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English 227: Writing about Literature
winter 2005 Dr. acoykenda@emich.edu Office Phone:
(734) 487-0147 Office
Location: Pray-Harrold Hall 603G Office Hours:
Monday & Wednesday ~ or email for an appointment ~
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English 227: Writing about Literature
English
227 will not only provide the grounding in literature and literary theory
necessary to appreciate and comprehend upper-division literature classes, but
it will also furnish the writing and communication skills requisite to succeed
in them. To this end, we will
investigate a wide variety of literature (short fiction, novels, poetry, and
drama) as well as a wide variety critical methodologies, particularly those
most representative of the major movements in literary studies: marxism,
psychoanalysis, deconstruction, semiotics, feminism, queer theory, cultural
studies, and post-colonialism. The
ultimate aim is to offer a forum in which you can develop and refine your
writing and critical thinking skills at an advanced level, especially as they
assist in and apply to the study of literature. By the end of the semester, you will 1) be conversant in the
techniques, thematic concerns, and formal structure of the principal genres of
literature, 2) be acquainted with the history, terminology, and theoretical
positions of contemporary schools of literary criticism, and 3) be capable of applying
this new knowledge in writing, first and foremost by developing clear,
coherent, and persuasive arguments that reflect the conventions of literary
criticism. In short, we will
investigate the multiform ways of reading and writing about literature by
practicing and perfecting each of these skills in relation to the other.
Required
Texts
The following books are available at
Ned’s bookstore (http://www.nedsbooks.com/emu/; 483-6400;
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v
Pocket Style Manual, Ed. Diana Hacker, 4th
ed. (Bedford/St. Martins 2003; ISBN # 0312406843)
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Charles E. Bressler, Literary Criticism (Prentice Hall 2002; ISBN # 0130333972)
v
Writing about Literature, Ed. Janet
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. Most of the required texts are located in
the Halle Library’s Electronic Reserves: http://reserves.emich.edu/. (Contact another
student or myself if you forget the password.)
It is best to print out the Electronic Reserve materials in one sitting
every few weeks in advance from the multimedia computers on the first floor of
the
Nothing is more vital for success in this class than
keeping up with, and actively engaging in, the biweekly reading assignments and
class discussions. Make sure to
bring a copy of each text that we will be discussing to class, whether it be a
book or a print out from the Electronic Reserves. 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 keep up with the reading.
Grading
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20% |
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Responses,
Participation, Quizzes, Research Presentation, & Grammar Exercises |
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24% |
3 pgs. |
Essay One (Fiction):
Bierce or Ellison and Marx Essay Two (Poetry): Browning
or Plath and Freud |
February
9
March 23
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30% |
4½ pgs. |
Revision of Essay One
(Incorporating Graff or Bloom) Revision of Essay Two
(Incorporating Lacan or Derrida) |
March 7
April 11
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26% |
4½ pgs. |
Essay Three (Research Paper):
Hwang and Said, incorporating Mulvey or Sedgwick |
April
25 |
Essays One, Two, and Three 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, the revisions of the essays will be worth as much, if not more, than
the first versions. They 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 class late; that is, an A paper will turn into A- if turned in one class
late, an A paper will turn into B+ if turned in two classes 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 2½-page
essay that is supposed to be 3 pages will receive at most a grade of 83% or B-
since it is missing 17% of the required length. All essays must be double spaced in 12 pt. Times New Roman font,
with one-inch margins and no unnecessary paragraph breaks.
The participation grade, largely
based on responses, quizzes, and other homework assignments, 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.
Other late assignments (e.g. the grammar exercises, the summaries of the
theorists, etc.) can only be made up for half credit, unless, of course, you
are absent and turn them in the following class period. 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.
Extra credit: You can get a significant amount of extra
credit — 4% added to your final grade — if you extend any of the responses into
a polished 4½-page essay, supposing that you have not already done so to
fulfill the requirements of the course.
Like the other essays, the extra-credit essay must incorporate both
theory and literature.
Assignments
As with any university course,
the homework will take around two hours for every hour of class, and you can
thus expect to spend six hours each week completing the various assignments and
readings. Responses to the readings
will be posted periodically to the class listserv, emailed in plain text and
without attachments to litwrit@list.emich.edu and thence dispersed to all of
the members of the class at once. See https://list.emich.edu/mailman/listinfo/litwrit to subscribe to the listserv,
and then visit the listserv archives http://list.emich.edu/pipermail/litwrit/ to double check that your
response went through or view the responses of other class members. Responses may also be handwritten if you
prefer privacy or have difficulty accessing the internet. All responses are listed on the schedule
below and due by the following class period, but if you post them by
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.
