English 4165-01W

English 4165-01W: Contemporary American and British Lit (TR 2-3:15, HUM 209)

Dr. Joshua Masters, TLC 2244

Phone: 678-839-4862

Office Hours: Tuesday 12-2, Wednesday 11-5, Thursday 12-2, and by appt.

Description

This course examines literature produced in the U.S. and British Isles during the last thirty years, primarily focusing on that slippery entity known as “The Postmodern Novel.” Rather than basing the readings on a single unifying theme or overarching concern, the course is broken into four interdependent sections that reflect some of the prevailing concerns of contemporary authors writing in the “postmodern” era. Each section will include a pairing of fictional texts and at least one relevant critical article or excerpt. These works demonstrate a wide a range of perspectives—black and white, male and female, British and American—and collectively they suggest new ways to imagine the status of the individual, the boundaries of nationhood, and the meaning of such categories as race, ethnicity, class, and gender. The required texts are listed beneath their subject heading and also in the order in which they’ll be read.

I. “Apocalypse and Dystopia”

The Road, Cormac McCarthy

Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguru

Critical Text: Jean Baudrillard

II. “Deconstructing and Reconstructing Postmodernism”

White Noise, Don DeLillo

Time’s Arrow, Martin Amis

Critical Text: Michael Hardin

III. “Postmodern Identity”

Erasure, Percival Everett

Paradise, Toni Morrison

Critical Text: Toni Morrison

NOTE: Nights of the Circus has been removed.

Requirements

Students must maintain a reading-quiz average of 65% or higher and miss no more than four classes in order to pass the class. Other requirements include a series of short responses and process-based writing assignments, a five-page paper, a mid-term exam, 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 assigned written work, have no more than four 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 (35%); Quizzes (20%); Process-Based Writing Assignments (20%); Midterm essay (15%); Midterm Exam (10%).

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. Emailed papers will not be accepted; you must turn in a hard copy of the paper, along with all process-based writing assignments, in a two pocket folder.

Late Essays: I will accept late essays, but always with a penalty. A paper will be considered one day late if I do not receive it at the beginning of (or before) class. 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 before 5 p.m. 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-). Although I do not accept emailed papers, a student who needs to establish a date and time of completion can send an attachment. However, the student, not the teacher, is responsible for any computer or internet problems.

Reading Assignments: Consult the online syllabus for the schedule of reading assignments, which can be found on Dr. Masters’ website (http://www.westga.edu/~jmasters/). All reading will be due on Tuesday, and you can expect to read about 100-150 pages each week. All quizzes are open note (but not open book), so you should always assemble some reading notes once you’ve completed the assignment—names of characters, important events, central ideas, etc. (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.)

Quizzes: At the beginning of each Tuesday class, you will take a comprehensive, fact-based quiz on the week’s reading assignment. 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 any time 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: After each Tuesday class, 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 three points for each weekday that they are late.

Discussion and Preparation: Students are expected to attend every class and arrive on time, prepared, and eager to discuss the day’s reading. 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.

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 text in class, you will be asked to leave class and considered absent for that day.

Tardiness and Leaving Early: If you arrive to 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 four classes. However, there are consequences for missing more than one class, such as missing quizzes or having assignments counted as late. (Note: 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 after the fact.) 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 the first day of class, you will not be counted as absent. If you are registered for the class and are absent, it counts as an absence. Students are responsible for contacting me and being prepared for the second class.

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

Students will understand a range of texts in various genres from the recent literary traditions of the British Isles and the United States and how those texts relate to each other and to the historical literary traditions of the respective cultures.
Students will become familiar with the distinctive properties of literary expression in these countries during the preceding three decades.
Students will appreciate that social, political, economic, and historical influences shape the production of literary texts.
Students will consider the connections between the literary representations of their era and their own experience of the world.
Students will demonstrate in both oral and written work a discipline-specific critical facility through convincing and well-supported analysis of related material.
Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and the tenets of sound composition by means of thesis-driven analytical prose.
Students will learn to use discipline-specific computer technologies related to the study of language such as listservs, word processing, and internet research.

Program Goals

This course fulfills one of the departmental requirements for the completion of the English major.
Students will develop the analytical, oral and written skills to pursue graduate study or careers in teaching, writing, business and a variety of other fields.
Students will be able to define and pursue independent research agendas.
This course contributes to the program goal of equipping students with a foundation in literary history and the issues surrounding literary study in contemporary culture.
This course broadens students' desire and ability to take pleasure in their encounter with literature.

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

The reading schedule and assignment due dates are posted on the online syllabus. Slight changes and modifications are always a part of the semester, so plan to consult the online syllabus regularly (before each class). All changes will be announced in class well in advance.

Reading and Assignment Schedule (Subject to Revision)

8/12: Introduction to Class. Syllabus and Carver story "Viewfinder" handed out.

8/17: The Road (to the top of 150).

8/19: Paragraph Writing Assignment (10 points). See Online Syllabus for assignment.

8/24: Finish The Road (to 287).

8/26: Mountain of Notes Entry (10 points). See Online Syllabus for assignment.

8/31: Never Let Me Go (to 145) and Baudrillard excerpt.

9/2: Mountain of Notes Entry and Paragraph (20 points). See Online Syllabus for assignment.

9/7: Finish Never Let Me Go (to 288).

9/9: Proposal for Paper #1 due as an email attachment (10 points). See Online Syllabus for assignment.

