Syllabus
Adam Bradford
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Office: 420 EPB, Hours – M: 10:30 -1:30
Mailbox: 308 EPB (below my name)
Course Description
For the purposes of this class, I find it helpful to think about literature as a conversation between an author and a reader – a conversation where the author has had his or her say, and now it is your turn to respond. Sound easy, sound hard? Forget about trying to discover “the real meaning” of a text (it’s arguable whether any such thing exists), and concentrate on what the text says to you. Do this, and you have taken a significant step towards “interpreting” literature. If you couple this with a little social and historical research investigating the context in which the work was written, you might just find yourself with quite a bit to add to the conversation. Where else, but in a book, do you get to experience someone speaking to you from across the enormous distance of space and time that books sometimes seem to transcend? What are these texts saying to you, why are they saying it, and what will you say back to them? If, as individuals and as a class, we can address these questions, we will be “interpreting” literature – our goal for the semester. Because you are an indispensable part of this interpretive equation, class participation is a must. It will be your thoughts, your insights, and your frustrations that will help move us along in our exploration. As you experience each one of these texts, each “conversation,” you will need to read and think carefully, and share those thoughts with the rest of us – doing so will make the semester, and the conversation, a success.
Required Materials: (All books available at the University Bookstore/IMU):
Kushner, Tony. Angels in
Communications)
Morrison, Toni. Sula. (Random House)
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse Five. (Dell)
Literature: A Portable Anthology, eds. Janet E. Gardner, Beverly Lawn, Jack Ridl,
and Peter Schakel. (Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press)
A few dollars for printing/copying
Coursework
The bulk of your grade (25%) will come from your participation in class. This means that you must do the reading and you must come prepared to talk about what you have read. In addition to your participation in class, you will be responsible for completing a variety of shorter writings (reader responses, reader’s autobiography, class activity writing assignments), an in-class presentation, two critical essays, and a final exam. You will also be responsible for contributing to our class through consistent, lively class participation.
Grading
Essay #1 15%
Essay #2 20%
Shorter Writings 15%
Presentation 10%
Final 10%
Autobiography 5%
Participation 25%
Grades for the course will be given on an A,B,C,D,F scale (with plus and minuses). The average grade in this course is a C. This grade means that you have met all of the basic requirements of the course, produced competent college-level work, and participated regularly in class discussions. To earn a B you must produce well-crafted work that shows signs of revision, careful thought, and moments of real insight. In addition, you must participate regularly in class discussions. To Earn an A you must produce outstanding, well-polished work that demonstrates significant effort, focused creativity and sustained insight - regular, thoughtful class participation is also required. A grade of D or lower means that you have not shown consistent work in your assignments, have not made suitable attempts to improve your work, and have not participated regularly in class discussions, thereby failing to meet the minimum requirements for this class.
Grades for assignments will be given on an A, B, C, D, F scale (with plus and minuses) with the exception of some of the shorter writings (in which case a 5-1 point scale will be used with 5 being the highest). I am happy to discuss grades with you during my office hours and by appointment. I cannot discuss grades over email.
Attendance
Your attendance is crucial to the success of this class, and to your overall grade. You cannot be a regular participant if you are not in attendance. Therefore, attendance in this course is required and will be taken daily. Repeated absences will unquestionably affect your participation grade and excessive absences (nine or more) may result in your failing the course. Excused absences are permitted, but require documentation on your return to class. Examples of excused absences include: illness, authorized University activities, religious holidays, etc. In addition, if you know you will be absent on a particular day, please see or email me in advance of the absence to discuss make-up work.
Late Work
I do not accept late work. All shorter writings (mainly reading responses) are to be submitted on ICON by 11:59 the day prior to their discussion. All other work (essays and Autobiography of a Reader) is to be submitted on ICON by 8a.m. the day it is due – you will not be allowed to submit work after this time. Students whose excused University absence is known about ahead of time are responsible for turning in their work prior to the due date, or according to arrangements made with me well in advance of the absence. Students whose excused University absence is unplanned can meet with me individually after the absence to discuss the situation.
Submitting Your Work
Unless otherwise stated in class, all assignments should be submitted to me via ICON. Shorter writings are due by 11:59 the day prior to discussion, and all other assignments by 8 a.m. the day they are due. Instructions for how to submit individual assignments will be covered in class.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is using someone else’s ideas or words without acknowledging where you got them. Plagiarism constitutes cheating and is taken extremely seriously. Do Not Plagiarize. If you copy words or ideas from any source – published or unpublished – and do not use quotation marks and cite your source, you are committing plagiarism. I will assign a grade of “0” to any plagiarized work and refer the student to the college for further disciplinary action. University penalties for plagiarism include academic probation, suspension, and expulsion. Again, Do Not Plagiarize.
