The TA office is located in 407C Bascom. Phone 265-7881

TAs for Spring 2008:

Christopher Bishop    cbishop2@wisc.edu
Wednesday 2:25-3:15pm in 209 Van Hise
Thursday 3:30-4:20pm in 478 Van Hise

Ernest Rockwell       erockwell@wisc.edu
Tuesday 12:05-12:55pm in 330 Education
Wednesday 9:55-10:45am in 215 Van Hise

Natalie Van Deusen    vandeusen@wisc.edu
Tuesday 1:20-2:10 in 227 Van Hise
Tuesday 3:30-4:20 in 383 Van Hise

Students taking Lit Trans 275 for their Comm-B requirement must sign up for 4 credits and be enrolled in a section.  Sections meet once a week. Sections DO meet the first week of classes.

LITERATURE IN TRANSLATION 275/SCANDINAVIAN 375

THE TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

SYLLABUS for Comm - B

INTRODUCTION

Welcome! You have chosen to do your Communication-B requirement in the field of Scandinavian Studies! During the next fifteen weeks we will discus the tales of Hans Christian Andersen, learn different critical approaches to his texts, and, most importantly, we will master how to write a good literary research paper. In order to make it easier for you, the writing is broken down into many stages, starting with the choice of text, research, formulating a thesis, writing, discussing, and revising drafts till the final paper is ready. Remember, writing is a process!

 In order to fulfill your Comm-B requirement, in this writing intensive 4-credit course, you will need to

Ø      complete 30 pages of writing assignments over the course of the semester. Drafts count in the total number of pages

Ø      complete a variety of writing assignments

Ø      meet with the instructor once over the course of the semester to discuss your thesis statement and final paper (individual conferences are scheduled for Week 14)

Ø      increase your knowledge of and ability to use the library and research resources, bibliographic form, and essay styles

Ø      fulfill the required speaking component of the course through classroom participation and a short oral presentation (details of this presentation follow below).

In addition to fulfilling your Comm-B writing requirements, in Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, you should also:  

Ø      gain a general understanding of Hans Christian Andersen’s life and works,

Ø      gain a general knowledge of literary currents, cultural life, and social debates in Scandinavia in the 19^th century

Ø      improve your critical reading and writing skills

Ø      have a good time!

 COURSE EXPECTATIONS

 REQUIRED TEXTS: 

Andersen, Hans Christian. The Complete Fairy Tales and Stories. Trans. Erik Christian

Haugaard. New York: Anchor Books of A Division of Random House, c.1974;

Winther, M. Danish Folk Tales. Trans. and ed. T. Sands and J. Massengale. WITS II,

Number 5, 2000;

Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference. 6^th Edition, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0-312-45025-0

            Bedford / St. Martins

ATTENDANCE AND PUNCTUALITY:
Attendance in section is mandatory! If you have more than two unexcused absences from section, your final grade will drop half a grade. (An A will become an AB, for example.) If you must be absent, email or call before the section with a legitimate reason for your absence.

Please come to the section prepared and on time. If you are more than 15 minutes late you will be marked absent.  No cell phones—turn them off or put them on “silent.” 

You will be expected to participate in each section by answering and asking questions. The last 15-20 minutes of each section will be dedicated to a discussion of topics from lecture. You will form groups, and each group will have to generate at least two questions regarding lecture material.  

DUE DATE POLICY:
All assignments are to be handed in at the beginning of the section they are due. Please print and staple your assignments, have the page number and your last name on the header of each page, and follow the font type and size guidelines. No e-mailed assignments will be accepted except under special circumstances.

The grade given for your assignment will drop by one grade for every day that the assignment is late (including weekend days!). Assignments that are more than three days late will not be accepted. Extensions will be granted only rarely, and permission for an extension must be obtained in advance. If you have personal problems, a family crisis, or a religious observation, please notify the isntructor immediately.

Paper format:
All papers must be double spaced, 12 pt. Times or Arial font, one-inch margins on bottom, top, left, and right. SOmetimes, computers go awry. Early planning, back-up copies, and printed rough drafts will save you from any difficult situations in the event you have a computer problem on the day your paper is due. If you have printing problems, there are print stations across campus at which you may print your paper at a minimal cost.