9/14: White Noise, Parts I & II (to 163).

9/16: Text-Based Mountain of Notes Due (20 points). See Online Syllabus for assignment.

9/21: Finish White Noise (to 326).

9/23: Outline and Annotated Bibliography Entry due (20 points).

9/28: Writing Workshop (no new reading).

9/30: Essay #1 Due.

10/5: Time’s Arrow (Part I, to 93). 10/6 is the Last Day to Withdraw with a "W."

10/7: Mountain of Notes entry (10 points).

10/12: Finish Time’s Arrow (to 165), read Michael Hardin essay.

10/14: No Class, Fall Break.

10/19: Erasure (to 131).

10/21: Mountain of Notes entry (10 points).

10/26: Finish Erasure (to 265).

10/28: Read excerpt from Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark.

11/2: Paradise (to 138). Two Contributions to Interactive Timeline.

11/4: Paradise (to 217). Two contributions to Interactive Timeline and begin Character Bio.

11/9: Finish Paradise (to 318). Two Contributions to Interactive Timeline.

11/11: Character Bios Should be Complete.

11/12: 10/26-11/12, 15 Minute Conversation about Final Research Paper.

11/16: Prospectus for Final Research Project Due.

11/18: Text-Based Mountain of Notes (first two to three pages, 10 points).

11/23: Text-Based Mountain of Notes and Annotated Bib (three entries) due. (20 points)

11/25: Thanksgiving.

5/2: Last Day of Class, Utterly Mandatory!

5/5: Final Research Papers Due by 5 p.m.

Writing Assignment for Thursday, August 19th

Write a "Mountain of Notes" entry on a single passage from The Road that resembles the one we started in class (see below). Identify a thematic element that interests you and select a passage that allows you to explore it (or, select a passage that interests you and identify a thematic element in it). Type out the quotation (try to limit the passage to fifty words), and then come up with at least five different thoughts, ideas, and insights into it. When possible, examine specific words and phrases in the passage.

Passage

He lay listening to the water drip in the woods. Bedrock, this. The cold and the silence. The ashes of the late world carried on the bleak and temporal winds to and fro in the void. Carried forth and scattered and carried forth again. Everything uncoupled from its shoring. Unsupported in the ashen air. Sustained by a breath, trembling and brief. If only my heart were stone.

Context and Thematic Element

The image of ash, early in the novel, maybe October?, first or second night? pitch black. Right after son asks if he wants to die.

Possible Meanings, Ideas, and Questions

-Ash linked to the father’s death, the sun and the not-sun.

-Ash is made up with the previous world, its buildings and papers and people. It's now part of the very air the father breathes--it's linked to his memories of the past, and it also seems to be killing/choking him.

-At the end, we get the father's actual thoughts, the heart of stone he desires the exact opposite of the ash.

What about this shift from third to first person?: A kind of confession.

-Two pilgrims carried forth on the ash carrying forth the flame of humanity.

-Getting through the book like getting through the ash—what is the ash?

-Ash is that which is undecipherable.

-Ash and purgatory and

Connections (to other parts of the text):

-Is turning to stone like the mother’s suicide, a giving up?

-Ashes and deathcamps!!! Explore this further.

Writing Assignment for Thursday, August 26th

For Thursday you will be turning in two assignments (10 points each, 20 points total). First, you will need to identify a thematic element that interests you in The Road, and then you will need to identify a passage that speaks to that element, preferably from this week's reading (or, you can reverse the process and start with a passage that really interests you and then identify the thematic element contained within it). If you wish to continue working with the same theme you investigated in last week's Mountain of Notes assignment, that's fine. You will then construct a M of N entry about the passage similar to last week's (see example above). Typos, fragments, half-baked ideas, and minor epiphanies are all acceptable. The key is to investigate the language of the passage and push yourself towards some conclusions. The entry should be typed, and beneath it you should identify the context of the passage (i.e. where and when it occurs in the narrative), followed by a collection of ideas, thoughts, and interpretations. This document should be single spaced.

Next, you will construct a paragraph based on your analysis of the passage; hopefully, your M of N will prove instrumental in helping you to formulate this argument. Your goal is to begin the paragraph with a complex, original opening claim that introduces an argument about your thematic element and its meaning or significance in the novel. Remember, this opening argument must be grounded in the literary text. (Note: Avoid referring to it as a thematic element, i.e. "The thematic element I have chosen is x, which is significant because y." Just jump right in: "Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel depends upon the man's pre-apocalyptic memories to give..." "Despite the impossibility of planetary rebirth or regeneration in The Road, the novel offers...")

Your paragraph must be typed and double-spaced and meet the following guidelines: 1) Make sure you keep it to one paragraph and that you put some thought into its structure and organization. 2) Open the paragraph with an idea, argument, or interpretive position of your own design that explains the significance of your thematic element within the novel. 3) Introduce and then cite your passage (not as a block quote and not necessarily in its entirety) using MLA citation and punctuation rules (see "MLA Template" on my website, and go over pages two and three). 4) Analyze the passage in a way that backs up the paragraph's central claim.

So, plan to turn in two separate documents: your "Mountain of Notes" entry (the passage quoted at the top; your notes, thoughts, ideas below) and your actual paragraph (which opens with an argument and eventually cites part of the passage as its textual evidence).

Please send me an email if you have any questions.