AMERICAN REALISM

A Few Links to Winslow Homer sites:

• Winslow Homer site at Syracuse University
• Links to Articles and Web Pages and Images
• Earlier Homer Exhibit at the MFA in Boston

A Few Links to sites related to Hine and Riis:

• Hypertext version of How the Other Half Lives
• A Quite Helpful Link Page on American Immigration, Connecting to Visual Images, Material on Jacob Riis, Ellis and Angel Islands

Course Policies:


1.    Class attendance is  required.  You are allowed three cuts 
(hereby defined as an "unexcused absence") without penalty.  
But absence beyond this three-cut maximum can lower 
your overall course grade--and, in some cases, be grounds for failing 
the course altogether.  If there is a good reason why you have had to
miss a class, please don't hesitate to tell me.  
Medical Excuses should be accompanied by a doctor's 
note.   After the first week, we'll be using an attendance sheet 
sign-in to save time.  
	
2. 	Class participation can account for about 20% of your grade. 
Generally, I try to use your class participation (including your 
work on panels or "kick-off" presentations) as a measure of how 
well you have read and understood the assignments.  My main 
goal is to encourage strong class participation--and to teach 
each of you how to present yourself successfully in oral 
presentations--but not to penalize unduly those who are 
temperamentally quiet or feel uncomfortable speaking.  If your 
participation reflects strong reading skills, consideration for 
others' viewpoints, and frequent contributions to the flow of 
discussion, the "average" based solely on your writing efforts 
(including exams)  can be boosted considerably. 
Conversely, infrequent or poor class participation can make your 
overall grade more dependent on the hourly and final exam.  
		
3.  	When you submit a paper, it should be neatly typed or word-
processed and double-spaced, preferably on both sides of the
paper so that we can save a few trees. (The Computer center allows 
you to do this by selecting OCF-2.)  In addition, you are required 
to keep either a xerox or carbon copy.  That way, if your paper 
is lost, you can simply re-submit your copy.  

4.	Hard Copy versions of your papers are due on the assigned 
dates.  (In other words, I do not accept email submissions.  On 
penalties, my rule is that I allow 24 hours leeway 
without penalty; after that, you will be penalized about 
1/3 grade for every part of 24 hours the paper is 
late.   
The idea of this "leeway" period is that you should never miss 
a class in order to type a paper; come to class, and turn the 
paper in later.  And since the leeway period is there, all other excuses 













(e.g. "the computer center was closed," "my roomate didn't turn in 
my paper," etc.) are irrelevant.  If you turn in any paper late, please 
also attach a note identifying the exact time you turned it in (e.g. 
under my office door).

5.   In a large class like this, it isn't uncommon for students 
to feel, alternately, "over their head," unprepared--or, 
conversely, bored or unchallenged.  The first remedy for 
any of these situations is to come to my office for a 
conference, and to come early in the semester.  If my office 
hours don't fit your schedule, just talk to me in class about 
setting up another time. Please note:  my "voice mailbox" 
on my phone extension (552-3719) really operates more like a 
mailbox than a "phone machine"--that is, I will try to respond 
to calls when I come into my office hours.  But email 
conversations are very much encouraged, particularly as 
"follow ups" to class discussions.


6.    This course emphasizes improving your writing.  To that 
end, I use a "correction guide" adapted from the handbook by 
Diana Hacker, entitled A Pocket Style Manual. I will hand out
a sheet explaining these symbols if you can't easily access the WWW
link below.   If you're confused by some of the symbols I use 
in the margins to correct your papers, you can also consult Hacker (which 














can also be bought in the Bookstore).  It goes without saying I would 
also be happy to discuss your writing with you in conference.