the scores on all late work are halved. Students have one week, from the due date, to turn in late assignments.

Attendance:

I fail any student upon their tenth unexcused absence, unconditionally. Please ensure that you excuse your child for their legitimate absences, as excused absences carry no penalty.

It is the child’s responsibility to ask for make-up work.

As stated in the school policy, five tardies equal an unexcused absence.

Classroom Rules and Discipline:

I follow South High School's rules, regulations, and discipline policy, as stated in the student handbook.

Required textbooks, second semester:

Elements of Literature, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston

Suggested/useful books:

A thesaurus
A dictionary
A writing/grammar handbook

Assignments:

Assignment due January 30: Write a five-paragraph essay (word processed) that explores a specific relationship of power. Click below for the rubric explaining the details of this assignment.

Rubric: Power in Society

Class Organization:

In Themes in Literature, the students will concentrate on reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. They will also continue to develop note-taking, research, and presentation skills. I’ve organized the class as follows:

1.) On Mondays, the students will work on special projects (such as research), elaborate on certain topics, and take review tests or quizzes.

2.) On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the students will concentrate on reading skills, as well as vocabulary.

3.) On Thursdays and Fridays, the students will develop writing skills, which includes grammar.

I will distribute a list of assignments to the students at the start of each new grading period. A description of the first six-week period, during which they will study conflict in the context of the short story, is attached.

*LATE HOMEWORK PASS*

Detatch and redeem this pass to excuse a late assignment. You may use this once in a semester.

Name: Date:

Assignment: Assignment Due Date:

Signature:

________________________________________________________________