SPRING 2012

ENGLISH 4165/5165-01W—Contemporary British and American Literature

Instructor: Dr. Lisa Propst

Office: TLC 2225

Office Phone: (678) 839-4155

Office Hours: Mon and Wed 1:00-2:00, Tues and Thurs 11:00-1:30, and by appointment

Writing Center Hours: Tues and Wed 3:30-5:00

E-mail: lpropst@westga.edu MyUWG serves as the only legitimate modes of correspondence for this course.

URL: www.westga.edu/~lpropst

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

This course consists of an examination of selected texts produced in the last thirty years in the British Isles and the United States. This semester, we will focus on postmodern fiction’s obsession with -- and challenges to -- the ways we think about history. Through postmodern experimentations with literary language and form, we will explore questions such as: how do we come to understand history? How is history like fiction? How can we reinvent, liberate, and even destroy ourselves (and others) by blurring the lines between the two?

•       Prerequisites: ENGL 1101 and 1102.

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.

COURSE MATERIALS, ASSIGMENTS, & GRADING

Required Texts:

• Graham Swift, Waterland. Vintage. ISBN 0679739793.

• Julian Barnes, A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters. Vintage. ISBN 0679731377.

• Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. Vintage. ISBN 0679721886.

• Angela Carter, Nights at the Circus. Penguin. ISBN 0140077030.

• Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated. Penguin. ISBN 0141008253.

• Short readings available online

The editions listed above are (or will be) available at the UWG bookstore. You may use other editions if you choose, but you will be responsible for making sure that you find the appropriate page ranges and do not fall behind in the readings.

nb: You are expected to bring the texts under discussion to class with you. If you do not have your text in class, you may be marked absent.

Other Materials:

·   A notebook. I expect you to bring your notebook to each class period and take notes in it. Your notes will invariably help you prepare your essays and study for the final.

·   A stapler

·   Internet access, a UWG e-mail account, and a reliable printer

·   A flash drive to back up your class work. It is your responsibility to back up all of the work you do for this class. This includes backing up your notes and drafts as you work on your essays and keeping electronic copies of your essays after they have been submitted to the instructor. Computer failure will not be considered a valid excuse for submitting late work.

Assignments and grading:

Essay 1 (6-8 pages)                                                                             25%

Essay 2 (10-12 pages)                                                                         30%

Final Exam                                                                                           20%

Participation                                                                                         5%      

Quizzes (open-note but not open-book)                                               10%

Process assignments                                                                             10%

Numerical grade equivalents: A+ = 98; A = 95; A- = 92; B+ = 88; B = 85; B- = 82; C+ = 78; C = 75; C- = 72; D+ = 68; D = 65; D- = 62; F = 50

COURSEWORK POLICIES

Office Hours and E-mail:

I encourage you to meet with me during my office hours any time you have questions or would like to discuss the course. If you cannot make it to my office hours, set up an appointment to meet with me at another time. You are also welcome to drop by my office, outside of scheduled office hours, whenever I am there. I welcome e-mail correspondence. However, e-mail cannot replace an actual meeting. It is difficult to respond to your questions and needs solely through e-mail, especially if your questions are general. E-mail is most effective when you have specific questions that don’t require in-depth discussion.

The Writing Center:

I encourage you to visit The Writing Center at various points in the writing process. Regardless of writing skill level, one may always benefit from an intelligent discussion with knowledgeable peers. 

TLC 1201                    678-839-6513

Writing@westga.edu       www.westga.edu/~writing

The University Writing Center works with students and other members of the UWG community to improve writing skills.

What We Do:

·         Discuss ideas, read drafts, and work through revisions of essays; we do not proofread

·         MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, and other citation formats

Policies:

·         Please make appointments in advance. We accept walk-ins, but we cannot guarantee that a tutor will be available.

·         If you cannot keep your appointment, you must call or email us 24 hours in advance to cancel. If you do not notify us 24 hours in advance, you will be counted as a No Show.

·         Please arrive at your appointment on time. If you are 10 minutes late or more, you will be counted as a No Show and will not be able to have your appointment.

