English 4188-02W Faulkner
Spring 2012
MW 3:30-4:50, Pafford 308
Dr. Randy Hendricks
rhendric@westga.edu
For appointments;
678-839-5450 or kgamble@westga.edu
Links to aids and assignments:
Midterm Prep.
Sheet
Preparation
for
Final
Grading Criteria
Learning Outcomes
These pertain to all sections of ENGL 4188:
Students
will become familiar with the career of a major figure in literature.
Students will understand how that writer's work both embodies the
literary
tradition that precedes it and influences the literature that follows
it.
Students will appreciate the ways in which a writer's career and
reputation
are influenced by social, political, historical, and cultural forces.
Students will gain an enhanced knowledge of how criticism shapes
literary
history.
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.
Relation to
Program Goals:
This course directly supports the learning outcomes for the B.A. in
English,
specifically outcomes A-F as listed on the English Department web page.
Course
Description:
Though the terms shift periodically (overvalued in one decade, damned
in
another), William Faulkner continues to be the focus of much critical
inquiry
and debate. As part of this work, this course undertakes to
ascertain the
significance of Faulkner's fiction in terms of its aesthetic value, its
relation to a cluster of American and modern themes, and its value as a
cultural/historical seismograph. We will approach Faulkner through
close
readings of individual texts, through intertextual
connections that define the fascinating body of his work. We will
give
some consideration as well to the extent of his influence on later
writers. This course concentrates on revealing Faulkner's value
as an
artist whose aesthetic accomplishment is more fully discernible in the
larger
and sometimes complementary and sometimes contradictory contexts of
American,
modernist, and regionalist literary interests. Consideration of
the
history of Faulkner criticism will ground students in their own
reading.
Requirements:
WAC Elements: The W designation for this course indicates that it is a
Writing Across the Curriculum Course. This
means that undergraduates
may take it to satisfy one of their W requirements. A W course
incorporates
both Writing to Learn and Writing to Communicate
activities into its design.
Specific Writing to Learn activities
in this
course will include:
1. Responding to warm-up questions at the beginning of class in writing
2. Summarizing class discussions at the end of
class
3. One-page explications of assigned
passages from
texts
4. At least one faux-Faulkner
assignment in
which students attempt to imitate Faulkners prose style.
The Writing to Communicate activities will include
1. two analytical papers, 3-4 typed pages
(40%)
2. a mid-term (10%) and final exam (20%)
3. a research paper, 12-15 pages (30%)
Some
Policies, Expectations, and Other Important Information
Expectations
The
professional relation between an instructor and a student is not that
of vendor
and consumer. One does not buy learning the way one buys a car, a
sound
system, or a hamburger. Tuition buys thorough direction to your
own study
in the discipline provided by a professional with knowledge of and
devotion to
the field. It does not buy you the right to decide not to attend
class,
do assigned work, or practice a radical individualism that proves a
distraction
to the instructor and classmates. By agreeing to teach the class, I
agree to
certain obligations. By enrolling in the class, you have created
obligations for yourself. If you do not meet them, you will not
succeed.
My basic
expectation is that students be adults seriously preparing to be
professionals.
They should understand that the way they conduct business has a direct
influence on their success in the class and other tangible if
longer-term
results (For example, you are not only completing the requirements for
the
courses you are currently taking, you are developing professional
relationships
with your instructors, who will in due course serve as your primary
references
as you seek admission to graduate schools, employment, or other
professional
opportunities).
To be more
specific, I expect students to come to each class meeting on time,
prepared and
ready to concentrate on the tasks at hand. I further expect
students to
prepare all assignments with scrupulous attention to detail and
directions. And I tolerate no unprofessional distractions such as
gum
chewing, sleeping in class, using beepers
or cell
phones (either for incoming or outgoing calls). Students who
create such
distractions will leave the class.
Deadline for
Withdrawal:
The deadline for withdrawing from any class
with a grade of W is March 2. Students may withdraw from a class
after
that date only in the case of hardship. Hardship withdrawals are
determined in the office of the Dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences, not
by instructors or department chairs. Students who are granted
hardship
withdrawals must withdraw from all their classes.
Department of
English and Philosophy 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. Plagiarism is
grounds for
failing the course.
