Fall 2001
Dr. R. Nordquist
Victor Hall 1-10
(912) 921 5991
nordquist@mail.com  

ASSIGNMENTS

BULLETIN BOARD

EXAMS

HOME PAGE

HONOR CODE

NEWS

NORDQUIST

NOTES

PROJECTS

REGENTS' TEST

RESEARCH

RESOURCES

STUDENTS' PAGES

SYLLABUS

WRITERLY ADVICE

Advice to Students


American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed.

NEWS

Check the NEWS page frequently for information on site updates and added resources.  News items are posted in reverse chronological order--i.e., most recent items appear at the top of the page, older items below.    The date preceding each news item is the date on which the information was posted. 

December 9 (Sunday): FINAL UPDATE
--Reminder that Project #4 (completed--with all past 1102 essays included in the folder) is due no later than 6:00 p.m. on Monday, December 10.  Drop your folder in the ENGL 1102 box outside my office--which is now room 297D of University Hall (by the Math Dept. offices). 
--Reminder that the FINAL EXAM will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. this Thursday (December 13) in our regular classroom, Victor 102.
--You may pick up your folder (with graded essay and exam inside, along with final course grade) from the box outside my office (University Hall 297D) any time after noon on Monday, December 17.

December 6 (Thursday)
--We've moved.  As of 3:00 on Thursday, my office is now in University Hall, room 297D (by the Math Department offices on the second floor).  I'll be in the office till 7:30 this evening (Thursday) and until 4:30 on Friday. 

December 3 (Monday)
--Sample exam questions and answers have been added to the EXAMS page, following the six tips on preparing for the exam.  In Tuesday's class we'll review the sample answers and the tips.

December 2 (Sunday)
--Visit the EXAMS page for information about the Final Exam--and for six tips on preparing for the exam.   A sample question and answer will be posted to the EXAMS page on Tuesday of this week.

November 26 (Monday)
--See the NOTES page (Weeks 14 & 15: Project Tips) for suggestions on how to write effective topic sentences--with examples (both good and bad ones) drawn from essays submitted this term.  Those students who didn't underline the titles of plays in their essays might now want to look lower down on the NOTES page (Week 13: Tips on Writing about Plays) to check out the advice that might have proved helpful in writing the essay for Project #3. 

November 24 (Saturday)
--Information about some of the writers and texts that we'll be studying this week has been posted to the NOTES page.

November 20 (Tuesday)
--Please turn in Project #3 (to the box outside my office) no later than 8:00 this evening.
--Topics for Project #4 have been posted to the PROJECTS page;  hard copies of the project guidelines are available in the box outside my office.
--Readings for next week (Nov. 27) have been posted to the ASSIGNMENTS page.

November 16 (Friday)
--As you work on your essay for Project #3, please make sure that you've checked out the NOTES for Week 13.  I've responded to all the drafts that showed up by noon today (Friday).  I'll be back in the office Sunday evening, between about 6:00 and 9:00, and at that time I'll be happy to provide some (last-minute) feedback on any drafts that show up in e-mails.  Because attachments don't always download correctly, try pasting your draft into the e-mail message.  Remember: present tense, topic sentences, brief quotations, no plot summaries.  Above all else, avoid over-simplifying the characters and the plays.  Like most people, virtually all of the characters are in some ways self-deceived; and, like most people, virtually all of the characters also have some awareness of some unsavory truths about their lives.  Oedipus is proud--but persistent.  Willy escapes to the past--and knows he's a loser in the present.  Amanda escapes to the past--and knows full well that her daughter is damaged and her son is about to flee.  Good luck.

November 13 (Tuesday)
--Some students still haven't picked up their graded Projects #2 from the box outside my office.  Please pick them up.  Past graded quizzes are also in that box.
--Some tips for Project #3 have been posted at the NOTES page.  Call or stop by the office to set up an appointment if you'd like feedback on a draft.

November 10 (Saturday)
--Please note that Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for death" appears on page 720 of our text (the page was originally misidentified on the ASSIGNMENTS page).

November 6 (Tuesday)
--Readings for next Tuesday (Nov. 13) have been posted at ASSIGNMENTS.

November 4 (Sunday)
--Your graded essays (Project #2) will be available in the box outside my office by noon on Monday, Nov. 5.   Be prepared: failure to follow project guidelines (e.g., include drafts, self-evaluation, and past graded essays in your folder), misunderstanding of basic literary terms introduced in the first few weeks of the term, repetition of mistakes identified in your first essay, and failure to follow topic guidelines (your particular "interpretations" of any text are far less important than your ability to analyze texts to show how meanings are created) all contribute to lowered grades.   

November 1 (Thursday)
--Guidelines for the next essay (Project #3) have been posted at the PROJECTS page.  Readings for next week have been posted on the ASSIGNMENTS page.

