ENGL 2300-04:  Practical Criticism (TR 5:30-6:45, Pafford 107)

 

 

Dr. Joshua Masters, TLC 2240

Phone: 678-839-4862

Email: jmasters@westga.edu

Website: http://www.westga.edu/~jmasters/

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30-4:30; Wednesday, 10-12 & 1-5, and by appt.

 

Description

 

Practical Criticism introduces students to the English major and the discipline of literary studies. In it you will develop the analytical, writing, and research skills necessary to succeed in the major. The course will also introduce you to three interrelated critical approaches to the study of literature and culture: new historicism, gender theory, and minority discourse/cultural studies. The primary focus, however, is refining your skills in writing thesis-driven critical essays, and thus the theory will always be employed in the service of your own original ideas and arguments about particular works of literature. My goal is that you leave this class knowing what it means to be “an English major (or minor)” and that you develop the reading, writing, and analytical necessary to be a really good one. And, that you learn how to write really cool and interesting papers. Three collections of short stories will provide the literary material that inspires our interpretation, analysis, and critical writing.

 

Required Texts

 

James Baldwin, Going to Meet the Man

Raymond Carver, Where I’m Calling From

Flannery O’Connor, The Complete Stories

(All theoretical and critical material will be on electronic reserve in the library.)

 

Requirements

 

Students are expected to complete the day’s reading assignment in advance and come to class prepared to participate in discussion. Students must maintain a reading-quiz average of 65% or higher in order to pass the class. Other requirements include a series of short responses and process-based writing assignments, a five-page paper, an oral presentation, and a ten-page final project. Students in this class must complete the day’s reading assignment in advance and come to class prepared to participate in discussion. If you cannot keep up with the reading, you will fail the class.

 

 

 

Explanation of Course Requirements

 

Final Grade: To pass the course, students must turn in all written work, have less than five absences, and earn a passing quiz grade. If you average less than 65% on quizzes, you will not pass the course. Your final grade is comprised of the following: Final Paper (25%); Two Five-Page Essays (25%); Quizzes (20%); Process-Based Writing Assignments (20%); Oral Presentation (5%); Participation (5%).  Note: I am always happy to discuss your progress in the class with you and explain my evaluation of your work. You can expect to receive the grade you earn in this class; please refrain from telling me what grade you “need” in the class (for Hope, for athletics, to fulfill a dying relative’s final request, etc.), or what grade you “really want” (presumably an A).

 

Essays: Your basic task for each paper is to produce a well-written, coherent essay whose central argument is both interesting and significant. Your essays will be thesis-driven, argumentative papers, and your grade will be determined by the complexity of your central argument, the structure of your paragraphs, the logic of your organization, and the strength of your prose (i.e. your writing). Your papers, especially your final research project, will also be evaluated in terms of their use of secondary sources and the originality of your scholarship.

 

Late Essays: I will accept late essays, but always with a penalty. For each weekday that a paper is late, 1/3 of a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade. For instance, if the paper is due on Tuesday and you turn it in on Wednesday, you will lose 1/3 of a grade (i.e. a C+ becomes a C). If you turn it in on Thursday, 2/3 of a grade is deducted (a C+ becomes a C-). Emailed papers will not be accepted, although a student who needs to establish a date and time of completion can send an attachment. All papers must be handed to me and entered as received.

 

Reading Assignments: The reading assignments can be found on the online syllabus in Dr. Masters’ website (http://www.westga.edu/~jmasters/). All reading will be due on Tuesday, and you can expect to read about 100 pages each week. Remember, Tuesday’s quizzes are open note, so write down names and descriptions of important characters and significant plot developments in the stories and the main ideas and arguments of the critical readings. (Slight changes and modifications are always a part of the semester, so plan to consult the online syllabus regularly. All changes will be announced in class well in advance.)

