|
English
300W: Writing about Literature fall 2007 Dr. Abby Coykendall acoykenda at emich.edu Office: Pray-Harrold Hall 603G Office Phone: 487-0147 (messages only) Office
Hours: MW 12:15-1:30; Th 1:00-3:30 PM ~ or email for an appointment ~
|
English 300W: Writing about Literature
Course
Description: This course will not only provide the background in
literature and literary criticism necessary to appreciate and comprehend
upper-division literature classes, but it will also furnish the writing and
critical-thinking skills necessary to succeed in them. To this end, we will focus on the three major
literary genres (fiction, poetry, and drama), along with surveying the wide
variety of interpretive practices and critical strategies that scholars and
students have used to approach them. We
will pay especial attention to those approaches that are most representative of
the major movements in literary criticism; namely, marxism,
psychoanalysis, deconstruction, feminism, queer theory, and cultural
studies. 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, particularly by honing those techniques that most
assist in and apply to the study of literature.
Course Objectives: By the end of the
semester, you will have become
¬
Conversant in the techniques, thematic concerns, and formal
structure of the principal literary genres;
¬
Acquainted with the history, terminology, and theoretical
positions of the major schools of literary criticism;
¬ 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.
Required Texts
The following
books are available at Ned’s (http://www.nedsbooks.com/emu/; 483-6400;
|
|
|
|
Literary Criticism [LC].
Ed. Charles
Writing about Literature [WL].
Ed. Janet
Make sure to
get the same editions listed above even if you purchase the books online, where
they may be significantly less expensive; otherwise, the differing page numbers
will make it difficult for you to follow along with class discussions. The most reliable way to get the correct
edition is to search by the ISBN number, a fingerprint of sorts for the book.
Some of the
required reading is in the Electronic Reserves (ER): http://reserves.emich.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=1369. Print the ER materials in advance as each
section of the course begins. Computers
are available for your use on the first floor of the
Course Itinerary
|
Section One: Psychoanalytic and Feminist Criticism (Fiction Case Study) |
Main Texts: Isak Dinesen, “The Dreamers” Sigmund Freud and Monique Wittig |
Key Skills: Organization & Argumentation |
|
Section Two: Reader Response and Marxist Criticism (Poetry Case Study) |
Main Texts: Survey of Select Poems One Article of Literary Criticism |
Key Skills: Close Textual Analysis & Effective Quotation |
|
Section Three: Post-Structuralism and Cultural Studies (Drama Case Study) |
Main Texts: Lauren Berlant and Michael Warner Outside Research (Context, Criticism, & Theory) |
Key Skills: Research & Documentation |
Each of the three sections of the course is devoted to one
genre of literature (fiction, poetry, or drama), two or more schools of literary
criticism, and two writing skills of especial importance: organization and
argumentation (section one); in-depth textual analysis and effective quotation
(section two); and finally research and documentation (section three). An essay will be due at the end of each
section, with the third essay serving in lieu of a final exam. That essay must demonstrate a comprehensive
understanding of the writing and critical thinking skills covered throughout
the term. **See the “Guidelines on Essays” for the requirements for specific
essays: http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/guide.htm.
Assignments & Assessment
As with any
university course, the homework will take around two hours per week for every
unit of the class, and you can thus expect to spend six hours completing the
assignments and readings each week. You
will do a significant amount of writing throughout the semester, whether
informal responses or more formal essays.
With the responses, the mechanical elements of writing do not matter in
the least, and the goal is to express ideas freely and openly; with the essays,
the mechanical elements of writing must be attended to very thoroughly and the
goal is to defend a focused argument clearly, coherently, and
persuasively.
The
participation grade, largely based on responses, in-class writing, and homework
assignments, is a considerable portion of your final grade—25%—so keep up with
the coursework and contribute to class discussions as much as you feel comfortable. Aside
from assignments that cannot be made up after the due date (like quizzes or
exercises), homework is marked down only minimally for being late; however,
late homework will receive no commentary so turning assignments in on time is
still very important. Nothing will
be considered late simply because you were absent (I always assume that you
have a good reason for missing class), but be careful not to exceed the minimum
number of absences allowed for the course.
|
25% |
Responses, Homework, & Participation |
minimum
length: |
due
dates: |
|
20% |
Essay One (Fiction) |
4 pgs. |
October 15
|
|
25% |
Essay Two (Poetry) |
4 pgs. |
November 19
|
|
30% |
Essay Three (Drama) |
4½ pgs. |
December 17
|
Attendance, Lateness, and
Classroom Etiquette
Because this
course primarily consists of reading and discussion—rather than facts, figures,
or memorization—attendance is crucial.
