Literary Nonfiction, Fall 2003, O'Donnell
[ Home ] [ Policies ] [ Calendar ]
Policies
last update: August 22, 2003
Texts
 - William L. Andrews, ed.  Classic American Autobiographies (Mary Rowlandson/ Benjamin Franklin/ Frederick Douglass/ Mark Twain/ Zitkala-Sa [Gertrude Bonnin]).  New York: Mentor, 1992.  $6.99.  ISBN: 0451628527
- W.E.B. Dubois.  The Souls of Black Folk (1899).  Ed., intro. Donald B. Gibson.  New York: Penguin, 1996.  $9.95.  ISBN: 014018998X
- Wilma Dykeman.  The French Broad (1955).  Newport TN: Wakestone Books, 1992. $13.00.  ISBN:  0961385987
- Stephen Jay Gould.  Best American Essays 2002.  Mariner Books, 2002.  $13.00.  ISBN: 0618049320
- Erik Larson.  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. Crown Publishers, 2003.  $25.95.  ISBN: 0609608444
Note: Consider purchasing used book editions at www.abebooks.com.
- You will also read a few essays from the world wide web.  See calendar for details.

Final Grade Breakdown
- One creative essay (approx. 1000 wds): 20%
- One academic essay (approx 1500 wds), including topic proposal and in-class presentation: 25%
- Your best essay, revised for publication on the web: 10%
- Two in-class essay exams (midterm and final) total: 20%
- Reading responses (mostly very short, impromptu essays): 20%
- Participation: 5%

Attendance, Due Dates
    Attendance: The English Department policy: more than 9 absences and you fail the course. In addition, I've set the following policies:  1) You may miss 2 classes free, no questions asked.  2) No absences will be excused, so use your two freebies wisely!  3) If you miss between 3 and 9 classes, your final grade may be lowered by up to a full letter grade.
    Due Dates:  Late work will not be credited, and missed assignments cannot be made up.  If circumstances require that you miss class on a due date, send the assignment via email to odonnell@mail.etsu.edu, or put it in the U.S. Mail, addressed to me at the ETSU English department, Johnson City 37614.  If it's post-marked by the due date, it's "on time."