October 28 (Sunday)
--The readings for this week (a collection of short stories by and about women) have been posted at ASSIGNMENTS.  Check the NOTES page for Previews of our work this week.  Your essays will be graded and returned no later than Friday of this week.  Topics for Project #3 will be posted by the end of this week as well.      

October 20 (Saturday)
--Check the NOTES page for Previews of our work next week with The Glass Menagerie.  I've returned comments to all students who e-mailed downloadable drafts to me by 3:00 p.m. today; I'll make a last quick check of my e-mail early Sunday afternoon before heading off to Athens.

October 18 (Thursday)
--Next week's reading has been posted on the ASSIGNMENTS page.  Deadline for Project #2 has been moved to 6:00 p.m. on Wed., Oct. 24 (drop your folder in the box outside my office).  Remember that attendance at next Tuesday's class (Oct. 22), when we'll be seeing a videotape of The Glass Menagerie, is optional.  Tomorrow afternoon (Oct. 19), I'll be available in the office (by appointment) to review drafts.  I'll also check drafts via e-mail on Saturday.

October 9 (Tuesday)
--A few reminders: our Salesman quiz will be this Thursday (Oct. 11); there will be no class next Tuesday (Oct. 16) because of Fall Break; and there will be class but no quiz next Thursday (October 18).   I'll be out of town during Fall Break (Sunday Oct. 14 through Tuesday Oct. 16), but I'll be happy to look at rough drafts for Project #2 before or after the break. 

October 4 (Thursday)
--Guidelines for Project #2 have been posted to the PROJECTS page.

October 3 (Wednesday)
--The NOTES and ASSIGNMENTS pages have been updated.

September 27 (Thursday)
--NOTES for this afternoon's class have been posted.  Graded essays should be returned no later than next Thursday.

September 26 (Wednesday)
--Readings for next week have been posted to the ASSIGNMENTS page; NOTES for weeks six and seven have also been posted.

September 23 (Sunday)
--A revision checklist for Project #1 has been posted.  This checklist (which summarizes key guidelines raised on the project page, on the format sheet, and in class discussions of the assignment) is a version of the grading sheet I'll be using when I evaluate your projects.  As you revise and edit the final version of your critical essay, use the checklist as a guide. 

--For those of you who have consulted with me over the past week about your drafts (either through e-mail or in person), I'll be available in my office from 6:00 to 7:30 Monday evening to try to answer any last minute questions.   As for the rest of you--you really ought to get started  on this project.

--Students who have passed English 1101 should not have any significant problems with matters of grammar or mechanics.  (Students who still have such problems at the end of English 1102 won't pass the course.)  For those who do still have problems, please note that the AASU Writing Center (Gamble 109) is now offering a five-week grammar/mechanics workshop:
parts of speech: 9/19-9/20
independent and dependent clauses: 9/26-9/27
subject-verb agreement: 10/3-10/4
comma usage: 10/10-10/11
pronoun antecedent errors: 10/17-10/18
Classes will be held on the days scheduled from noon-1:00 p.m. (Wednesdays) and from 3:00-4:00 p.m. (Thursdays) in Gamble 103.  If you have questions about the workshops (or would like help with any of these grammatical matters but can't fit the workshops into your schedule), call the Writing Center at 927 5210. 

--Preview of this week's classes will be posted no later than Monday evening.

September 22 (Saturday)
--The NOTES page has been updated, with Postscripts to classes held this past Tuesday and Thursday.  A Preview of the coming week's classes should be posted by Sunday evening.  (Btw, Notes for weeks one through five have been moved to the Archive.)
--I'll be available again in the office to provide feedback on drafts (either in person or via e-mail) on Sunday from 5:00 to 7:00.

September 21 (Friday)
--Open house (i.e., no appointments needed) this weekend for any students who would like feedback on their drafts of Project #1:
SATURDAY (Sep. 22): Noon-1:30 p.m.
SUNDAY (Sep. 23): 5:00-7:00 p.m.
(Use the door at the construction end of Victor Hall, and then turn right into the first suite of administrative offices.)
--We're still having server problems, but I hope to have updates to the NOTES page posted by Saturday afternoon.

September 19 (Wednesday)
--Readings for next Tuesday (9/25) have been posted on the ASSIGNMENTS page.  Because of server problems, this week's updates on the NOTES page may not be available until Thursday evening, Sep. 20.

