Carleton University

Department of English Fall/Winter 2009-2010

ENGL 1000P Literature, Genre, Context [Precludes additional credit for FYSM 1004]

Schedule: Mondays 12:35-2:25 p.m.

Location: Fall Term — 416 SA Location: Winter Term — 624 SA

Instructor: Prof. B. Johnson

Office Hours: Mondays 2:30-4:30 Office: 1917 Dunton Tower

email: brian_johnson@carleton.ca Phone: (613) 520-2600 ext. 2331

Teaching Assistants: Ms. Catherine Boivin <cboivin@connect.carleton.ca> Mr. Todd Hopkins <thopkin1@connect.carleton.ca>

ARTSONE CLUSTER: Culture, Film, and Literature: Exploring Lives and Nations COURSE DESCRIPTION This course provides students with an introduction to major literary genres and modes, with an emphasis on the historical and cultural contexts of literary production. In the Fall term, we will study the fundamentals of short fiction, drama, and poetry; in the Winter term we will continue to read poetry, drama, and short fiction, but our focus will be on the twentieth-century novel. Throughout the year, we will consider how literature mediates our perceptions of reality, how it can reinforce or challenge our assumptions, and how it can demand from us new modes of cognitive and ethical response. As we proceed, our two main goals will be to develop a broad critical vocabulary for thinking and writing about literature and to cultivate the pleasures associated with reading, discussing, and interpreting intellectually-demanding texts. This is a writing-attentive course. REQUIRED TEXTS (Available at the Campus Bookstore.*) FALL TERM (Available now.) Paul Negri (ed.), Great American Short Stories (Dover) Paul Negri (ed.), Great Sonnets (Dover) Henrik Ibsen, The Wild Duck (Dover) Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband (Dover) Janet E. Gardner, Writing About Literature: A Portable Guide, 2nd Ed. (Bedford-St. Martin’s) WINTER TERM (Available in December/January.) William Shakespeare, The Tempest (Signet)

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Samuel Delany, Nova (Vintage) Richard Van Camp, The Lesser Blessed (Douglas & McIntyre) Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (Penguin) Allen Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems (City Lights) Nicholson Baker, The Mezzanine (Vintage) Several additional short stories as well as a poetry supplement and T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land will be handed out in class or made available as etexts that students can access online. *Buy your texts early. The bookstore sends unsold texts back to the publisher in the final month of each term.

What is a “Writing Attentive Course”? All sections of ENGL 1000 are “writing attentive” and must therefore meet the following requirements:

Students will write at least one examination.

Students will write a minimum of two graded writing assignments per term, in which they are expected to do the following: (1) develop an argumentative thesis across an essay; (2) develop complex ideas using correct and effective expression according to academic English practice; (3) use and cite evidence from primary texts appropriately; (4)develop literary skills through close critical analysis of texts from a variety of genres; (5) develop fluency in genre-specific literary terms of analysis.

Students will be introduced to issues in secondary research (such as critical evaluation of and citation of secondary materials).

A portion of class time will be devoted to developing and improving essay writing skills.

Tutorial Groups

Group Time Location (Fall) Location (Winter) Tutorial Leader

Tutorial 1 [P1] 2:35-3:25 515 SA 280 UC T. Hopkins

Tutorial 2 [P2] 2:35-3:25 213 TB 217 TB C. Boivin

Tutorial 3 [P3] 3:35-4:25 236 TB 234 TB C. Boivin

Tutorial 4 [P4] 3:35-4:25 D880 LA 111 PA T. Hopkins

Building Codes: SA = Southam Hall TB = Tory Building UC = University Centre LA = Loeb Building PA = Patterson Hall

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Method of Evaluation

Assignment Description Length Value Due Date

Early Feedback Assignment

A well-formed paragraph of literary analysis on an assigned question.

200-250 words

5% Sept. 28

Blog Entry (Fall)

See below and page 4 of syllabus. 300-350 words

5% Sept. 14-Dec. 7

Essay #1

Original analysis of some aspect of an assigned short story.

