ENGL 2300.04
Practical Criticism
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Instructor: Dr. M. Crafton |
TR 2:00-3:15 HU 206 |
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Office: TLC 225 Office Hours: T,R 9:30-11:30;
4:00-5:00 Wednesday 9:30-11:30 |
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Course Description: As a required prerequisite
for upper-division English studies, this course provides an introduction to
representative critical approaches to literature and an intensive
participation in critical reading, analytical thinking, and argumentative
writing.. Enabling students to develop and articulate interpretations from a
variety of theoretical approaches, the course investigates the key
assumptions and methodologies of significant schools of literary
criticism. Introducing students to
theories that are based both on close textual study (formalism) and on
contexts, such as psychoanalytic theories, feminism, New Historicism, and postcolonialism, the course requires application of
different kinds of critical readings to literary and filmic texts in a
variety of genres and writing of short, analytical papers as well as a
substantive documented paper. |
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Course requirements: 1. Daily attendance, preparation,
and completion of all class assignments. 2. Mid-term and final exams. 3. Two short essays. 4. Final research-informed
essay. 5. Presentation. |
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REQUIRED
TEXTS: A
Glossary of Literary Terms. M. H. Abrams and
Geoffrey Galt Harpman. 9th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2009. Literary
Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. Charles E. Bressler.
4th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2007. MLA Handbook for
Writers of Research Papers. Ed. Joseph Gibaldi. 6th
ed. New York: MLA, 2003. Rime
of the Ancient Mariner.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed.
Paul Fry. Boston: St. Martin’s, 2000. |
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Daily Assignments: Entries
in bold are to be found in A Glossary of Literary Terms everything
else in the Bressler or Coleridge or a special
handout. |
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Jan 8 |
Thurs |
Introduction to class, syllabus,
policies, and texts |
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Jan 13 |
Tue |
Introduction to theory. Bressler chapter 1. |
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Jan 15 |
Thurs |
History and Map of
Critical Theory Bressler chapter 2 (skim) Criticism |
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Jan 20 |
Tue |
Formalism Bressler chapter 3 |
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Jan 22 |
Thurs |
Continue Formalism Poems by Keats, Frost,
and Owen in Bressler |
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Jan 27 |
Tue |
Prepare for paper
number # 1 on a short poem, either one listed above or one from a list to be
provided. |
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Jan 29 |
Thurs |
Continue with Formalism
and begin Structuralism Bressler chapter 5. |
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Feb 3 |
Tue |
Structuralism and
Post-Structuralism. Bressler chapter 5 continued. |
Paper # 1 due |
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Feb 5 |
Thurs |
Rime of the Ancient
Mariner |
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Feb 10 |
Tue |
History and
Historicisms |
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Feb 12 |
Thurs |
History continued |
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Feb 17 |
Tue |
Historical approach to
“Young Goodman Brown” in Bressler |
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Feb 19 |
Thurs |
New Historical essay on
Rime of the Ancient Mariner |
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Feb 24 |
Tue |
Begin preparing for
paper # 2 |
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Feb 26 |
Thurs |
Mid-Term Exam Review
Day Discussion further of
paper # 2 |
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Mar 2 |
Mon |
Last Day to Withdraw
with a W (We don’t have class on this day) |
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Mar 3 |
Tue |
Mid-Term Exam |
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Mar 5 |
Thurs |
Ideological Criticism:
Marxist |
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Mar 10 |
Tue |
Psychoanalytic |
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Mar 12 |
Thurs |
Psychoanalytic
continued |
Paper # 2 due |
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Mar 17 |
Tue |
Spring Break – No
Classes |
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Mar 19 |
Thurs |
Spring Break – No
Classes |
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Mar 24 |
Tue |
Feminist Theory, Bressler chapter 7. |
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Mar 26 |
Thurs |
Cultural Studies, Bressler chapter 10 Begin Preparing for
Research Paper |
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Mar 31 |
Tue |
Research Paper Rime – Marxist |
Topic Proposal |
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Apr 2 |
Thurs |
Research Paper Rime – Psychoanalytic |
Abstract Proposal |
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Apr 7 |
Tue |
Workshop |
Draft |
