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Literature 101:
Introduction to Literature
The
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Section # 4; Registration # 23864 |
“The private person who squares his accounts
with reality in his office demands that the interior be maintained in his
illusions. … From this springs the
phantasmagorias of the interior. For the
private individual the private environment represents the universe. In it he gathers remote places and the past. His drawing room is a box in the world
theater.”
— Walter Benjamin, “
English
101: Introduction to Literature — The Reading
Literature 101 is a
class in which we will explore a variety of prose fiction, particularly novels
and short stories, ranging in period from the nineteenth-century to the present
and including authors from around the world.
We will begin with Isak Dinesen’s “The Dreamers,” which is not only a
wonderful novella in and of itself, but also an exploration into the genre of
fiction as a whole that will set the terms for what we will investigate
throughout: the ways in which personal identity might be considered a mode of
storytelling, the ways in which personal identity might work in relation to,
and even in opposition to, the stories that our cultures (or our parents) might
tell of themselves, and the ways in which fictional narratives might impact the
real, everyday world of lived experience, particularly by illuminating the day
to day experience of those from different cultures or simply from different
points of view. More than anything else,
fiction is a means of transport: it can be a vehicle for identification with
others, differentiation from others, or even a way to escape the demands of
human interaction altogether. As such,
fiction provides an ideal forum in which to stage encounters across cultures
and facilitate what are truly global perspectives, or points of view free of
insularity, cognizant of diversity, and receptive to the manifold ways of being
and thinking throughout the globe. In
the end, we will see how fantastic tales of heroic adventure can become thinly
disguised horror tales once taken in their historical context; however, we will
also see how fiction offers a means to (re)envision and hopefully to (re)create
the material world in which we all live.
Ultimately, whether discussing literature or world events, we will
attempt to expand rather than confine our engagement with the material.
Required
Texts
The following books
are available at Ned’s bookstore (http://www.nedsbooks.com/emu/; 483-6400;
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William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, The
Elements of Style, 4th Edition (Longman 2000; ISBN # 020530902x)
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Short Guide to Writing About Literature, Ed. Sylvan Barnet (Longman 2003; ISBN # 0321104765)
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Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
(Random House 1999; ISBN # 037575377x)
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Emily Brontë,
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Arundhati Roy, God of Small Things
(Harper Perennial 1998; ISBN # 0060977493)
v
Bram Stoker, Dracula, Ed. John
Paul Riquelme (Bedford/St. Martin’s 2001; ISBN # 0312241704)
Make sure to get the
same editions pictured and listed above; otherwise, the differing page numbers
will make it difficult, if not impossible, for you to follow along with class
discussions. Additional required texts
are located in the Halle Library’s Electronic Reserve: http://reserves.emich.edu/. (Contact another student or myself if you
forget the password.) If you experience
difficulty viewing these texts on your computer, see the link “Problems viewing
PDF or other file formats? Read this!” You may need to download small versions
applications (Adobe, MS Word, etc.) in order to open them. It is best to print out the Electronic
Reserve materials in one sitting early in the semester from the computers on
the first floor of the Halle library, where you will see a station with
multimedia computers all equipped with course reserve software. These computers are much more likely to be
able to open the files (and to open them quickly) than your own computer. Hard copies of the Electronic Reserve texts
will be available on reserve at the Halle circulation desk if you experience any
complications, but you will then have to pay for the photocopying rather than
printing them from the library computers for free.
Nothing is more vital for success in this
class than keeping up with, and actively engaging in, the daily reading
assignments and class discussions. Make
sure to bring a copy of each text that we will be discussing to class. You will have to have read the assigned
material, and have it on hand, when I call on you in class or when we do group
work, which will be often. There will
also be periodic, unannounced quizzes to ensure that you are keeping up with
the reading.
Assignments
There will be a large number of writing
assignments: informal responses, polished essays, and essay exams. Guidelines on the final critical essay are
available in the Electronic Reserves and online (http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/research101.htm). The final exam will
include critical responses and an essay question, each comprehending the
literary, filmic, and critical materials that we have covered throughout the
class. As with any university course,
the homework will take around two hours for every hour of class, and thus you
can expect to spend six hours each week completing the various assignments and
readings.
