COURSE POLICIES | DAILY SCHEDULE | CURRENT COURSES | HOME
| Dr. Sylvia Henneberg | email: s.henneberg@morehead-st.edu |
| office: 421B | classroom: CB 205 |
| office hours: T, Th, F2 11:30-12:30, 3-4 & by appointment | class period: TThF2 1:50-2:50 |
| phone: 783-5288 (o) | credit hours: 3 |
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REQUIRED TEXTS:
· John Updike, ed. The Best American Short Stories of the Century. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000 (henceforth abbreviated as BASS).
· Franz Kafka. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories (1915). New York: Dover Publications, 1996.
· James Joyce. Dubliners (1914). New York: Dover Publications, 1991. James Weldon Johnson.
· Albert Camus. The Stranger (1942). New York: Vintage International, 1989.
· James Weldon Johnson. Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1944). New York: Penguin, 1990.
· Art Spiegelman. Maus, A Survivor's Tale, II:
And Here My Troubles Began. New York: Pantheon Books,
1991.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
· William Harmon and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000.
· Joseph Gibaldi. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association, 1999.
FURTHER REQUIREMENTS:
· Regular class attendance with all required course materials. After five absences, excused or unexcused, your final grade will be lowered one half grade for each additional absence.
· Punctuality. Late arrivals cause class interruptions. For every two late arrivals you will be assessed one absence.
· Careful reading and preparation of all assignments. For every two times that you are obviously not fully prepared for class your oral participation grade will be lowered by one half grade. You may make up for your failure to prepare and participate by visibly working harder than average during the following days.
· All assignments must be handed in on time to receive
full credit. Under extraordinary circumstances an assignment may be handed
in late if you obtain permission at least 24 hours beforehand. Unless
specified otherwise, all assignments are due during class time.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
English 344 examines the recent traditions of the novel
and the short story in Europe and America. Rather than representing a
chronological survey, the course touches on the origins of these and related
genres in preparation for focusing on their various manifestations in the
20th and 21st centuries. In compliance with the competencies required by
the English undergraduate program, we will seek to acquire knowledge of a
culturally diverse literature and learn to analyze and critically evaluate
a wide range of ideas, arguments, and points of view. While we will attempt
to acquire factual knowledge, we shall also seek to develop practices that
meet the New Teacher Standards, such as use of technology and assessment
of one another's work. Finally, English 344 will provide us with the ability
to think and write critically, leading to an oral and written mastery of
discourse appropriate to the study and teaching of language and
literature.
ESSENTIAL OBJECTIVES OF THIS COURSE ARE:
· Gaining a broader understanding and appreciation of intellectual/cultural
activity, in this case, literature.
· Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and
points of view.
AN IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE IS:
· Developing skill in oral and written expression.
EVALUATION:
| project Gutenberg: | 10% |
| paper 1: | 10% or 20% |
| mid-term examination: | 20% |
| paper 2: | 20% or 10% |
| in-class essays: | 10% |
| oral participation: | 10% |
| final examination: | 20% |
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PROJECT GUTENBERG (10%):
Selected texts must be located online, printed out, read, marked up with
paragraph numbers, and brought to class on the day the discussion is
scheduled.
PAPER 1: (10% or 20%):
The first assignment consists of a 3-4-page typed essay. You will be given
a choice of questions, and you will be asked to respond with as much detail
as possible. If your grade on this assignment is stronger than on assignment
3, it will make up 20% of your final grade, whereas your grade on assignment
3 will account for 10% of the final grade.
MID-TERM EXAMINATION: (20%):
This closed-book examination covers all materials discussed by the examination date and might conceivably consist of ids, factual questions, and short responses. Duration: 1 h.
PAPER 2 (20% or 10%):
Students will write a 4-6-page typed essay for assignment 3. If your grade on this assignment is stronger than on assignment 1, it will make up 20% of your final grade, whereas assignment 1 will account for 10% of the final grade.
