Approaches to Literature, ENG 104-02

Instructor: Elizabeth Renn

Class Info: McIver Bldg. 225, MWF 10:00-10:50

Office: 02 Petty Science Bldg. (northeast basement)

Office Hours: 11:00-12 noon MWF, and by appointment

E-mail: ESRenn@aol.com

URL: www.uncg.edu/~esrenn

Texts:

Norton Anthology: Introduction to Literature, 8^th edition (ISBN: 0-393-97687-4)

The New York Trilogy, Paul Auster (ISBN: 0-140-13155-8, Penguin Publishers; www.allbookstores.com: Book Closeouts ($5.49), Amazon ($14.95), Barnes and Noble ($13.45)order immediately)

A novel you will select later

Course Goals:

This course is designed to introduce the styles and strategies of several contemporary writers, along with works by Kafka, Poe, and Shakespeare. You will primarily be reading 20^th century works, exploring the cultural contexts of each work. Though this is not a literary theory course, you will be introduced to several schools of theoretical perspectives (Structuralism, Post-structuralism, Reader-Response, New Historicism, etc.) through our class discussions. You will be expected not only to comprehend the material we read, but also to make evaluative judgments of these works, showing that you understand the bigger picture. To understand these works on this level, you should be prepared to read each work more than once and usually at least three times to reach the level of awareness I will expect.

Your active participation will be required in class discussion. Your viewpoint may be crucial to someone elses understanding, so share it with us. You will also be required to write brief journal entries in and out of class. Writing to express and explore our understanding of the texts will play a major role in how we study the texts and will prepare you for the kind of writing youll see on upcoming tests and the final exam.

Course Requirements:

Tests (5) 25%

Final exam (comprehensive) 25%

Book club project 20%

Paired research presentation 20%

Class participation: 10%

Journal entries

Class discussion

Journals:

Journal entries are typically based on the days reading and require you to form an opinion about a subject and explain yourself coherently and informally. In these assignments, I will look for depth of thought and willingness to experiment with ideas from the readings.

Paired presentations:

You and a classmate will select and research an aspect of the class reading for the day. You will need to read the text ahead of the class in order to complete this assignment. Your presentation will last 10 minutes and should address an issue such as cultural context, relationship to the author, or specific aspects of the text such as theme, symbolism, etc. This assignment is designed to give the class deeper insight into the texts we read and will be the basis of that days class discussion. Set up a conference with me before your presentation so we can discuss your topic and presentation strategies. On the day of your presentation, you and your partner should turn in a paper written collaboratively on your subject as well as a brief description of the role you played in completing the assignment. For this reason, you and your partner will be graded individually. Both of you should participate equally in this assignment. Sign-ups for these presentations will be held within the first few days of class. See syllabus for your options (presentation dates marked with (*) ). Follow MLA guidelines for citing researched information. You will need to meet outside of class with your partner to complete this assignment.

Book Club project:

You and your classmates will each select a genre (from the list of genres below) you think you would like to work with. I will place you into groups of 3-4 accordingly, and then work with each group to select a novel for that group to read. The last two weeks of class will be devoted to book club presentations, as each group (12) will lead the class for 20-minute presentations. You will receive further instructions on these presentations within the next few weeks, but in general, you will be expected to sell your classmates on your novel in whatever way you choose. Selection of genres will take place within the next few days. I encourage you to explore the genres before you make your selection. Do not rely solely on Cliffs Notes or other study guides for this project. Read the novel or your ability to portray the richness of the text will be limited. You will need to meet with your group during class and outside of class.

Genres: Native American Southern literature Post-modern

Asian American Cyberpunk/Sci-fi Hollywood Novel

African American Fantasy Self-exploration/philosophical

Jewish American Detective Bildungsroman (coming of age)

Victorian War Novel

Writing Center:

UNCG offers a workshop-type lab where you can bring in work-in-progress and receive feedback from writing instructors. Take advantage of this resource and schedule a session with an instructor to try out new ways of thinking about your writing. Drop in or call for an appointment.

(Located in McIver 101, 334-3125)

Policies:

Due dates: No work will be accepted late.

Attendance: You are allowed four absences. Your fifth absence and every absence thereafter will count 1/3 of a letter grade off of your final average. Remember, too, that no work will be accepted late. If you find you will be absent on the day of a test, contact me before class. Only under certain circumstances will you be allowed to take a make-up test, which will be more difficult than the original test. Do not miss class on your presentation days.

Tardiness: Walking into class late breaks the concentration levels of me and the rest of your classmates. Even being distracted for a few moments negatively impacts the class and will result in a harsh scowl. Be on time.

Plagiarism: Do not plagiarize. You may find you need to use outside information to support your ideas, which is fine. Remember, though, that if the idea is not yours, that idea has to be cited in MLA format. If you are unsure of what should be cited, check with me or www.MLA.org. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course and possible university disciplinary action.

Preparation: You may find several of the works we will study unusual and difficult. You are responsible for discussing each reading assignment when you come to class, so spend as much time as you need with each work, rereading it, emailing me questions about it, and researching the authors/works on the Internet. Always try to come to class with something in mind to say about each text. I will frequently update my website with relevant links.