The responses will be posted to the class
listserv (coylit101@list.emich.edu), but they may also
be handwritten if you prefer privacy or have difficulty accessing the
internet. Each response should be at
least 500 words, or roughly two paragraphs and one page, although longer (or
more engaged) responses will not only enhance your grade, but also increase the
ability of other students and myself to offer feedback. In contrast to the responses, the essays will
offer a thorough examination of the readings and have the proper academic
format. The primary difference between a
response and an essay is that with the response, the mechanical elements of
writing do not matter in the least, and the goal is to freely and openly
express ideas; whereas, with the essay, the mechanical elements of writing must
be attended to very thoroughly and the goal is to defend a focused argument
clearly, coherently, and persuasively.
Grading
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20% |
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Responses,
Participation, and Research Proposals |
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20% |
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Essay on Heart of
Darkness (5 pg.) |
February 2, 2004
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30% |
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Final Examination:
Critical Responses / Essay Question |
April
21, 2004 (11- 12:30)
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30% |
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Critical Essay on Dracula
(6 pg.) |
April 26, 2004 |
Essays will be given two grades — one for
theme and one for writing — which will be averaged together evenly. Those students who are less familiar with the
technicalities of writing will thus receive a boost if they put initiative into
conceiving a unique idea, and those students who are less used to thinking
critically will receive a boost by writing clearly and carefully. In order to ensure that you put effort into
enhancing both aspects of your writing, however, revised essays will be worth
as much, if not more, than the first versions and will also be given two
grades: one for the amount of effort put into revision and one for the quality
of the essay as a whole. Any late
essay will drop a third of a grade for each day late; that is, an A
paper will turn into A- if turned in one day late, an A paper will turn into B+
if turned in two days late, and so on. Likewise,
any essay that is shorter than the required length will be marked down in
proportion to the pages missing.
For instance, a 3¾-page essay that is supposed to be 5 pages can receive
at most a grade of 75%, or C, since it is missing ¼ of the required
length.
The participation grade, largely based on
responses, quizzes, and the research proposal, is a considerable portion of
your final grade — 20% — so keep up with the reading and response assignments
and make your voice heard in class. Late
responses are marked down only minimally but must be turned in within a week of
the initial due date. The best way to
make up a response is by comparing the reading that you missed to that which
the class is currently considering. This
will help both you and the other students make connections and comparisons that
span the course as a whole. Your total
response points will be averaged, put on a fair grading curve, and then bumped
up or down slightly depending on how actively you engage in class discussions.
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism
is a very serious offense against the Code of Student Conduct. According to Funk and Wagnalls’ New
Standard Dictionary (1921), plagiarism is the “act of plagiarizing or
appropriating the ideas, writings, or inventions of another without due
acknowledgment; specifically, the stealing of passages either for word or in
substance, from the writings of another and publishing them as one’s own.” The general rule is that if you use three or
more words of another writer in a row without enclosing those words in
quotation marks and acknowledging your source, you are guilty of
plagiarism. With the internet,
plagiarism is quite easy and tempting to do; however, the internet also makes
plagiarism that much more easy to catch and document, so do not even think
about doing it in this class or elsewhere.
Note: Turning in a paper that you wrote for another class as an essay
for this class, i.e. recycling the same words for double credit, also
constitutes academic dishonesty at EMU.
Any academic dishonesty will result in a failing,
zero-percent grade for the assignment.
Thus, if you plagiarize on the essay on Dracula or cheat on the
final exam, you can expect, at most, to receive a C- (or 70%) for your final
grade, supposing that you did everything else in the class perfectly.
Attendance
Because this class primarily consists of
reading and discussion — rather than facts, figures, or memorization —
attendance is crucial. You may be
absent four times without
penalty. Each absence after that will
result in a reduction of your final grade by one-third the letter grade:
that is, the fifth class missed will turn a final grade of an A into an A-; the
sixth, into a B+; and so on. The four
absences are for emergencies, so if you ditch the class four times, do not
expect a reprieve from the rule if you become ill or have other extenuating
circumstances towards the end of the semester.
If there is a documented emergency (a death in the family, lost limb,
prison term, &c.) at the end of the semester, I will go out of my way to
help in any way I can, including giving an incomplete, supposing that you have
otherwise kept up with the assignments, attended class regularly, and finished
a majority of the course. Aside from the
grade reduction, missing classes will hinder your ability to do the assignments
properly and promptly. Likewise, even
though there will be no penalty for lateness, it can have several undesirable
consequences: you may miss crucial information (such as the extension of a
deadline) often covered in the first ten minutes of class and, of course, you
will likely distract other students and myself while entering the room. If you are late, it is your
responsibility to ensure that you have not been marked absent. If you are absent from class, contact another
student who can fill you in on missed work before contacting me. Above all, make sure to withdraw from the
course if you find that you cannot attend class regularly or fall too far
behind in the reading.