September 16 (Sunday).
--The NOTES page has been updated with a Postscript to last Thursday's class.
--Following is the Preview to this Tuesday's class (Sep. 18), which I've had trouble uploading to the NOTES page:
--This afternoon we'll consider the strengths and weakness of the three sample essays on "Miss Brill" (see Postscript for Sep. 13, below), and begin discussing how to organize our own notes for Project #1 into rough drafts.  I'll also give you a guide to formatting your essay.
--As you work on your essay, please feel free to set an appointment (921 5991) to meet with me to review your progress (I've left late Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday evening free this week for such appointments).   Also, you may e-mail me (at nordquist@mail.com) your drafts (even if it's just a single rough paragraph you'd like me to have a look at it).  I'll try my best to get back to you within 24 hours.
--Today we'll also begin discussing the four short stories assigned for this week (see ASSIGNMENTS for Sep. 18), all falling under the broad theme of "fear and loathing."  Fans of Stephen King may get a kick out of this high school student's comparison of King of Poe, while fans of Poe may find some materials of interest at the Poe Society of Baltimore web site and the online House of Usher.  Shirley Jackson, the other author we're reading this week, also has numerous online fans: see The Haunted World of Shirley Jackson and The Works of Shirle Jackson.   One of Jackson's novels, btw, was turned into the unfortunate 1999 film The Haunting.  

September 15 (Saturday).
--"Death Shall Have No Dominion," a poem by Dylan Thomas, seems appropriate in light of events this past week.  (It won't be on any quiz or any exam.)  Two other evocative poems are "The Explosion" and "Ambulances"--both by Philip Larkin:

The Explosion

On the day of the explosion
Shadows pointed towards the pithead:
In the sun the slagheap slept.

Down the lane came men in pitboots
Coughing oath-edged talk and pipe-smoke
Shouldering off the freshened silence.

One chased after rabbits; lost them;
Came back with a nest of lark's eggs;
Showed them; lodged them in the grasses.

So they passed in beards and moleskins
Fathers brothers nicknames laughter
Through the tall gates standing open.

At noon there came a tremor; cows
Stopped chewing for a second; sun
Scarfed as in a heat-haze dimmed.

The dead go on before us they
Are sitting in God's house in comfort
We shall see them face to face--

plain as lettering in the chapels
It was said and for a second
Wives saw men of the explosion

Larger than in life they managed--
Gold as on a coin or walking
Somehow from the sun towards them

One showing the eggs unbroken.

(Philip Larkin, 1974)

--I'll be updating the NOTES page on Sunday (Sep. 15).  Remember, if you'd like to make an appointment to discuss your draft (or your notes toward a draft) of Project #1, just send me an e-mail.  Monday and Wednesday evenings (Sep. 16/18)--roughly 4:00 to 7:00--still have plenty of open slots. 

September 13 (Thursday).
--Reminder that the "University Conversation on This Week's National Tragedy" (with a panel that includes Drs. Daugherty, Rinalducci, Hall, Howard, & Murphy as well as several students) will be held on Friday, Sep. 14, at 12:15 p.m. in University Hall 156.  All are invited.
--Project due date has been moved to Tuesday, Sep. 25.  In today's class we took a quick quiz, discussed "Battle Royal," considered how to develop good materials for a critical essay ("show me" and "so what?), and glanced at three critical essays (an A paper, a C paper, and an F paper) on the short story "Miss Brill," by Katherine Mansfield.  By this Sunday evening, I'll post to the NOTES page a postscript to today's class and a preview of next week's classes, with some additional tips on developing material for a good critical essay.

September 12 (Wednesday).
--We'll meet on Thursday (9/13) and pick up where we left off last week.  We'll have the quick quiz originally scheduled for 9/11 and discuss approaches to Project #1.  Readings for next week have been posted on the ASSIGNMENTS page (see Tuesday, Sep. 18).

September 11 (Tuesday).
--All of Tuesday's (9/11) afternoon and evening classes at Armstrong have been cancelled, including our ENGL 1102 class. We'll pick up again on Thursday (quiz and readings); I'll be extending the deadline for Project #1 by a couple of days. Keep an eye on this course web site for updates, and I'll see you this Thursday (9/13).

September 9 (Sunday).
--Grade distribution of second quick quiz: 5 scores of 11; 8 of 10; 3 of 9; 1 of 8; 2 of 7; 4 of 6.
--Make sure that you've carefully studied the guidelines and topics for the first essay assignment (project #1)--and that you've read the postscript to last Thursday's class.
--A Preview of our quiz and our discussions on the assigned readings for this week appears at the NOTES page.  The next updates to this course site will be posted Tuesday evening, September 4.

September 6 (Thursday).
The first essay assignment (project #1) has been posted at the new PROJECTS page.  (If you have any trouble printing out the assignment, you can pick up a hard copy from the ENGL 1102 box outside my office.)  A postscript to this afternoon's class (including some straight talk on how you should interpret your score on the progress-check) has been posted at NOTES.   Previews of next week's work will be posted to NOTES by this Sunday evening.

