English 151 Course Outline

Literary Studies II: The Novel and Short Fiction

Spring 2010

Lectures
Monday and Wednesday 11:30-12:30 a.m. in Arts 366
Instructors / Office / Office Hours Spring 2010 / Phone
Dr. George Grinnell / Arts 177 / Tuesday 1-3 pm / (250) 807-9638
Dr. Daniel Keyes / Arts 150 / Thursday noon to 2 pm / (250) 807-9320
Tutorial / Day / Time / Place / Tutorial Leader
T2A / Friday / 12:30-1:30 / Fipke 250 / Sarah Helland
T2B / Tuesday / 12:30-1:30 / Art 203 / Rochelle Greenham
T2C / Tuesday / 8:30-9:30 / Art 203 / Rochelle Greenham
T2D / Monday / 8:30- 10:30 / Lib 303 / Joani Mortenson
T2E / Monday / 9:30- 10:30 / Lib 302 / Joani Mortenson
T2F / Monday / 10:30-11:30 / Lib 302 / Seana Dombrosky
T2G / Monday / 12:30-1:30 / Fipke 138 / Seana Dombrosky
T2H / Thursday / 12:30-1:30 / Art 203 / Sarah Helland

Course Description

This course introduces students to the literary genres of short fiction and the novel. Students will examine a variety of short stories and three novels from a range of styles and periods. These works will be studied in relation to other conventions of the two genres, examining a variety of critical approaches.

Prerequisite

Students are expected to have mastered academic writing skills and to have a strong interest in the study of literature. Time will be devoted to enhancing writing skills.

Objectives

This version of the course has chosen as its themes violence, gender, and identity which will be explored in three very different novels: a collection of tightly related short fiction, a contemporary novel set in Vernon, BC in the 1950s and a 21 first century graphic novel. As well we read a number of short stories that relate to these and other themes. Via these varied texts, we will see how narratives are structured to achieve certain effects and responses.

The course’s focus on identity explores how fictional prose narratives construct a world in print that via character, plot, authorial function hail us as readers. We can recognize ourselves in narratives, ambivalently negotiate a self that is not “us” or simply reject the hailing. The central challenge of this course is to write compelling literary criticism that demonstrates how your reading grapples with a fictional world. By the end of this course, you will have the following skills:

  • To grasp the conventions and some of the history of short fiction and novels in relation to the history of literary study.
  • To consider the text in isolation and in relation to other contexts (historical, national, gender, sexuality, race, authorial intention, psychology, etc).
  • To think and write critically with university-level writing skills.
  • To present clear, logical prose while using literary critical terminology.
  • To grasp and appreciate complexity in terms of form and content in literary texts.
  • To read closely with and against the text and its subtext.
  • To integrate secondary material (including quotations, paraphrases, and summary) purposefully and effectively, providing authority and context.
  • To develop an argument in the classroom and in essay form with a thesis or controlling idea, using appropriate language and accurate, relevant, and sufficient supporting material for your audience and purpose.
  • To ethically research and document using the MLA style.

Required Texts

(Note: the following bibliographic information is presented in MLA 7ed. format and the inclusion of the ISBN #s which we provide should you want to purchase your texts online form Amazon.ca or Chapter.ca)

Rooke, Constance. The Clear Path: A Guide to Writing English Essays. Toronto: Nelson, 2004. Print. ISBN 0176459782.

Required Short Fiction (we will read the stories in this course pack and others located online)

Keyes, Daniel, and George Grinnell eds. English 151:03 & 106 Course Pack. Kelowna: UBC Bookstore, 2009. Print.

Required Novels

Burns, Charles. Black Hole. New York: Pantheon, 2005. Print. ISBN 0375714723.

Johnson, Denis. Jesus’s Son. 1991. New York: Picador, 2008. Print. ISBN 0-312-42874-X.

Lane, Patrick. Red Dog, Red Dog.Toronto. McClelland and Stewart. Print. 2008. ISBN 978-0-7710-4635-3.

An Optional But Strongly Recommended Text

Barber, Katherine. ed. The Oxford Canadian Paperback Dictionary. Oxford and New

York: Oxford UP, 1998. Print. ISBN# 0-19-541453-5.

Vista

Via the Internet, this course offers access to lecture and reading schedules, assignments, supplements to lectures, and e-mail via a computer program called Vista. To access VISTA type into your computer’s browser. We will preview various features of the software in the first lecture. You will need to become familiar with the computer labs if you do not have your own computer at home to keep up with weekly assignments and readings.

For assistance, IT Services can be contacted via E-mail: or phone 250.807.9611 during regular business hours Monday to Friday.

