Section Times and Places: Office Hours in South Hall 2432Q:
Wednesday 8:00 - 8:50 North Hall 1109 Wednesday 10:00 - 11:00
Wednesday 9:00 - 9:50 North Hall 1109 And by appointment

Getting in Touch:

E-mail (most efficient): 6500mcs1@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu
Telephone (10am-10pm only): 968-9576
Other messages: My box in South Hall 2623
Section:
Section is your chance to let the rest of the world (within our small confine) know how you feel and what you think about the stories we are reading. It’s a chance to share excitement, disgust, delight, brilliance, and confusion, to disagree, and to learn from each other. I anticipate that the focus of this section will be discussion and not lecture so its quality depends upon your willingness to participate. Be sure to bring the relevant texts every week so you’re armed for battle. Attendance is mandatory and more than two absences may result in your being dropped from the course. The quality and quantity of your participation will also be reflected in your final grade.

Section Readings:
In addition to the readings assigned for the class there will be some readings specifically for discussion in section. I have selected “Hair Jewelry” by Margaret Atwood, one of my favorite pieces, as our first section story. This will be the piece to which we can recur to in class if discussion stumbles or the mood strikes. If we exhaust the story I may select another.

Contact Papers:
Contact papers should be turned into me during class on Monday (holiday arrangements to be announced). I will expect to receive at least 8 contact papers from you during this quarter. If you elect to turn in more than 8 we can arrange to drop the lowest grade/s. I expect contact papers to reflect your thoughts about the reading we are doing critically as well as personally. One of your contact papers may be written on “Hair Jewelry” and one may be written on a short story of your own selection (with the story attached, of course). Every week 3-4 people will be asked to read their papers to begin section discussion. This is a required component of class participation.

The Internet:
I will be periodically addressing you all over e-mail. I encourage you all to use this forum to continue discussion outside of section, to pose questions, raise concerns, or point out particularly interesting topics. Participation in this format will be considered class participation.

Papers:
As your papers come due I will hand out a set of guidelines regarding paper structure. I will also add additional office hours at that time. I would be glad to discuss the creative writing option with you at any time, and happy to read your stories.

Final Word:
Welcome. I hope that you enjoy this class and that we can work together to make it a positive learning experience for all of us. Feel free to contact me (as above) if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the works we are reading, your papers, or section in general.