English 3700: Studies in the Novel |
Dr. Chip Rogers |
Office: Arts and Letters (SoAL) 239 |
Objectives The MGA Catalog indicates that English 3700 is "a study of the origins and development of the novel as a distinct literary form, examining the aesthetic, philosophical, and social concerns that inform selected works from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries." We will read works by English, European, and American authors, with emphasis on the 19th century, the period when the novel matured as a major literary genre. Naturally, the course also aims to expand and improve your abilities in reading and thinking critically and to develop your writing, research, and communication skills. Student Learning Outcomes: ENGL 3700 students will:
Prerequisite  At least a "C" in English 3010 Texts
Course components Threaded discussions: The participation component of your grade is determined primarily by the frequency and quality of your contributions to the threaded discussions. You should make thoughtful, meaningful contributions each unit. Threaded discussions must be posted prior to the deadline to receive credit. Ideally, you should post discussion contributions early and late in each unit, and it is essential that you read a majority of posts by your classmates (and me) each unit. Threaded discussions approximate class discussion in a face-to-face class, and much as students in traditional classrooms cannot just share their contributions and leave the classroom without hearing and benefiting from what others say in discussion, you will gain little by offering your discussion posts without attending to what others have to say. Students who post only on the last day of any unit will receive no higher grade for that unit's discussion than a B; students who fail to read at least half of classmates' postings each unit will receive no higher grade than C. Critical
responses: You will submit a minimum of five informal writings as "critical
responses" to the readings. I will post critical response topics
and requirements for each unit as we proceed. Note that you are required
to submit only five of these responses. There will be at least fifteen
critical response assignments posted over the course of the semester,
so you could do the first five and have them out of the way; or you could
do one response every third unit; or, if you "work better
under pressure," you might do the last five responses—I do
not recommend this last approach! Exams: Both the midterm and the final will consist of two parts: 1) "short answers," or brief paragraph-length commentary on the significance of specific passages from our readings, and 2) essays on central themes and literary features of the works we cover. There will be one essay on the midterm and two on the final. You will have some choice in the short answer and essay portions of each exam: you might on one exam, for instance, select 7 of 10 short answer questions and 1 of 3 essay options. The paper: In a carefully constructed and thoroughly developed essay of 8-10 typed pages (2100 word minimum), you will explore in some depth a subject you choose from a list of options I will post on the web at the appropriate time. You will turn in a topic sentence outline (a paper proposal) before the paper is due as indicated on the schedule of readings and assignments. The paper must be submitted in digital form to the Brightspace (D2L) online learning management system. Corrections: For the first two critical responses you submit and the formal paper, after your work is graded you will hand in corrected drafts with all changes highlighted. For specifics, see corrections instructions. Conferences: Conferences are not mandatory, particularly in an online course, but I strongly recommend them if you struggle with any aspect of the readings and at any stage of the paper-writing process—exploring topics, drafting, revising, or editing. My typical aim in paper conferences is to head off potential problems in your essays and to offer helpful, critical feedback on your work before you submit it for grading. Meeting face to face in my office is the first and best option, but for those not within easy driving distance of the Macon campus, we can do video meetings through Teams or Zoom. Paper "Rewrites": Time permitting, you may rewrite and resubmit the formal paper for re-grading. Rewrite grades replace original grades completely. Note that rewriting involves far more substantial revision than correcting grammatical errors (which you do in corrections): rewrites should also address larger problems in focus, structure, content, and style. The starting point for revision is my typed comments on your graded papers; rewrites should also address comments and questions written in the margins of the original graded papers. The deadline for rewrites is the date of the final exam. Course policies Plagiarism: Except for assignments expressly calling for collaborative effort, all written work must be entirely your own. Any unacknowledged borrowing from the writings of others will be considered plagiarism, a serious breach of academic integrity. I submit cases of plagiarism or other academic dishonesty for review by the Student Conduct Officer. The penalty for plagiarism in this class is an "F" for the entire course, not just the assignment in question. The Department of English's more specific definition of plagiarism applies in this class:
For more on plagiarism, follow the "On Plagiarism" link on my website. Withdrawal Policies: Students are encouraged to read the withdrawal policy found at https://www.mga.edu/registrar/registration/drop-add.php before dropping/withdrawing from the class. Students may withdraw from the course and earn a grade of “W” up to and including the midterm date (Wednesday, April 8th for full-session spring 2026 classes). After midterm, students who withdraw will receive a grade of “WF.” A WF is calculated in the GPA as an “F.” Instructors may assign “W” grades for students with excessive absences (beyond the number of absences permitted by the instructor’s stated attendance policy). Students may withdraw from a maximum of five courses throughout their enrollment at Middle Georgia State. Beyond the five-course limit, withdrawals result in “F” grades. Class Behavior Expectations and Consequences for Violations: Middle Georgia State University students are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by the MGA Student Code of Conduct. Student Code of Conduct, Responsibilities, Procedures, and Rights are found at https://www.mga.edu/student-conduct/index.php. MGA Policy on Disability Accommodations: Students seeking academic accommodations for a special need must contact the Middle Georgia State University Office of Disability Services in Macon at (478) 471-2985 or in Cochran at (478) 934-3023. See https://www.mga.edu/accessibility-services/ “Technical Policy” (re: plagiarism detection): a plagiarism prevention service is used in evaluation of written work submitted for this course. As directed by the instructor, students are expected to submit or have their assignments submitted through the service in order to meet requirements for this course. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions. HB 280 Campus Carry Legislation: https://www.mga.edu/police/campus-carry.aspx. End of Course Evaluations: Student evaluations of faculty are administered online at the end of each term/session for all courses with five or more students. Students will receive an email containing a link to a survey for each course in which they are enrolled. All responses are anonymous. Final grade breakdown
Keeping up with grades: Track grades periodically in Brightspace (D2L). Let me know if you have concerns about your class average or grades on specific assignments before you consider withdrawing from the course. The extra mile—doing your best: Tutoring, in person and online, is available in the Writing Center and in Student Success Centers (SSC) on all campuses. The Macon campus Writing Center is in TEB 226 and the SSC is in the Library. For subjects tutored and appointments, visit the SSC website at http://www.mga.edu/student-success-center/. On the Macon campus or fully online, you can book tutoring sessions by visiting mga.mywconline.com/. The SSC website also posts tutoring schedules for other centers across the five campuses, including the Writing Center (in Macon, TEB 226: 478-471-3542). All tutoring centers across the five campuses are free of charge. Other services at the SSC include online academic workshops and a robust website with resources for academic assistance. The centers also have computer workstations, free printing, and Internet access. The Bottom Line: I hope every member of this class gets an A, and I will do all I can to make this happen. Don't get me wrong—the standards for "A" work are high. The number-one key to succeeding in this class is that you take responsibility for your own success, meaning that you attend to all assignments with careful, earnest diligence, that you respond positively to any setbacks and heed my feedback on all assignments, and that you seek my help as much and as often as you need it. I guarantee you have one of the most accessible professors at MGA: ask for help outside of class, and I'll do my level best to deliver.
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