·         If you have 3 No Shows in one semester, you will not be able to have any more appointments for that semester.

Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10:00am-7:00pm

Thursday 10:00am-3:00pm

Friday 10:00am-12:00pm

Plagiarism & Excessive Collaboration (If a student violates this policy, he or she may receive an F for the assignment or an F for the course, at the instructor’s discretion):

Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty

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.

See also “excessive collaboration” (below).

The University policies for handling Academic Dishonesty are found in the following documents:

The Faculty Handbook, sections 207 and 208.0401
http://www.westga.edu/~vpaa/handrev/

Student Uncatalog: "Rights and Responsibilities"; Appendix J.
http://www.westga.edu/~handbook/index.php

The department of English has assembled the following resources to help prevent plagiarism: http://www.westga.edu/~engdept/Plagiarism/index.html

Excessive Collaboration

By the end of the term in both ENGL 1101 and 1102, students should demonstrate the ability to produce independent writing (writing without collaborative assistance of peers, writing tutors, or professionals in the field) that shows an acceptable level of competence. Although classroom activities and out-of-class assignments may highlight collaborative learning and collaborative research, excessive collaboration (collaboration that results in the loss of a student's voice/style and original claims to course-related work) is considered another form of academic dishonesty and therefore will not be permitted.

Role of the Writing Center

The role of the Writing Center is to offer consultation in which tutors question, respond to, offer choices, and encourage revision in student essays. Tutors do not evaluate or prescribe solutions to problematic areas in student essays, and tutors are specifically trained to avoid appropriating the student's work. For more information, visit the Writing Center online at http://www.westga.edu/~writing.

Late Work:

I will deduct 1/3 of a letter grade (ex. from a B to a B-, or from a B- to a C+) for each day (not each class period) that an out-of-class essay is late. An essay is late if it is not submitted to me at the beginning of the class period. This means that a B level essay submitted up to 24 hours late will go from a B to a B-, a B level essay submitted between 24 and 48 hours late will go from a B to a C+, etc. I will not accept assignments more than one week past the deadline. If you find it necessary to miss class on a day that work is due, you should submit your work to me before the class period in order to avoid losing marks. All assignments must be submitted in hard copy unless I specifically approve e-mail submission in advance. Extensions may be granted, at my discretion, only under exceptional circumstances (for example, medical emergencies) and should be arranged in advance. If you have a serious problem that will affect your ability to complete your work on time, talk to me about it as early as possible. Process assignments (ex. homework assignments) will not be accepted late.

Make-Up Work:

Missed exams may be made up, at my discretion, under exceptional circumstances (ex. medical emergencies). If you miss a quiz or an in-class writing exercise because of lateness or absence, it cannot be made up. Exceptions may be made in the case of absences due to academic activities (ex: attending a conference) or conditions that merit accommodation under the Disabilities Act.

Revision Policy:

You may choose to revise and resubmit Essay 1 and Essay 2 for a higher grade provided that you originally submitted your essay on time and you fulfilled all workshopping/process requirements. Revisions may achieve a maximum of one letter grade above the original grade. Some revisions may merit a lower grade; in this case, I will count the higher of the two grades. If you wish to submit a revision, you must present a 200-word “revision plan” during my office hours within a week after you receive the graded paper, outlining significant changes you intend to make and demonstrating that you have thoughtfully prioritized those changes. Revisions will be due no later than two weeks after you receive the graded paper, and you must submit the graded original along with the revision.

Format for All Papers:

All work should be typed and stapled, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins, and should use MLA format.

Extra Credit and Previous Work Policy:

·         There is no extra credit work in this course.

·         Work completed for another class will not be accepted for fulfilling the requirements of this course.

Department Paperless Policy:

As of Fall 2006, the English Department implemented a “paperless” policy in its classrooms. Therefore, all materials (handouts, assignment sheets, notes, etc.) will be made available online. You may print these necessary course documents, including the syllabus, on your home computer.