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Apr 9 |
Thurs |
No class today |
*** |
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Apr 14 |
Tue |
Workshop: Bibliography |
More Draft |
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Apr 16 |
Thurs |
Paper due |
Research Paper due |
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Apr 21 |
Tue |
Presentations |
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Apr 23 |
Thurs |
Presentations |
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Apr 28 |
Tue |
Last Class: Review for
Final |
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Exam Period Tuesday, May 5th
2:00-3:15 |
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May 7-10 |
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Medieval Congress in
Michigan |
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Course Objectives: Students will cultivate skills in reading, writing,
and critical analysis appropriate for the advanced English major. Students will understand major
critical approaches that are employed in the field of literary studies. Students will be able
to read, discuss, and analyze literary works using a variety of critical
perspectives. Students will
articulate how these perspectives both inform and direct our understanding
and appreciation of literature. Students will develop
competence in literary analysis from at least three different critical
perspectives. Students will organize
and complete a substantive research paper that demonstrates the ability to
engage effectively in critical research and writing. Students will
demonstrate in both oral and written work a discipline-specific critical
facility through convincing and well supported analysis of course-related
material. Students will
demonstrate their command of academic English and of the tenets of sound
composition by means of thesis-driven analytical prose. This course meets the objective program
goals of the department and of the university in very specific ways: for a
complete list of these, see http://www.westga.edu/~engdept/fr/CourseGuid/2300.html. |
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Course Requirements: 1. As an introduction to study of
English as a discipline, this is a foundational course which serves as a kind
of practicum. Reading assigned texts before class is essential; class
attendance, discussion, and participation in in-class activities make up 20%
of the grade. Missing class more than three times results in a failing grade
for participation. 2. All written assignments must be
completed in accordance with current MLA guidelines, so careful attention to
the MLA Handbook for Writers is required. 3. Essays are due as scheduled on
the syllabus; late papers are graded down one letter grade per day late (a
paper is late if it not turned in at the beginning of the class period in
which it is due). 4. Students will participate
in informal group presentations, and an oral presentation at semester’s end
applying a critical method to a selection from contemporary culture (song,
film, TV show, exhibit, commercial) is mandatory and will be a part of the
participation grade. 5. The department requires the
following as part of the research project: Prospectus for research project,
annotated bibliography, draft and editing checklist, final documented paper
demonstrating clear knowledge of and ability to use MLA style. Students
may choose topics from either of the required texts for this class. |
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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. Students will be
reported to the appropriate university officials. |
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Grading Procedures: 1. Essays are graded on the
assumption that the fundamentals of good writing (including grammar, sentence
style, and thesis-driven essay organization and development) have been gained
in ENGL 1101 and 1102. We will also work on increased sentence effectiveness.
If there are basic writing problems (major grammar errors or basic lack of
organization), we will need to meet early in the semester to address
these. Additional hours in the Writing Center for practice of basic
skills may be required. Each essay assignment will offer specific guidelines
and criteria and will measure the ability to put into practice the general
critical principles of methods we discuss. 2. The research paper provides an
opportunity to become competent in all phases of researched
writing—collecting sources, planning a paper, writing an abstract, drafting,
producing a correct bibliography, organizing an argument with attention to
critical method, and revision and polishing. Students will share their
progress at each stage of the process in informal oral reports (all part of a
participation grade). The final grade on the paper will be based on effective
writing (organization, development of a sustained critically-focused
argument, and grammar), effective use of sources, and correct MLA
documentation style. 3. The final will be a general test
of your knowledge of the basic fundamentals of each critical theory we have explored
in the course (not tests on the literature). Students will complete the following
assignments: Evaluation: Students will be evaluated by the following: |
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