 

Quizzes: At the beginning of each Tuesday class, you will take a comprehensive, fact-based quiz on the week’s reading assignment. Once the quiz is distributed, the door to the class will close, and you will have about five minutes to complete the quiz. If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to take the quiz, and you must wait outside until the quiz is completed. If you are absent for whatever reason, you will not be allowed to retake a quiz. Under no circumstances will I give make-up quizzes. However, each student can arrange to take one quiz in advance.If at anytime during the semester it becomes mathematically impossible for a student to earn a passing quiz score (at least a 65%), he or she will be told to stop coming to class. This policy is absolutely and utterly inflexible. Each quiz is worth 10 points, and at the end of the semester, assuming that you've earned the required 65%, I will then drop your lowest quiz score when determining your quiz average and quiz grade. All quizzes are open note (but not open book), and you are encouraged to bring notes based on the reading to class.

 

Process-Based Writing Assignments: At the beginning of each week, I will post Thursday’s writing assignment at the bottom of the online syllabus. All writing in this class submitted for credit must be typed. Your papers for this class will be written over a period of weeks rather than in one, long sleepless night. Expect Thursday assignments to be fairly involved affairs that take you through the process of writing a thesis-driven, critical essay. These assignments will be graded on a ten or twenty-point scale (depending on how involved they are), and the grade will be based on their level of completeness and the degree to which they follow my directions. Late assignments will penalized two points for each weekday that they are late.

 

Discussion and Attendance: Students are expected to attend every class and arrive on time, prepared, and eager to discuss the day’s reading. Your participation grade is based upon your performance in the class in terms of group work, discussion, and attendance habits. You are expected to demonstrate genuine engagement with the material, actively contribute to discussion topics, show adequate preparation for each class, and respect the ideas of your classmates. You must bring the text under discussion to every class, including a print-out of the reserve reading.

 

Cellphones and Sleeping: Don’t ever, ever fall asleep in this class, and I never want to see a cellphone. As soon as you see me, get the thing out of sight. If you fall asleep or use your cellphone in class (such as text-messaging and/or message checking), you will be asked to leave class and considered absent for that day.

 

Email: All official email correspondence must take place through UWG accounts; however, I will also be establishing a class list using your preferred email address for other forms of communication. Your emails should address me (“Dear Dr. Masters,” rather than “yo”), and they must be signed. Please proofread them and write in full sentences.

 

Tardiness and Leaving Early: If you arrive at class late or have to leave early, it counts as ½ of an absence. On Tuesdays, after quizzes are collected, the doors will be opened and late arrivals will be allowed to find a seat. If you are more than three minutes late, you will be marked as tardy.

 

Absences: I understand that illnesses and emergencies are a part of life, and therefore you are allowed to miss one class without penalty. (Thursday writing assignments can be sent to me in advance to avoid a late penalty, and I will allow each student to take one quiz early, but remember, no make-ups.) However, if you miss five classes, you will automatically fail the class, no exceptions. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences unless the absence is due to participation in an official University activity (such as band, sports, debate, etc.). If you add the class after Tuesday, you will not be counted as absent. However, you are responsible for contacting me and being prepared by Thursday.

 

My Plagiarism Policy: If a student is caught plagiarizing (and this includes short writing assignments) or cheating on a quiz, he or she will automatically fail the course. No exceptions. Also, I consider Cliffnotes, Sparknotes, and other similar “resources” out of bounds. You must complete the reading on your own and do your own thinking in the class. Quizzes will be designed in such a way that these “sources” will be of no use to you.

 

Departmental Plagiarism Policy: The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources. The Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments. An equally dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth. Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course.

 

Reporting Procedures for Plagiarism:
Each incidence of plagiarism is subject to review and consideration by the instructor, and is subject to a range of penalties including but not limited to failing the assignment, failing the course, and referral to the disciplinary review board (which may ultimately result in the expulsion, suspension, or disciplinary removal of the student from the university). In order to facilitate the prevention and detection of plagiarism the Department of English and the University of West Georgia will maintain records of plagiarized assignments and those who prepare and/or submit them.

 

Course Goals

 

Program Goals

 

Students with disabilities should meet with me at the beginning of the semester, and we will make any necessary arrangements.

 

Reading and Assignment Schedule

 

1/10:  Introduction to Class: The Popular Mechanics of Practical Criticism

 

1/15: Carver: “The Student’s Wife,” “Gazebo,” “Why Don’t You Dance,” “So Much Water…”

                Critical Reading: Bressler, Chapter 7 (“Feminism,” a.k.a. Gender Studies)

1/17: See online syllabus for writing assignment (10 points).

