Hello. My name is Cathy LaParl, and I teach English 218 online.

If you are thinking about registering for this course, you need to carefully read through all of the information posted on the college's Welcome to Blackboard page.

Additionally, if you enroll in the course, you must --

1. have Windows Media Player and Real Player.
2. have a word processing program that allows you to create and download documents as .doc or .rtf (rich text format) files.
3. have better than average skills using your word processing program.
4. log on to the course website on the first day of the quarter and begin working on Unit 1.
5. have the required textbook in hand on the first day of the quarter. For a list of texts I use in my courses, click here.
6. confirm that you have an LRC Patron Account that has been activated and is in good standing. To do this, contact the LRC at Central Campus.

First of all, English 218 is a survey course. In such a course, the readings cover several centuries. In fact, we'll begin our reading with works of literature from the late 18th century, and we won't stop reading until we've covered the mid 20th century.

Secondly, it's important for you to know that because much of the literature we'll be studying was written during times very different from our own, the readings will be challenging.

On this literary journey, you will --

1. engage in critical readings and discussions.
2. acquire a knowledge of major authors and works.
3. learn to identify recurrent themes.
4. gain a basic understanding of what is meant by literary forms and conventions.
5. contemplate how social, historical, and cultural factors influence works of literature.
6. gain an appreciation for the diversity of the literature we'll be studying.

1. completing assigned readings.
2. participating in class discussions,
3. taking quizzes.
4. writing several reflection papers.
5. completing unit exams.

First, it’s important that you budget an average of 12 (or more) hours a week for this course. (During summer quarter, you will need more than 12 hours per week.) Some of this time will be spent online, and some of it will be spent offline.

You’ll spend online time --

1. obtaining course materials (assignments, handouts, assigned readings, etc.).
2. taking quizzes.
3. participating in class discussions.
4. submitting assignments.
5. checking for new announcements or e-mail.

You’ll spend offline time reading, studying, planning your participation in class discussions, and completing reflection papers and exams.

English 218 is divided into units of study. The first unit provides you with an orientation to the online learning experience. Unit 2 focuses on the Romantics, including Blake, Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron & Keats; Unit 3 focuses on the Victorians, including Dickens, the Brownings, Tennyson, Arnold, Rossetti & Hopkins; and Unit 4 focuses on the 20th Century, including Conrad, Shaw, Hardy, Yeats, Joyce, Eliot, and Woolf.

You’ll learn much more about the course once the quarter begins. For now, I hope the information provided here helps you make a decision as to whether or not this online version of English 218 is right for you.