Percentage (%)
90–100 / A+
85–89 / A
80–84 / A-
76–79 / B+
72–75 / B
68–71 / B-
64–67 / C+
60–63 / C
55–59 / C-
50–54 / D
0–49 / F (fail)

Evaluation Criteria and Grading:

Students will be offered numerical grades for all individual written assignments in this course. Given the qualitative nature of English literature, you will be given adequate written response for most assignment that not only justify the grade, but suggest areas and means for improvement. We encourage you to visit your tutorial leader or us.

Academic Integrity

The academic enterprise is founded on honesty, civility, and integrity. As members of this enterprise, all students are expected to know, understand, and follow the codes of conduct regarding academic integrity. At the most basic level, this means submitting only original work done by you and acknowledging all sources of information or ideas and attributing them to others as required. This also means you should not cheat, copy, or mislead others about what is your work. A more detailed description of academic integrity, including the policies and procedures, may be found at:

Plagiarism

Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Students should note that plagiarism is not limited to copying from printed material; copying from the web or from material submitted for another course are also examples of plagiarism. In this course, students are expected to follow the MLA 7th ed. rules for documentation depending on the assignment.

Students guilty of plagiarism will have their names submitted to the Dean’s office and will automatically receive a grade of 0 for the assignment; they may also receive a grade of 0 in the course. Other penalties will also apply for students who have already been convicted of plagiarism. Students are required to make themselves aware of the UBC policy on plagiarism by consulting and .

See UBC’s rules on plagiarism and academic misconduct in the calendar (section V 3.1.1) or online at

Assignments (for the due dates check our schedule) Value

Quizzes:
This series of short answer quizzes will evaluate reading skills, knowledge of literary terms, and application of literary theory to the texts and library and documentation skills. / 30
Participation: attendance, individual and group / 10
Research Paper: this paper will be vetted via plagiarism checking software / 30
Final Exam / 30

Discussion and Discrimination: Much of the fiction we will read is of a “mature content.” While discussion should be active and engaged, it should nevertheless remain respectful. Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments are, therefore, not allowed. If anything we or another member of the class says offends you, please let us know. We aim to conduct the lecture and seminars in a respectful manner where everyone feels motivated and able to speak.

Fine Print: Rights and Responsibilities

1)Participation will be evaluated based on your thoughtful reflections during individual and group discussion and quick assignments in tutorials. We ask that you try not to dominate discussions and lectures.

2)Large lecture room etiquette: Active engagement in the lecture does not involve surfing the internet or checking e-mail on a cell phone. Such activities distract students in the vicinity of the offender and as such will not be tolerated.

3) Always be engaged as an active listener.

4)Anything you write in this course may appear on Vista or the screen at the front of the lecture hall without your name associated with it, so that we can learn from each other.

5)Some of the stories we read may challenge your values. Learning occurs when we step out of your “comfort zone.” Read and prepare to be challenged and hopefully delighted by some of the stories.

6)We expect you to have read all the assigned work before coming to class and to be able to articulate your ideas about the texts or issues under discussion. Bring the texts we are discussing to class. Check the calendar to make sure you have the text. If you do not read the texts in this class, you will find it impossible to pass this course. Expect to devote at least three hours a week to reading the course material.

7)For your protection, always keep a photocopy (do not trust your computer’s memory) of your submitted work.

8)If a complaint arises over fairness and/or accuracy in the grading of a paper or quiz, the student must provide written documentation of this complaint, which is supported with evidence indicating what the marker may have missed. Send this written documentation and then arrange to meet the marker during a mutually convenient time. If a resolution is not forthcoming, the paper may be submitted for remarking. A remarked paper may have its grade adjusted up or down and that remarked grade is final. Students make seek a grade appeal via the process explained by the calendar.

9)Do not hesitate to contact your teaching assistant if you are having a problem or fall behind in the course. Book an appointment via e-mail or phone, and come to the meeting with a list of questions and objectives.

10)Everything that is covered in lectures is required course material and can be tested in exams. Therefore, make sure you are clear about what is discussed in the lecture by asking questions.

11)Assignments are due on the date specified and in the format indicated. You will be given adequate notice of all due dates and topics for assignments. Late assignments will not be accepted without a ten percent per day penalty unless you make prior arrangements for a serious reason or you have a valid medical certificate. Computer problems are not accepted as excuses for avoiding a penalty; therefore, always save working drafts of your work. You should back up vital work on Vista’s server.

12)Yes, you will be marked for grammar and spelling.

13)UBC will post final examination times toward the end of the semester. Do not make travel plans for the exam period until you know when your exams are.