After three absences, your final grade will start being deducted by
one full grade; that is, the fourth class missed will turn a final grade of an
A into a B; the fifth will turn a final grade of an A into a C, and so on. These three absences are for emergencies, so
make sure to conserve them for the end of the term when you may become ill or have
other extenuating circumstances.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you have not been marked
absent because you were late. Leaving
halfway through a class period or arriving halfway into one each count as half
an absence. Please do not distract other
students by coming in late, leaving the room, or answering your cell phone. Once
you enter class, do not exit the room unless there is a genuine emergency. There will always be a break halfway through
the class for you to use the facilities or take care of personal business.
Raise your
hand and bring whatever questions or concerns you have to the attention of the
entire class instead of talking with other students during class time. Most students will problem share whatever
questions you have and will welcome clarification about them. Also make sure to
listen to the comments of your fellow students with the same respect and
attention that you would want your own comments to receive.
Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is
a very serious offense against the Code of Student Conduct (http://www.emich.edu/sjs/acddishon.html). Any plagiarized writing will automatically
result in a failing, zero-percent grade for the assignment, as well as in
further disciplinary action from the Student Judicial Services if egregious.
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. See http://www.emich.edu/halle/plagiarism.html for more
specific guidelines. **Note: turning a
paper in that you wrote for another course for this class, i.e. recycling the
same words for double credit, also constitutes academic dishonesty at EMU.
Schedule
Section I: Psychoanalytic and Feminist
Criticism (Fiction Case Study)
September 10: Survey Course;
Student Introductions; Conjectural Response; Discuss “Theme for English B”/Homework: 1) Get course books and review the
syllabus, noting down any questions that you have; 2) Read “Role of Good
Reading” in Writing about
Literature (WL), pg. 3-13 and Isak
Dinesen, “The Dreamers” in the Electronic Reserves (ER), pg. 271-335 (http://reserves.emich.edu/; password 300);
3) Make up the Conjectural Response if
you missed class [ER].
September 17: Discuss
Dinesen, Approaches to Literature/Homework: 1) Read
Sigmund Freud, “Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming” [ER 500-514]; “Psychoanalytic Criticism” [LC 142-61];
and “Analyzing Fiction” [ER 1-21]; 2) If you are in Group One, write a
response on “The Dreamers” from a psychoanalytic point of view, directly
incorporating and analyzing a quote from Freud; if you are in Group Two, write a
response on “The Dreamers” using one of the questions from “Analyzing Fiction”
(20-21) as a bouncing off point for your analysis; if you are in Group Three, write
a response on “The Dreamers” from what you believe would be a feminist point of
view (make your best effort to speculate about feminism, preferably without
reading ahead in LC). All responses for this class should be at
least 300 words (roughly two full paragraphs) either typed or handwritten.
September 24: Discuss Psychoanalysis, Dinesen,
Responses/Homework: 1) Review the Guidelines on Essays (http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/guide.htm); 2) Read Monique Wittig, “One is Not Born a Woman” [ER 1637-42]; “Feminism” [LC 167-86]; and “Writing
Process” [WL 14-37]; 3) See the “Sample Research
Essay” [WL 129]; 4) After reviewing the “Sample Essay” file
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/samp.doc), use it to write an
introductory paragraph with a solid thesis for Essay One (adapt the file by
substituting your own title, name, introduction, and other information,
deleting the other words and replacing them with your own). **NOTE: Save a second copy of this file
on disk for future essays, changing the specific information as the need arises
without altering the margins or fonts.
October 1: Discuss
Feminism, Dinesen, Essays/Homework: 1) Read “Some Common
Writing Assignments” and “Writing about Stories” [WL 38-50, 54-57], looking
at the “Sample Paper” if you find that helpful [75+];
2) Review “Guidelines on Essay
Formatting and Organization” [ER]; 3) Add at least three body paragraphs to Essay One,
revising the introduction as needed; 4)
**NOTE: You must bring TWO
copies of the resulting draft to next class for Peer Editing.
October 8: Capstone of
Section One, Jigsaw of Essay Guidelines, Peer Editing/Homework: 1) Finish Essay One, 4 pgs., due Oct. 15; 2)
Begin “Writing about Poetry” [ER 200-213]; 3) Review “Things
to Think about When You Think about Poetry” [ER]; 4) Read the Poetry Packet
[ER].
Section II: Reader Response and Marxism
(Poetry Case Study)
October 15: Discuss
Poetry, Poems, and Poetic Devices/Homework: 1) Continue “Writing about Poetry” [ER 213-20]; 2) Read “New
Criticism” and “Reader-Oriented Criticism” [LC 54-65, 72-82, 88-90]; 3) After rereading the poems in the Poetry Packet [ER], pick one on which to write a response; 4) If you are in Group One, analyze
the poem from a new critical point of view; if you are in Group Two, analyze
the poem from what you believe a marxist point of view would be (make your best
effort to speculate about marxism, preferably without reading ahead in LC); if
you are in Group
Three, analyze the poem from a reader-response point of view.
