Monthly Archives: December 2017

Course Information

Some Book Orders & Related Info for Spring 2018 Courses [Updated 1/2]

Below is some information about the book orders for the spring 2018 MA courses. I will update this with relevant information as professors share it with me leading up to the spring semester, and will add missing ISBNs below as I learn them. This mostly just duplicates the book orders listed for each class at the Mercy College online bookstore, but might also contain additional information that isn’t made clear by the bookstore list (for example, that for ENGL 543 you don’t need to purchase those specific books, and can rather use any source for the various readings throughout the semester if you prefer).

Note that you do not have to purchase your books through the Mercy Bookstore, but make sure that you get the right edition of a book if you purchase it elsewhere (assume that the edition matters unless your professor states otherwise). If you’re new to accessing books through the online bookstore you go to the site linked above, click to enter the textbook section, then go through a series of pull-down menus as follows: for term select SP Sem 2018; for department select ENGL; for course select whatever is the relevant course number, 509, 514, 521, 540, 543, or 560.

Below are the book orders (so far) for your spring courses.

ENGL 509 – Perspectives on the Essay

  • Jamison, Leslie. Best American Essays 2017. ISBN: 9780544817333

ENGL 514 – James & Lawrence

  • James, Henry. The Ambassadors. ISBN: 8780199538546
  • James, Henry. Daisy Miller. ISBN: 0141441348
  • James. Henry. Portrait of a Lady. ISBN: 9780141441269
  • Lawrence, D.H. Rainbow. ISBN: 0141441380
  • Lawrence, D.H. Sons and Lovers. ISBN: 048642121X
  • Lawrence, D.H. Women in Love. ISBN: 0486424588

ENGL 521 – Medieval Literature

  • Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A, 9th Edition. ISBN: 9780393912494

ENGL 540 – Magic in Literature

  • Hesiod. Theogony & Works and Days. ISBN: 9780192817884.
  • Hoffmann, E. T. A. The Golden Pot and Other Tales. ISBN: 0199552479.
  • Roob, Alexander. Alchemy: Mysticism. ISBN: 9783822850381.
  • Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. ISBN: 0439708184.
  • Sax, Boria. Imaginary Animals: The Monstrous, the Wondrous and the Human. ISBN: 9781780231730.
  • Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. ISBN: 9780140714890.
  • Yates, Frances, The Occult Philosophy in the Elizabethan Age. ISBN: 0415254094.

ENGL 543 – American Renaissance

You are not required to use these specific books and can use any source for the readings throughout the semester. The main disadvantage of using other sources is not being on the same page should I refer to specific pages during lectures or discussions, but that’s just a minor inconvenience and won’t often be an issue. When Blackboard sections becomes visible for previewing on January 3rd I will share there some specific readings for those who might want to start reading ahead.

  • The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume B, 9th Edition. ISBN: 9780393264470
  • Melville, Herman. Moby Dick. Norton Critical Edition. 2nd Edition (though 1st edition works fine). ISBN: 9780393972832

ENGL 560 – African & Caribbean Literature

  • Adebayo, Ayobami. Stay With Me. ISBN: 9780451494603
  • Danticat, Edwidge. The Dew Breaker. ISBN: 9781400034291
  • Phillips, Caryl. Color Me English. ISBN: 9781595588357
  • Williams, Ray. Sing Yer Hearts Out for the Lads. ISBN: 9780713682823
  • Walcott, Derek. Omeros. ISBN: 9780374523503.
The Incomplete "I"

The Incomplete “I” Revisited

As we approach the end of the fall 2017 semester let me remind (or inform) everyone about the situation surrounding the “incomplete” or “I” mark a student might request/receive in place of an actual grade. This post repeats information from earlier blog posts on this same subject, but this is critical information for program students to know so please make sure you’re all aware of this.

First off the incomplete might be granted by a professor to students who have completed most of the required work for a course and who have met attendance requirements. The incomplete is not for students who get buried under work and other responsibilities and need a little more time. It is intended for emergency situations, for students who experience an unexpected crisis (such as a debilitating illness) at a specific point during the term which unexpectedly interrupts their ability to complete all required work for a course. Each professor has the right to not grant an incomplete and instead grant some other grade, including an F, based on whatever work the student completed during the regular term.

Students who find themselves in a situation which might warrant an incomplete must request it of the professor. Even if the professor agrees, she or he might still require you to complete a form to initiate the incomplete.

Sometimes an incomplete can be a life-saver for students who experience sudden crisis, but in just about all cases students should avoid incurring an incomplete. Many students who take an incomplete never resolve it: because life goes on, new responsibilities and coursework come along, and it just becomes very difficult to find time to go back and do work on past requirements. It is also difficult for your professors to deal with incompletes because their work, responsibilities, and lives move forward but they now have to figure out how to accommodate, tend to, assess, and sometimes even just remember what this work is that a student left untended in the past. It is a big deal for everyone when a student takes an incomplete, which is one reason why a professor simply might not grant it.

If a student is granted an incomplete, the student should work to complete the missed work and so remedy the incomplete as soon as possible–and prior to the start of the next semester. At the maximum, students have one year in which to remedy the incomplete: after that year the potential credits for the course and tuition for the course are lost, and the incomplete cannot be changed into any real grade.

So for example students who have an incomplete from fall 2016 have only until the end of this current fall 2017 semester to remedy the incomplete. Once this semester ends, all fall 2016 incompletes are locked in and cannot be fixed. And note: sending your professors paperwork at 11pm on the 365th day of the year’s window is not acceptable. So, anyone still seeking to correct fall 2016 incomplete should be in the very final stages of resolving them. If anyone has any questions about this please, as always, contact the program director at cloots@mercy.edu.