In this course, we will introduce you to a range of literary genres including poetry, fiction, drama, creative nonfiction, and other cultural texts, as well as continuing to develop your college writing skills. This course in particular prepares students for writing in the humanities, and for reading and responding to a variety of texts to develop an understanding and appreciation of human ideals.  

This course has mid-week and weekly deadlines.

Entry Level Competencies:

• You must have taken English 111 or an equivalent first semester college writing course before you may take English 125.
• You must be proficient in word processing software.
  

The following are the course objectives of English 125:

1. Learning basic literary terms: Students will be taught the language they need to approach literature meaningfully. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• use the standard terms of plot development;
• use the standard terms that describe figurative language;
• identify varieties of point of view; and
• understand and apply a vocabulary of basic conventions.

2. Recognizing conventions of genre: Students will be taught to recognize significant similarities between texts. By the end of the course students will be able to:

• define major dramatic types, such as tragedy and comedy
• recognize the development of themes;
• recognize a variety of poetic techniques and forms; and
• understand the relationship between structure and meaning.

3. Using interpretive methods: Students will be introduced to different ways of reading and interpreting literature. By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• examine a single work from a variety of interpretive methods;
• engage in discussions using interpretive methods
• write an analysis using some or all of these methods
• recognize the validity of different perspectives as representing human diversity and universal themes.

4. Writing skills: Students will continue to improve their writing skills. By the end of the course, students will have:

• written a minimum of 3500 words of graded text, in the form of discussion forums, weekly assignments, creative writing, a midterm exam essay, and a final exam essay;
• engaged in all forms of the writing process;
• employed a clear focus that guides their choice of evidence, language, and organization. 

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books/.

The required textbook for this course is:

• Schilb, John and John Clifford. Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Fourth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2009. 

Your course grade will be determined according to the following points:

There are 2 exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : lismith@nvcc.edu; johouston@nvcc.edu
Telephone : (703) 878-5668:
You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office in Woodbridge. 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.