Books
- The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray
- Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, Jonathan Culler
- A Writer's Reference, Seventh edition, Diana Hacker
- My Ántonia, Willa Cather
- Cloud Nine, Caryl Churchill
Course Goals
- To read closely and attend to the complexity of language
- To formulate interesting questions about an author's choices
- To draw inferences from patterns of language, verse, imagery
- To craft and develop a thesis
- To explore ways that historical and cultural contexts shape meaning and understanding
- To engage with the ideas presented by literary critics and scholars
Class Format
This is not a lecture course. We will work, as a group, toward a collective understanding and appreciation of the works assigned. Students are expected to participate in class discussions.
Requirements and Grading
- 60 percent: four four-page essays, the first three consisting of a draft (1/3 of the grade) and a revision (2/3s of the grade). For the fourth essay, only your final essay will be graded. (You are welcome to have your peers offer advice on your draft, but I will only read your final essay.)
- The Draft: This is not a "rough draft" but a full-length, totally conceived essay that meets the following criteria:
- 1. It has a main idea, a "thesis."
- 2. The main idea is developed in paragraphs and supported with concrete examples.
- 3. It must be typed.
- 4. It should be free of spelling mistakes.
- The Revision: This essay must also be typed. It should represent a substantive revision of the original draft based on peer critique and on my written comments and advice. It is not enough simply to eliminate spelling and mechanical errors; the revision must incorporate a genuine re-thinking of the essay's argument and/or structure.
- 25 percent: Final Exam
- 15 percent: Participation
Writing Workshops
As a writing-intensive course, this course is designed to develop students' abilities to write both within the English major and across the curriculum. Since our best writing requires rewriting, a draft/revision process will sit at the center of our practice. We'll hone our revision skills through a series of workshops, where we'll read and critique work in progress, offering the writer strategies and suggestions for the revision. Throughout, we'll function as a community of writers, developing our own skills through constructive engagement with the writing of our peers.
Students whose papers are being workshopped must upload their drafts to Blackboard no later than 10:00 a.m. on the day before the workshop. Failure to do so will not only interfere with the workshop process, but will lower the student's grade for the draft by two full letters.
Absences
Each student is allowed two absences without penalty. Each subsequent absence will lower the final grade by one third of a grade.
Late Papers
You are allowed one free late paper, which would then be due in the next class period. Any late paper after the freebie will be penalized by one letter grade for each day that it's late. Late papers are not allowed for students whose papers are being workshopped that week.
Conferences
Students are encouraged to meet with me at any time during the semester to discuss individual papers, the course, or anything else that seems worth talking about.