 

1/22: Carver: “Vitamins,” “Feathers,” “Cathedral”

                Critical Reading: Bressler, Chapter 10 (“Cultural Studies”)

1/24:  See online syllabus for writing assignment (10 points).

 

1/29:  Carver: "Fever" and “A Small, Good Thing”

                Critical Reading: Bressler, Chapter 9 (“New Historicism”)

1/31:   Paper Proposal Due (10 points).

 

2/5:  Mountain of Notes Due, at least two single-spaced pages. (20 points)

2/7:   Detailed Outline Due. (20 points)

 

2/12:  Baldwin: “The Rockpile,” “The Manchild”

                Critical Reading (Gender Studies): Johnson, Chapter 2 from The Gender Knot

2/14: Rough Draft of Paper #1 Due. (20 points)

 

2/19: Baldwin: “Sonny’s Blues”

                Critical Reading (Cultural Studies): Balfour, Chapter 1 from The Evidence of Things Not Said.

2/21: Final Draft of Paper #1 Due.

 

2/26: Baldwin: “Previous Condition,” “This Morning, This Evening, So Soon” and “Going to Meet the Man”

                Critical Reading (New Historicism): Foucault, "The Panopticon."

2/28: Last Day to Withdraw with a "W" is Mon, March 3rd. Paper proposal #2 due (10 points).

 

3/4: Cultural artifact assignment due (10 points).

3/6:  Mountain of Notes #2, at least three single-spaced pages (20 points).

 

3/11: Detailed outline of paper #2 due (20 points)

3/13: Introductory Paragraph of Paper #2 due (10 points).

 

3/18: Spring Break

3/20: Spring Break

 

3/25: O’Connor: “Good Country People” “A Good Man is Hard to Find,”  “Everything that Rises,” “Revelation”

                Critical Reading (Gender Studies): Essays from Southern Manhood: Friend and Glover, Edward Baptiste.

3/27: Complete Rough Draft of Paper #2 Due.

 

4/1:  O’Connor: “The Displaced Person” and “The Artificial Nigger,”

                Critical Reading (Cultrual Studies): Excerpt from Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark.

4/3: Complete Final Draft of Paper #2 Due.

 

4/8:  O’Connor: “A View of the Woods,” “The Lame Shall Enter First,” “Parker’s Back”

                Critical Reading (New Historicism): David Pilgrim, Curator of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia.

4/10: Paper Proposal for final paper due (10 points).

 

4/15:  Artifact Oral Reports, Group 1. Prospectus due, Group 2 (20 points).

4/17:  Artifact Oral Reports, Group 2. Prospectus due, Group 1 (20 points).

 

4/22: Annotated Bibliography, four entries (20 points).

4/24: Complete Mountain of Notes, at least five single-spaced pages (20 points). Writing Workshop.

 

4/29: First five pages of paper due (20 points).

 

5/6: Final Papers due in my office by 5 p.m.

 

 

 Writing Assignment for Thursday, January 17th

 

For your first assignment, please write a single (well structured) paragraph that focuses on one of Carver's stories from this week's reading that we didn't discuss in class. Your goal is to approach the story's meaning through a feminist lens (keeping in mind that there are many feminisms). Your paragraph should open with a significant and/or interesting claim (i.e. an argument), and in the paragraph you should include one direct quotation from the story and one from Bressler's Chapter 7.  The quotations should be properly punctuated and cited. After your opening argument, choose a specific moment (or statement) from the story that, when analyzed, helps you to prove your larger point. Then, how does a particular theory or idea from Chapter 7 help to unpack the meaning of that moment? Please include a works cited page, formatted according to the MLA Template.

A double-spaced paragraph that's about 2/3 of a page long would be ideal. You'll probably want to write more, but keep yourself to a paragraph.

 

Writing Assignment for 1/24

Your second assignment is similar to your first, which gives you a chance to correct any problems that showed up there. As I should probably always say, I'm much more interested in your ideas, thoughts, and interpretations than in the MLA and sentence-level stuff; however, your actual score on these assignments is quantitative rather than qualitative. So, please follow the directions below carefully, and be sure to get your citations in MLA format, including your works cited page. See the MLA Template if you're unsure. (Note: if you received an asterisk for your previous works cited page, you don't need to turn in another one in.)