1000 words 10% Nov. 2

Secondary Source Assignment

Annotated Works Cited list and citation exercise on appropriate use of quotation, paraphrase, and summary.

1000 words 10% Dec. 7

Mid-Year Exam

In two parts: (i) explication of a sight-poem; (ii) essay on drama or short fiction.

3 hrs. 15% TBA

Blog Entry (Winter)

See below and page 4 of syllabus. 300-350 words

5% Jan. 4-Apr. 7

Essay #2 Comparative essay on an assigned topic employing secondary sources.

1500 words 15% Feb. 8

Essay #3 Comparative essay on an assigned topic employing secondary sources.

1500 words 15% Mar. 29

Final Exam In two parts: (i) passage identifications and explications; (ii) long answer. Covers material from both terms.

3 hrs. 20%

TBA

Exams and airplane ticket bookings: The Fall exam period is from December 9-22, 2009 (including Saturdays) and the Winter exam period if from April 8-24, 2010 (including Saturdays). Since the Registrar’s Office does not set exam dates until well into each term, you must plan to be available throughout the entire examination period. Do not purchase plane tickets with departure dates prior to December 22, 2009 or April 24, 2010 until you know your exam schedule. Exams will not be rescheduled for students who take on other commitments during the exam period. Course Blog: The course blog for ENGL 1000P is under construction…by you! I will be posting there about literature and the study of English, and you will be posting there as well (see below). Although we will use WebCT for class announcements and confidential matters such as posting and retrieving grades, the course blog is where you will find all the main links to literature resources for the course, as well as reviews and writing about a wide range of authors, literary texts, and cultural events. Beyond its practical features, the course blog is also a place on the web where we can develop broader conversations about literature and culture than are possible within the format and timeframe of the lectures and tutorials. Where to find us: The course blog is located at: http://engl1000.wordpress.com/. There is a link to the blog on our WebCT homepage. Bookmark it and stop by often for news and notes about literature. Follow course updates on twitter: http://twitter.com/CarletonENGL.

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Course Blog Assignment Instructions: Contribute two entries of 300-350 words each to the course blog, one in Fall term (Sept. 14 – Dec. 7) and one in Winter term (Jan. 4 – Apr. 7). All entries must be on topics listed below; you may not write on the same topic for both entries. I will post some sample blog entries in the first two weeks of class to give you a sense of the format. Entries can have an informal style, but they must still be focused, coherent, thoughtful, and well-written. Like any assignment, they must also be carefully proofread for spelling and grammar errors before they are submitted. Sloppy entries that have not been proofread will not be posted and will not receive credit. Blog Topics:

1. Review of a novel you have read in the last year.

2. Review a play staged in Ottawa during the 2009-10 season.

3. Do a dramatic reading of a favorite poem and post it on YouTube to share with the class; or,

make a short film based on a scene from one of the works we study in class and post it on

YouTube. (No writing required for this topic.)

4. Review a particularly useful or interesting literature resource on the web. (Clear your website

with Prof. Johnson before writing your review—“essay help” websites are not eligible. Check

the course blog’s bookmarks on del.icio.us if you’re having trouble finding something.)

5. Review a film (recent or not) or an episode from a TV show that relates in a significant way to

a work we have studied in class and explain why the film/TV episode merits comparison to

the literary work.

6. Review a comic book or graphic novel that pertains to a genre or work we have covered in

class and reflect on the connection.

7. Review and respond to a literature event (such as a poetry reading or public lecture by an

author) that you attend this year. Watch the course blog for announcements about literary

events on campus.

8. Write a response to a recent news item or blog entry that pertains to a literary topic or issue.

Your post must include a link to the article or blog to which you are responding. Check the

course blog’s bookmarks on del.icio.us if you’re having a hard time finding something on your

own.

