Critical Writing About Literature
English 310
Fall 2009
Section 004 TTh 12:30-1:45 pm, 313 Daniel
Section 005 TTh 2:00-3:15 pm, 104 Newman
Dr. Brian Croxall
bcroxal [at] clemson [dot] edu
(864) 656-3457
615 Strode Tower
Office Hours: TTh 3:30-5:00 pm and by appointment
Digital Office Hours: MW 9-10 am or whenever I’m shown as available at the class blog
* I reserve the right to modify this syllabus.
Course Description
This course will help you acquire and develop the skills needed to closely read and interpret literary texts and to create persuasive arguments about them. In other words, this course will prepare you to do good work in upper-level English courses at Clemson. The poems, short stories, novels, and essays that we will read are organized around two thematic poles: the author and death. While these themes will appear throughout much of what we read this semester, what will be our guiding principal will be to respond to the texts with sensitivity, intensity, and discipline as we seek to answer the two great questions of literary analysis: “what” and “how.”
Course Goals
- To become more proficient at the interpretation and analysis of poetry and fiction
- To become more skilled writers through an engagement with writing as a continuing process
- To collaborate as a class and to learn to learn, to read, and to write from one another
Texts
The required texts for this course are
- Ernest Hemingway, The Complete Short Stories (Scribner, 0-684-84332-3)
- Nella Larsen, Passing, ed. Carla Kaplan, Norton Critical Edition (Norton, 978-0-393-97916-9)
- Natasha Trethewey, Native Guard (Mariner, 978-0618872657)
- Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49 (Harper, 978-0060931674)
- J. A. Cuddon, The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (Penguin, 978-0140513639)
Important Note: Campus bookstores exist as a convenience, not as a final resource. As such, you might consider purchasing some of your texts from another source (which might be cheaper). But be sure that you have your copy of the text by the assigned dates.
Finally, there are a number of texts that are only available online. These online readings are required and must be printed off and brought with you to class. If you do not have your copy of the reading with you, then you will not be able to participate effectively in the day’s activities, and I will count you absent.
Assignments
Papers: There will be four essay assignments throughout the semester (five, if you count the final exam). I will distribute the assignments before the due dates (although the first three assignments are already detailed in the syllabus). I am happy to discuss drafts, outlines, or ideas in office hours. I am unlikely to respond helpfully to an email message sent the day before the paper is due.
Blog: Each student will contribute once a week to the class blog, posting an approximately 250-word response to one of the day’s readings. In other words, you will write about either Tuesdays or Thursdays readings. There are a number of ways to approach these open-ended posts: formulate an insightful question or two about the reading and then attempt to answer your own questions; write about an aspect of the day’s reading that you don’t understand, or something that jars you; or consider the reading in relation to other texts for the day or those that we have already read. On days when we read essays in addition to literature, you might write about the relationship between the two or just focus on one or the other. Finally, you may (and are encouraged to) comment on another student’s, building upon it, disagreeing with it, or re-thinking it. In any case, strive for thoughtfulness and nuance, offering questions and insights rather than descriptions or summaries. Each post should include at least one reference to a specific passage from the assigned reading. Finally, you should be reading all of your classmates’ posts.
Not counting the first week of class, there are fifteen weeks in our semester. You must write on the blog during at least 12 of these weeks. That means that you can take 3 weeks off throughout the semester; use these passes wisely and consider when papers come due. To ensure that everyone has a chance to read the blog before class, post your response by 12 pm on the day before the class for which the relevant text has been scheduled (Mon. for a Tues. class, Wed. for a Thurs. class). This deadline means that you will have to read ahead. This assignment will be graded on pass/fail basis, provided you meet the requirements of length, timeliness, reference to reading, and thoughtfulness and nuance.
Please note that both of my English 310 sections will be writing on the same blog. However, this just means that we will be able to broaden our conversation. Please don’t hesitate to engage with others whose names you might not know.
Final Exam: Your final examination will be of the take-home variety: a paper that you will write outside the classroom. Your completed examination must be emailed to me before or during the time period scheduled by the University (see below).
Grades
Your final grade will be determined as follows:
Participation = 15%
Blog = 10%
Paper One = 10%
Paper Two = 11%
Paper Three = 16%
Paper Four = 18%
Final Exam = 20%
Course Policies
Attendance: You can miss three class sessions without penalty. After three, I reserve the right to lower your grade; after six absences you risk failing the course. Note that this policy does not distinguish “excused” from “unexcused” absences—such a distinction puts me in a role I don’t want to play. If you must miss a class, you are responsible for obtaining the relevant notes and information from your classmates. Finally, be on time to class. I make note of when people are late, and being late three times is akin to an absence.