14)Keep this course outline. This contract outlines our mutual obligations and responsibilities.

Equity, Human Rights, Discrimination and Harassment

UBC Okanagan is a place where every student, staff and faculty member should be able tostudy and work in an environment that isfree from human rights based discrimination and harassment.If you require assistance related to an issue of equity, discrimination or harassment, please contact the Equity Office, your administrative head of unit, and/or your unit’s equity representative.

Unit Equity Representatives:

Equity Advisor, Kamilla Bahbahani: ph. 807-9291; email

Web:

This schedule lets you know how we will move through course material. Each week, we will have read and then discuss either short fiction from the course pack or online or a novel combined with literary theory derived from the Course Pack. We will post updates on Vista’s calendar on a weekly basis to remind you what is coming up next.

As you prepare for the lecture, read and think about the material. We will try to structure each lecture so that the weekly tutorials will allow you to demonstrate a critical engagement with the texts we read either in group or individual work. Note: your individual tutorials are not marked on this schedule.

Abbreviation

CP = our course pack

January 4-6 Introduction and Formalism

  • Introduction to the course, the concept of literary theory and practice, and Vista.
  • Margaret Atwood’s “Happy Endings” at
  • Kennedy and Gioia “Formalist Criticism” CP(note the MLA uses italics to indicate standalone texts like our Course Pack and the novels on the course while texts like short stories that reside in anthologies are indicated with double quote marks like Atwood’s “Happy Endings” just above.
  • No tutorials this week

January 11-13 Reader Response Criticism

  • Chapter Two of The Clear Path: A Guide to Writing English Essays: pages 27-54. Note this chapter contains Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” and several sample essays about her story. We will read this section to get a sense of the expectations involved in writing about literature at university.
  • Kennedy and Gioia “Reader Response Criticism” CP
  • Herman Melville “Bartleby, the Scrivener”
  • Please attend your tutorial this week to meet your teaching assistant.

January 18-20 Gender Studies

  • Chris Barker “Feminism: the Politics of Difference” + “Language, Discourse, and Identity” CP
  • Zora Neale Hurston “Sweat”
  • Anne Fleming “The Defining Moment of My Life” CP

January 25-27 Myth Criticism

  • Kennedy and Gioia“Mythological Criticism” CP
  • Chuck “Fight Club” Palahnuik “Footwork” from Haunted: a Story of NovelsCP
  • Brian Fawcett “The Loss of the Marquees of Queensbury” from My Career with the Leafs and Other StoriesCP
  • Constance Rooke: chapter 1 of The Clear Path “Advice on Writing Essays” 1-25

February 1-3 Quiz,Ecocriticism and the Okanagan in Literature

Quiz 1 – Monday February 1

  • Patrick LaneRed Dog Red Dog
  • Peter Barry “Eco-criticism: Culture and Nature” CP

February 8-10 Ecocriticism and the Okanagan in Literature

  • Patrick LaneRed Dog Red Dog
  • Release Term Paper Topics

February 15-19

Reading Break

February 22-24 Sociological and Marxist Criticism

  • Kennedy and Gioia “Sociological Criticism” CP
  • Chris Barker “The Historical Subject of Marxism” CP
  • Thomas King “How Corporal Sterling Saved Blossom Alberta and Most of the Rest of the World” from CP
  • John Updike “A &P” at
  • Plagiarism: (briefly skim read this document)
  • MLA Documentation: Chapter 4 of Rooke’s A Clear Path
  • Print this guide to the MLA from the library:

March 1-3 Psychological Approaches

  • Chris Barker “Psychoanalysis and Subjectivity” CP
  • Clint Burnham “Hamlet” and “My Dad’s Womb” from Airborne Stories: Stories by Clint BurnhamCP
  • William Faulkner “A Rose for Emily”

March 8-11 Quiz 2,Deconstruction

Quiz 2 – Monday March 8

  • Denis Johnson Jesus’s Son
  • Kennedy and Gioia “Deconstructionist Criticism” CP

March 15-17 Deconstruction and Historical Criticism

  • Denis Johnson Jesus’s Son
  • Kennedy and Gioia “Historical Criticism” CP

March 22-25 Historical Fiction and The Graphic Novel: Comic Book as Literature?

  • David Foster Wallace’s “Lyndon” from The Girl with the Curious Hair in CP.
  • Charles Burns Black Hole

March 29-31 Black Hole continued

  • Charles Burns Black Hole

April 7 [no classes Monday] Review

  • Exam Review

Exam Period

April examinations begin for most faculties, day and evening classes (April 14-28). Saturdays are included in the exam schedule. Until official exam schedules are posted do not book flights, etc.

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