IN-CLASS ESSAYS (10%):
Every student will be responsible for administering one handwritten in-class
assignment. Your duties will be to 1) devise a topic related to the readings
of the week, 2) show me the topic you have chosen before class, 3) come to
class a few minutes early and write the topic on the board, 4) time your
fellow classmates as they write a ten-minute essay, 5) grade and comment
on the essays and return them to me within one week, 6) provide me a filled
out cover sheet. Your topic should reflect what you find to be the most
interesting, important, or even confusing element of our most recent text.
The topic may be thematic or technical (concentrating on stylistic choices
such as language, setting, point of view, characterization, use of irony,
etc.). It should have a very narrow focus and include key words (like analyze,
summarize, compare, define) that will enable your classmates to devise a
writing strategy quickly. Grading will be conducted holistically on a scale
of zero to ten. Your focus as a grader should be on content and structure.
As this is a very spontaneous exercise, you can mark spelling, grammar, and
mechanical errors but must not penalize the student for them unless you no
longer understand his/her ideas. Please pay careful attention to the way
in which words are used, the depth of insight, and the clarity, grace, and
coherence of sentences, paragraphs, and the essay as a whole. Be sure
to comment on the essays so that your peers understand why they received
the score you gave them. As the instructor, I will double-check all grades
and take the liberty to make changes if necessary. There is no way of
making up an in-class essay if you are absent. However, you may drop
your two lowest scores. Grading guide:
9-10 Excellent. Perfect. Very detailed. You can find no room for improvement.
7-8 Very good. Though not perfect, the ideas and insights are persuasive, and the argument, paragraphs, and sentences are clear, coherent, and interesting.
5-6 The essay is flawed to the extent that you find yourself filling in gaps and details in the argument. Or the argument seems fine, but poor diction, sentence structure, or paragraph organization makes the essay awkward and confusing.
3-4 Incoherent essay. The writer does not seem to grasp the topic. You find yourself working extremely hard trying to make sense of the paper.
0-2 The writer of the essay has not done the reading or has failed to write anything of acceptable length.
ORAL PARTICIPATION (10%):
Oral participation consists of responding to my and fellow students' comments,
asking and answering questions, volunteering information, suggesting new
aspects and topics, and generally taking an active part in the discussions
we conduct.
FINAL EXAMINATION (20%):
The final examination will cover all materials discussed in class and may
consist of ids, factual questions, and short responses. Duration: 2 hours
(from 12:45-2:45 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9).
STUDENT PARTNERS:
In the first week, I will set up permanent student partnerships for the entire
semester. Partners will be responsible for each other in the event of absence
(i.e., sharing lecture notes, reminding each other of deadlines, exchanging
information about syllabus changes, etc.). Partners may also want to study
together and exchange and edit papers before they turn them in. You and your
partner are responsible for the success of your learning experience.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
The Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Philosophy is strongly
committed to academic honesty. For your information, here is the definition
of plagiarism:
"Using another author's words, sentences, or even ideas without explicit acknowledgment is plagiarism. If you quote directly from a source, put the sentence(s) or portion(s) of the sentence(s) you use in quotation marks. Then indicate your debt with a footnote or a parenthetical annotation."
The consequences of plagiarism range from failing the class to being expelled from the university. Plagiarism will most certainly have serious repercussions on your academic as well as professional future.
AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA):
In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act, all qualified students
enrolled in this course are entitled to "reasonable accommodations." It is
the student's responsibility to inform me of any special needs before the
end of the second week of classes.
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week 1 |
week 2 | week 3
| week 4 |
week 5 | week
6
week 7 | week 8
| week 9 |
week 10 |
week 11
week 12 | week
13 | week 14
week 15 | week
16
week 17
Week 1:
Introduction
T 8/20
Introduction to the course.
Th 8/22
Organization of partners and in-class essays. Review of MLA-style. Room
to be announced.
