Approach to Literature

ENG 104-02

Approach to Literature

SOEB Room 106

12-12:50 MWF

Instructor: Dr. Andrew Pisano

Office: Curry 335D

Office Hours: MWF 8am-9am and by appointment

Email:

This course introduces students to the three major genres of literature, poetry, fiction, and drama. Students will gain an understanding of literary terms, sharpen their abilities to perform close readings of texts, and learn to openly discuss their interpretations of texts in a public space. Course readings will cover a variety of themes and historical periods in order to present students with a rich understanding of literary genre and technique.

Required Texts:

Browning, Abigail and Melissa Ridley Elmes eds. Lenses: Perspective on Literature. Plymouth,

MI: Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2015. ISBN: 978-073807007-0

Meyer, Michael ed.. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 10th edition. Boston:

Bedford St. Martin’s, 2014. ISBN:978-1-4576-5050-5

Saunders, George. Civilwarland in Bad Decline. New York: Riverhead Books, 1996. ISBN: 978-

1-57322-579-3

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for the GLT marker:

1. Demonstrate the reading skill required for the student of literary texts. (LG3)

2. Identify and/or describe some of the varied characteristics of literary texts. (LG3)

3. Demonstrate orally, in writing, or by some other means, a fundamental ability to use some of

the techniques and/or methods of literary analysis. (LG 1 and LG 3)

4. Identify and/or describe some of the various social, historical, cultural, and/or theoretical

contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted. (LG3)

Those SLOs labeled (LG3) relate to UNCG’s Learning Goal #3 for General Education, which

says students will “Describe, interpret, and evaluate the ideas, events, and expressive traditions

that have shaped collective and individual human experience through inquiry and analysis in the

diverse disciplines of the humanities, religions, languages, histories, and the arts.” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program)

Weighted Assignments

Poetry Assignment (SLOs 1-3) 10%

For this assignment, please select a poem covered either in the assigned readings OR another work from the Bedford text that you connect with. Given our discussions and your growing knowledge of literary devices, think about: A) why this speaks to you and B) how can you briefly talk about it in a scholarly manner: this entails demonstrating an understanding of literary terms discussed in class and in your readings. Once you have this figured out, please choose a song OR poem outside of class which connects to your chosen classroom reading. Again, think about it as you did your textbook example. During our section on Poetry, each student will be asked to briefly (around 5 minutes each) discuss their choices and their overall analysis of the connection.

Discussion Group (SLOs 1-4) 15%

On your designated day, groups will be responsible for generating discussion pertaining to that day’s reading(s). Typical time allotted is 10-15 minutes. Expect to go at the beginning of class. 24hrs before the designated class, groups should post to Canvas Discussion Board: A) three well thought-out questions not found in the textbook and B) three passages from the text(s) assigned that day which are pertinent for understanding the reading (s). I will project these questions up on the board for the rest of the class to follow. Groups should be prepared to address their generated questions in class, especially if the class is not responsive. The goal here is to get your fellow classmates to engage in your ideas and questions. Groups will receive one grade. If a member is missing or does not contribute his/her fair share of work, please contact me privately prior to the presentation. In these cases, negligent students will be graded individually. A signup sheet will be distributed on the first day of class. Feel free to meet with me ahead of time if you have any questions.

Midterm 20% (SLOs 2-4) Final Exam (SLOs 2- 4) 30%

Exams will consist of definitions, multiple choice, and short essays. A review sheet will be provided prior to the exam.

Critical Essay (4 pages) (SLOs 1-3) 10%

Students will have the option of two due dates. Please decide the first week of class which due-date option you plan to follow. This paper should interrogate an interpretation or connection through close reading, of one or two texts assigned this semester. All writing should be typed in 12pt Times New Roman, double spaced, and in MLA format.

Class Participation (SLOs 1-4) 15%

You are expected to always have your books and speak in every class. There will also be some group work; active participation is always expected.

Attendance Policy

Students are allowed a maximum of four absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond those allowed, students will be penalized one-half letter grade. Students who miss eight classes on a three-day schedule will fail the course. You are, by state law, allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays, which do not count toward your total allowed three absences. If you plan to miss class because of your faith, you must notify me in advance of your absence.

Late Work Policy

All assigned work is due at the beginning of class, per the syllabus calendar. I do not accept work via email. If work cannot be turned in as specified by the syllabus, the student is responsible for communicating with me prior to the assignment due date. Late work due to illness must be verified with a note from a physician or physician’s assistant. Any and all work submitted late without my prior agreement will be scored a zero.

Tardiness

Tardiness will not be tolerated in this class. Be on time. If you aren’t in class ready to go by the start of class, you are late. Being late three times constitutes an absence. If you are ten or more minutes late for class, you will be counted absent.

