english 2213: literary criticism and...

English 2213: Literary Criticism and AnalysisFall 2009

Instructor: Erin RanftClass time(s) and location(s): Section 001 @ 9 a.m. in HSS 3.04.22Section 004 @ 12 p.m. in HSS 2.02.06Office Hours: MW 1:00 - 1:50 p.m. or by appointmentOffice location: MB 2.308Email: [email protected] Phone: 458-7885

Course Description: This course introduces students to different ways of reading and interpreting literature. It is a course “about literature” as much as of literature. It is designed to prepare students who are serious students of English Studies to take advanced courses in literature. We will read, interpret, and analyze a variety of poetry, fiction, and drama by using a number of literary critical approaches and critical theories. In doing so, we will pay attention to literary terms and to the form of the text in order to understand the notion of literary genre. As a consequence of these activities, this course will involve intensive reading and extensive writing. We will also enhance our library research skills and document our research using MLA. (If you do not already have a MLA handbook, I recommend buying one.)

Required Texts:Critical Theory Today Lois Tyson 2nd ed. (ISBN 0-415-97410-0)Several readings posted on WebCT –you will be responsible for printing them out and bringing them to class

Supplies:3 Blue BooksStaplerEnough $ in your student account to make copies and print articles

Course Goals:Gaining Factual Knowledge

to expose you to different types of literature and different approaches to reading it through the study and practice of literary criticism

to understand how the meaning of literature varies according to different interpretive lensesLearning Fundamental Principles, Generalizations, and Theories

to instill an understanding of literary genres and literary forms to introduce Literary Theory to begin to learn to write critically researched literary analysis

General Goals of the CourseCritical Reasoning Skills: To continue to develop your ability

to analyze a writer’s argument to compare and contrast ideas to paraphrase and summarize a text

Reading Skills: To continue to develop your ability to approach texts in a critical fashion to become an active reader

Writing Skills: To continue to develop your ability to write clearly and economically with grammatical correctness to formulate and support a thesis to incorporate sources and document them, using appropriate citation

mailto:[email protected]

WRC 1013/Ranft Syllabus

UTSA Policy on Academic Dishonesty:The University of Texas at San Antonio expects every student to maintain a high standard of individual integrity for work done. Scholastic dishonesty is a serious offense which includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test of other class work, plagiarism (the appropriation of another’s work and the unauthorized incorporation of that work in one’s own work) and collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing college work offered for credit). In cases of scholastic dishonesty, the faculty member responsible for this class may initiate disciplinary proceedings against the student.

Students With Disabilities:Students who have disabilities are encouraged to contact the Disability Services here on campus as soon as possible so appropriate accommodations can be put in place. Please see their web site (http://www.utsa.edu/disability/students.htm) for more information.

Policies 1 : Respect is an absolute necessity in the classroom. While working in groups or participating in a

class discussion please provide your full attention and allow each person to finish his/her statements uninterrupted. We are all worthy of respect, even if we agree to disagree.

The respect issue should also be extended to personal responsibilities – please turn your cell phones off during class and arrive on time. I will certainly do the same.

Assignments and late grades – This is not high school, therefore you won’t have ample opportunities to turn in late assignments. If you do not have your work prepared when it is due, you will have until the following class day to submit the work for a portion of the grade (70%). For example, if an assignment is due on Wednesday, you will have until the start of class on Friday to submit the assignment in person (not via email or WebCT). Work will not be accepted after this time period. Please see the section on the essay assignment to review the late policy for that work.

It is understandable that sometimes life gets in the way of school, so there will be three ‘free’ absences over the course of the semester. Please use these absences wisely. Presence in the class is detrimental; group work, presentations, and quizzes all depend upon your ability and willingness to come to class. For every absence that follows the initial ‘free’ absences 10% will be dropped from your final grade. 8 absences will result in a failing grade. This includes an absence sanctioned by the University or family emergency that can be verified through documentation. If you find yourself in a situation where an absence is necessary, it is imperative that you send an email to me beforehand.