English Department Severe Weather Policy:

The University of West Georgia is committed to the personal safety of its students, faculty, and staff in the event of severe weather. University policy regarding severe weather and emergency closings is posted at http://www.westga.edu/police/index_2277.php and official announcements about class and/or examination cancellations will be made only by the President and/or the Department of Public Relations. Although it is not possible to develop policy to address every weather-related emergency, these guidelines are intended to provide some general direction about such situations.

For immediate severe weather situations, especially when classes are in session, faculty, staff and students are advised to follow the emergency procedures identified below:

1. Direct occupants to remain in the building and to seek shelter immediately on the lowest level of the building in interior rooms (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls.

2. Instruct occupants to not leave the building.

3. Evacuate all offices, rooms or hallways with windows and glass or with exterior walls.

4. Provide assistance to persons with disabilities.

5. Accompany occupants to the nearest designated shelter area in the building.

6. Comply with departmental severe weather policies/procedures.

7. Wait for an “all clear” signal” before resuming activity.

8. Occupants will: a) proceed to the nearest designated shelter area in the building by the closest route; b) move quickly but in an orderly manner so that all will arrive safely; c) will not attempt to vacate the premises, drive or seek shelter in cars; d) take a seat in the shelter area; e) remain cooperative with those in charge; and f) wait for an “all clear” signal before resuming activity.

In the event that classes are cancelled or disrupted for less than one calendar week, each professor, at his or her discretion, will make adjustments as needed to cover material missed during those cancelled sessions. This may or may not involve the use of rescheduled or online classes. If the closures exceed a single calendar week, students should contact the Chair of the Department of English and Philosophy at 678-839-6512  or the professor of the class for updated information regarding changes to the schedule in the Department. It is the intention of the Department of English and Philosophy to handle every concern seriously and as effectively as possible.

IMPORTANT DATES

Thurs. Feb. 9                                       Essay 1 due

Tues. Apr. 10                                      Essay 2 due

Finals week                                         Final Exam

                                    Mon. Mar. 18-Fri. Mar. 23                  No classes (Spring Break)

Attendance:

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed, obtain necessary information/notes, and keep up with the readings. You may miss four classes without penalty (except for whatever quizzes or classwork you miss). Beyond that, half a letter grade (i.e. 5%) may be deducted from your final course grade for every subsequent absence.

Communication Policy:

The official communication method for this class will be through campus e-mail (MyUWG). You will be responsible for checking your MyUWG email, since I will be using that address to correspond with you. 

Disruptive Behavior:

Students may be dismissed from any class meeting at which they exhibit behavior that disrupts the learning environment of others. Such behavior includes – but is not limited to – arriving late for class, allowing cell phones to ring, speaking disrespectfully to the instructor and/or to other students, checking email or surfing the web, and using personal audio or visual devices. Each dismissal of this kind will count as an absence and will be applied toward the attendance policy above. Please turn off your cell phone before the beginning of class and put it in your bag. If you check your messages, text, or use electronic devices in any other way not directly related to class activities, you may be counted as absent.

Participation:

Participation is essential to your success in this course. Five percent of your grade is based on it. Participation does not mean right answers or brilliant comments; it includes any productive contribution to class discussion. Making thoughtful comments on the class material, asking questions, and responding supportively to your classmates all count.

Special Needs:

I pledge to do my best to work with the University to provide all students with equal access to my lasses and materials, regardless of special needs, temporary or permanent disability, special needs related to pregnancy, etc. If you have any special learning needs, particularly (but not limited to) needs defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and require specific accommodations, please do not hesitate to make these known to me, either through yourself or through Disability Services in 272 Parker Hall at (678) 839-6428.

Students with documented special needs may expect accommodation in relation to classroom accessibility, modification of testing, special test administration, etc. This is not only my personal commitment: it is your right, and it is the law. For more information, please contact Disability Services at the State University of West Georgia.

COURSE CALENDAR:

While this syllabus is carefully planned, I may occasionally change portions of it (for example, readings, assignments, and due dates). I will announce changes in class. You are responsible for periodically checking the online syllabus for modifications, particularly if you have been absent. Unless otherwise noted, all readings and assignments are due the day they are listed on the syllabus.