Perspective:

The Romantics loved gothic horror and every writer on today's literary scene who uses the genre including Stephen King is indebted to them. They knew how to entertain by terrifying, often by basing their tales on contemporary events, both personal and public. This course will examine the classic works of gothic terror, focusing on the three greatest gothic novels: The Monk,(1796); Frankenstein, (1818) and Dracula, (1897) to discover how the imaginations of the writers considered achieved their intended effects.

THE COURSE IS ON LINE (SEE THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SITE). FOR EACH WORK DISCUSSED, YOU WILL NEED TO PRINT OUT AND HAVE IN CLASS THE APPROPRIATE WEB PAGES DR. FREITAS AND I HAVE DEVELOPED.

Texts / Online resources: (in order of discussion):

Prelude to Romanticism:--what does gothic mean? (WEB resources / in-class notes / film excerpts ), and Dr. Freitas' questions on the nature of evil.

The psychology of Jung. The course web page has relevant source material.

Renaissance perspectives--excerpts from Shakespeare's plays that influenced The Monk--chiefly: Measure for Measure, Macbeth and Hamlet

The Romantic and Victorian Spirit: FULL TEXTS...

The Monk, Matthew Gregory “Monk” Lewis--the most famous gothic novel ever written

Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley (don’t think Holly wood)

Dracula, Stoker's classic of seduction, damnation, feminism, gender ambiguity, and possible redemption


ON LINE RESOURCES--See the course Web Site on the SJC English Dept. page.

Methodologies:

The course will examine our "fascination with the abomination." (Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness). Why do we find, in Yoda's words, the "dark side of the force" so attractive?

Each work will be covered in terms of:

1--presentation of relevant philosophical and historical material

2--Assignment of the reading from the above list / WEB pages in the order presented

3--discussion of the literature--please budget your time in terms of keeping up with the assigned reading.

4--PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE POSTED ON HOMEWORK CENTRAL, which should be checked daily after 4:00PM.

Evaluations:

• • special evaluations: the final examination is worth 20% of the course grade, and seniors with an A average are exempt from this test.
  • Please check POWER GRADE frequently as progress reports are not provided.
  • two major tests per quarter (essay format) = 30% of the quarter grade
  • class work (participation, attention in class, bringing materials to class, attention to viewing) = 20% of the quarter grade. Please note that attendance is part this evaluation.
  • quizzes may be announced or unannounced and open or closed book. You may not share a book, so please have the texts in class=20% of the grade.
  • All students must complete a 5 page paper as a passing requirement. Anyone not submitting the paper will receive an Incomplete until the paper is submitted. Turnitin is used. Due dates span the 3rd and 4th quarters as follows:
    1.Topic selections must be made by Feb. 4th,
    2. Thesis paragraph and 3 supporting primary source quotes due by Feb.4th, (graded),
    3. Revised thesis, additional primary quotes and 2 secondary source quotes due by Feb. 25, (graded)
    4. Draft conferences must be scheduled up to March 11th. The full draft must be presented, (graded)
    5. THE FINAL PRODUCT IS DUE TO TURNIT.COM by March 18th,
  • Paper submissions for each quarter are worth 30% of the grade.
    

Policies on accommodations, and attendance:

1. Students with learning differences must so inform the instructor the first week of school.

2. Attendance policy update and grades. St. John's now mandates that any student with more than 8 unexcused absences during an individual class will lose 5 points from the semester average. Coming late after 20 minutes is recorded as an absence.

3. Per instructor requirement: as noted above, excessive lateness can impact the class participation/preparation grade.

(NOTE: NOT BRINGING MATERIALS TO CLASS IS A VERY SERIOUS OMISSION).

Technology Requirements:

School policies on late work and extra credit (from the student handbook):

Since following directions and timely effort are traits to be encouraged in education, teachers are asked to refrain from giving "extra-credit" assignment as a means of a student attempting to override past penalties for inadequate work. Any extra-credit offered is to be educational in nature, (i.e. visiting an exhibit) and offered to the entire class.

