1. Understanding Literature
Course Overview
Welcome to Understanding Literature.

2. Instructor Information
Dr. Roxanne Kent-Drury
Department of English
Northern Kentucky University
LA 527
(859)

3. Overview of Course
Through reading and writing, we will try to answer the following questions:
What is literature?
Why do we study literature?
Why and how does literature change over time?
What purpose does literature serve in society, and how does it both reflect and express the cultures in which it arises?

4. Course Organization Roughly chronological, according to development
Poetry—a component of every culture
Drama—arose largely in conjunction with religious ceremony, diverged from poetry
Fiction—relative to the others, fiction developed fairly recently, beginning ~1600 and 1800.
We will look at each in turn

5. Grading & Conventions Timing Short Practice Writing Quizzes
Each week is assumed to run Monday-Sunday
Short Practice Writing
Not graded, but feedback will be given!
Open 12:01 am Saturday through 11:59 pm Sunday of the week due
Listed by week in Blackboard under “Assignments”
IMPORTANT! Avoid causing your or other students’ assignments to be overwritten!!!!
Save your file using the following conventions:
Naming
Your last name-practice-number (example: Smith-practice-1)
File type
I can only open *.rtf, *.doc, or *.docx file types
your file to as an attachment
Quizzes
Open from 12:01 am Monday through 11:59 pm Friday of the week due for flexibility—but don’t fall behind or try to do them all on the same day!
May be taken up to 2 times; best grade is recorded

6. Grading: Papers (cont.)
Open 12:01 am Saturday through 11:59 pm Sunday of the week due
Listed by week in Blackboard under “Assignments”
Save with the following naming convention:
Your last name-*.docx file
IMPORTANT!! Avoid having your or other students’ files overwritten!!!
Save your file using the following conventions:
Naming
Your last name-paper-number (example: Smith-paper-1)
File type
I can only open *.docx file types
your file to as an attachment

7. Grading (cont.) Exams Exams can only be taken once
One midterm covering poetry
One final covering drama, fiction
Exams can only be taken once
Exams will be available from 12:01 am to 11:59 pm on the scheduled day
Once you open the exam, you will have 2 hours to complete it.

8. First Assignment: Questionnaire
Complete the questionnaire linked to the schedule for the course
Click submit—your first assignment is on its way!!
Questions? me at I will always do my best to get back to you as quickly as possible, but always within 48 hours.
Good luck! I look forward to working with you!