ENGLISH 108 - WOMEN AND LITERATURE - FALL 2009
Topic: ''Sisters, Doubles, Alter Egos''
Mares - Fletcher 313 - mares@sbc.edu
x6238 (w); 946-0862 (h)
Office Hours: TTh 4:15-5:15 (& by appointment)
OBJECTIVES:
The readings for this course all feature certain ''transgressive'' women characters. Considered marginal, perverse, or morally suspect within their societies, they nonetheless manage to form special relationships with other women characters who are socially acceptable. Their dynamic and intense relationships cross boundaries of race, class, age, gender identity, and sexual orientation. We will focus on what happens within and between these characters, what draws them together and what drives them apart. This focus will allow us to explore issues of identity, the power of social norms to shape behavior and codes of conduct, and the capacity of individuals to resist such norms and to create alternatives that may over time contribute to social change. We will pay special attention to the possibilities for intellectual and spiritual freedom, outside materially defined boundaries of identity, that these texts attempt to disclose. Since we are reading literary works, throughout our inquiry we will also focus on the aesthetic dimension of these texts (what makes them works of art?) and on our own experience of reading them.
This is a writing-intensive course. Qualified students may also use it to fulfill the First-Year Writing Requirement. The goal is to improve your skills in reading and your ability to write critical arguments while you are engaging imaginatively with works of art. The claim has been made that ''sustained, deep engagements with literary works and literary language open perceptions of structure, texture, and the layering of meanings that challenge superficial comprehension, expand understanding, and hone analytic skills.'' Furthermore, it has been argued that in reading and writing about literary works, ''students also become more sensitive to narrative strategies, verbal manipulations, and linguistic seductions--in short, to communication in all its powers and limitations'' (Teague Report, 2008 MLA White Paper 3). This course will give you an opportunity to test out these claims for yourself. Your assessment of what you have learned in the course at the end of the term (in your "final retrospective entry") will also help us to evaluate these claims and assess the effectiveness of the Writing Program at the College.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Nella Larsen, Passing (Norton Critical Ed., 0393979164)|
Toni Morrison, Sula (Vintage, 0400033438)
Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping (FSG, 0374525188)
Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye (Anchor, 0385491026)
Jackie Kay, Trumpet (Vintage, 978-0-375-70463-5)
Diane Hacker, Rules for Writers, 6th Ed. (Bedford St. Martins, 312593392)
Selected essays in criticism and theory and supplementary textual materials
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing
A good dictionary, such as the 4th edition of the American Heritage Dictionary
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Familiarity with the syllabus: You are responsible for carefully reading this syllabus in its entirety before our second session. Please note that students who are taking this course to fulfill their first-year writing requirement may switch to the other 100-level literature courses that fulfill this requirement (English 109 and 116) only if they have obtained the permission of the Chair of the English Department.
Essay requirements: two 5-page papers (1250-1500 words each) and a 7-9 page paper (1750-2700 words). Multiple drafts may be required. For further details, see under ''Guidelines for Papers'' below.
Journals: Normally, you will be expected to come to class with a written journal entry (250-300 words per entry) on the reading for that session. I will collect your journals periodically. At the end of the term, you will submit your journals along with a final retrospective entry. For further details, see under ''Guidelines for Journals'' and ''Final Retrospective Entries'' below.
Attendance: In keeping with College policy, you are expected to attend all classes. For further details, see under ''Policies'' below.
Reading: Active reading will make it possible for you to come up with meaningful and helpful journal entries and questions for class. Reading actively means reading with a pen, pencil, or highlighter in hand to mark thought-provoking lines and passages, to note questions and make comments in the margins or in your notebook, and to record your feelings, including connections with your own experiences and what you have learned in other classes or elsewhere. Note words that are new to you and look up their meanings before class. You are expected to keep up with the reading. Unannounced in-class quizzes on the reading are always a possibility.
Participation: Active participation in class discussions is essential in this course (and in many other courses throughout the curriculum). Our goal will be to create a friendly forum in which everyone participates and learns from one another. Note that listening well is also a skill. If speaking up in class comes easily to you, remember to make space for other students to join in. It is important to listen to what others have to say and to try to build upon their ideas as well as expressing your own. If you are a good listener but are reluctant to speak up in class, you need to overcome your reluctance. If this is hard for you, see me as soon as possible. We can go over strategies for entering discussions.