September 4 (Tuesday).
A Postscript to this afternoon's class has been posted at NOTES; the readings for next Tuesday have been posted at ASSIGNMENTS; and a link to the REGENTS' TEST page has been added to the menu.   This site will next be updated (with information about our first writing project) on Thursday, Sep. 6.

September 2 (Sunday).
A Preview of our discussions on the assigned readings for this week appears at the NOTES page.  The next updates to this course site will be posted Tuesday evening, September 4.

August 31 (Friday).
A postscript to yesterday's class has been posted at NOTES.   The RESOURCES page is now open with links to online glossaries of literary terms.  The next updates to the course web site will be posted Sunday evening, September 2.  Enjoy the long weekend.

August 30 (Thursday).
Good job, overall, on the first quick quiz.  As the course goes on, the readings will become more challenging and the quiz questions a bit more difficult, but as long as you attend to details and take notes as you read (and re-read), you should continue to do well.   Doing well on the quizzes generally means you're well-prepared for class discussions.  Being well-prepared for discussions means you'll be alert to the ideas and information you'll need when it comes time to compose critical essays.    

Grade distribution of first quiz: 8 students scored 11 out of 11; 5 scored 10 out of 11; 3 scored 9 out of 11; 3 scored 8 out of 11; 1 scored 7 out of 11.  See syllabus for letter-grade equivalents and policy on make-up quizzes.  Quiz answers: (1) e; (2) b; (3) c; (4) c; (5) b; (6) d; (7) toy store; (8) e; (9) that it's her sweater; (10) a; (11) d.   Graded quizzes will be returned on Tuesday (Sep. 4).  The next quick quiz will be on Thursday, September 6.

The first course ASSIGNMENT (Aug. 23) was to read the
syllabus.  Those who have called the office to report on ailments and misfortunes should read the syllabus now. 

The ENGL 1102 e-mail address book is almost complete.  lilsugar, KEF420, and princessklea have been added.   Also, would you all please make sure that you're sending mail to nordquist@mail.com : my other addresses (hotmail, armstrong, and freeze) are reserved for independent-study students and for faculty.  Note to Patrick: your e-mails have arrived safely, but my replies to you keep getting bounced back by the mail server.  For now,  Patrick, please try reaching me again at this address: nordqudi@mail.armstrong.edu .  If trouble persists, perhaps we can talk next week about assigning you a new e-mail address.

Postscript to this evening's class will be added to the NOTES page by Friday evening, and previews of next week's classes will be posted to NOTES by this Sunday evening.   In the meantime, the readings on the ASSIGNMENTS page should keep you busy.

August 28 (Tuesday).
Late additions to the address book include crewe, businessman, dyshan, mmcgahee, and littlestardust.  Next week's readings have been posted on the ASSIGNMENTS page.  Also, the NOTES page has been updated with a brief Postscript to today's class and a further preview of this Thursday's class.   The next updates to the course web site will be posted Thursday evening, August 30.

August 26 (Sunday).
On the NOTES page of this course site, comments and questions  on the short stories and the short play assigned for this week have been added to the notes on the poems, which were posted on Saturday.  Be sure to review all of these notes before Tuesday's class.  E-mails (which were due this evening) have been received from allicat, harmoni, rebelyell, dyshan, suzlynn, smurf, skeeter, alwaysaya, morrison, topazecm, deborah, mollie, and winghart.  The next updates to the course web site will be posted Tuesday evening, August 28.

August 25 (Saturday).
Two more e-mail addresses added to the class address book today--mollie & morrison.  Notes on the upcoming week's poems have been posted to the NOTES page.  Notes on the other assigned readings will be posted to this site by 7:00 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday).

August 24 (Friday).
A few more e-mails arrived this afternoon--from harmoni, dyshan, & suzlynn.  I'll check back on Saturday and post an update no later than Sunday evening.  Btw, we do have a fall break to look forward to this term: Oct. 15-16.

August 23 (Thursday).
The NOTES page is now online, with a postscript to this afternoon's class.  ASSIGNMENTS for Aug. 28 and 30th have been posted; a preview of the work we'll be doing next week will be posted at NOTES no later than Sunday evening, Aug. 26.  If you haven't done so already, be sure to send me an e-mail by this Sunday.  (As soon as I receive your e-mail, I'll add your address to the 1102 address book and send you a quick reply.  If more than 48 hours pass after sending a note and you still haven't heard back from me, try copying your note to this address: nordqudi@mail.armstrong.edu .)  So far (i.e., 12:45 a.m. on 8/24), I've received e-mails from allicat, rebelyell, smurf, skeeter, & topaz. 

August 21 (Tuesday).
Quick introductions were made at this afternoon's class followed by a review of the syllabus.  Thursday we'll get down to work.  See new postings at ASSIGNMENTS page.