Teachers are to attach a penalty to all work submitted late that is not related to the excused absence of the student. (Students may offer circumstances in mitigation).

ACADEMIC ETHICS and LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS from the Student Handbook:

The relationship between the teacher and the student must be characterized by the highest level of integrity' when a teacher gives a student an assignment-homework, pupil project, presentation, lab, etc.-or when he/she gives a quiz or exam, that teacher is building the framework for the student's learning Please note the following guidelines and follow them in your work at St. John’s.

The Academic Ethical Guidelines states:

1. A student will not use or give to another any notes, materials, other sources of information, or other assistance for a class, including but not limited to a quiz, test, paper, project, oral presentation or power-point presentation, which have not been approved by the teacher. All work is expected to be completed individually, rather than through a collaborative process, unless explicitly prescribed otherwise by the teacher.

2. A student's homework and in-class work fulfill the intention of the instructor in a specific class:

A. Individual assignments must be represented by individual work.
B. Group assignments must be represented by group work. In no case is direct copying allowed.

3. A student must represent his/her work honestly. That is, any and all work submitted by a student certifies that the student himself/herself did the work In other words, if a student assignment is about a book, it is presumed that he read the book; if the assignment is about an event he/she attended; it is presumed he/she attended said event; if the assignment is a translation of a work from a foreign language into English, or vice versa, it is presumed that the student performed the translation his/herself without the use of any other aids. A violation of this certification will result in the imposition of an academic penalty and may result in further disciplinary action at the discretion of the Assistant principal. The examples provided above are only illustrative and other situations, as determined by the Faculty or the Administration, may give rise to a violation of this section.

4. A student will not plagiarize in any form. Plagiarism presents the work or ideas of another as one's own. This includes:

A. Direct copying of another person's (living or dead) work
B. Using any amount of another person's material or ideas without proper documentation.
C. Paraphrasing another person's original material without proper documentation.

Any infringement or violation of the norms stated above will affect both the student's status in the relevant class and his/her status as a St. John's student. In all cases of cheating or the appearance of cheating, the teacher will give the student a significant academic punishment for the violation and will notify the parent(s). All incidents of academic dishonesty will be kept on file in the Student Affairs Office In the case of a student's second offense, the student will face probable dismissal. In all cases.

The Principal has and reserves the right to dismiss a student for academic deceit when he considers the circumstances warrant that action- contested cases of cheating will always be referred to the student Affairs office who will thoroughly investigate the instance, consult the student's disciplinary and academic history, confer with faculty persons in the subject area as needed and render a judgment.

Principles of an Active Leader:

The basic principle of our school's philosophy is that every student must actively engage in the educational process consequently, we expect each student to realize that the primary responsibility for learning rests squarely on his/her own shoulders. Parents, teachers, and friends may guide and direct the learning process, but real achievement in the academic endeavor is not possible if student is nor actively involved.

Each student is expected to be on time for each class and not to miss class except in the case of illness, school sponsored event or another serious reason. Each teacher expects that a student will come to class fully prepared, ready, willing, and able to participate in the lessons of the day. Learning deserves an environment of respect and freedom from distraction; furthermore, each student, is expected to assist in maintaining order by refraining from disruptive conduct.

If a student is absent, he/she is expected to check Homework central and/or contact his/her classmates for each day's assignment and make arrangements for securing appropriate books. In the case of a prolonged absence, a student's parents should contact the Student Affairs Office for assistance. In such cases, it is also prudent for students or their parents to contact teachers by e-mail in order to secure missed assignments and materials. Parents should feel free to contact teachers whenever they have a question or concern about their son/daughter's progress in a particular class.

Policies:

You must check HOMEWORK CENTRAL as noted. Absence is not an excuse for missing work, especially since you should have the books with you, and online resources are available at home.

Work submitted late may have no points off, some deducted or not accepted at all depending on the circumstances. If a paper is late due to computer problems, Mr. Colvin may be consulted.

Making up missed work--you must make up work the first day back to school if you miss a quiz or test in the detention room before school. There are some exceptions--see the instructions on line for a detailed explanation.