Schedule
Jan 9 Course
Overview
11
Lecture: Faulkner: A Brief Biography and History of
Criticism
16 No Class MLK Holiday The Unvanquished I-IV
18 The
Unvanquished (email meeting)
23 The
Sound
and the Fury Part One
25 The
Sound
and the Fury Parts Two
30 The
Sound
and the Fury Part Three
Feb 1 The Sound and
the Fury
Part Four
6 The
Sound
and the Fury Paper one due.
8 As
I
Lay Dying through page 127
13 As
I Lay
Dying through end
15 As
I Lay
Dying
20 Taking
Stock of
where we have been
22 Mid-term
27 Light
in
August Chapters 1-7
29 Light
in
August Chapters 8-14
Mar 5 Light in August Chapters
15-21
7 Light
in August
12 Absalom,
Absalom! I-II
14 Absalom,
Absalom! III-IV
19
Spring Break
21 Sping Break
26 Absalom,
Absalom! V-VI
28 Absalom,
Absalom! VII-IX
Apr. 2 The Hamlet Books I
and II; Paper
two due
4 The
Hamlet Books III and IV
9 The
Hamlet
11 Go
Down,
Moses through page 180
16 Go
Down,
Moses through end
18 Collected
Stories ("Barn Burning," "Shingles for the Lord,"
"The Tall Men," "Two Soldiers," "A Rose for
Emily," "Dry September," "Mule in the Yard,"
"That Evening Sun," "Red Leaves)
20 Research Papers Due
25 Final
Exam,
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Research
Paper Options (Suggestions only)
1. An
interpretation of a novel by Faulkner not read in class, grounded in
the
criticism:
Soldiers Pay
Mosquitos
Sartoris
Sanctuary
Requium for a Nun
The Town
The Mansion
The Wild Palms
A Fable
The Reviers
2. A reading
of a text weve read from the perspective of a particular critical approach: formalistm
historicist, structuralist,
deconstructionist,
feminist, etc.
3. An argument against a particular interpretation of a text weve
studied in
the class.
4. A comparison of Faulkner with another author.
5. Tracing the development of a motif or a theme through Faulkners
work over
his career.
6. Roll your own, after thorough discussion with me, of course.
GRADING
CRITERIA FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS 2000-LEVEL AND ABOVE
Note: A
passing grade on any assignment first assumes competence in the
mechanics of
standard written English.
C
To earn a C, a student must
Respond to the constraints of the assignment.
Focus on the topic.
Provide a clear thesis.
Maintain a tone appropriate for a scholarly audience.
Order essay logically, from sentence to sentence, paragraph to
paragraph,
idea to idea.
Provide sufficient evidence and detail throughout the essay.
Have sufficient control of standard written English and MLA
guidelines such
that errors, including any in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and
formatting,
if present, do not cause serious confusion and/or distraction.
Provide adequate, reliable, and relevant secondary documentation,
where
applicable.
Demonstrate an understanding of context and purpose in relating
secondary
sources to papers claims/ideas.
Exhibit nearly error-free incorporation of documentation into the
body of the
essay.
B To
earn a B, a student must meet the minimum requirements for a C
essay plus
Provide a well-framed and insightful thesis.
Recognize complexities and show evidence of serious consideration of
the
topic.
Support most points with appropriate, well-analyzed examples and
intelligent
arguments.
Show logical development and organization throughout.
Offer writing that is relatively free of grammatical and technical
errors.
Provide substantive and relevant documentation, where applicable, in
support
of most claims/ideas.
Demonstrate a thorough understanding of context and purpose in
relating secondary
sources to papers claims/ideas where applicable.
Exhibit error-free and varied incorporation of documentation into the
body of
the essay.
A To earn an A, a student must meet the
minimum
requirements for a B essay plus:
Provide a sophisticated thesis that
demonstrates
independent thinking.
Support all claims/ideas with appropriate, fully analyzed examples
and
compelling, insightful arguments.
Show persuasive logical development and organization throughout.
Maintain a distinctive voice and consistent viewpoint that
incorporates
interesting and varied style.
Provide secondary sources, where applicable, that demonstrate
independent
research in the field.
Enter into meaningful dialogue with secondary sources, such that the
student
is not just proving someone elses point but developing original ideas
in
relation to research material.
D A D
grade results from
Failing to respond clearly to the assignment, or
A lack of qualities listed under the minimum requirements for a C,
or
Insufficient control of standard written English, resulting in
substantial
errors that cause confusion or incoherence.
F
An F grade results from
Two or more of the faults listed in D above.