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Office: Rice 26 | |
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Spring 1999 |
Of. Hrs.: T 1-2:30, W 2:30-4:30; by appt. |
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TTh, 11:00-12:15 |
Phone: x8586 |
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Severance 301 |
Email: jeffrey.pence |
Texts
(Note: we will not be reading Neale Stephenson's Snow Crash in this course. That text will be used in another course I am teaching.)
Course Aims
This class is intended to serve three functions. First, it is an introduction to recent American fiction. By looking at a selection of contemporary novels, we will begin to consider the texts individually and in relation to each other and the socio-historical context of the United States at century's end. Second, the course serves as a preliminary briefing in the language and conceptual frames which contemporary literary scholars, critics and theorists use to make sense of these fictions. Reading, even "pleasure reading," is always an activity; our critical reading ought to lead to a self-conscious experience of "doing something" with a given narrative. Third, the class is an opportunity for you to improve your reading and writing skills. We'll work on these skills through oral and electronic discussion formats, presentations, and a series of writing assignments which develop in stages. You'll have a chance to try out your work in small groups, with a tutor, and in conference with me.
Course Policies & Requirements
Because we meet so few times over the course of a semester, I have a strict policy on attendance. I take attendance and your presence in class is mandatory. You may miss two classes without a viable excuse (official medical excuses and family emergencies are the only ones I have accepted). Beginning with the third unexcused absence, your grade will begin to decline. After five absences, you will "No Entry" the course. Also, consistent late arrivals are disruptive to the class and will adversely affect your grade.
I also require participation. I do this because oral communication in a group setting is an acquired skill, just like writing, and an important one, both in the context of this course and in general. Most people have to talk with other people in order to survive. Good participation isn't solely measured by the sheer quantity of words spoken. It also depends on developing one's ability to listen to others' statements, to incorporate their thinking into your own expressions, to ask questions, to clarify where a discussion has gone and how it could be improved, to make connections between others' statements. Feelings of reticence and discomfort speaking in a class are natural--but, then, so is writer's block. Neither are sufficient reasons for not working through the hesitancy and developing abilities and confidence in the required skills for this course. If you need help figuring out how to enter class discussion, come talk to me for some tips and strategies.
Naturally, readings are to be completed and considered before the class meeting for which they are assigned. Assume that 2/3 of each novel should be completed by the Tuesday of the week we begin discussion. Readings from Clayton must be completed by the Thursday of the week we discuss them. Our discussions will work best if you bring your texts to class. Annotate them--that is, write all over the books with your thoughts and responses--and you'll be a step ahead in the discussions and in writing your essays.
Likewise, written assignments are due at the beginning of the class for which they are assigned. Late work loses a third of a grade per day, beginning with that class. Documented excuses are permissible. We have a writing tutor for this class, whom you are encouraged to consult as a resource for thinking through paper ideas and revisions. In addition, you will be asked to meet in small groups of 3-4 to read over and respond to drafts of each other's essays.
Early in the semester, you'll be assigned to a small group. This is the group you will meet with for peer review of your writing, as well as the group you will make your presentation with.
Assignments
Aside from the basic procedures outlined and assumed above, there are three types of assignments for this course. They are listed and described below:
Essays: One essay of 1000-1500 words, due 3/18. One essay of 1500-2000 words, due 4/16. One essay of 2000-2500 words, due at the end of Reading Period. Each essay will combine required elements and freedom of choice in topic.
Listserv Discussion: The listserv for this course (named "English-238") is an electronic mailing list to which you have been subscribed upon registering for this course. You are required to post to this list at least twice per week. Don't think of these postings as mini-essays; rather, use them to speculate on some aspect of the reading you'd like to discuss, to highlight some connections or contradictions in the readings, or to engage with the ideas of another class member. By extension, telegraphic or unreflective postings also aren't what I'm after. I especially encourage postings which reply to other postings. I especially appreciate those which pursue discussions and interactions beyond the minimal requirement. Sometimes, as at the beginning of the semester, I may initiate discussion with a question; normally, I shouldn't have to. As with discussion in class, while there is some correlation between frequency of participation and quality, they are not identical.
Oral Presentations: 1) You are required, as part of a group of 3-4, to initiate a Thursday discussion of one of the assigned novels. While each member of the group should be ready to speak for 3-5 minutes, raising issues particular to that text or to the course as a whole, you should meet beforehand to develop and coordinate your ideas as a group. 2) You are required, at course's end, to give a brief presentation of your final essay project.
Grades
Your grade will be calculated as follows: the three formal essays account for 2/3 of your final; participation, including discussion, Listserv performance and presentations, equals 1/3 of your final.
Schedule
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Week 1 |
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2/9 |
Introductions and procedures |
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2/11 |
Clayton, "Culture/Narrative/Power" |
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Week 2 |
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2/16 |
Auster, City of Glass |
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2/18 |
Auster, cont.; Clayton, "The Story of Deconstruction" |
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Presentation Group #1 |
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Week 3 |
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2/23 |
DeLillo, White Noise |
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2/25 |
DeLillo, cont. |
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Presentation Group #2 |
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Week 4 |
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3/2 |
Phillips, Shelter |
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3/4 |
Phillips, cont.; Clayton, "Theories of Desire" |
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Presentation Group #3 |
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Week 5 |
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3/9 |
Erdrich, The Beet Queen |
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3/11 |
Erdrich, cont. |
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Presentation Group #4 |
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Week 6 |
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3/16 |
Peer Review in class |
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3/18 |
Essay #1 Due |
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Week 7 |
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SPRING BREAK |
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Week 8 |
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3/30 |
Johnson, Middle Passage |
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4/1 |
Johnson, cont.; Clayton, "The Narrative Turn in Minority Writing" |
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Presentation Group #5 |
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Week 9 |
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4/6 |
Momaday, The Ancient Child |
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4/8 |
Momaday, cont.; Clayton, "Rituals of Change: Ethnography on the Border" |
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Presentation Group #6 |
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Week 10 |
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4/13 |
Doctorow, Ragtime |
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4/15 |
Doctorow, cont. |
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4/16 |
Essay #2 Due |
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Week 11 |
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4/20 |
Allison, Bastard Out of Carolina |
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4/22 |
Allison, cont.; Clayton, "Feminism and the Politics of Community" |
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Presentation Group #7 |
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Week 12 |
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4/27 |
Morrison, Beloved |
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4/29 |
Morrison, cont. |
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Presentation Group #8 |
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Week 13 |
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5/4 |
Powers, Gain |
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5/6 |
Powers, cont.; Clayton, "Literature Without Masterpieces" |
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Presentation Group #9 |
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Week 14 |
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5/11 |
Presentations |
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5/13 |
Presentations, cont.; Final discussion |
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5/18 |
Reading Period ends: Essay #3 Due |
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