Syllabus English 104-02, Spring 2002

WEEK ONE: INTRODUCTION TO COURSE; SHORT PROSE

M 1/14 Discuss syllabus and reading strategies

W 1/16 Findleys Dreams p. 85

F 1/18 Atwoods Happy Endings p. 20 and Moores How p. 78

WEEK TWO: SHORT STORIES

M 1/21 Dr. MLK, Jr. Holiday: no class

W 1/23 Poes The Cask of Amontillado p. 70; genre and paired presentation selection

F 1/25 Cask and Kafkas A Hunger Artist p.207

WEEK THREE: SHORT PROSE TEST; POETRYCLOSED VERSE

M 1/28 A Hunger Artist and test prep

W 1/30 Test

F 2/1 Poetry TBA

WEEK FOUR: CLOSED & OPEN POETRY

M 2/4 TBA

W 2/6 TBA

F 2/8 TBA

WEEK FIVE: POETRY TEST; CONTEMPORARY DRAMA

M 2/11 Poetry Test

W 2/13 Evaluating Drama p. 2062-2071;

Vogels How I Learned to Drive p. 2177- 2190

*F 2/15 Critical Approaches: Objectivism p. A18- A21;

HILD p. 2190-2218

x 3 presentations

WEEK SIX: CONTEMPORARY DRAMA TEST; CONTEMPORARY DRAMA PRODUCTION

*M 2/18 HILD x1 presentation

W 2/20 HILD Test

F 2/22 Culture as Context; Social and Historical Setting p. 1865-1868; Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun p. 1869-1897

WEEK SEVEN: CONTEMPORARY DRAMA PRODUCTION; PERFORMANCE

*M 2/25 Historical Criticism p. A23-A26;

RITS p. 1897-1934

x 3 presentations

*W 2/27 RITS x 1 presentation

* THURSDAY 2/28 UNCG PRODUCTION OF RITS IN TAYLOR THEATER, 7PM PLEASE ATTEND

F 3/1 Guest Speaker: Interview with cast members

WEEK EIGHT: AFRICAN AMERICAN POETRY; HARLEM RENAISSANCE; TEST

*M 3/4 McKays The White House p. 1051 and The Harlem Dancer p. 1055;

Hughes Harlem (A Dream Deferred) p. 1175

x 1 presentation

W 3/6 Hughes Theme for English B p. 1278; Angelous Africa p. 1159

F 3/8 Test

WEEK NINE: SPRING BREAK

M 3/11 No class; read New York Trilogy

W 3/13 No class

F 3/15 No class

WEEK TEN: POST-MODERN FICTION

M 3/18 City of Glass (entire story) in Austers New York Trilogy

*W 3/20 First day of spring, last day to drop a class without a penalty;

City of Glass x 3 presentations

*F 3/22 City of Glass x 3 presentations

WEEK ELEVEN: POST-MODERN FICTION

M 3/25 Ghosts (entire story) in NYT

*W 3/27 Ghosts x 3 presentations

F 3/29 Good Friday, no class

WEEK TWELVE: POST-MODERN FICTION; BOOK CLUB MEETING

M 4/1 The Locked Room (entire story) in NYT

*W 4/3 The Locked Room x 3 presentations

F 4/5 Book Club meeting on your own

WEEK THIRTEEN: FILM ADAPTATION; TEST

M 4/8 Smoke; view and discuss

W 4/10 Smoke; view and discuss

F 4/12 Test

WEEK FOURTEEN: LITERARY CRITICISM; POETRY; BOOK CLUB MEETING

M 4/15 Sylvia Plaths Daddy p. 1205; read Subjectivism p. A21-A22;

Read Axelrods Jealous Gods p. 1226-1234; Answer the following questions:

1. What is Axelrods argument?

2. List and describe key ideas that Axelrod uses to explain his position.

3. How does his interpretation affect your understanding of the poem?

W 4/17 Literary Criticism assignment:

Groups will discuss their interpretations of the following critical essays:

Steiner, 1208Groups 1&2

Howe, 1211Groups 3&4

Alvarez, 1212Groups 5&6

Kroll, 1215Group 7

Broe, 1218Group 8

Homans, 1221Groups 9&10

Annas, 1223Groups 11&12

Group members should be able to answer the three above questions as they pertain to their assigned essays.

F 4/19 Book Club meeting in class

WEEK FIFTEEN: BOOK CLUB PRESENTATIONS

M 4/22 Groups 1&2

W 4/24 Groups 3&4

F 4/26 Groups 5&6

WEEK SIXTEEN: BOOK CLUB PRESENTATIONS

M 4/29 Groups 7&8

W 5/1 Groups 9&10

F 5/3 Groups 11&12

WEEK SEVENTEEN: EXAM REVIEW AND FINAL EXAM

M 5/6 Exam review

T 5/7 Exam review

F 5/10 Final exam Noon-3pm in McIver 225