Once again, write your response in the form of a single, well structured paragraph, focusing on any one of the three new stories for this week. Your paragraph should open with a significant and/or interesting claim (i.e. an argument), one that's informed by one of the critical lenses that Bressler discusses in Chapter 10. The paragraph should include one direct quotation from the story and one from Chapter 10, and they must be accurately quoted and properly cited. After you establish your central idea, choose a specific moment (or statement) from the story that, when analyzed, helps you to prove your larger point, and think about how a particular theory or idea from Chapter 10 helps to unpack the meaning of that moment.

Be sure to introduce the author and the story before you actually cite the text, and try to precede your quotations with introductions that provide some context. Please look over the MLA Template, noting especially the paragraph on page three that gives some advice on how to signal and/or introduce a quotation. Remember to include a works cited page if you didn't get it perfect the first time.

Bring a hard-copy of the assignment to class.

 

Writing Assignment for 1/31

 

The first step in writing a paper is selecting a text (in this case, a Carver story), a focus, and a critical approach that you think will best help you to examine, unpack, and investigate the text’s meanings and implications. For your paper proposal, write up a one page (double-spaced) narrative that indicates the story you’ve chosen to explore, the thematic elements that interest you, and how and why the critical approach you’ve chosen will help you to analyze the story and assess its larger meaning. The writing can be fairly informal (although it should be proofread and edited); consider it a letter or memo to yourself that describes the project you're envisioning. Within the proposal, generate at least five questions that your paper will attempt to answer about the story based on your critical approach.

 

Mountain of Notes Sample

Sample Outline

 

Turning in Your final Papers 2/21

 

Papers are due at the beginning of class. Please include all the process-based assignments plus any in-class workshop sheets on one side of a pocket folder (let's say the left for the sake of specificity), and place your final draft (with a title page: see Title Page Template) on the other side. A complete folder will include: paper proposal, mountain of notes, outline (with outline workshop sheet), and rough draft (with workshop self-evaluation), and, of course, the final draft of your brilliant Carver essay. Make sure you follow the format guidelines provided by the MLA Format Template for your final draft.

Paper Proposals for 2/28

Plan to turn in about a one page, double-spaced description of the Baldwin paper you envision yourself writing. Again, you can write it as a kind of letter to yourself, since it's purely speculative. What story have you decided to work on, and why? What do you see as some of the key thematic elements in it? At this point, what do you see as the relationship between those elements? Finally, think of three possible New Historical cultural artifacts that you could potentially investigate. At least one should be internal to the text. For instance, a paper on "Vitamins" might investigate the history of black Viet Nam vets, or it could look at the vitamins industry in the 1970s. At least one should also be external to the story. "Vitamins" is set during the Nixon years, for instance, so you could look into Nixon as a white male authority figure, or you could for look for a document, legal case, social movement, or cultural expression--a piece of music, for example--that sheds socio-historical light on the story.

March 13th Assignment

Given my two week and two day turnaround on your first papers, I'm offering a slight reprieve on your Baldwin papers. Please note the revised dates on the syllabus above. For tomorrow, you only need to have a draft of your paper's opening paragraph. In it, you should seek to create a compelling narrative of your historical artifact as a way of both contextualizing your story and also leading into it. If you would also like to work up a version of your second paragraph (which, in this case, will be the paragraph that frames your actual thesis about the story), I encourage you to do so. Please email me the paragraph(s) as an attachment by Thursday morning. I will immediately respond to let you know I received it. If you don't get a response, try sending it from an alternate email account. If you would prefer that the class not be sent your paragraph for workshopping purposes, please let me know.

The syllabus now reflects the revised due dates. You'll want to get a complete draft of the Baldwin paper done before you throw yourself into the world of Flannery O'Connor. Towards the end of spring break, when you're ready to dive back into your work, I strongly recommend you put together a draft of the paper. You can then meet with me to discuss it right after break, and you'll then have another week to iron out the rough patches.

evidence