EVALUATION:
(''A''=excellent; ''B''=above average; ''C''=average; ''D''=below average; ''F''=failure)
Approximate breakdown of final grade:
10% 5 pp. paper
15% 5 pp. paper
20% 7-9 pp. paper
20% journals
20% ongoing participation in class discussion
15% final retrospective entry
You are expected to read my comments on your papers carefully and promptly. If you are not clear about how to improve your work after reading the comments, talk to me after class or make an appointment to see me.
Keep your notes and rough drafts for each paper until I have returned the paper to you with a grade. If I ask to see your notes and rough drafts and you cannot produce them, I may refuse to accept the paper.
When you revise a paper I have already commented on, keep the draft with my comments. I will read the revised version only if you attach the previous version with my comments.
Grades on revised papers will be averaged with grades on the originals, but will be weighted more heavily if the revisions are extensive and effective. Note that revising (re-thinking, re-writing, and re-organizing aspects of your argument) is not the same as editing (correcting errors in grammar, punctuation, usage, spelling).
Grades on papers will be docked if you continue to make the same kinds of mistakes in grammar, style, punctuation, and usage that I have repeatedly pointed out to you in your previous work.
I will periodically collect journals, but will not give them letter grades until the end of the term. Individual entries are not graded, but I will comment on some of them when I collect the journals during the term. If you have any questions about whether your entries are satisfactory, feel free to come and talk with me.
Points will be deducted from the participation component of the final grade for repeated lateness or early departures from class and for repeated failures to bring your journal entry on the assigned reading as well as the reading itself to class.
August 27 Introduction
September 1 Larsen, Passing
3 Passing
8 Passing
10 Workshop
15 Morrison, Sula
17 Sula. PAPER #I (on Passing) DUE IN CLASS.
22 Sula
24 Sula
[Fri., Sept. 25 - Passing paper revised on basis of peer reviews due by 5 p.m.; attach reverse outline, previous version, and peer reviews.]
29 Workshop. Bring tentative question or thesis for paper #2 on Sula.
[October 1 - READING DAY]
6 Robinson, Housekeeping (to 59). More discussion of tentative theses for paper #2.
8 Housekeeping (to 108)
13 Housekeeping (to 153)
15 PAPER #2 (on Sula) DUE IN CLASS. (Papers must refer to and quote from at least three secondary sources on Sula, preferably selected from those on E-Reserve.)
20 Housekeeping (the film). JOURNALS DUE IN CLASS.
22 Housekeeping (to 218 - end)
[Friday, Oct. 23 - Passing PAPER revised on basis of my comments due by 5 p.m;.attach previous version with my comments.]
27 Atwood, Cat's Eye
29 Cat's Eye
[Friday, Oct. 30 - Sula PAPER revised on basis of peer reviews due by 5 p.m.; attach reverse outline, previous version, and peer reviews.]
November 3 Cat's Eye
5 Cat's Eye
10 Atwood, Cat's Eye
12 Workshop - bring at least two typed questions for possible topics of paper #3.
17 Workshop - bring at least the first 3-4 (typed) pages of draft of paper #3.
19 PAPER #3 (on Housekeeping or Cat's Eye or both) DUE IN CLASS with reverse outline.
Note that, in keeping with College policy, no special arrangements will be made for students who leave early for break or return late.
[Thanksgiving Break.]
[Monday, Nov. 30 - PAPER #3 revised on basis of peer reviews due by 5 p.m. Include 11/19 version with reverse outline and peer reviews.]
December 1 Kay, Trumpet (to 143)
3 Trumpet (207)
[Friday, Dec. 4 - Revised Sula PAPER; attach previous version with my comments.)
8 Trumpet (277 - end)
10 Journals and retrospective entries due in class. Do course evaluations.
(You are expected to be in class on December 10 to submit your journal. Exceptions must be arranged beforehand and will be granted only in the case of serious illness or emergency, verifiable by the Dean's Office.)
COURSE POLICIES
ATTENDANCE
In keeping with official College policy, you are expected to attend all class sessions. Since this course is essentially a workshop, it requires frequent and extensive class discussions and other collaborative efforts. Consistent attendance and active participation are vital for your success in the course and for the course's overall effectiveness.
Because absences limit what you can gain from and give to the class, they typically will have a negative impact on your final grade in the course. Repeated lateness (or early departures) will also lower your final grade. If you are late for class, it is your responsibility to see me immediately afterwards to make sure that I have recorded you as present.