How to submit your blog post: Email your entry to Prof. Johnson as a Word file in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format. It is also acceptable to post the text of your entry into the body of an email. If you would like to include an image in your entry, send that along as well. Since the course blog is a public blog (i.e. readable by anyone), you may decide that you do not want to sign your real name to your post. That’s fine. But you will at least have to include your name in your email to me so that I can give you credit for your work. Your email to me must contain your full name, as well as the pseudonym you wish to go by on the blog (if you wish to use one). Once I have approved the entry, I will post it on the blog.

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A reminder about plagiarism: Just as in a formal paper or examination, your blog entries must be entirely your own work and must obey standard rules of citation. Plagiarized entries automatically earn a grade of zero for the assignment and no further entries will be accepted. Commenting on blog posts: You are invited to comment directly on blog posts by fellow students using WordPress’s “comment” function. Obviously, the tone of all comments must be respectful and tactful, even if you are disagreeing with the post’s author on some point.

Course Procedures, Grades, and Grading Basic Preparation: As a matter of course you are expected to: (1) attend all lectures and tutorials, (2) complete the scheduled readings beforehand, (3) arrive prepared to discuss what you have read, (4) bring the relevant text(s) to class. It is strongly recommended that you take notes on the lectures and keep a record of the passages we discuss in class. Writing in the margins of your books and marking off key passages as you read is also a good idea. Passages discussed in class are likely to appear on the exam. Classroom Conduct: I’m sure it goes without saying that cell phones are to be turned off during class and that laptops are only to be used for note-taking—not for playing solitaire, texting your friends, or watching amusing clips on collegehumor.com… Right? WebCT: This course uses Carleton’s WebCT course management software. Any course updates—including changes to the schedule—will be announced on WebCT, so students are expected to check in regularly. Any information posted by the professor in WebCT is considered official. In addition to finding announcements, students can use WebCT to check their essay and exam grades and to download handouts and assignments. Handing In Assignments: Assignments are due in class on the dates indicated. However, they can be handed in without penalty until 8:00 a.m. the morning after the due date, via the English Department’s drop box, located on the 18th floor of Dunton Tower. Please do not slip the assignment under my office door. Emailed or faxed assignments are not acceptable and will not be marked. Keep a back-up copy of every assignment you hand in as an insurance policy in the unlikely event that I misplace your essay. If one of your assignments is lost, misplaced, or not received by the professor, you are responsible for having a backup copy that can be submitted immediately upon request. Confirming Receipt of Assignment: Upon receipt of your assignment, I will enter a note (“R”) in the WebCT gradebook for this class (“My Grades” on our WebCT homepage), confirming that I have it. It is your responsibility to check the gradebook the following afternoon to make sure your assignment has been received. In the unlikely event that it has gone astray, email me the completed assignment immediately and bring a hard copy to the next class. Late Penalty: Except in rare cases for which corroborating documentation can be provided (such as a medical emergency or the death of an immediate family member), assignments handed in after the due date will be penalized by 1/3 of a letter grade per day. For example, a B+ essay due on Monday but handed in on Tuesday afternoon would drop to a B. If it

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wasn’t handed in until Wednesday it would receive a B-, etc. Saturday and Sunday count as 1 day each, so if you find yourself in the position of finishing up your late essay on Saturday afternoon and don’t want to lose 1/3 of a grade for Sunday too, email me the completed assignment immediately and submit an identical hard copy to the drop box on Monday. Extensions: Requests for extension may be granted in some instances, but only for compelling reasons. Any such request must be made in writing or in person to the professor (not one of the TAs) no later than 48 hours prior to the due date of the assignment. Requests for “retroactive” extensions (i.e. requests made on or after the due date of the essay) will not be considered.

A Gentle Reminder:

The Potential Flu Pandemic and Coursework: As you are probably aware, there is a risk of a flu pandemic this flu season. In the event of a pandemic flu outbreak we may need to modify the course delivery and/or deadlines and/or assignments as they are currently outlined in this syllabus. Specific details will be provided to you if this becomes necessary. In the event that you do become ill and have to miss class or assignments, upon becoming well, you are expected to communicate with your instructor to identify missed in-class material, assignments and/or to arrange accommodations.