Preparation and Participation: This is a class based on collaborative discourse. As such, being prepared to participate in discussions is a course requirement. This entails having read, annotated, and thought about the complete assignment carefully before class starts. Furthermore, you must bring your copy of the text to class every day. Since we will be engaged in closely examining the texts we read and the language that they use, if you don’t have your text then you aren’t prepared for class, even if you have read the assignment. Naturally, this admonition applies to the texts that you will find online.
More broadly speaking: Ask questions. Be curious. You are more than welcome to have a different interpretation of a text than a classmate or me; just be sure to share your perspective in a productive and supportive manner. Since the course will be conducted as a seminar—and not a series of lectures—the substance of our class meetings will primarily consist of your responses to the course texts (such as general questions, impressionistic responses, or interpretations of particular passages) and, secondarily, my engagement with your responses. Your thoughts and questions will provide the starting point for our discussions. Your active participation will be consequently factored into your final grade for the course. If you’re reluctant to speak up, please talk to me and we’ll figure out a way for you to participate.
Office Hours: As noted above, my office hours are from 3:30-5:00 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I consider this your time, and I encourage you to make use of it. Please don’t think of meeting with me as something to do only as a last resort but rather as an important and integral part of your learning. While you are welcome to just show up during office hours, given my schedule this year and the number of students I have, you might be best served by letting me know ahead of time that you are coming. Additionally, feel free to chat with me online during my digital office hours. I’ve been known to be there at times around the clock. If it says I’m available, I am.
Papers:
- Writing assignments will be graded on the strength of the argument, the structure in which that argument is conveyed, the use of evidence to support the argument, and the clarity of the essay’s style. Hard copies of papers are due at the beginning of class. If you will miss class the day a paper is due it is still your responsibility to turn in a hard copy of that paper before class. Late work will not be accepted, except at my discretion (with a significant grading penalty). Assignment deadlines are not flexible.
- The one exception to the rule about hard copies will be for your final exams, which you will email to me.
- Papers must be typed in 12 point Times New Roman font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins and must be in MLA standard style format. Furthermore, the pages should be numbered in the upper right corner and must be stapled together. I know, I know: I’m picky. As Kurt Vonnegut has it in Slaughterhouse-Five, “So it goes.”
- You may not turn in work to me that you originally completed for another course. Should you wish to draw on a paper that you have written or are currently writing for another course, please discuss the matter with me.
Late Instructor: In the unlikely event that I am late to class, you may feel free to leave 10 minutes after the scheduled start of the class. Don’t count on this happening, though.
Laptops: Laptops are great. I have one myself. But in general we will not be using them in class.
Academic Integrity: When writing, one needs to give credit when one uses the ideas of others. It is important, therefore, to not only give citations for direct quotations but also summaries or paraphrases. Thus, not only are you expected to avoid stealing others’ ideas, but you are also expected to know how to cite your sources in your papers. Please see me if you have any questions about proper citation of sources. Plagiarism may result in a failing grade for the course.
What follows is Clemson University’s official statement on academic integrity:
“As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of this institution as a ‘high seminary of learning.’ Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form.”
“When, in the opinion of a faculty member, there is evidence that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member shall make a formal written charge of academic dishonesty, including a description of the misconduct, to the Associate Dean for Curriculum in the Office of Undergraduate Studies. At the same time, the faculty member may, but is not required to, inform each involved student privately of the nature of the alleged charge.”
Students with Disabilities: Students with disabilities who need accommodations should make an appointment with Arlene Stewart, Director of Student Disability Services, to discuss specific needs within the first month of classes. Students should present a Faculty Accommodation Letter from Student Disabilities Services when they meet with instructors. Student Disability Services is located in G-20 Redfern (telephone number: 656-6848; e-mail: sds-l@clemson.edu). Please be aware that accommodations are not retroactive and new Faculty Accommodation Letters must be presented each semester.
Counseling Services: Confidential and free (for students paying the health fee) counseling services are available from Clemson’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Call (864) 656-2451 for more information or see http://www.clemson.edu/studentaffairs/redfern/caps/care.php.
Writing Center: The Writing Center in 305 Daniel is an excellent resource for writers of all skill levels. It offers assistance with all aspects of writing, including brainstorming, organization, thesis formation, style, wording, and revision. I strongly encourage each of you to schedule a meeting at the Writing Center at least once this semester. It is a good idea to secure appointments as far in advance as possible, especially towards the end of the semester, when the Writing Center is busiest. You can schedule appointments by calling 656-3280.