If you are really sick (contagious) please don't come to class; let me know about it by phone or e-mail, preferably before the class. Sick-days, though unpreventable, are still absences affecting your work and possibly your grade: so, don't take ''skip'' days!
In keeping with official College policy, if you miss class, you are responsible for contacting another class member to find out what you missed and to make sure that you have the assignment for the next class. Follow up with me if you need further clarification.
If you are a member of a varsity sports team, within the first two weeks of class (earlier, if you have to miss class for a game before then), provide me with a schedule delineating the specific days you will be absent. If you do have to miss class for a game or for other official College business, you need to submit in advance any work that comes due on the dates you miss. In other words, an excused absence is not an automatic extension.
In keeping with College policy, no special arrangements will be made for students who leave early for break or return late.
CLASS PREPARATION, LATE WORK, EXTENSIONS
In some classes (lecture courses, for example), you may have some leeway as to when you complete reading assignments. In this course, it is essential that you complete the assigned readings before you come to class. You are expected to prepare the readings for each session and to contribute regularly to class discussions. Bring your own copy of the text we are discussing to class. If you find it difficult to speak up in class, please come and talk with me as soon as possible.
Written assignments for use in class discussion should be brought to the appropriate class session. If you have to miss class, it is a good idea to go ahead and write up the assignment and include it in your journal. Although you will have missed the class discussion of that assignment, this practice will help to keep you engaged in the course and will keep your journal current.
Late papers will not be accepted unless an extension has been arranged. Normally, deadlines will be extended and absences excused only in cases of serious illness (you are contagious or in the hospital, or both), family emergency, or travel on official College business, verifiable by the Dean. Note that late papers will not receive comments as extensive as those submitted on time.
COMMUNICATION
I will rely on e-mail to communicate with the class, using the class lists on my.sbc.edu. These addresses end with @sbc.edu; therefore, it is imperative that you check your Sweet Briar account regularly and make sure that you have not exceeded the message quota. If you use another e-mail supplier, arrange for your Sweet Briar mail to be forwarded to that address.
Please do not e-mail or fax me papers or any other assignments unless I have asked you to do so. Feel free to e-mail or call me, or to stop by my office, if you have questions or want to make an appointment.
NOTE: Generally, I do not read e-mail messages received after 5 p.m. until I return to the office the next day. I also do not read e-mail over the weekend (which often includes Fridays). If you need to reach me in the evening or during the weekend, you may call me at home (946-0862). Leave a message if I am not there. Include the phone number where I can reach you. I will return your call as soon as possible.
ON PLAGIARISM
Students are expected to adhere to the Honor Code in all their work. Please note that work you completed for other courses, here or elsewhere, may not be submitted for credit in this course. Plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional, is a violation of the Honor Code and will be treated with the utmost seriousness. If you are convicted of plagiarizing work for this class, you will most likely fail the course. The student judicial system may impose other penalties, up to and including expulsion. If you have any questions about how plagiarism is defined, review the relevant sections in your Student Handbook. The website "Avoiding Plagiarism," listed below under "Additional Resources: Writing Websites," is also helpful. See me if you want further clarification.
GUIDELINES FOR JOURNALS
Purpose: The journal is meant to encourage you to read closely and to stay actively involved in the course. It should also help you to "notice what you notice" (as Allen Ginsberg advised), which is essential for independent thinking.
Your journal is a kind of reservoir or laboratory for your ideas. It will provide you with observations and questions that can serve as starting points for our class discussions. It may also lead you to questions or topics you want to write about in your papers for the course.
Format: Journals should be in folders (the simpler, the better). Individual entries should not be stapled or paper clipped together. They should be dated and placed in chronological order, except those you select to append to your retrospective entry at the end of the term.
If you type your journal entries, please double-space them. If you write them out by hand, use a pen, not a pencil. Skip lines, write on only the front side of the page, and make sure that your handwriting is easily legible. Include a word count at the end of each entry.
Approaches: Journal entries should be varied in their approach. They also should be substantive and open-ended, not simply factual statements, plot description, or questions that can be easily answered by reading on in the book or by running a quick Google search. At times I may ask you to write a directed response with a particular focus.