Schedule
Monday, January 5: Introduction to the Course / Homework: Review the syllabus and write down any
questions that you have; Get books; Email acoykenda@emich.edu to be added onto the
class listerv; Read Isak Dinesen,
“The Dreamers” (ER 271-303) [32 pgs.]
Wednesday,
January 7: Discuss Dinesen / Homework: Read “The Writer as
Reader” (Short Guide 3-9); Dinesen, “The Dreamers” (ER 304-335) [37 pgs.]
Friday,
January 9: Discuss Dinesen / Homework: Read “The Reader as Writer” (Short Guide 12-31,
33-36); Finish
Dinesen, “The Dreamers” (ER
336-55); After reviewing Dinesen, write a response, sending it in plain
text to the listserv email address at coylit101@list.emich.edu; For confirmation or
to see other responses, visit the listerv archives at http://list.emich.edu/pipermail/coylit101/; If you have any
difficulty, either email your response to me or turn in a hard copy on Monday.
[41 pgs.]
Monday,
January 12: Discuss Dinesen, Responses, and Writing
Conventions /
Homework: Read Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness (xi-xviii, 3-40) [44 pgs.]
Wednesday,
January 14: Discuss Conrad / Homework: Read Conrad, Heart of Darkness (40-84) [44
pgs.]
Friday,
January 16: Discuss Conrad / Homework: Finish Conrad, Heart of Darkness (84-96); Read commentary on Heart of Darkness (xxi-lii); Write down a quote from one
of the critics and two related quotes from Conrad, the first quote
substantiating the critic’s argument and the second disproving or at least
complicating it [43
pgs.]
Monday,
January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day
Wednesday,
January 21: Discuss Conrad,
Criticism /
Homework: Read “Writing About Fiction” (Short Guide 125-37, 142-46, 151-52, 160-63,
164-70); The Elements of Style, Part I (1-14) [41 pgs.]
Friday,
January 23: Discuss Literary
Interpretation, Writing Conventions / Homework: Read “Two Forms
of Criticism: Explication and Analysis” (Short Guide 37-59); “Other Kinds of Writing about Literature” (Short Guide 60-63); “Style and Format” (Short
Guide 257-77); Write an
introductory paragraph, thesis, and three topic sentences for Essay One on
Conrad (5 pages, Due Monday, February 2), sending it in plain text to the
listserv email address at coylit101@list.emich.edu
[45 pgs.]
Monday,
January 26: Discuss Conrad, Writing Conventions, Introductions / Homework: Read “What Is Literature?” (Short Guide 75-83); Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Introduction, Biographical
Notice, and Editor’s Note (xv-liv) [47 pgs.]
Wednesday,
January 28: Discuss Literary Analysis, Brontë / Homework: Read Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Vol. I Chapt. 1-5 (3-44) [41 pgs.]
Friday,
January 30: Discuss Brontë / Homework: Read Edward Said, “Imaginative Geography and Its Representations,” Orientalism (ER, 4 pgs. [http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/said.html]); The Elements of Style, Part II (15-33); Finish
Essay One on Conrad (5 pages, Due Monday, February 2) [22 pgs.]
Monday,
February 2: Watch and Discuss Edward
Said on Orientalism /
Homework: Read Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Vol. I Chapt. 6-9 (45-90);
Watch the Said video, which is available on reserve in the library, if you are
absent
[45 pgs.]
Wednesday,
February 4: Discuss Brontë / Homework: Read Brontë, Wuthering
Heights, Vol. I Chapt. 10-12 (91-133) [42 pgs.]
Friday,
February 6: Discuss Brontë / Homework: Read “What Is Interpretation?” (Short Guide 85-90); Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Vol. I Chapt. 13 to Vol. II
Chapt. 2 (134-170); Write a response
on Brontë, sending it in plain text to the listserv email address at coylit101@list.emich.edu [41 pgs.]
Monday,
February 9: Discuss Brontë / Homework: Read “What Is Evaluation?” (Short Guide 97-102); Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Vol. II Chapt. 3-5 (171-203) [37 pgs.]
Wednesday,
February 11: Discuss Brontë / Homework: Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Vol. II Chapt. 6-9
(204-244) [40
pgs.]
Friday,
February 13: Discuss Brontë / Homework: Read Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Vol. II Chapt. 10-16 (245-298) [53 pgs.]
Monday,
February 16: Discuss Brontë, Group Work / Homework: Finish Brontë, Wuthering Heights, (299-337); Review for Final Exam by finding one theme operative in each of
our texts (Dinesen, Conrad, Brontë) and writing down at least one quote from
each text pertaining to that theme [38 pgs.]