Grading Criteria: Grades for term work will be based on insightfulness, originality, focus, organization of ideas, clarity of expression, scholarly rigor, correct use of MLA style, spelling, and grammar. (See “Understanding Your Essay Grade” on page 12 of the syllabus.) Plagiarism: Plagiarism means passing off someone else’s words or ideas as your own or submitting the same work in two different academic contexts (self-plagiarism). The consequences of plagiarism are severe and are issued by the Dean and the University Senate. In order to avoid plagiarism, you must correctly and fairly attribute the sources of the ideas you pick up from books, the internet, and other people. For additional information, consult the section on Instructional Offenses in the Undergraduate Calendar. Review Period: I will hold extended office hours during the Review Period of April 6-7. Times to be announced in class.

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Accommodation

You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an accommodation request the processes are as follows:

Pregnancy: Write your professor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details visit Equity Services: http://carleton.ca/equity/accommodation/student_guide.htm

Religious obligations: Write your professor with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. For more details visit the Equity Services website: http://carleton.ca/equity/accommodation/student_guide.htm

Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations in this course must register with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) for a formal evaluation of disability-related needs. Documented disabilities could include but are not limited to mobility/physical impairments, specific Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/psychological disabilities, sensory disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and chronic medical conditions. Registered PMC students are required to contact the PMC, 613-520-6608, every term to ensure that their professors receive a Letter of Accommodation, no later than two weeks before the first assignment is due or the first in-class test/midterm requiring accommodations. If you only require accommodations for your formally scheduled exam(s) in this course, please submit your request for accommodations to PMC by the last official day to withdraw from classes in each term. For more details visit the PMC website: http://www.carleton.ca/pmc/students/acad_accom.html

Schedule of Readings

Note: Students are responsible for all of the readings listed here and are expected to complete the readings prior to the class for which they are scheduled. In addition to the texts listed below, students are responsible for any handouts distributed in class or made available via WebCT.

FALL TERM Sept. 14: Introduction to the course Further Reading: Gardner, Writing About Literature (2-15)

UNIT I: INTRODUCTION TO FICTION Sept. 21: The Elements of Fiction Gardner, Writing About Literature (57-60) Jewett, “A White Heron” (Great American Short Stories 84-92) Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” (Great American Short Stories 1-12)

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Discussion Group: Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (171-78) Sept. 28: The Elements of Fiction (cont’d) Chopin, “A Pair of Silk Stockings” (Great American Short Stories 152-56) Hemingway, “The Killers” (Great American Short Stories 240-48) Discussion Group: Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart” (Great American Short Stories 13-17) Early Feedback Assignment Due Oct. 5: Literary Modes: The Gothic and the Grotesque Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (Great American Short Stories 115-29) Anderson, “The Egg” (Great American Short Stories 231-39) Discussion Group: Writing Workshop I: Developing a Thesis and Outlining Your Paper: Sample essay on Young Goodman Brown (handout); Gardner, Writing About Literature (16-22) Oct. 12: STATUTORY HOLIDAY, University Closed Oct. 19: A Literary Movement in Context: Naturalism Harte, “The Luck of Roaring Camp” (Great American Short Stories 49-57) London, “To Build a Fire” (Great American Short Stories 157-70) Discussion Group: Dreiser, “The Lost Phoebe” (Great American Short Stories 179-91)

UNIT II: INTRODUCTION TO DRAMA Oct. 26: The Elements of Drama Glaspell, Trifles (Gardner 94-105) Ibsen, The Wild Duck (Acts I-II) Discussion Group: Writing Workshop II: Drafting, Revising, and Formatting Your Paper: Gardner, Writing About Literature (22-42; 123-25; 127-29) Nov. 2: Tragedy and Realism Ibsen, The Wild Duck (Acts III-V) Discussion Group: The Wild Duck Essay #1 Due Nov. 9: Comedy and Satire Wilde, An Ideal Husband Discussion Group: An Ideal Husband

