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Fall 1999
 Courtesy of the William Blake Archive. Used with permission.
Office Hours:
This
course will introduce you to the fundamentals of literary studies – not just
terms and definitions, but also the research methodologies and scholarly
expectations for those conducting literary studies at the university level. Our
readings have been selected from 19th and 20th Century British and American
literature, with an eye toward texts that dramatize questions of audience,
genre, form, and narrative technique. We'll also look at a film (possibly
Robert Altman's Short Cuts) and, if
time allows, an online hypertext. Assignments
will emphasize close reading skills and the development of effective strategies
for critical thinking and writing about literature. In addition, we will be
paying attention to textual production and reception histories -- to that end,
you will all be exposed to the essential library and reference tools for
serious literary research. You will
also learn how to access electronic resources in conjunction with the study of
some of these authors. Required Texts These
are available at the UK and Kennedy bookstores. You may obtain used or new
copies of these texts from any source you like, including online vendors – but
please be sure that you buy only the editions specified below. William
Blake Songs of Innocence and of
Experience Two-volume
set Dover;
ISBN 0-486-25264-7 Edgar
Allan Poe The Fall of the House of Usher
and Other Writings Penguin;
ISBN 0-14-043291-4 T.S.
Eliot The Waste Land: A Facsimile and
Transcript of the Original Drafts, Including the Annotations of Ezra Pound Harcourt
Brace; ISBN 0156948702 Virginia
Woolf To the Lighthouse Harvest/Harcourt
Brace; ISBN 0-15-690739-9 Zora
Neale Hurston Their Eyes Were Watching God Harper
Perennial; ISBN 0-06-091650-8 or 0-06-093141-8 John
Grisham The Firm Dell
Books; ISBN: 0385319053 Assignments There
will be three (3) papers, plus a midterm and a final exam.
The first two papers will be about 1500 words each, the third about 2000 words.
For some of the papers, you will be called upon to use secondary sources to
supplement your own opinions and ideas (more details on what sources are
expected and appropriate will be supplied with individual assignments). All
papers must be word processed (use double-spacing), stapled (not clipped), and
clearly marked with your name and email address. Please be certain you have familiarized yourself with the University’s
strictures regarding plagiarism (SRR 84-5). Near
the beginning of the semester, you will each complete an assignment designed to
teach you how to use library (and Internet) resources to conduct basic literary
research. Each of you will then be responsible for two (2) additional research
assignments over the course of the semester, according to a schedule to be
provided. Those research assignments will require that you present your
findings to the class as a whole, in order to focus our discussion of the work
at hand. (A typical assignment might involve finding reviews of a work by an
author’s contemporaries, or researching aspects of its publication history.) Grades Papers
(3): 10% (each) Midterm
exam: 10% Final
exam: 20% Research: 20% (10% initial assignment,
5% both other assignments) Participation:
20% Plus/minus
grading will be used. A
note on participation: this class is also a community, and you are all
expected to contribute to that community. Thoughtful and consistent
participation throughout the course of the semester will garner the highest
grades. Students who are never or only very rarely productive participants in
class meetings will receive an E for their 20% participation grade. (Thus, a
student who never participated during class meetings could earn, at best, a B
for the course – assuming all other course work had been completed at the A
level.) Absences and Late Work I
will take attendance every class. You will be allowed three unexcused
absences for the semester -- no questions asked. After those three absences,
each
additional unexcused absence will lower your final course grade by 1/3
of a letter. For example, four unexcused absences would drop a B to a B-;
five
unexcused absences would drop a B to a C+. For a list of excused absences, see SRR
45-6. Habitual lateness to class will be treated as an unexcused absence.
Needless to say, it is your responsibility to catch up on the material and
assignments from classes you miss. Assignments
will be collected at the beginning of class meetings. If you are absent you
must still arrange to have your work delivered to class or it will be
considered late. Late assignments will be docked a full letter grade for each
class meeting that they are overdue. Even if turned in on the day
immediately following their assigned due date, they will still be docked at
least one full letter grade. Exceptions will be granted only for those who have
made prior arrangements with me and who can demonstrate a legitimate need for
an extension. Course Calendar You
will be responsible for reading all of the assigned materials in the course. I
will announce specific reading assignments in each class, but in general you
can expect us to spend two to three weeks on each author and work (depending on
its length and complexity). Please note the following very important dates: Monday, September 6: No Class (Labor Day) Wednesday, September 8: Meet in Young Library, Room 178 (Core 4) Friday, September 10: Meet in Young Library, Room 178 (Core 4) Friday, September 17: Research Assignment Monday, September 27: First Paper Friday, October 1: No Class (Fall Break) Monday, October 18: Midterm Exam Monday, November 15: Second Paper Friday, November 26: No Class (Thanksgiving) Monday, December 6: Third Paper
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