Wednesday,
February 18: Review for Final Exam / Homework: Read the biography of Arundhati Roy in the ER; Begin reading Roy, God of Small
Things (1-44) [46
pgs.]
Friday,
February 20: Discuss Roy / Homework: Read The Elements of
Style (34-65);
Arundhati
Roy, God of Small Things (45-75) [60 pgs.]
Monday,
February 23 — Winter Recess
Wednesday,
February 25 — Winter Recess
Friday,
February 27 — Winter Recess
Monday, March 1: Discuss Writing Conventions, Roy / Homework: Read “Writing About Literature: An
Overview” (Short Guide 104-106); Roy, God of Small
Things (75-117) [44 pgs.]
Wednesday,
March 3: Discuss Roy / Homework: Read “Writing About Literature: An
Overview” (Short Guide 106-108); Roy, God of Small Things (117-161) [45 pgs.]
Friday,
March 5: Discuss Roy / Homework: Read Roy, God of Small Things (161-200);
Write a response on Roy, sending it in plain
text to the listserv email address at coylit101@list.emich.edu [39 pgs.]
Monday,
March 8: Discuss Roy / Homework: Read “Writing About Literature: An
Overview” (Short Guide 108-113); Roy, God of Small Things (200-40) [45 pgs.]
Wednesday,
March 10: Discuss Roy / Homework: Read “Writing About Literature: An
Overview” (Short Guide 113-18); Roy, God of Small
Things (240-78) [43 pgs.]
Friday,
March 12: Discuss Roy / Homework: Finish Roy, God of Small Things [43 pgs.]
Monday,
March 15: Discuss Roy / Homework: Read “Writing a Research Paper” (Short Guide 278-93); Bram Stoker, Dracula
(3-39) [46
pgs.]
Wednesday,
March 17: Discuss Research Techniques, Stoker / Homework: Read Stoker, Dracula (39-84) [45 pgs.]
Friday,
March 19: Discuss Stoker / Homework: Read “Writing a Research Paper” (Short Guide 293-300, 309-10); Stoker, Dracula (85-129) [50 pgs.]
Monday,
March 22: Discuss Stoker / Homework: Read Stoker, Dracula (130-174)
[44 pgs.]
Wednesday,
March 24: The class will meet in
the Halle Library /
Homework: Read Stoker, Dracula (175-224)
[49 pgs.]
Friday, March 26: CLASS CANCELLED FOR CONFERENCE /
Homework: Read Stoker, Dracula (225-75) [50 pgs.]
Monday,
March 29: Discuss Stoker / Homework: Read Stoker, Dracula (275-321) [46 pgs.]
Wednesday,
March 31: Discuss Stoker / Homework: Finish Stoker, Dracula (321-69) [48 pgs.]
Friday,
April 2: Discuss Stoker / Homework: Read Dracula, “Contextual
Illustrations and Documents” and “Critical History” (370-79, 388-397, 400-406,
409-28); Write a response on
Stoker and one of the contextual materials, sending it in plain text to the listserv
email address at coylit101@list.emich.edu [44 pgs.]
Monday,
April 5: Discuss Stoker / Homework: Read Dracula, “Gender Criticism”
(434-65) [31
pgs.]
Wednesday,
April 7: Discuss Gender Criticism / Homework: Read The Elements of Style, Part V (66-85); “Essay Examinations” (ER 375-76); Write
your proposal for the Critical Essay; See “Guidelines on the Critical Essay” [http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/research101.htm]; “List of Recommended Databases for
Literature” [http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/demo.htm][20
pgs.]
Friday,
April 9 — Spring Recess
Monday,
April 12: Discuss Final Exam, Research Essays / Homework: Read Dracula, “Psychoanalytic
Criticism” (466-98) [35 pgs.]
Wednesday,
April 14: Discuss Psychoanalytic Criticism / Homework: Read Dracula, “New Historicism”
(500-35); Write a response applying one of the methodologies (gender criticism,
psychoanalysis, or new historicism) to
Friday,
April 16: Discuss Literary Criticism,
Wednesday,
April 21 (11:00 AM - 12:30 PM): Final Exam
Monday,
April 26, 12 PM: Final Critical Essay on Dracula Due. Drop it in my mailbox in the English Dept., 612 Pray Harrold
or slide it under my office door, 603G Pray Harrold. Anything handed in after
12 PM sharp will not be given any credit. Also leave a self-addressed, stamped
manila envelope if you want commentary on your essay.