UNIT III: INTRODUCTION TO POETRY Nov. 16: Reading Poetry: An Introduction Gardner, Writing About Literature (82-87) ENGL 1000 Poetry Supplement (handout):

Houseman, “When I was One-and-Twenty” Larkin, “This Be the Verse” Frost, “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening”

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Rich, “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” Frost, “After Apple-Picking” cummings, “in just-” Atwood, “You Fit Into Me” Brooks, “The Bean Eaters”

Discussion Group: Writing Workshop III: Working With Secondary Sources: Gardner, Writing About Literature (110-37) Nov. 23: The Sonnet: Desire, Writing, and Death Wyatt, “My galley charged with forgetfulness” (Great Sonnets 1) Spenser, “One day I wrote her name upon the strand” (Great Sonnets 6) Shakespeare, “When I do count the clock that tells the time” (Great Sonnets 12) ———, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” (Great Sonnets 13) ———, “Not marble, nor gilded monuments” (Great Sonnets 14) ———, “Let me not to the marriage of true minds” (Great Sonnets 15) ———, “My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun” (Great Sonnets 16) Millay, “Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink” (Great Sonnets 84) ———, “What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why” (Great Sonnets 85) Collins, “Sonnet” (handout) Discussion Group: Shakespeare, Sonnet 116 and Sample Explication (Gardner 87-91); Shakespeare, “Th’ expense of spirit in a waste of shame” (Great Sonnets 15) Nov. 30: The Sonnet: Religion, Romanticism, and Science Donne, “Batter my heart, three-person’d God; for you” (Great Sonnets 18) Hopkins, “God’s Grandeur” (Great Sonnets 67) Meredith, “Lucifer in Starlight” (Great Sonnets 53) Turner, “Orion” (Great Sonnets 45) Wordsworth, “The world is too much with us; late and soon” (Great Sonnets 28) Poe, “To Science” (Great Sonnets 47) Lowell, “The Street” (Great Sonnets 50) Hardy, “Hap” (Great Sonnets 63) Discussion Group: Donne, “Death be not proud, though some have called thee” (Great Sonnets 18); Frost, “Acquainted with the Night” (Great Sonnets 81) Dec. 7: The Sonnet: Memory, History, and War D.G. Rossetti, “A Sonnet” (Great Sonnets 55) C. Rossetti, “Remember” (Great Sonnets 58) Shelley, “Ozymandias” (Great Sonnets 32) Brooke, “The Soldier” (Great Sonnets 83) Sassoon, “Dreamers” (Great Sonnets 83) Owen, “Anthem for Doomed Youth” (Great Sonnets 86) Yeats, “Leda and the Swan” (Great Sonnets 76) Discussion Group: Writing Workshop IV: Practice Explication for Fall Exam Secondary Source Assignment Due TBA: FALL EXAM

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WINTER TERM

UNIT IV: LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND FANTASY Jan. 4: Tragi-Comedy and Romance: Shakespeare and Genre Shakespeare, The Tempest Discussion Group: Writing Workshop V: How to Write Comparison-Contrast Essays: Gardner, Writing About Literature (48-54) [Browning, “My Last Duchess”; C. Rossetti, “After Death”] Jan. 11: Magic, Art, and Otherness: Postcolonial Shakespeare Shakespeare, The Tempest Discussion Group: The Tempest Jan 18: Modernism and Myth: Eliot’s Tarot Fortune Eliot, The Waste Land (handout) Discussion Group: The Waste Land Jan 25: Science Fiction, Globalization, and Culture Delany, Nova (Chapters 1-3) Discussion Group: Murphy, “Rachel in Love” (online) Feb. 1: Science Fiction, Romance, and Revolution Delany, Nova (Chapters 4-7) Discussion Group: Writing Workshop VI: O, Sonneteers! Feb. 8: Indigenous and Postcolonial Literatures: The Empire Writes Back? Van Camp, The Lesser Blessed Discussion Group: Msimang, “Identification Papers” (handout) Essay #2 Due Feb. 15-19: WINTER BREAK, No Classes

