English 101: Introduction to Literary Criticism
Professor Noelle Brada-Williams
Class: Thursday 7-9:45 PM, SH 240
Office: FO 110
Office Hours: M&W 10:30-11:30 AM and
T & TH 6:30-7 PM,
additional times by appointment,.
Phone: 924-4439
Email:awilli@email.sjsu.edu(no attachments) Website: www.sjsu.edu/faculty/awilliams
Study and application of various historical and contemporary approaches to literature, such as formalism, structuralism, New Criticism, cultural studies, New Historicism, post-structuralism, Marxism, post-colonialism, feminism, etc.
Course Objectives:
1. Explore a wide variety of approaches to literature.
2. Learn to apply these methodologies directly to literary texts, especially to works of prose and drama (and build on the skills learned in 100W in regards to analyzing poetry).
3. Attain a knowledge of the tools of analysis necessary for work in our discipline.
4. Complete a minimum of 5,000 words in written assignments.
Course Requirements and Grading:
Coursework includes reading assignments (see schedule below); four researched essays, a take-home midterm essay and eight one-page "informal" applications. The informal applications give you practice with the methodologies being discussed but are graded only on a "check-off" or pass/fail basis. When you develop an argument that is much larger than can be articulated in a 1-page essay, an outline of the larger argument will be accepted. These are also designed to spur you to keep up with the substantial and sometimes difficult reading required in this class. Late formal paper policy: keeping in mind the many emergencies and unforeseen events that can occur in the average SJSU student's life, I have a very generous extension policy. As long as you give me the request in writing (complete with a new deadline) before the paper's due date, most requests for an extension of a couple days will be granted. If the original deadline is passed by a student who has not received an extension or an extended deadline has been passed, 10% of the total points possible will be taken off for lateness. If the original or extended deadline is passed by 7 calendar days, the paper will not be accepted (these rules are subject to change by the professor who takes over my class when I go on maternity leave). Please note that anything which receives an extension will not be graded and returned to its author until after all of the papers which were turned in on time are graded. You are required to submit all of the 4 formal papers to www.turnitin.com. The course id is ì1245601î and the course password is ìcriticism.î "Participating" is defined in this class as doing the reading and being able and willing to respond to the comments and questions of both the professor and your fellow students on a daily basis. As it is usually impossible for every student to speak or respond to questions during the course of a class, reading quizzes will also be given occasionally to ensure that students are indeed completing and understanding the readings. These quizzes and weekly informal writing projects will help to determine the participation grade for the day that they are due. This course has been structured around the concept of a lab or workshop in which you need to bring your materials (the texts) to class and you need to be prepared to actively apply the methods we are learning to these materials. Time spent in class will also include lecture & note-taking, small group and general discussion, and student presentations. One presentation will be a required part of formal assignment #1 (the review). This and other presentations, besides preparing you as active and articulate English majors are also a requirement for Credential Candidates who are training to speak in front of a classroom as a profession. .
Paper 1: review essay/presentation presentation and 2 page/700 word max. summary/analysis of 1 article 10% Paper 2: critical analysis 5-7 page/1750-2450 word researched analysis 25% Take-home Midterm 6 pages/2100 word maximum 20% Paper 3: Proposal 1- page/350-word max. proposal for paper 4 plus annotated bibliography of 2+ sources 10% Paper 4: critical analysis 5-7 page/1750-2450 word researched analysis 25% Class Participation/Informal Writing Up to 15 class meetings, occasional quizzes and 8 "informal" applications 10% Total Course = 100% The following statement has been adopted by the Department of English for inclusion in all syllabi:
In English Department Courses, instructors will comment on and grade the quality of student writing as well as the quality of ideas being conveyed. All student writing should be distinguished by correct grammar and punctuation, appropriate diction and syntax, and well-organized paragraphs.
The Department of English reaffirms its commitment to the differential grading scale as defined in the SJSU Catalog ("The Grading System"). Grades issued must represent a full range of student performance: A = excellent; B = above average; C = average; D = below average; F = failure.