There will also be informal, in-class presentations of your
research during our last class, in lieu of a final exam. However, the fourth essay will be similar to
a final exam in that it must demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the
skills that we have covered over the course of the semester, whether in
writing, critical thinking, or literary theory.
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism is a very serious
offense against the Code of Student Conduct.
According to Funk and Wagnalls’ New Standard Dictionary,
plagiarism is the act of “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. Turning a
paper in that you wrote for another class 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 one of the first two essays, you can expect, at most, to receive a
B+ (or 88%) for your final grade, supposing that you did everything else in the
class perfectly; if you plagiarize the final research essay, you can expect, at
most, to receive a C (or 74%) for your final grade, again supposing that you
did everything else perfectly. 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.
Attendance
Because this class primarily
consists of reading and discussion — rather than facts, figures, or
memorization — attendance is crucial. You
may be absent five 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 sixth class missed will
turn a final grade of an A into an A-; the seventh, into a B+; and so on. Aside from the grade reduction, missing
classes will hinder your ability to do the assignments properly and
promptly. If you are absent from class,
contact another student to 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.
The five absences are for
emergencies, so if you ditch the class five 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.
If you are not chronically late, there will be no penalty
for lateness. However, lateness 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. It is your
responsibility to ensure that you have not been marked absent because you were
late.
Schedule
Section I:
Current Conversations in Literary Studies
Wednesday, January 5: Introduction to the Course; Conjectural response on Literature / Homework: Review
the syllabus and write down any questions that you have; Get books; Read “Defining Criticism,
Theory, and Literature” in Literary Criticism (LC), pgs. 1-15; Gerald Graff,
“Disliking Books at an Early Age” (41-48),
as well as Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B” (1 pg.), in the Electronic
Reserves (ER) at http://reserves.emich.edu/
(password 227). [23 pgs.]
Monday, January 10: Discuss Ethics,
Aesthetics, and Approaches to Literature / Homework: Read “Writing about Literature”
and “The Role of Good
Wednesday, January 12: Discuss Fiction, Writing about Literature, & Bierce / Homework: Read “A Historical Survey of
Literary Criticism” (LC 16-21, 24-29, 30-35); Harrold
Bloom, “Elegiac Conclusion” (ER 224-233); Ralph Ellison, “Battle Royal” (ER 314-27) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write a 400-word
response on Ellison, drawing on
Bloom in some fashion; Subscribe to the class listserv at https://list.emich.edu/mailman/listinfo/litwrit; Send your
response as an email in plain text to the listserv address at litwrit@list.emich.edu (if you use
my.emich, the email will automatically be in plain text); Do not send the
response in an email attachment; For confirmation, visit the listserv archives
at http://list.emich.edu/pipermail/litwrit/ (make sure to
refresh the page to see the latest posts); Email your
response to me (acoykenda@emich.edu) if you have any difficulty, or hand it in as a hard copy
during class. There will be extra
credit for the student who posts the first response. This response (as well as all future responses) is due by the
next class period, but if you post it by
Monday, January 17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No Classes
Section II: New Criticism & Marxism
Wednesday, January 19: Discuss Literary
Criticism, Ellison, and Bloom / Homework: Read “Literary Criticism and Literary Theory” (WL 40-46); “New Criticism” and “Marxism” (LC 37-48; 161-74); Karl Marx, “The Meaning of Human Requirements” (ER 93-98) [35 pgs.]
Monday, January 24: Discuss New Criticism & Marxism / Homework: Read “Literary
Criticism and Literary Theory” (WL 46-50); “The
Writing Process” and “Some Common Writing Assignments” (WL 14-26, 29-40); “Guidelines on
Essay Formatting and Organization” (ER, 10 pgs.); Review the “Sample Essay” (ER) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Adapt the “Sample Essay” file for Essay One (Three pages; Due February
9, on Marx and Bierce or Marx and Ellison; the revision will incorporate either
Bloom or Graff), adding in your own header, title, name, and other information
and deleting the other words. Print a
copy to turn in. [34 pgs.]