The Writing Center: The WRC is here for students. Paid tutors with BA degrees in English and some Writing Program professors serve as tutors. You are strongly encouraged to visit the center (HSS 3.03.08) for assistance with your writing. The tutors will not grade or edit your work, so come prepared. The Writing Center tutors are there to assist with your writing, organization, and development. You are certainly able to ask questions about mechanics and grammar. The tutor room is located in HSS 2.02.22. Check the Writing Center website for scheduling and appointments: http://www.utsa.edu/twc.The Tomás Rivera Center: The TRC is a great place for students to receive academic coaching or to attend workshops that can help you become a more productive and organized student. I encourage you to set up an appointment with an academic coach or to attend their many workshops throughout the semester. For more information visit http://www.utsa.edu/trcss/

Assessment:

Assignment Percentage

1 Syllabus and policies are subject to change at the discretion of instructor

2

http://www.utsa.edu/trcss/

http://www.utsa.edu/twc


Discussion Posts on WebCT 10Quizzes 5

Participation and Preparation 10Group Work and Presentations Throughout the Semester Final Theory Presentations

15(5)(10)

Critical Theory Papers 30Midterm 10

Final Exam 20

Requirements for WRC 1013:

Discussion Posts : You will be asked to regularly post your thoughts, reactions, and ideas relating to the readings. This post should be critical, engaging in the texts, asking questions, and critiquing the information offered. Your initial post should be at least 300 words (please include a word count at the conclusion of your post), and should draw upon the information in the readings and examples from the text. You are certainly welcome to bring in information from other materials we’ve covered in class, to make connections, but you should connect the material recently covered. In addition to your initial post, you should take the time to respond to at least one other student’s post (at least 125 words, please include a word count). Offer your reactions, insights, comments and/or questions. This classroom, as well as our online environment, are safe spaces and require that you treat one another with the utmost respect. Any negative, hostile, or incendiary remarks within our online environment will not be tolerated. Discussion Posts will be due on a regular basis, but not necessarily every week. Your initial post is due on Fridays before class and your response is due the following Monday before class.

Quizzes : After readings are assigned, expect to have a quiz based on the contents of the readings. These quizzes will be administered verbally. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. A quiz cannot be taken after an absence unless the absence is sanctioned by the College.

Participation and Preparation : The only way we can truly engage (and dissect) these texts and ideas critically is if we all participate to the best of our abilities. I expect you to come to class prepared to discuss the readings and to involve yourself in the conversation, whether those conversations occur as a class or within groups.

Group Work and Presentations : On a regular basis, you will be asked to take part in collaborative learning. This is an opportunity to share ideas, to work with others in order to tease out more difficult or frustrating concepts, and to learn from one another. As part of this, you will also be asked to present the information to the class. Of course, the classroom is a safe space and you should feel comfortable sharing for your group with an attentive and supportive audience. At the end of the semester, you will be asked to present a project that will be ongoing throughout the latter half of the semester. This will require that your group works efficiently together both inside, and potentially outside, of class to present a theory not covered during the course of our semester. More information pertaining to this assignment will be offered at a later time.

Critical Theory Papers : You will write 3 different critical theory papers. Each will be 4 to 5 pages—4 full pages, not 3 ½ and you may write up to 6 pages. Also use 12 pt. Times New Roman font and MLA formatting. Within these papers you will have the opportunity to engage a text using the theories and the key terms we have discussed and studied in class. For each paper I will hand out a prompt a week or two before the paper is due. These prompts will have more detailed instructions but will not be entirely limiting to your ideas or the directions you wish to take in your

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own academic and intelligent directions. In other words I won’t tell you what to write but I will provide guidelines and basic springboard.

Midterm and Final Exam : Twice throughout the semester you will be responsible for bringing a blue book to class and answering prompts related to what we’ve covered to that point. It is a written exam that will be taken without notes.

Extra Credit : There will be certain events occurring on campus or at UTSA that you will be encouraged to attend. In order to receive extra credit, submit a two page typed paper discussing how the event relates to what has been learned in the course. I should be able to tell that you attended the full even through the analysis you offer. You must submit this work no more than a week after the event occurs, and you must provide proof of your attendance (a program, ticket, etc). Three assignments will equal one point added to your final exam OR midterm grade and must be submitted before exams are taken. No more than five points may be added for either the final or midterm. On the syllabus schedule you’ll see some days designated with asterisks (*). This indicates that there is an opportunity to attend an event to receive extra credit. Please note that there is one required event (the Actors from the London Stage will perform King Lear).

Class Date Class Plan Assignment(s) – to be completed prior to next

class meeting(W) 8/26 Introductions, Syllabus CTT 1-10

(F) 8/28 Introductions. Theory? CTT 11-26 Psychoanalytic Theory

Week 2(M) 8/31 Discuss Psychoanalytic Criticism CTT 26-39(W) 9/2 Discuss Psychoanalytic Criticism CTT 39-49, Initial Post due

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(Battlestar Galactica) before class time on Friday(F) 9/4 Psychoanalytic Theory Applied “The Conquest of Gola” by

Leslie F. Stone” Reading will be posted on WebCT. Response to another student due before class on Wednesday (due to Holiday)

Week 3(M) 9/7 Holiday – No class Have your response to

another student’s post prepared before class time on Wednesday.