In written assignments for English 101, this scale is based on the following criteria:
A [90-92=A-, 93-96=A, 97-100=A+] = Excellent: The "A" essay is articulate and well developed with fluid transitions and a clear and persuasive use of evidence, which is drawn from the literary text itself, lecture materials (when appropriate), and research materials. An "A" essay contains a fresh insight which teaches the reader something new about the subject matter.
B [80-82=B-, 83-86=B, 87-89=B+] Above average: The "B" essay demonstrates a good understanding of its subject, a clear and persuasive use of evidence, a certain level of ease of expression, and solid organization. However, it usually lacks the level of originality and creativity that characterizes the insight found in an "A" essay.
C [70-72=C-, 73-76=C, 77-79=C+] = Average: The "C" essay makes a good attempt at all the assignment's requirements. It has a reasonable understanding of its subject matter but its ideas are frequently simplistic or over-generalized. The writing style is also more bland and repetitive than the style shown by "A" and "B" essays and it often contains flaws in grammar, punctuation, spelling and/or word choice. It may also use textual evidence out of context.
D [60-62=D-, 63-66=D, 67-69=D+] = Below average: The "D" essay is poorly organized and generally unclear. It has inappropriate or inadequate examples, is noticeably superficial or simplistic, and/or contains some serious mechanical and grammatical problems. A "D" essay may also reveal some misunderstanding of the assignment requirements.
F = Failure: An "F" essay has not addressed the requirements of the assignment and is unacceptable work in terms of both form and content.The university has defined plagiarism as ìThe act of incorporating the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, or parts of, and/or the specific substance of anotherís work, without giving appropriate credit, and/or representing the product as oneís own work;î (excerpt from the compete policy which can be found at http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.pdf or in html format at: http://www2.sjsu.edu/senate/S04-12.htm).The misrepresentation of another's work as one's own, whether the original work is published or not, is plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. The incident will also be reported to the university for possible further action. All quotes must be enclosed in quotation marks or, when more than three lines, put in an indented block like the quote above. Full citation of the original author and source must also be included. For all papers, utilize proper MLA-style formatting & citation. Your final requirement in the course is to be courteous and professional to both classmates and the professor. I realize that most people take this as a requirement in their daily lives and this statement does not need to be reiterated here. However, people sometimes forget that the classroom is a professional setting and rules that govern a business meeting in a corporation, apply here. For example, devices such as cell phones and pagers need to be turned off; coming to class late is unacceptable.
5 Required Texts:
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby. 1925. With notes & preface by Matthew J. Bruccoli. New York: Scribners, 1995.
Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray, The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms.
William Shakespeare. Hamlet Ed. Susan Wofford. Bedford St Martin's 1994.
Lois Tyson, Critical Theory Today. New York & London: Garland, 1999.
English 101 reader, available at Maple PressRecommended/Optional Texts:
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: MLA, 1999.
William Shakespeare. Twelfth Night St Martin's or the Bedford edition of Austenís Emma as an alternative text for paper four (there are also four optional short stories at the back of the 101 reader; check with current instructor before choosing an optional text).
For additional reading on theory, see Jonathan Culler's Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction and/or Terry Eagleton's Literary Theory: An Introduction.
