Here are a few things that I (and other professors) recommend students try to do and that we really like to see happen in our classes:

1. Make the most of the class: Most students take courses because they are interested in and excited by the topic or texts. Others take courses to fulfill requirements and others to fill gaps in schedules. Regardless of why you take any class, you might as well engage with the material as actively as you do in your other classes. You may discover ideas and things that you haven’t before and that prove to be very relevant to you.
2. Bring an open mind: This class will present you with new and challenging ideas or with views and opinions (not necessarily the instructors’) that you find disagreeable or frustrating. This is fine; indeed, we expect and encourage it. But closing yourself off from the topics or perspectives offered in class can stop you from getting the most out of it. Opening your mind can help you nuance your own views in positive ways.
3. Rethink familiar ideas: Some of the topics we discuss in this class may appear familiar at first, but it is unlikely that you will have had the opportunity to think about them in the ways we will be doing in the class or to use the analytical skills and apparatuses that you’ll be using and applying to those topics.
4. Ask questions: If the instructor says something that you don’t understand or that you can’t quite make sense of, ask to hear it again. If you want further explanation about something, ask for more details. These might be really important opportunity for tricky issues to be discussed by the whole class and thus become giant leaps forward in the learning process.
5. Answer questions: If you are asked to respond to something, make a stab at it. You might feel intimidated at first (that’s completely normal) and like you want to say “I’m probably totally wrong about this…” But sometimes the simplest or zaniest reactions are the most interesting and rewarding.
6. Hydrate: Just as your body needs liquids when you are at the gym, your brain needs hydration in order for you to concentrate in class. So stay hydrated. Water is best; coffee may be better. It’s a long day and the rooms get stuffy. Snacks or meals get messy and distracting, but liquids are important.
7. Make eye contact: Making eye contact with the instructor (or whoever else is talking) will ensure that you stay focused on the discussion. If you’re looking at something else (a screen for instance) you may still hear a voice, but you won’t really be listening. We hear with our eyes as much as with our ears.
8. Listen: While eye contact is crucial, your ears still have work to do! You may feel like the most important information in the class is up on the board or on a screen. It isn’t. Slides are just guides for the conversation, keeping the instructor on track and the class moving ahead (otherwise it is easy to get bogged down). Sometimes, it’s helpful to put your pen down or close your laptop and just listen.
9. Make appointments: If you are struggling with an idea, or an assignment, or the whole class, let’s talk about it. If you let the problems fester, we might run out of time to address them. Email your TA explaining briefly the issue you want to discuss and suggesting a time when you are available to meet. Your TA may recommend also meeting with the instructor. Office hours are good opportunities to meet, but there may be other times or venues that are more convenient.
10. Be polite: Common social courtesies apply in university classrooms and in related communication. Address your fellow students, TAs, and instructors appropriately.

Attendance and Participation: UBC and the Department of English have quite strict guidelines about attendance in class. Attendance is mandatory, absences not at all encouraged. If you miss more than 40% of total class hours (including discussion groups), you may be precluded from sitting the final exam. Although attendance is important and your participation grade for the course depends in part on it, participation does not equal attendance. You are encouraged to participate as much as possible by asking questions, responding to comments by other students, and by being polite and cordial to your colleagues and instructor. Unwillingness to engage in class conversations may result in a reduction of your grade; if you feel unable to participate in class discussion, let me know. You might be able to contribute in some other way.

Reading: It is essential that you are prepared before coming to every class – including both the lectures and the discussion groups – by completing the assigned reading. We will not necessarily cover all of the assigned reading in every lecture; you are nevertheless encouraged to read all of the reading and, if appropriate, to bring it up during discussion. Some of the poems are long, and even the shorter poems can be difficult. Read with care and precision. Read out loud. Take notes. Pay attention to form, sound, and image. To encourage you to do the reading and to practice your close-reading, 10% of your final mark will be devoted to a poetry reading journal. This will consist of a set of 10 1-page responses to one or more of the poems we are reading in any given week. These are to be handed at the beginning of class on each Monday and will be read, checked, and returned by Friday. These will not be graded formally, but they will be acknowledged and recorded using a “check-check plus-check minus” system (see assignment #1 below)

Laptops and other Electronic Aids: Laptops are permitted in lecture but may be used only for taking notes or for occasional research purpose as directed by the instructor. All other electronic devices must be turned off and stowed away before class begins. The persistent use of technology for non-course related activities will result in a course-wide ban on all electronics in class – including laptops. No photographic or recording devices may be used during class. PowerPoint slides will not be posted on UBC Connect or any other service. Their purpose is to facilitate focus and discussion in class; they are NOT a substitute for attendance or notes. You will not get the full benefit of these discussions if you rely exclusively on slides or other electronic supplements.

Access and Accommodation: The University accommodates students with disabilities who have registered with the Access and Diversity Centre. If you are registered please let me know; I will of course abide by any recommendations that have been made for you. The university will also accommodate students whose religious obligations conflict with attendance, submitting assignments, or completing tests and examinations. However, you must make official arrangements through your faculty advising offices. Holidays involving fasting, abstention from study, or participation in activities are listed online. If illness prevents you from attending class or completing term work, I strongly suggest that you contact a faculty advisor and make arrangements for a standing deferred or other accommodation. Health and wellness ALWAYS take precedence over homework. Students who plan to be absent for varsity athletics, family obligations, or other commitments, cannot assume they will be accommodated, though formal arrangements made via university and faculty officials will be respected in these circumstances.