Revised: January 25, 2008
Dr. Michael Williams Office: Basil 131
Office Hours, Spring 08 Phone: [899-] 3831
M 2:00 – 3:30; T 11:00 – 1:00; and by appt. email:
English 200 – Introduction to Literary Analysis
MWF: 9:05 – 10:00 a.m. – Basil 212
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course, designed for English majors and minors, students will develop the ability to explicate literary texts – to analyze closely in order to interpret accurately. Students learn to analyze formal elements including diction and tone, and to consider such external influences as biography and culture in their readings of poetry, drama, and prose. The course also includes an introduction to the relationship between critical methods and literary theory.
REQUIRED TEXTS
· Meyer, Michael. Poetry: an Introduction. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford, 2004.
· Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. 2nd ed. Boston: Bedford, 2003.
· Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels.* Christopher Fox, ed. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Boston: Bedford, 1995.
· Miller, Arthur. The Crucible.* Gerald Weales, ed. Viking Critical Library. NY: Viking, 1971.
· Joseph Gibaldi, editor, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, sixth edition. OR, any other handbook or source that includes the MLA format.
OPTIONAL TEXT
· Tim Lemire, I’m an English Major—Now What?
* The editions of Gulliver’s Travels and The Crucible chosen for this class contain supplementary material that we will be using extensively. Therefore, it is required that you use the specified editions, even if you own different editions. They’re generally available used, online, very inexpensively. Try abebooks, alibris, or amazon.
REQUIREMENTS:
3 Papers (drafts and revisions required for each)Close reading / 20%
Theory report / 15%
Research paper / 30%
Quizzes and other writing / 15%
Participation and preparation / 20%
PAPERS: In this class we will learn the tools of analysis by practicing literary analysis, both in class discussion and in carefully written and revised papers. Detailed instructions concerning each paper will be distributed throughout the semester. You are required to write drafts for each paper; although the drafts are not graded, failure to turn in a draft for review or turning in a hastily written draft will result in a lowering of the grade for the final paper by one letter grade. Similarly, a final paper that fails to demonstrate significant and substantive revision of the initial draft will also result in a lowering of the grade by one letter.
QUIZZES and INFORMAL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: Throughout the semester I will assign quizzes on literary vocabulary, pre-writing exercises, questions about the literature we are reading, etcetera. Your grade for this category will be based on the care and diligence with which you treat these assignments. Quizzes and assignments cannot be made up except for in the case of a verified illness or emergency.
PARTICIPATION and PREPARATION: Discussion, not lecture, will be the primary method of learning in this class. This requires full participation from all students. In addition to discussing the assigned literature we will devote several class sessions to writing workshops. For these workshops you will be required to read your classmates’ drafts before our class meeting and be ready to offer insightful comments and suggestions during workshops and class discussion. Individual or group presentations may also be included in your participation grade.
ATTENDANCE: Students may miss three classes without penalty (except for what you miss in class). Subsequent absences will lower the final grade in the course. Five will result in failure for the course. Students must have the reading assignments prepared in order for the class to work, and I will ask any student who is obviously unprepared to leave class. This will count as an absence. In addition, any student who doesn’t fulfill the requirements for writing workshop days (not bringing the works being critiqued with feedback) will be counted absent. Being present for workshop sessions is especially critical; try never to be absent on those days.
Plagiarism (READ THIS!): Plagiarism is the undocumented use of another person’s ideas, organization, or research on a written assignment. It is plagiarism to turn in a paper written by another student or to copy or paraphrase any portion of your text from another source (study guides, articles, books, another student’s paper or the Internet) without proper documentation. Any case of plagiarism will be prosecuted according to the guidelines in the SJFC handbook. Irequire students to submit formal papers to Turnitin.com for plagiarism screening. Typically, I have assigned a course grade of “F” to students who plagiarize.
ASSIGNMENT INFO
Due: Assignments should be handed in at the beginning of the class that they are due. Five percentage points will be deducted for each day that a paper is late. Papers will not be accepted one week past the due date. Because of the workshop process, drafts must be posted to Blackboard 48 hours in advance of the scheduled workshop session. Late drafts will result in a lower grade on your final paper.
Format: All written work should be word-processed, spell-checked, double-spaced, in 12-point font, with 1” margins and numbered pages. Please do not use title pages; instead, include an information block at the top of page 1, with your Name, ENG 200, Professor Williams, Date, Assignment & version. Beneath this heading you should include a descriptive title that is centered on its line. Number your pages with last name and page number on the top right-hand corner of each page.
Deliverables: (1) For workshop drafts, on due dates bring in enough paper copies for each member of your group, yourself, and the instructor. (2) ALSO: every document must be emailed to me as an attachment, in MS-Word 2003 format. The electronic version is my official record of your assignment, and the basis for getting credit and a grade.