[Do the assigned reading and writing in preparation for the discussion on the date on which the assignment is listed. Use your Bedford Handbook to look up pertinent terms for each week's topics/readings.] Reading and Writing Schedule:
Week One:
January 27: Introduction and review of English department learning goals and basic research methods in our discipline (take notes for later use in producing research papers).Week Two: Hamlet, Gatsby and Textual Criticism
February 3: Read all of Shakespeare's Hamlet (27-178) plus Wofford 15-19. Read Matthew Brucoli on "The Text of The Great Gatsby" (GG 191-194), "textual criticism" entry in Bedford Glossary, plus the first 102 pages of The Great Gatsby.Week Three: Formalism: The New Criticism
February 10: Finish The Great Gatsby and read Chapter 5 of Tyson (36 pages), and Cleanth Brooks' "Language of Paradox" (14 pages, in reader) and James Joyce's "Araby" (9 pages, in reader). Read "New Criticism" and other relevant sections of the Bedford Glossary. One-page informal application of New Criticism due (Inf. #1).Week Four: Rhetoric, Structuralism and Narratology
February 17: Read Virginia Woolf's "Kew Gardens" (6 pages, in reader), Chapter 7 of Tyson (44 pages). Umberto Eco's "Casablanca: Cult Movies and Intertextual Collage" (11 pages), Helena Viramontes' "Cariboo Café" (15 pages), and Wayne Booth's "Types of Narration" (17 pages). Read "structuralism," "structuralist criticism,""Russian Formalism" and any other relevant sections in the Bedford Glossary. One-page application of Structuralism due (Inf. #2).Week Five: Examining Examples of Refereed Literary Criticism
February 24: Read "A Critical History of Hamlet" (BH 181-207). 2-page Review of (an individually assigned) essay on Hamlet (Formal paper #1) due. Student presentations of their reviews.Week Six: Psychoanalytic Criticism
March 3: Read Chapter 2 of Tyson (35 pages), Freud's "Creative Writers and Daydreaming" (8 pages), and pages 241-282 in Wofford Hamlet, Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" (8 pages), and Yasunari Kawabata, "The Rainy Station" (8 pages). One-page application of Psychoanalysis due (Inf. #3).Week Seven: Marxist Criticism
March 10: Read Chapter 3 of Tyson (31 pages) Terry Eagleton, excerpt of
Marxism and Literary Criticism (19 pages). Read Wofford Hamlet pages 332-367. One-page application of Marxist criticism due (Inf. #4).Week Eight: Postcolonial and Race Criticism
March 17: Read Tyson chapter 11 (60 pages), Lois-Ann Yamanaka, "Obituary" (11 small pages);the excerpt from Lisa Lowe (24 pages); Sandra Cisneros, "Woman Hollering Creek" (14 pages); and Ana Maria Carbonell, "From Llorona to Gritona: Coatlicue In Feminist Tales by Viramontes and Cisneros" (21 pages). One-page application of postcolonial and/or race criticism due (Inf. #5).Week Nine: Paper Two, a Critical Analysis, Due and Midterm Begun.
March 24: Turn in Paper 2, an application of one form of criticism to a text assigned in 101. In-class screening of The Matrix.March 26th-April 3: Spring Break and Cesar Chavez Day
Week Ten: Deconstructive Criticism
April 7: Take-home midterm due (application of what you have learned so far to the film; MAXIMUM of 6 pages). Read Chapter 8 of Tyson (36 pages) and Wofford Hamlet 283-331, and Nguyen Qui Duc's "A Taste of Homeî (16 pages). Barbara Johnsonís ìNothing Fails Like Successî (6 pages) is recommended in order to understand the controversy stirred up by Deconstruction.Week Eleven: Reader Response
April 14: Read Chapter 6 of Tyson (43 pages), Andrew Lam's "Grandma's Tales" (6 pages), and Quang Bao's "Nobody Knows"(6 pages). One-page application of either Deconstruction or Reader Response criticism due (Inf. #6).Week Twelve: Lesbian, Gay, Queer/Gender Criticism and Introduction to Cultural Criticisms
April 21: Read Chapter 10 and 9 of Tyson (84 pages), and Judith Butler's "Critically Queer." One-page application of Gay, Lesbian, Queer or Gender Criticism, or another form of Cultural Criticism due (Inf. #7).Week Thirteen: New Historicism
April 28: Paper 3 due, a proposal and annotated bibliography of the argument you are planning for paper 4. Read Wofford Hamlet 368-402 and Louis Montrose, "The Poetics and Politics of Culture" (21 pages).Week Fourteen: Feminist Criticisms
May 5: Chapter 4 of Tyson (35 pages), and Wofford Hamlet 208-240. One-page application of either New Historicism or Feminist criticism (Inf. #8).Week Fifteen: Course Summary
May 12: Read Chapter 12 of Tyson. Additional reading TBA (based on the needs/preferences of the class). Quiz on key terms and concepts learned during the course of the semester; general discussion and summary of course.Final paper (essay 4) due by Thursday, May 19. Paper 4 is similar to paper 2 but it must be done on a text from a different genre than what you worked on for paper two (that is, if you wrote on a short story before, you need to write on the novel or play now, or vice versa). You need your current instructorís o.k. before you can write on one of the optional as opposed to required texts.