Coversheets:
In addition to writing your papers, you will be required to include a coversheet with your paper (for the first writing assignment, your reaction paper, no coversheet will be necessary). The coversheets serve as a tool to be used by both you and the instructor in order best to evaluate your work. Each coversheet will be emailed to you as an attachment. You will access it via your email account, type in the relevant answers/replies to the questions, print it out with your paper, and then staple it to the front of your paper. The coversheets are meant to help you think more objectively about your paper. They are meant to help you look for the strong and weak points in your paper, draw attention to problems with the assignment, and/or offer suggestions. These coversheets will not be graded; however, turning them in with your paper is mandatory. If your coversheet is missing for the writing assignment, you will receive 5 points off per day until it is handed in.

Journals:
You are strongly encouraged to keep a journal or notebook in which you can jot down reactions or questions you have about your readings. These journals can also be a place to record any in-class writing done over the course of the semester or for notes based on class discussion.

Academic honesty:
While study groups are encouraged, individual writing assignments must be completed by each individual student. In-class writing assignments will provide the instructor with the “style” and “form” of your writing. Thus, having a roommate write a paper for you will not go unnoticed.

References and plagiarism:
You must cite references for quotations, ideas, and facts that are not your own. If you do not do this, it is outright plagiarism. Within the first few weeks of the semester, plagiarism will be discussed, and you will receive a guideline sheet that will show you the appropriate format for citing in a literary analysis. For additional information now, or in the future, you can check the Writing Center’s online handbook, accessible at www.wisc.edu/writing. Click on “Writer’s handbook.” If you have any questions about citations or concerns about plagiarism, or have any other writing concerns, I encourage you to talk or email the instructor about these concerns.

Writing Center:
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/index.html

The UW-Madison Writing Center is an excellent resource as you continue to develop your writing skills (grammar, analysis, structure, etc). Writing Center instructors will not edit or proofread your papers for you. Nor will they do your reading, thinking, or writing for you. Instead, their goal is to teach you to do these things for yourself so that you can become a better, more confident writer. The Writing Center offers a variety of courses about writing, e-mail instruction, online conference and also face-to-face instruction. All courses and individual instruction are free of charge, and appointments can be scheduled by stopping by the Writing Center (6171 Helen C. White Hall) or by calling the Writing Center at 263-1992.

Special needs:
Students who require special assistance should see the instructor during the first week.

Questions and concerns:
Please use email for contact and come to the office during office hours. If you are unable to come to office hours, e-mail the instructor to set up an appointment.

In-class writing assignments:
From time to time, you may be asked to do some in-class writing. These assignments are intended to improve your ability to think quickly and clearly—an ability that is needed for the three essay exams that will take place over the course of the semester. They will also serve as a means for you to analyze, assess, and respond to topics that arise during  class discussions and/or debates. These in-class writing exercises will not be graded, but they may be turned in from time to time. 

Take-home writing assignments:
As already stated, in this course you will be called upon to do various types of writing assignments. A breakdown of the take-home writing assignments, along with details and due dates of the assignments follow below. Throughout the course of the semester, additional details of take-home writing assignments will be given to you, and the assignment expectations for each assignment will be discussed when it is handed out in section.  

Breakdown of take-home writing assignments:

In-class presentation:
Since there is an oral component to your grade, in addition to your contributions during in-class discussion, every student is also expected to give a five-minute presentation in class, analyzing a text using a specific literary theory. You should be prepared for this when you come to class during Weeks 7 and 8. More specific details of what will be expected in this brief presentation will be explained later in the semester. Your presentation will account for a final 10% of your Comm-B assignment grade. 

PEER REVIEW:
In order to enrich and improve your critical thinking skills, there will be a peer review. Such reviews entail sharing your writing with a partner and giving constructive, content-based criticism of their writing. Grammar and mechanics are not included in this criticism. More details on the peer review will be given at a later date. 

EVALUATION/ GRADING GUIDELINES
The Comm-B segment (40% of the total course grade) will be graded as follows: 

 The letter grade scale is the same of that of the entire course: 

 Note:  You cannot pass the class if you do not pass the Comm-B requirement. 

Splash Articles
Also see the MLA Plagiarism Handout.