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Course Description
This course serves as an introduction to university-level studies in
English and as a gateway to the major. It will expose you to the critical
methods, research avenues, and documentation styles common to the discipline.
We will examine three major literary modes—fiction, poetry, drama--asking
what are its characteristic forms and components, how does it produce the
effects that it does, and why should we or anyone else care about such
questions. Along the way, we will review the various “schools” of literary
criticism, emphasizing how and why we read as much as
what. We shall also explore the various areas that constitute the
major: rhetoric, linguistics, creative writing, and cultural studies. I
hope you come away from the course with an understanding of the
extraordinary breadth of the discipline and an appreciation of the rigor
with which it is practiced.
Texts:
The Norton Introduction to Literature (shorter 8th edition)
A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature (4th)
Gale Glossary of
Literary Terms
A handbook with MLA style
Policies and Workload
Attendance --
Excessive absences will severely affect
your ability to complete this course satisfactorily. If you miss two weeks
of class, your grade will be lowered one letter and you might consider
withdrawing. If you miss three weeks (whatever the excuse), you will
have missed so much of the course material and instruction, you will
unconditionally fail the course.
Participation /
Preparation / Roundtable – Part of
your grade will be based on your preparedness for class; your active
participation in class and group discussions; and the professional,
collegial, and productive manner in which you conduct yourself in the
classroom (no cell phones, lateness, disruptive behavior). You may also
use our class’s electronic roundtable to post comments, raise
questions, and debate matters that will be hard to include the allotted
class time. Preparation and participation,
accounting for 20% of your course grade, may include written responses to
study questions (in class and out of class), definitions of literary
terms, pre-announced quizzes on the readings and terms, as needed,
annotations of poems, and research annotations for upcoming papers. Each
quiz or writing assignment will be announced and specified in class and
graded on a 10-point scale. At the end of the term, I will total your
score, and the average will determine your preparation grade. The 20%
assignment grade is designed to reward solid, consistent effort and
preparation, probably securing you a “B” or higher. Quizzes can only be
taken on the day they are announced. Late work will be penalized.
Papers --
You will write five papers: a self-reflective
essay, a close reading, annotations to two poems, a paper exploring the
author in his or her own context, and a paper exploring the historical and/or gender
context of a work. Specific guidelines for the essays will be discussed in
class and will available on the web site.
Peer Review — Two weeks out of the semester will be
devoted to reviewing and critiquing rough drafts of assignments (the 2nd
paper, the close reading, and the last). Writers seldom work completely in
isolation all the time; therefore, it is important, at different stages of
the writing and revising process, to share information, discuss
strategies, and receive feedback. A paper that does not receive an
in-class peer review will be penalized when submitted as a final draft
(papers that are only half written or that don't exhibit a solid first try
don't benefit from the intensive scrutiny and revision suggestions of peer
review. These, too, will be frowned on and can affect the final grade.
Your participation in these groups is vital to your growth as a writer and
the success of the course, so read your peers’ drafts thoroughly and
provide the kinds of feedback you yourself would like to receive.
Grading
- Participation
(including roundtable) and Preparation (study questions, quizzes,
in-class writing, etc.) 20%
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Self-Reflective Essay 5%
- Close Reading 15%
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Poem Annotations 15%
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Psychological/Biographical/Author 20%
-
Historical/Gender
Context 25%
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