Wednesday, January 26: Discuss Writing Essays / Homework: Read “Paragraphs” (ER 397-419); “Clarity” in the
Pocket
Style Manual (PSM), pg. 2-7; Do Electronic
Grammar Exercises 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, and 3-2, which are available online (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Add a thesis statement, three topic sentences, and one body paragraph
to the file that you have adapted for Essay One, using one of the organizing
ideas mentioned in “Paragraphs” for your body paragraph; Print a copy to turn
in. [27 pgs.]
Monday, January
31: Discuss Essay Organization, Paragraphing, Introductions / Homework:
Read “Paragraphs”
(ER 420-426); “Clarity” (PSM 8-22); Do Electronic Grammar Exercises 4-1, 5-1, 5-2, 6-1, 7-1, and 7-3 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Add an introductory paragraph to the file that you have adapted for
Essay One, formatting the first page, quotations, and titles properly, and
proofreading the language for the clarity concerns covered in the Pocket Style
Manual; Feel free to revise the body paragraph, title, or remaining topic
sentences as needed; Print a copy to turn in. [20 pgs.]
Wednesday, February 2: Discuss Essay
Organization, Paragraphing, Introductions / Homework:
Read “Peer Editing and Workshops” (WL 26-29); “Integrating Literary Quotations” (PSM 123-27); Do Electronic Research Exercises 30-1 & 30-2 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/rs_menu.asp) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Revise the introduction and first body paragraph and write two more
body paragraphs for Essay One, incorporating one long (indented) quotation and
one short quotation at some point, and formatting the titles and quotations
correctly; Bring three copies of the essay for the peer workshop on Monday. [7 pgs.]
Section III: Psychoanalysis
Monday, February 7: Peer Workshop of
Essay One / Homework: Do Electronic Grammar Exercises
8-1, 8-3, 9-1, 9-2, and 9-3 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp); Read Sylvia Plath, “Daddy” (ER, 1 pg.) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Work on Essay One (Three pages; Due February 9); Review the “Checklist
for Essay One,” and turn it in with the essay itself. [1 pg.]
Wednesday, February 9: Watch Voices
& Visions segment on Sylvia Plath / Homework: Re-read Sylvia Plath, “Daddy” (ER, 1 pg.); Read “Reader-Response Criticism” (LC 55-70); “Analyzing Poetry” (ER 22-41). [34 pgs.]
Monday, February 14: Discuss Poetry
and Poetics / Homework: Read “Psychoanalytic Criticism” (LC 119-136); Sigmund Freud, Interpretation of Dreams (ER 913-26); Robert
Browning, “My Last Duchess” (ER, 3 pgs.). [33 pgs.]
Wednesday, February 16: Discuss Browning and Psychoanalytic Criticism / Homework: Read Freud, “The ‘Uncanny’” (ER 929-52); Re-read portions of Freud, “The ‘Uncanny’” (942-52) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Write a response on Browning
and Freud or Plath and Freud, sending it as
an email in plain text (and not as an attachment) to the listserv address at litwrit@list.emich.edu; Email your response to me (acoykenda@emich.edu) if you have any difficulty, or hand it in as a hard copy
during class. [43 pgs.]
Monday, February 21: Discuss Browning,
Freud, and Responses / Homework: Read “Structuralism” (LC 75-89); Jacques Lacan, “The Mirror
Stage” (ER 1278-90); “Grammar” (PSM 24-36); Do Electronic Grammar Exercises 10-1 & 10-2 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp). [38 pgs.]
Wednesday, February 23: Discuss Structuralism,
Lacan, Essay One / Homework: Read “Grammar” (PSM 36-44); “Deconstruction” (LC 94-114); Do Electronic Grammar
Exercises 12-1, 12-2, 12-4, 12-5, 12-9, and 12-10 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp); Re-read Lacan, “The Mirror Stage” (ER 1285-90) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Work on Revision of Essay One, incorporating Graff or Bloom (4½ pages; Due March 7); Review the “Checklist for Revision One,” and
turn it in with the revision and essay itself. [33 pgs.]
Monday, February 28 — March 2: Winter Recess
Section IV: Deconstruction
Monday, March 7: Discuss Lacan and Deconstruction / Homework:
Read Jacques
Derrida, “Structure, Sign, and Play” (ER 352-63); “Grammar” (PSM 44-62); Do Electronic Grammar Exercises 13-1, 13-2, 14-1, 15-1, and 16-3 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp). [29 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 9: Watch and
Discuss the film Derrida / Homework: Re-read Derrida, “Structure, Sign, and
Play” (ER 352-63); Read
“Punctuation” (PSM 64-72); Do Electronic Grammar Exercises
17-1, 17-2, 17-3, and 17-4 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Write a thesis statement,
introductory paragraph, and three topic sentences for Essay Two (Three pages; Due March 23, on Plath and Freud or Browning
and Freud; the revision will incorporate Lacan or Derrida). [19 pgs.]
