English 352W Dr. Scott Romine
Office:117 McIver,
334-5384
MWF 10:00
Fall 2002
McIver 139B
Office Hours: MW 1:00-2:30, T 3-4:30, F 9-10.
Units and Texts
Race in the Modern
American Novel
Richard
Wright, Native Son
Ralph
Ellison, Invisible Man
William
Faulkner, Go Down, Moses
Cultures and Codes
Edith
Wharton, The Age of Innocence
Ernest
Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises
Variations on the
American Dream
F.
Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Willa
Cather, My Ántonia
Nathanael
West, The Day of the Locust
Course Objectives—This class will cover eight major
American novels written during the first half of this century. Although these are not, by any objective
standard, the nine "best" novels written during this period, they
will, I hope, provide a representative sample of how American writers were
adapting and modifying the novel form during this time. As this is a writing-intensive class, one of
our goals will be the improvement of our writing. To this end, we will have frequent workshops on grammar, use of
evidence, organization, analysis, and so forth. We will also write a good bit in the class, including a term
paper, two essay-based exams, a series of short writing assignments posted to
an email list, and numerous in-class writing exercises. It is imperative that you read the material
before class. Our class time will be
devoted to discussing these works as a class and in small groups, and if
you haven't read—well, class discussion will pretty much come to nothing. As preparation for class discussion, I hope
you will note your responses to works as you're reading them, and come to class
ready to comment and argue about points you feel are confusing, interesting, or
otherwise engaging. In short, look for
the conflicts in the text and how you feel they are resolved, if indeed
they are at all. I hope we will have
some vigorous disagreements and arguments, although I do ask that you respect
your classmates, even if you disagree with their interpretations and
opinions.
Student Learning
Outcomes—At the end
of the semester, students will be able to demonstrate:
•
knowledge of major texts in the tradition of the modern American novel
• an
understanding of formal structures and effects of those structures in the novel
genre
• a
basic, pragmatic understanding of different theoretical approaches to novels
• an
ability to analyze, synthesize, compare, and critique literature texts
• an
ability to communicate in a sophisticated, clear way—both verbally and in
written form—about literary texts
Grades—Your grade will consist of five
major parts: a midterm (20%), a take-home final exam (25%), a 8-9 page
“two-installment” term paper (30%), a series of short responses posted to a
class email list and submitted as a "reading notebook" (10%), and a
class participation grade (15%). I will
discuss subject matter and format of both exams in class well ahead of time. Your term paper will be on a subject you
choose in collaboration with me. Although
I will offer advice in choosing and refining your term paper topic, the topic
is ultimately your responsibility. Your class participation grade will include
any quizzes, daily assignments, in-class writing, and groupwork in addition to
your contribution to class discussion.
To receive full credit, you should participate in class discussion
almost every class: this is not a free grade, but an assignment like any
other. If you do not regularly
participate, I will assume that you are not reading the assigned texts.
Reading Notebook—I will set up a class e-mail list
to which you will post six short writing assignments. Your posts should be in the neighborhood of 300 words, and can
include:
• a
summary and critique of a scholarly article
• a
post on a topic raised in class, raised on the list, or that you choose
yourself
Topics can include comparisons with other works; analyses of
scenes, characters, techniques, themes; special points of interest —anything
that you feel would add to the class's understanding of the work. Note that:
• Posts
will be evaluated mainly on their thoughtfulness, and need not be especially
structured.
•
Although your posts must go to the list, you will also provide hard copies of
your posts at a point late in the semester; this will comprise a "reading
notebook" for which you will receive a grade. For this reason, you must keep electronic or hard copies of your
posts. I will not do so, so if you lose your posts, you must either rewrite
them or be penalized.
• You
must post on at least five different authors.
• You
must post at least once in each “unit”
• You
may only post on an author as we are reading and discussing him/her in
class. The deadline for posts is one
day after the last class session in which we discuss the author. Early posts are most welcomed.
I
encourage, but do not require you to participate in the list other than your
six posts, but doing so on a frequent basis will be taken into consideration in
determining your class participation grade.
In addition, e-mail is a useful way for you and me to communicate on
topics such as term papers, class cancellations, etc.
Absences—More than five unexcused absences
will result in a lower final grade.
More than ten absences for any reason will result in your failing the
course or being forced to withdraw.
Absences are excused only for illness and family emergencies; absences
will be excused only if you contact me before class (via email or voice mail). If you have a major health or personal
emergency, please let me know as soon as possible.
\
Groupwork and In-class
writing—You will
often divide up into 4-5 person groups in which you will discuss issues related
to the day’s reading material. Your
contribution to your group and your group's contribution to class discussion
will affect your class participation grade.
In addition, we will often be writing—usually in response to a short,
open-ended question about the work we're discussing—on a regular basis.
Class participation—Class participation will constitute
a significant part of your grade. You
will be evaluated on the frequency, quality, and originality of your
comments—in short, on how much you personally contribute to the class's
engagement with and understanding of the authors we are reading. I expect that you will participate in almost
every class discussion; otherwise, I will assume you have not read. Please feel free to introduce new questions
and topics to class discussion, and to respond directly to your fellow
classmates' comments. Class participation
is an assignment like any other, and while you are free to choose whether you
fulfill the assignment, your grade will reflect your choice.
Plagiarism—Plagiarism, defined as the
intentional representation of another person's intellectual work as your own,
is an honor code violation and will not be tolerated in this class. We will be using MLA Style, so acquaint
yourselves with the proper way to cite the work of other critics. Ignorance of what constitutes plagiarism is
no excuse. For further information,
please consult the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy.
Syllabus
Monday August 19—Introduction
W21—Native
Son
F23—Native
Son
M26—Native
Son
W28—Native
Son
F 30—Native
Son
M September 2—LABOR DAY (No class)
W4—Invisible
Man
F6—Invisible
Man
M9—Invisible
Man
W11—Invisible
Man
F13—Invisible
Man
M16— Go
Down, Moses
W18—Go
Down, Moses
F20—NO CLASS
M23— Go Down, Moses
W25—Go
Down, Moses
F27—Go
Down, Moses
M 30—Age
of Innocence
W October 2—Age
of Innocence
F4—Age of
Innocence
M7—Age of
Innocence
W9—Age of
Innocence
F11—MIDTERM EXAMINATION
M14—FALL BREAK (no class)
W16—Age
of Innocence, begin
The Sun Also Rises
F18—The
Sun Also Rises
M21—The
Sun Also Rises
W23—The
Sun Also Rises
F25— The
Sun Also Rises
M28—The
Sun Also Rises
W 30—TERM PAPER DRAFT WORKSHOP
F November 1—My Antonia
M4—My
Antonia
W6—My
Antonia
F8—NO CLASS
M11—My
Antonia
W13—My
Antonia, begin The Great Gatsby
F15—The
Great Gatsby
M18—The
Great Gatsby
W20— The
Great Gatsby
F22— The
Great Gatsby
M25—The
Great Gatsby
W27—THANKSGIVING (no class)
F 29—THANKSGIVING (no class)
M December 2—The
Day of the Locust
W4—The
Day of the Locust
F 6—The
Day of the Locust
M 8—Last Day
of Class
Note: Generally, you can divide
books into thirds and read the first third for the first class, the second
third for the second class, and the entire book by the third class. I will advertise any variations from this
scheme in class.