Writing Center
Ambitious students determined to improve their writing are encouraged to enroll in the
Email Tutoring is available through the website http://www.uiowa.edu/~writingc/ where you will also find information about writing center services.
Students With Disabilities
I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability that may require some modifications of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Please see me during my office hours to discuss these matters.
Class Grievances
Please feel free to discuss with me any problem that arises within the context of this class. You are welcome to ask any questions or make any comments about what is happening in the course throughout the semester. If you ever feel that I have not given you a fair hearing, you may direct your concerns to the following people:
Coursework Concerns: Program Associates
64 EPB, 335-0484
Grade Concerns: Program Associates
64 EPB, 335-0484
Ask for Jessica Despain, Kate Henderson, or
Deborah Manion
All other Concerns: Brooks Landon, Program Director
376 EPB, 335-0641
Add/Drop Notification
This course is given by the
Course Schedule
(Please remember, all reading responses and shorter writings will be due by 11:59 the day prior to discussion, all other papers by 8 a.m. the day they are due)
Unit 1: Text: Mediating Contact
Week 1
W – 1/17 – Course Beginnings - Assign
F – 1/19 – “Young Goodman Brown” – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Week 2
M – 1/22 – “The Rocking–Horse Winner” – D.H. Lawrence – Autobiography of a Reader Due
W – 1/24 – “The Necklace” – Guy de Maupassant
F – 1/26 – Sonnets 18, 73, 116, 130 – William Shakespeare
Week 3
M – 1/29 - Hamlet Act I, Scenes 1-3 -- Assign Essay #1
W – 1/31 – Hamlet – Act I, Scenes 4-5, Act II
F – 2/2 – Hamlet – Act III
Week 4
M – 2/5 – Hamlet Act IV
W – 2/7 – Hamlet Act V
F – 2/9 – No
Unit 2 : Context: “No (Text) is an Island Entire of Itself”
Week 5
M – 2/12 – “A&P” – John Updike
W – 2/14 – “One Art” – Elizabeth Bishop, “To His Coy Mistress” – Andrew Marvell, “On Her Loving Two Equally” – Aphra Behn
F – 2/16 – “The Things They Carried” – Tim O’Brien – Essay #1 Due
Week 6
M – 2/19 – Slaughterhouse Five – through pg. 22
W – 2/21– Slaughterhouse Five – through pg. 71
F – 2/23 - Slaughterhouse Five – through pg. 135
Week 7
M – 2/26 – Slaughterhouse Five – through pg. 181
W – 2/28 – Slaughterhouse Five – through pg. 215
F – 3/2 – No
Unit 3: Self: Constituting Identity
Week 8
3/5 - M – “The Love-Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – T.S. Eliot
3/7 - W – Angels in
3/9 - F – Angels in
Week 9 – Spring Break
No
Week 10
M – 3/19 – Angels in
W – 3/21 – Angels in
F – 3/23 – No
Week 11
M – 3/26 – Angels Viewing
W – 3/28 – Angels Viewing
F – 3/30 – “The Lottery” – Shirley Jackson
Unit 4: Reader, Text, World – An Intimate Conversation
Week 12
M – 4/2 – “The House on
W – 4/4 – “The Negro Sings of Rivers” – Langston Hughes, “
F – 4/6 – “Barn Burning” – William Faulkner
Week 13
M – 4/9 – Sula - through pg. 29
W - 4/11 – Sula – through pg. 66
F– 4/13 - Sula – through pg.85
Week 14
M – 4/16 – Sula – through pg. 111
W – 4/18 – Sula – through pg. 137
F – 4/20 – Sula – through pg. 174
Week 15
M – 4/23 – “The Chrysanthemums” – John Steinbeck
W – 4/25 – “The White Heron” – Sarah Orne Jewett
F – 4/27 – “The Cask of Amontillado” – E.A. Poe
Week 16
M – 4/30 – “Out of the Cradle, Endlessly Rocking,” “Crossing
W – 5/2 – “Song of Myself” (467-479)
F – 5/4 – End of Class Business, TBD
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE: For Sec 007 (meets at 8:30) – Friday, May 11th @ 9:45 am
For Sec 014 (meets at 9:30) – Wednesday May 9th @ 12:00 pm
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