Laptop/Phone Policy

All cell phones, smart phones, and iPods should be turned completely off and put away in your bag before class begins. If you foresee an emergency that will require you to access your cell phone, you must notify me at the beginning of class and I will use my discretion. The first time the electronics policy is violated (such as a phone ringing during class or a student is caught text messaging or surfing the web), that student will be given a warning. The second and subsequent times, the student will be asked to leave the class and will be counted absent for the day. Any electronic devices visible (or reported to me) during in-class exams may result in an automatic zero for that exam.

Academic Integrity

“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated”—UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy. To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at <http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu>. I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy.

The Office of Disability Services

Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday-Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; email: .

The Writing Center

The purpose of the Writing Center is to enhance the confidence and competence of student writers by providing free, individual assistance at any stage of any writing project. Staff consultations are experienced writers and alert readers, prepared to offer feedback and suggestions on drafts of papers, help students find answers to their questions about writing, and provide one-on-one instruction as needed. Location: Moore Humanities and Research Building, 3211.

The Learning Center

The Learning Assistance Center offers free services to the entire UNCG undergraduate community and is located in McIver Hall, rooms 101-104, and 150. For help with study skills, contact Erin Farrior, Academic Skills specialist. Telephone: 334-3878; email: .

Calendar

Mon 8/18: Welcome/Syllabus

Poetry

Wed 8/20: Lenses p. 1-17, 26-27

Fri 8/22: Form and Persona: Robert Hayden “Those Winter Sundays,” John Updike “Dog’s Death,” and Walt Whitman “Calvary Crossing a Ford”

Mon 8/25: Images and Figures of Speech: Amy Lowell “The Pond,” John Keats “To Autumn,” and Anne Bradstreet “The Author to Her Book”

Wed 8/27: Symbol, Allegory, and Irony: Robert Frost “Acquainted with the Night,” Edgar Allan Poe “The Haunted Palace,” and Edwin Arlington Robinson “Richard Cory”

Fri 8/29: Word Choice, Word Order, and Tone: Collette Inez “Back When All Was Continuous Chuckles,” Paul Lawrence Dunbar “To a Captious Critic,” and Andrew Marvell “To His Coy Mistress”

Mon 9/1: LABOR DAY

A Cultural Case Study: The Harlem Renaissance

Wed 9/3: Intro and Bio on Claude McKay, McKay “The Harlem Dancer,” “If We Must Die,” and “The Tropics in New York”

Fri 9/5: McKay “The Lynching,” “America,” and “Outcast”

Mon 9/8: Intro and Bio on Langston Hughes, Hughes “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Jazzonia,” “Lenox Ave: Midnight”

Wed 9/10: Hughes “Ballad of the Landlord,” “125th Street,” “Harlem,” and Chinitz “The Romanticization of Africa in the 1920s”

Fri 9/12: Intro and Bio on Countee Cullen, Cullen “Yet Do I Marvel,” “From the Dark Tower,” and “On Racial Poetry”

Fiction

Mon 9/15: Lenses51-68, Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour”

Wed 9/17: Plot: William Faulkner “A Rose for Emily”

Fri 9/19: Setting: Ernest Hemingway “Soldier’s Home”

Mon 9/22: Point of View: John Updike “A&P”

Wed 9/24: Symbolism: Ralph Ellison “Battle Royal”

Fri 9/26: Humor and Satire: Joyce Carol Oates “Hi Howya Doin’” and Mark Twain “The Story of the Good Little Boy” PAPER DUE * *OPTION #1**

Dark Humor and Satire: George Saunders’s Civilwarland in Bad Decline

Mon 9/29: Saunders “Civilwarland in Bad Decline” and “Isabelle”

Wed 10/1: Saunders “The Wavemaker Falters” and “The Four Hundred Pound CEO”

Fri 10/3: Saunders “Offloading for Mrs. Schwartz” and “Downtrodden Mary’s Failed Campaign of Terror”

Mon 10/6: Saunders Bounty

Wed 10/8: Bounty cont.; Review for Midterm

Fri 10/10: Midterm

Mon 10/13: FALL BREAK

Drama

Wed 10/15: Lenses 33-48, Susan Glaspell Trifles

Fri 10/17: Michael Hollinger Naked Lunch

Mon 10/20: Larry David The Pitch

Wed 10/22: Jane Anderson The Reprimand

Fri 10/24: Elaine Jarvik Dead Right

Mon 10/27: Henrik Ibsen A Doll House Act 1

Wed 10/29: Act 2

Fri 10/31: Act 3 and “A Nineteenth-Century Husband’s Letter to His Wife” PAPER DUE **OPTION #2**

Mon 11/3: August Wilson Fences Act 1, Scene 1-4

Wed 11/5: Act 2, Scene 1-3

Fri 11/7: Finish

Mon 11/10: Nilaja Sun No Child Scene 1-2

Wed 11/12: Scene 3

Fri 11/14: Finish

Mon 11/17:TBA

Wed 11/19: TBA

Fri 11/21: TBA

Mon 11/24: TBA

Mon 12/1: Review for Final

Fri 12/5: FINAL EXAM 12-3:00