Darren DeFrain
UW-Fox Valley
ENG 285/Lec 1
3 Credits
TR 9:30 – 10:50 a.m. / Room 1352
Office: Rm 1835 Phone: 832-2668
Email: ddefrain@uwc.edu
Office hours: 9-11 a.m. MWF & by appointment
Final Examination: December 19th
ENG 285- A study of texts characterizing the natural world as experienced primarily by American writers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Prereq: ENG 101 or exemption through sufficiently high placement test score.
ENG 285 – Course Syllabus
“Every burrower, each flier,/ Came for the name he had to give:/Gay, first work, ever to be prior,/ Not yet sunk to primitive.”
~ John Hollander.
Required Materials:
Texts: The Trail Through Leaves – Hannah Hinchman
The Birds of Heaven – Peter Matthiessen
Refuge – Terry Tempest Williams
A Sand County Almanac – Aldo Leopold
Sweet Breathing of Plants – Hogan & Peterson
Walden & Resistance to Civil Government – Henry Thoreau
Selected Readings provided by the instructor & your peers
Other: One spiral bound notebook
One journal with unlined pages – your choice of styles
Colored pencils or water color paints
Pocket Calendar
College level dictionary
Non-erasable typing paper or computer paper
Copies as necessary. You will be responsible for photocopying your own work to distribute to the class. DO NOT BRING YOUR WORK TO ME TO PHOTOCOPY. DO NOT ASK WHERE YOU SHOULD COPY YOUR WORK. THIS IS ENTIRELY YOUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY AS A STUDENT IN THIS CLASS.
Course Description
The purpose of this class is to introduce you to American writers exploring their (and our) relationship with the natural world. We will be tackling a lot of questions related to these writers and work, but the core questions we will want to address are 1) How have American attitudes toward nature changed? 2) What does our relationship with the natural world tell us about ourselves and about our roles in the world? 3) How does our relationship (personal and public) with the natural world define us? We will be looking at several important and influential texts to help us address these questions, but we will also be keeping a detailed journal to assist us in our personal understanding. There may also be optional field trips, guest speakers, and other opportunities over the course of the semester to aid in our learning.
Policies and Requirements
Attendance & Tardies: The English department has its own policy regarding attendance. Not only am I required to enforce that policy, I believe very strongly that if you do not come to class you do not deserve to pass. I recommend you keep track of your attendance (you can be assured that I will as well). I also recommend “saving” your absences in case you need them later, or if an emergency arises. Getting to class late is both rude and disruptive and will be noted. Two tardies will equal one absence per the formula below. If you doubt how serious I am about these matters I’m sure any number of former students will be happy to share their stories with you. Further, you are responsible for the hand-outs, notes, etc. if you must miss class. Contact either another student or myself to avoid falling behind. Here is the breakdown of the attendance policy for this class:
Absences Effect on your grade
0 May help you
1-2 No effect on grade
3-6 Drops final grade one
letter increment for
each absence, i.e. B to
B- to C+ to C etc.
7+ Non-negotiable failure
Note: All absences are recorded. There is no excused or unexcused absence in my class, but I do encourage you to keep me up to date if you run into extraordinary circumstances such as extended hospitalization, death of an immediate family member, etc.
Grading: Your final grade is 30% Journal (10% Professionalism, 15% Responses to Assignments, 15%), 20% Participation, 20% Oral Presentation, 20% Midterm (and quizzes as necessary), 10% Final exam (covering the oral presentations). Participation takes into account your willingness to take part in class activities, to help others in class, to arrive to class on time, to take beneficial risks with your comments and papers, to meet schedules for assignments, and your contribution to the overall community of the class. All of this makes the class successful, which in turn makes you successful.
Journal: The Hinchman book will be your guide in keeping a journal. Most likely, this journal will be different from any you have ever kept. You will create with this journal an on-going record – both in words and sketches – of the details of a place worthy of your interest and observation. The area is full of such areas (Heckrodt Nature Center, Bubolz Nature Preserve, the nature study center just off campus, or, for many, your own back yard or “family” area). Whatever place you choose, you will be required to dwell in it often and attentively, to record its many changes and effects. You will be required to write (and sometimes sketch, though you will not be graded on any nascent artistic ability) in this journal at least three times each week – a minimum of 45 dated entries (of at least one page each) during the course of the semester. Hopefully this journal will come to evoke what Hinchman calls “the power of the ordinary,” and will become “an ally in crafting the kind of life” you are seeking. Choose a journal with paper heavy enough to hold watercolor paint (if you choose paint) or colored pencils, and sturdy enough to be taken outdoors regularly. But feel free to make this journal your own.
