The core material of this course includes the assigned reading, lectures, and class discussions and students will be responsible for all of these on the midterm up to and including the date of 10/12/06.

The Midterm Exam accounts for 15% of your total grade in this course, and is open book. This means that you can have with you the texts that we have read up to Octber 12th, including printouts of the online texts.  You may write in the margins of these texts, and use small post-its (less than 2 inches) to mark important passages. You may not write on the backs of the printouts (you'll need to print out clean copies if you have already done so), nor may you use any other notes or papers.

Exams must be written in bluebooks, which will be provided. Please write your exam in blue or black ink only, write clearly and legibly (I can't give credit for anything I'm not able to read!), and save at least five minutes to proofread your work.  All titles of works, character names and author's names must be spelled correctly. Be sure to number the answers in your bluebooks so that they correspond to the numbers on the exam sheet. As this is an open book exam, you should use plenty of examples and specific details in your answers, including short direct quotes.  (Remember: the main object of an exam is to allow you to display the range and depth of your knowledge of the material.)  Be sure to cite correct page numbers for all quotes.

The exam format will consist of three sections:

I. Multiple Choice: This section accounts for 20% of the Midterm Exam grade, and will consist of TEN total items. The BEST CHOICE will be asked for.

II. Definition: This section accounts for 30% of the Midterm Exam grade. This section will ask you to write a paragraph defining THREE critical terms or phrases out of a choice of five or six, and to discuss an example of your choice from one of the texts (with correct author and page citation) that illustrates each definition.

III. Identification and Analysis: This section accounts for 50% of the Midterm Exam grade. This section will consist of approximately ten significant quotes (one to two sentences) from the texts discussed in class, and will ask you to identify any FIVE of these by naming the author, title, point of view, and a substantive (one paragraph) analysis of the quote's significance to the work as a whole (how does this quote or image represent a larger theme, conflict or issue within the text).  

Total points possible for the entire exam: 100 points.

The best way to study is to review your notes and skim the appropriate reading at the same time. As you skim, stop every now and then and imagine how you would identify and comment on the particular passage at which you have stopped. If you can study cooperatively with one or more other students in the class, you can share ideas about how to identify and comment on critical terms and passages from the texts--and get multiple perspectives about how to recognize the works and and what is interesting in them.