October 22: Discuss New
Criticism, Reader Response Criticism, and the Responses/Homework: 1) Finish “Writing about Poetry” [ER 221-42]; 2) Read Karl Marx,
“Meaning of Human Requirements” [ER 93-98] and “Marxism” [LC 191-205]; 3) Review the Guidelines on Essays; 4) Bring a sketch of a potential
topic and provisional thesis for Essay Two (handwritten or typed) to the conference on 10/29.
October 29: Individual Conferences in Lieu of
Regular Class (See Conference Schedule)/Homework: 1) Review materials from the previous week, rereading the Marx essay and bringing
all of the Section Two materials to class; 2)
Read Stanley Fish, “How to Recognize a Poem When You See One” [ER 1022-30]; 3) Adapting the “Sample Essay” file
from before, write an outline for Essay Two, including an introductory paragraph, a solid thesis statement, as
well as 3 to 4 complete sentences to serve as the topic sentences (see the “Guidelines on Essay
Formatting” [ER]).
November 5: Discuss Marx,
Fish, & Poetry; Workshop Outlines/Homework: 1) Read “Quoting from Poems” [WL 80] and
“Modernity and Postmodernism” [LC 96-133];
2) Add at least three body paragraphs to Essay Two,
revising the introduction as needed; 3)
**NOTE: You must bring TWO
copies of the resulting draft to next class for Peer Editing.
November 12: Peer Editing; Watch &
discuss the film Derrida/Homework: 1) Finish Essay Two, 4 pgs., due Nov. 19; 2)
Read Act One of Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Section III: Post-Structuralism and Cultural Studies
(Drama Case Study)
November 19: Watch &
Discuss Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)/Homework: 1) Read “Analyzing Drama” [ER 42-53]; 2) Finish Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot
Tin Roof; 3) Write down one good
discussion question for your peers about the Williams play and be prepared to
write on one of their questions next class; 4) Review the Guidelines on the Research
Essay and Researching
Literature (http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/demo.htm).
November 26: Discuss Williams, Discussion Questions, and Research Demo/Homework: 1) Read Lauren
Berlant and Michael Warner, “Sex in Public” [ER 187-94]; “Cultural Studies”
[LC 233-63]; and “Writing a Literary
Research Paper” [WL 102-20]; 2) Write
down the following to discuss in class (make a copy to keep for yourself if it
is handwritten): i) the topic or topics that you considering focusing on for Essay Three,
ii) one question that you want your research and the resulting essay to answer
(the question prompting what will become your thesis after more investigation),
iii) the theorist that you are considering using as a source, iv) the
historical or cultural context that you will need to research to make your
argument more persuasive.
December 3: Discuss
Williams, Research Essays, and MLA Documentation/Homework: 1) Read “Quoting from Plays” [WL 85-86]; 2) Find all four of the outside sources required for the research
essay, reading the two articles of literary criticism in full and bringing
those to class for further discussion;
3) After reading “Preparing your Works Cited List” [WL 120-28], make a
Works Cited page of your own for Essay Three
formatted according to MLA conventions; 4)
If you have any questions about formatting or research, note them down so
that we can discuss them in class.
December 10: Discuss
Williams, Research Essays, and MLA Documentation/Homework: 1) Finish
Essay Three, 4½ pgs., due Dec. 17; 2)
Prepare for a brief, 5-min. presentation about your topic, thesis, research,
and critical approach.
December 17: Research
Presentations
Online Handouts and Links for English 300 (Fall 2007)
·
Course Schedule
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/f07/#schedule)
·
Course Syllabus
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/f07/)
·
Electronic Reserves
(http://reserves.emich.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=1369)
·
Extra-Credit Opportunities
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/xtra.htm)
·
Glossary of Literary Terms
[Norton Anthology]
(http://www.wwnorton.com/litweb/glossary/welcome.htm)
·
Grading Symbols
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/symbols.html)
·
Guidelines on Essay Formatting
and Organization (http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/essay.pdf)
·
Guidelines on Essays
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/guide.htm)
·
Guidelines on the Research Essay
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/res.htm)
·
List of Group Assignments
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/groups.htm)
·
Merriam-Webster Dictionary (http://www.m-w.com/)
·
Researching Literature
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/demo.htm)
·
Roget's Thesaurus
(http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/ARTFL/forms_unrest/ROGET.html)
·
Sample Essay File
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/300/samp.doc)
·
Writing about Literature [Norton
Anthology] (http://www.wwnorton.com/litweb/writing/welcome.asp)
[Syllabus last modified September 10, 2007]