Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I access the syllabus for this course?
Information on this course is available at the instructor's web page. It is also available on this course's Blackboard site under "Course Information."
Who do I contact if I have questions about registering for this course?
Go to to Online@Longwood for registration information.
What if I have questions about or problems with Blackboard, or questions about other technology issues?
A FAQ is available on the Blackboard login page. If you have questions not answered there, contact Longwood’s User Support Services at helpdesk@longwood.edu, or call 434-395-4357 (toll free: 877-267-7883) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
If Blackboard experiences a catastrophic breakdown and you are unable to access the course materials or announcements there, go to the instructor's web page for announcements. If Blackboard goes down, stay current with the readings, access the study guides and discussion questions at the instructor's web page for guidance in formulating responses to the readings, and make notes and comments that you can cut and paste into Blackboard when it becomes available again. In the unlikely event that both Blackboard and the non-Blackboard site are down for an unreasonable period of time e-mail the instructor at: smithsb@longwood.edu, smithsb@longwoodshakespeare.org, or smithsb@verizon.net.
What are the technology requirements for this course?
Information on hardware requirements is available here. Information on software requirements is available here.
How do I access this course?
This course will be conducted using Blackboard, a online course management service that Longwood subscribes to. You can access Blackboard at: http://blackboard.longwood.edu. Follow the instructions on login page, and after you have successfully entered Blackboard, select the link for this class and familiarize yourself with the various parts of the course. If you have difficulty accessing Blackboard, contact Longwood’s User Support Services at the e-mail address or phone number above.
Because Blackboard requires a password, course lecture materials, our weekly discussions, your grades, and any copyrighted materials the instructor wants to make available to the class will remain private. Note that other course materials, such as the study guides, links to research materials, and handouts, do not require such protection. You will be able to access all of these materials on Blackboard, but you can also access them without going through the instructor's web page.
Where do I get the books and other reading materials for this course?
Textbooks are available at the Longwood University Bookstore. You can order your textbooks here.
A few other texts will be made available on Blackboard under "Texts and Documents." Most of these documents are in Adobe .pdf format (make sure you have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader). The instructor will also make maps, pictures, and other supplemental texts and documents available here throughout the semester.
How does the discussion part of this course work? What do I do if I want to improve my discussion grade?
Discussion guidelines for the regular semester world literature courses are available here. Discussion guidelines for summer world literature courses are available here. Discussion guidelines for the literary criticism courses are available here.
How do I access library materials if I'm off campus?
Go here for information on obtaining library materials.
Who do I contact if I have other questions about the course content, objectives, and requirements?
Contact the instructor, Dr. Shawn Smith, at: smithsb@longwood.edu.