(W) 9/9 Conclude discussion on Psychoanalysis CTT 53-68(F) 9/11 Marxist Criticism CTT 69-79

Week 4(M) 9/14 Marxist Criticism Read “Marxist Theory and

Science Fiction” (posted on WebCT or handed out in class)

(W) 9/16 Marxist Criticism Initial Post due before class time on Friday

(F) 9/18 Marxist Criticism*Lecture by Prof. Lyle Campbell, Director for the Center for American Indian Languages, “What we gain from documenting endangered languages” @ 7 p.m. (location TBA)

Read “Deep End” by Nisi Shawl (posted on WebCT or handed out in class)Have your response to another student’s post prepared before class time on Monday.

Week 5(M) 9/21 Conclude discussion on Marxist Criticism Critical Theory Paper 1 due

next time (start of class!)(W) 9/23 Submit Critical Theory Paper #1, Tomás

Rivera Center visitorsCTT 83-105

(F) 9/25 Feminist Criticism CTT 105-131

Week 6(M) 9/28 Feminist Criticism Read “Feminist Theory and

Science Fiction” posted on WebCT or handed out in class

(W) 9/30 Feminist Criticism Read “A Habit of Waste” by Nalo Hopkinson (WebCT)Post Initial Response on WebCT Discussion Board

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by class time Friday(F) 10/2 No Class – you should still post your

initial response by the time your class would start today

Post response to another student’s work by class time Monday

Week 7(M) 10/5 Feminist Criticism (response due by class

time)Read “She Undoes” by Greer Gilman (WebCT)

(W) 10/7 Feminist Criticism and Poetry*Field Activity: You are REQUIRED to see one of the two performances. You will have to purchase tickets (there is a student discount). Actors from the London Stage perform King Lear @ 7 p.m. Recital Hall in the Arts Building

(F) 10/9 Midterm*Actors from the London Stage perform King Lear @ 7 p.m. Recital Hall in the Arts Building.

Week 8(M) 10/12 NO CLASS CTT 317-342(W) 10/14 Queer Theory(F) 10/16 Queer Theory Read “Lynx and Strand” by

Jewelle Gomez (WebCT) – Reading has been changed. Please consult WebCT for the update

Week 9(M) 10/19 Queer Theory “Science Fiction and Queer

Theory” (WebCT)(W) 10/21 Queer Theory(F) 10/23 Queer Theory CTT 359-384

Week 10(M) 10/26 African American Criticism CTT 385-395(W) 10/28 African American Criticism

*Brackenridge Distinguished Lecturer David Crystal “Pronouncing Shakespeare” in the Assembly Room of the JPL (4.03.12) @ 7 p.m.

Baldwin, “Notes of a Native Son”Post response on WebCT in Discussion Board area by class time Friday

(F) 10/30 African American CriticismInitial response due on WebCT*Brackenridge Lecture: “In Search of English” in the University Room, B.B. 2.06.04 @ 1 p.m.

“The Space Traders” by BellRespond to another student’s post on WebCT by class time MondayComplete Critical Theory Paper #2 for submission on Monday

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Week 11(M) 11/2 Critical Theory Paper #2 Due

African American CriticismReadings TBA

(W) 11/4 African American Criticism – conclusion(F) 11/6 Begin final project group work CTT 417-431

Week 12(M) 11/9 Postcolonial Theory Readings TBA(W) 11/11 Postcolonial Theory Readings TBA(F) 11/13 No Class

Week 13(M) 11/16 Postcolonial Theory Readings TBA(W) 11/18 Postcolonial Theory-conclude discussion CTT 169-188

Initial response due on WebCT by class time Friday

(F) 11/20 Continue Group WorkResponse due on WebCT

Respond to another student’s post by class time Monday.

Week 14(M) 11/23 Reader Response

Group work, prepare for online WebCT post (due Wednesday night, if not sooner!)

CTT 250-266Choose a poem from http://www.sfpoetry.com/starlinearchive/starlinearchive.html to read, print, and bring to class for analysis on Wednesday

(W) 11/25 Critical Theory Paper 3 DueApplication of Reader Response Review

Have your Group post ready by 7 p.m. Wednesday, 11/25 (each person in the group should post one response in your area, with at least 125-150 words each. You can apply the theory, or just explain the concepts)

(F) 11/27 Holiday – No ClassWeek 15

(M) 11/30 Group Presentations(W) 12/2 Group Presentations(F) 12/4 Group Presentations

Class wrap-up(last day of classes!)

Study Days, Final(M) 12/7 Study Day(T) 12/15 Final

2213.001 @ 7:30 a.m.

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http://www.sfpoetry.com/starlinearchive/starlinearchive.html




2213.004 @ 1:30 p.m.

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english 2213: literary criticism and...

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