UNIT V: TIME, SPACE, AND MEMORY IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY LITERATURE

Feb. 22: The Great War and Modern Memory Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway Discussion Group: Mrs. Dalloway Mar. 1: Modernity, Modernism, and the Novel Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway Discussion Group: Mrs. Dalloway Mar. 8: Materialism, America, and the “Beats” Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems Discussion Group: Howl and Other Poems

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Mar. 15: Postmodernism Zoline, “The Heat-Death of the Universe” (handout) Baker, The Mezzanine (Chapters 1-3) Discussion Group: The Mezzanine Mar. 22: After Postmodernism…? Baker, The Mezzanine (Chapters 4-15) Discussion Group: The Mezzanine Mar. 29: Exam Review Discussion of Sample Exam Questions Discussion Group: NO MEETING THIS WEEK Essay #3 Due TBA: WINTER EXAM And Finally:

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Understanding Your Essay Grade GPA % Grade

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90-100

A+

Excellent. The essay presents a clear, engaging thesis and follows through with a well-developed and well-supported argument. It shows good understanding of the text(s) and is perceptive and even original in its treatment, presenting more than a restatement of the lecture/tutorial discussion. The structure is logical and easy to follow, using effective transitions. Paragraphs are internally coherent; examples are well-integrated, relevant, and thoughtfully analyzed. The essay is grammatically correct and free of mechanical errors; sentences are balanced and varied in interesting and appropriate ways; the language is lucid, precise, and lively. The essay is formatted properly and all sources are accurately cited.

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85-89

A

10

80-84

A-

9

77-79

B+

Good. The essay presents a clear thesis and follows through with a generally well-developed argument, though some parts of the argument need further clarification or support. It shows good understanding of the text(s) but is not especially insightful or original. The structure is logical but not always perfectly controlled (for instance, some transitions are weak or missing). Paragraphs are mostly coherent; most examples are well-chosen but discussion of them is not always sufficiently detailed. The essay is grammatically correct and mostly free of mechanical errors, but the prose is not particularly elegant or engaging. The essay is formatted properly and all sources are accurately cited.

8

73-76

B

7

70-72

B-

6

67-69

C+

Adequate. The essay presents a thesis, but not a clear or suitable one; it does not follow through with a consistent, well-supported argument. It shows basic understanding of the text(s) but misses, distorts, or misunderstands some aspects. The structure is loose in places, lacking transitions or wandering off topic. Paragraphs sometimes lack unity, and examples are not always relevant or simply inserted without adequate discussion. The essay has a number of grammatical and/or mechanical problems, and the writing style is uncertain and obscure in places. The essay is not formatted properly and/or sources are not correctly cited.

5

63-66

C

4

60-62

C-

3

57-59

D+

Poor. The essay does not present or argue consistently for a suitable thesis. It shows some substantial misunderstandings of the text(s); it paraphrases or summarizes instead of analyzing; its examples are simply inserted without proper connection to an argument and without discussion. The essay lacks structure and moves from idea to idea without any apparent logic. Paragraphs are not unified. The essay has many grammatical and mechanical errors and the style is generally faulty: phrases or sentences are frequently unintelligible. The essay is not formatted properly and/or sources are not correctly cited. (Essays with all of these problems will fail.)

2

53-56

D

1

50-52

D-

0

0-49

F

Failure. The essay is completely off topic or has no thesis and no argument; it simply paraphrases the text(s), or misunderstands them; it uses no appropriate evidence or fails to discuss its examples; it is incoherent, unintelligible, or has no discernible structure. It is stylistically and mechanically a disaster. It is not formatted correctly and/or sources are not properly cited. It does not meet the minimum requirements for the assignment.