Oral Presentations: Depending on class size you may be assigned to a group for your oral presentation. Either way, this presentation will discuss a book review and presentation on one of the authors listed below. There are many other writers out there who write about the natural world and/or environmental issues. If you know of a writer not on this list, or you’d like to propose a thematic presentation suitable for the class, please let me know by the third week of the semester (no later!).
Possible Presentation List: Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, Loren Eisley, Rick Bass, Sigurd Olson, Scott Slovic, Diane Ackerman, Linda Hogan, Pattiann Rogers, John Hains, Gary Snyder, Jane Goodall, Konrad Lorenz, Desmond Morris, Barry Lopez, Jeremy Rifkin, Vicki Hearne, Edward Hoagland, John McPhee, John Muir, Wendell Berry, Paul and Anne Ehrlich, Annick Smith, Rachel Carson, William Kittridge, Doug Peacock, Sue Hubbell, Gretel Ehrlich, Farley Mowat.
Extra Credit: As a rule I do not like extra credit (so understand that this is non-negotiable and do not approach with your “ideas” for extra credit), but in addition to the above, you may gain up to five percentage points for attending select events writing a brief (2 ½ pages) response. ONLY THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE IN GOOD STANDING (ALL WORK COMPLETED AND MAINTAINING AT LEAST A C IN THE CLASS) WILL BE ALLOWED TO DO EXTRA CREDIT. I will provide more details about dates, times, and subjects as we get further into the semester.
This is a list of standards of grading in English 285:
A Consistent excellence, versatility, creativity, glowing prose and verse with stylistic sophistication and finesse, serious and comprehensive approach to revision, mastery of writing techniques not discussed in class, fresh insights and perspectives, perfect attendance, active participation, willingness to help peers, above and beyond what is asked on all fronts.
B Excellent in some respects, good writing still in need of some polishing, some participation, moderate attempts at pursuit of original thoughts and ideas.
C Acceptable college writing, some improvement, little preparation, bland stylistically, cliché-riddled work, sloppy presentation, widespread spelling and punctuation errors.
D Not acceptable in most respects, no improvement, no willingness to improve, no participation, no revision, poor writing, poor attitude.
F No improvement, no willingness to improve, poor attitude, seven or more absences (automatic failure, regardless).
I AM CHIEFLY INTERESTED IN HOW YOU RESPOND TO THE CLASS AND HOW YOU IMPROVE OVER THE COURSE OF THE SEMESTER!
Quizzes: There may be a short quiz covering the assigned readings and discussions. You will not know in advance when these quizzes will be given so you must be prepared. They factor significantly into your professionalism points, so scoring consistently poorly on quizzes does twice the harm to your final grade.
Plagiarism: Although this is a community of writers, all work should be yours. You can use help from your peers, the writing lab, sources, and myself. But this should be noted in your work and in your paper. This class gives you the opportunity to speak up in your work. When you speak, make sure it is in your own words, and not someone else’s. I am interested in what you have to say. Give the proper credit where you received your help. Check your Student Handbook if you are not clear about what constitutes plagiarism and its penalties. Failing the course is a given and expulsion is a very real possibility. I’ve been down this road before, and it is both embarrassing for the student, and taken extremely seriously by the administration. Know that the Internet is a very real temptation, but also know that it is even easier to trace work taken off the web and to document such plagiarism. I do not want to deal with such matters. I want to teach you how to write and think – not to punish you for stealing. That said, I’d like to cite Ron Rindo’s (UW-Oshkosh) syllabus as a major influence on the syllabus for this course.
Academic Misconduct: All suspected incidents of academic misconduct shall be handled using the UW System rules, Chapter 14. ‘Academic Misconduct’ includes, but is not limited to, the following examples: ‘cheating on an examination, collaborating with others in work to be presented, contrary to the stated rules of the course; submitting a paper or assignment as one’s own work, when a part or all the paper or assignment if the work of another; tampering with the laboratory equipment or computer program of another student. (From UWS 14.03)’ Further definition of ‘academic misconduct’ can be found in UWS 14.03. UWS 14 is available to all students in the library; additionally, all students receive a copy of this policy during their orientation.
Workload: The gauge in college courses is that for every hour in class you should be doing two hours outside of class. This gauge is, in my opinion, conservative for the ‘A’ student. The amount of time you put into reading and writing will be reflected in your portfolio.
Some Words of Encouragement: The ability to express yourself in writing is a tool you will find useful for the rest of your life. Our classroom atmosphere will provide consideration for each other’s ideas. Everyone’s writing will be evaluated; no one will be singled out for the “chopping block.” Some of the best advice I have received in my in my life has come out of the classroom. I will work hard so that might happen for you, and you are expected to do the same for each other.