Week 2: The Origins of the Short
Story
T 8/27
Project Gutenberg. Folk tales and oral traditions.
Th 8/29
PG text: Hans Christian Andersen, "The Emperor's New Clothes";
PG text: The Brothers Grimm, "Hansel and Gretel"; PG text:
Andrew Lang, "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp."
F 8/30
In-class essay #1. Edgar Allan Poe, "Twice-Told Tales, by Nathaniel
Hawthorne: A Review" (handout); PG text: Poe, "The Black Cat"; PG text:
Herman Melville, "Bartleby, the Scrivener."
Week 3: Early Short Stories of the
20th Century
T 9/3
In-class essay #2. PG text: Henry James, "Greville Fane." Web research
and evaluation. Room to be announced.
Th 9/5
PG text: Anton Chekhov, "Gusev"; "The Short Story" (handout).
Week 4: The Mid-Century Short
Story
T 9/10
Richard Wright, "Bright and Morning Star," BASS 179.
Th 9/12
Elizabeth Bishop, "The Farmer's Children," BASS 286; Ernest Hemingway, "The
Killers," BASS 68.
F 9/13
In-class essay #3. Flannery O'Connor, "Greenleaf," BASS 348.
Week 5:
The Postmodern Short
Story
T 9/17
Joyce Carol Oates, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" BASS 450;
background materials (handouts).
Th 9/19
Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried," BASS 616 & background materials
(handouts); Raymond Carver, "Where I'm Calling From," BASS 581.
Week 6: The Contemporary Short Story
& Hypertext
T 9/24
In-class essay #4. Sherman Alexie, "The Sin-Eaters" (handout).
Th 9/26
Jorge Luis Borges, "Garden of Winding Forks" (handout). Hypertext stories.
Room to be announced.
F 9/27
Present a short story published in the 21st century.
Week 7: The Short Story
Cycle
T 10/1
Paper 1 due. From James Joyce's Dubliners: "The Sisters," "An
Encounter."
Th 10/3
In-class essay #5. Joyce, "Araby."
Week 8: The Short Story Cycle Continued
T 10/8
Joyce, "The Dead"
Th 10/10
Screening of Joyce's "The Dead." Review for in-class examination.
F 10/11
Mid-term examination.
Week 9: The
Novella
T 10/15
Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis, 11-24.
Th 10/17
In-class essay #6. The Metamorphosis, 25-end.
Week 11: An Early 20th-Century
Novel
T 10/29
In-class essay #7. James Weldon Johnson, Autobiography of an Ex-Colored
Man, 1-36.
Th 10/31
Autobiography, 37-74.
Week 12:
An Early 20th-Century
Novel Continued
T 11/5 Autobiography, 75-108.
Th 11/7
Autobiography, 109-end.
F 11/8
Library day.
Week 13: A Mid-Century
Novel
T 11/12
In-class essay #8. Albert Camus, The Stranger, 3-46.
Th 11/14
The Stranger, 47-81.
Week 14:
A Mid-Century Novel
Continued & a Postmodern
Novel
T 11/19
In-class essay #9. The Stranger, 82-end.
Th 11/21
Art Spiegelman, Maus II, 1-37.
F 11/21
Maus II, 39-end.
Week 15: A Contemporary Novel &
Thanksgiving
T 11/26
Paper 2 due. Margaret Atwood, A Handmaid's Tale.
Week 16: A
Film Adaptation of a Contemporary Novel
T 12/3
In-class essay #10. Screening of A Handmaid's Tale.
Th 12/5
Screening of A Handmaid's Tale continued.
Week 17: Final
Examination
Mo 12/9
Final Examination, 12:45-2:45 p.m.
____________________
This syllabus provides a general plan and is subject to
change.
Check the blackboard regularly for announcements.
COURSE POLICIES | DAILY SCHEDULE | CURRENT COURSES | HOME