Texts and Materials
The following books are available at Ned’s bookstore (http://www.nedsbooks.com/emu/; 483-6400; 707 W.
Cross St.), although additional copies may be available at other EMU
bookstores:
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v Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Ed. Johanna M Smith
(Bedford 2000; ISBN 031219126X)
v Bram Stoker, Dracula, Ed. John Paul Riquelme (Bedford
2001; ISBN 0312241704)
v Toni Morrison, Beloved (Vintage 2004; ISBN
1400033411)
Make sure to get the same editions pictured above even if
you purchase the books online, where they may be significantly less expensive;
otherwise, the differing page numbers will make it difficult, if not
impossible, for you to follow along with class discussions. The most reliable way to get the correct
edition is to search by ISBN number, a unique fingerprint for the book.
Some of the required readings are located online in the
Halle library’s Electronic Reserves: http://reserves.emich.edu/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=1329. It is best to
print out the Electronic Reserve materials in advance from the multimedia
computers on the first floor of the Halle library. These computers are more likely to open the files (and to open
them quickly) than your own computer, and printing the materials from that
location will be entirely free.
Technicians are also nearby should you encounter any kind of problem.
Assignments
Nothing is more vital for success
in this class than keeping up with, and actively engaging in, the reading
assignments, collaborative groupwork, 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 you work together with your peers.
For most university courses, the homework takes around two hours for
every unit of class, or in other words, six hours per week; for this condensed
version of the course, however, that same proportion translates to twelve hours
per week. Although the various
assignments and readings for this course will not take quite so long as that,
since I have cut down the reading significantly (dropping two novels entirely),
you can still expect to spend more time each week completing the assignments
for this course than you would for those offered during the regular term.
Writing Assignments
There will be a significant
number of writing assignments: intermittent but informal responses, two essay
exams, and a short but polished critical essay. The primary difference between the responses and the essays is
that with the responses, the mechanical elements of writing do not matter in
the least, and the goal is to freely and openly express ideas; whereas, 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 final research
paper will be a comparison-contrast essay on Beloved and a gothic novel
or film covered in the class, or on Beloved and another gothic novel or
film of your own selection, supposing that you talk with me and get permission
in advance. See the Suggested Novels, Short
Stories, or Films online.
Critical Thinking / Essay Examinations
In order to encourage critical thinking about the material,
the exams will be question driven as well.
Although there will be some true-false questions to ensure that you have
read (and can recollect) the material (worth 15%), as well as a few
short-answer questions on particular points of interest raised during the section
(worth 20%), the bulk of the exam will consist of an essay question on a
particular topic of your own choosing (worth 65%), a topic that you will have
identified on your own in advance. In
effect, you can write on anything that you like so long as you can cover the
required material under the auspices of your essay question. Think of the essay question as a thesis in
reverse: a polemic, provocative, and pertinent line of inquiry to which the
argument delineated and supported in your essay will be the most convincing
answer. You will be able refer to an
outline during the exams, but not to the texts themselves.
Assessment
As indicated in the table below, the participation grade is
a substantial portion of your final grade — 25% — so keep up with the reading,
response, and groupwork assignments and make your voice heard in class. The more actively you participate in the
class discussions and other collaborative assignments, the more I can tailor
the direction of course to your particular concerns and interests.
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25% |
Homework, Groupwork, Responses,
& Class Participation |
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due dates |
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25% |
Essay Exam I: Frankenstein,
“The Sandman,” & “The ‘Uncanny’” |
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July
14
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25% |
Essay Exam II: Dracula
& “The Cyborg Manifesto” |
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August
4
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25% |
Five-Page Comparison-Contrast
Essay on Beloved |
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August 22 (11 AM) |
The participation points will accumulate over the course of
the semester, serving as a barometer of your ongoing engagement in the
class. In addition to homework or
in-class responses, I give credit for the outlines and essay questions that you
construct for the exams, as well as for extra-credit responses or peer reviews
of other students’ papers. See the Synopsis of Assignments
for further information on completing (and making up) the various kinds of
coursework.
Missing classes or not doing the required reading will
hinder your ability to do the assignments properly and promptly. We will do in-class responses or groupwork
almost every class period, and if you are absent for one of those classes (or
if you have not done the required reading), you will have to make up the
missing work. These assignments will be
much more time consuming and much less interesting to do on your own.
Academic
Integrity
Plagiarism is a very serious offense against the Code of Student Conduct. Any cheating on the exams or 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. Turning in a paper that
you wrote for another course for this course, i.e. recycling the same words for
double credit, also constitutes academic dishonesty at EMU.
See http://www.emich.edu/halle/plagiarism.html
for more specific
guidelines on plagiarism. With the
internet, plagiarism is 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 course primarily consists of reading and
discussion — rather than facts, figures, or memorization — attendance is
crucial. You may be absent four
times without any penalty, but 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. My attendance policy is
less harsh than that of the English department as a whole, which automatically
fails students who miss more than two weeks of class; instead, after missing
two weeks of class, your grade will start being reduced dramatically, but not
necessarily to a failing percentage if you have otherwise done well. The four allowable absences are for emergencies,
so if you ditch class four times, do not expect a reprieve from the rule if you
become ill or have other extenuating circumstances later in the semester. If there is a documented emergency (a death
in the family, lost limb, prison term, &c.) at the end of the term, 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.
There will be no official penalty for lateness. However, 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 distract other students while entering the room. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have not been
marked absent because you were absent at the beginning of the class when I take
attendance. I cannot teach the
class and keep track of incoming stragglers at the same time.