Entries may consist entirely of questions or of comments or may be a combination of both. Because they are so short (250-300 words), entries usually work better when they have a single focus. Don't let them degenerate into a series of fragmented, disconnected observations. Although the writing in the journals is informal, it should not be slack, careless, or superficial. You may be required to revise, expand, or rewrite a particular journal entry to improve the style, substance, or both.
Feel free to connect the readings with your own experience, other works you've read, and what you've learned in other classes or elsewhere as long as these connections further your understanding of the texts. Entries that focus on what you do not understand, what frustrates, intrigues, mystifies, or stymies you in the reading often make for the best class discussions. You do not have to come up with answers to your questions!
I will periodically collect journals, but will not give them letter grades until the end of the term. Individual entries are not graded, but I will comment on some of them when I collect the journals during the term. If you have any questions about whether your entries are satisfactory, feel free to come and talk with me.
GUIDELINES FOR PAPERS
Keep your notes and drafts for each paper until I have returned the paper to you with a grade. If I ask to see your notes and drafts and you cannot produce them, I may refuse to accept the paper.
Back up your work on the computer on a regular basis or print out hard copies for your safekeeping.
You may exceed the maximum length for papers, if necessary, but you should not fall short of the minimum. Grades on papers will be docked if you continue to make the same kinds of mistakes in grammar, style, punctuation, and usage that I have already pointed out to you in your previous work.
Please do not e-mail or fax papers to me unless I have asked you to do so. If you have questions or want to make an appointment, feel free to e-mail or call me, or to stop by my office.
Although I will not be able to read rough drafts, I will look at outlines (preferably, reverse outlines). If you are not clear about how to improve your work after carefully reading my comments on your papers, please stop by my office during office hours or make an appointment to see me.
Students are expected to adhere to the Honor Code in all their work. Plagiarism, whether accidental or intentional, is a violation of the Honor Code and will be treated with the utmost seriousness. If a student is found guilty of plagiarism in this course, she will automatically fail the course. The Student Judicial Committee may impose additional penalties. If you have any questions about how plagiarism is defined, always ask your instructor. You should also review the relevant sections in the Student Handbook. Please note that work you completed for other courses, here or elsewhere, may not be submitted for credit in this course. See me if you would like further clarification.
FORMAT FOR PAPERS: All papers must be typed. Type the title, your name, the course title, and the date on a separate cover page. Do not retype any of this information (even the title) on the first page of your essay. Do not underline, italicize, or put quotation marks around the title of your paper. In the body of your essay, use 12-point font. Whatever typeface you choose has to be easily legible and should not draw attention to itself. Use 1-inch spacing on all sides. You may double space between lines as long as you end up with approximately 250-300 words per page. Do not insert additional space between paragraphs. Proofread your work carefully. Include the word count in parentheses at the bottom of the last page. Number the pages and staple them together before submitting your work.
FINAL RETROSPECTIVE ENTRY (600-750 words)
(1) Analysis and Reflection.
(a) Has your writing changed over the course of the semester? If so, in what ways? What are your current strengths as a writer? What do you still need to work on? Refer to specific entries (by date) or aspects of your papers for evidence. Quote from them, if you think that would clarify your meaning.
(b) How have your journal entries and papers helped you to explore particular themes for the course and attain its objectives (as stated on the syllabus)? Be specific. Anchor your claims with references to pertinent phrases in the course description on the first page of the syllabus.
(c) Select three examples of your writing for the course (journal entries and/or papers) that now interest you the most. Explain why you have chosen these particular pieces, rather than others.
(2) Turn in the entire journal with the retrospective entry on top and your selected examples (for 1.c, above) directly beneath it. The rest of your entries and papers for the term should follow in chronological order.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Cochran Library - Sweet Briar's excellent undergraduate library is the center of the intellectual life of the College. Our superb library staff members are eager to help you sharpen your research strategies and expand your awareness of the resources most relevant to your current projects.
The ARC - The ARC, located on the Garden level of the Chapel, is another resource that students can find very useful. For more information, visit their website or call x6278.
Writing Websites:
MLA Style (Via UNC Library)
Papers: Expectations, Guidelines, Advice, and Grading, J. DeLombard and Dan White
Writing Center Handouts: UNC Chapel Hill
Purdue Online Writing Lab (also with MLA Formatting Guidelines)
The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr.
George Orwell's Handy Word Choice Hints
LATE UPDATE: 3 December 2009