Section V: Feminism & Queer Theory
Monday, March 14: Discuss Derrida / Homework: Read “Analyzing Drama” (ER 42-53); “Punctuation”
(PSM 72-76); Do Electronic Grammar Exercises 18-1, 18-2, and 18-3 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Write two body paragraphs for Essay Two (Three pages; Due
March 23), adding them to the introductory paragraph and remaining topic
sentence; Bring three copies
to class for peer revision. [15 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 16: Peer Workshop of Essay Two / Homework:
Read “Feminism” (LC 142-56) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Work on Essay Two (Three pages; Due March 23). [12 pgs.]
Monday, March 21: Discuss Drama
& Feminism / Homework: Read “Punctuation” (PSM 76-86); Do Electronic Grammar Exercises
19-1, 20-1, and 21-1 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Work on Essay Two (Three pages; Due March 23); Review the “Checklist for Essay Two,” and turn it in with the essay itself. [10 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 23: Watch Madame Butterfly / Homework: Read Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”
(ER 57-79); Begin
Reading D. H. Hwang, M. Butterfly (ER 2111-17). [28 pgs.]
Section VI: Post-Colonial Theory and
Cultural Studies
Monday, March 28: Discuss
Feminism, Mulvey, and Madame Butterfly / Homework:
Read Eve
Kosofsky Sedgwick, “Epistemology of the Closet” (ER 744-50); Hwang, M.
Butterfly (ER 2118-32); “Mechanics” (PSM 88-99) [31 pgs.]
Wednesday, March 30: Discuss Sedgwick,
Said, & Hwang; Watch Edward Said on
Orientalism / Homework:
Read Edward
Said, “Imaginative
Geography” (ER, 5 pgs.); D. H. Hwang, M. Butterfly (ER 2133-63) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Write a response on Mulvey,
Sedgwick, and Hwang, or Mulvey, Said,
and Hwang, sending it as an email in plain text (and not in an
attachment) to the listserv address at litwrit@list.emich.edu; Email your response to me (acoykenda@emich.edu) if you have any difficulty, or hand it in as a hard copy
during class. [35 pgs.]
Monday, April 4: Discuss Said & M. Butterfly / Homework:
Read “Cultural Poetics” and “Cultural Studies” (LC 179-90; 197-209) / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Work on Revision of Essay Two, incorporating Lacan or
Derrida (4½ pages; Due April 11). [23 pgs.]
Wednesday, April 6: Discuss Cultural Studies / Homework:
Read “Research” (PSM 101-23); Do Electronic Grammar
Exercises 22-1, 23-3, and 24-1 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/gm_menu.asp) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Work on Revision
of Essay Two, incorporating Lacan or Derrida (4½ pages; Due April 11); Review the “Checklist for Revision Two,” and turn it in along with the
revision and essay itself. [22 pgs.]
Monday, April 11: Discuss Research Essay / Homework:
Read “Researching
Literature” (ER, 2 pgs.);
“Research” (PSM 127-44) / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write a thesis statement, introductory paragraph, and three topic
sentences for Essay Three (4½ pages; Due April 25, on Hwang, Said, and Mulvey or Hwang,
Said, and Sedgwick). [19 pgs.]
Wednesday, April 13: Discuss MLA Documentation / Homework:
Do Electronic
Research Exercises 32-1, 32-2, & 32-3 (http://www.dianahacker.com/pocket/rs_menu.asp); Find four
sources for Essay Three with at least one of the following: 1)
cultural/historical context, 2) secondary literary criticism, 3) a theorist not
otherwise covered in this class or a different work of the same theorist / WRITING
ASSIGNMENT: Make a Works Cited page with these sources and format
everything correctly. [0 pgs.]
Monday, April 18: Discuss Research
Essays; Revisit First-Day Conjectural Response / Homework:
Read Sources for Essay Three / WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Work on Essay
Three (4½ pages; Due April
25)
Monday, April 25: Research Presentations; Essay Three Due
[Syllabus last modified January 4, 2005]