ENGLISH 210: APPROACHES TO LITERATURE
Fall 2000 Missouri Western State College
Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism
Section - 05, 2:00-3:20 TTH, JGM 218 Instructor: Tom Pankiewicz
Office: JGM 312
Office Hours: 10:00-11:00 MTWTH and by appointment
Phone: 271-4239
E-mail: pankiew@griffon.mwsc.edu ENG 210 Approaches to Literature. A general studies course emphasizing ways of reading and writing about poetry, fiction and drama. Various thematic approaches may be offered.
For a complete course description and objectives, visit to the English Department web-site at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng210.asp COURSE PHILOSOPHY
English 210, a course in reading, thinking, discussing, and writing about literature, will show you how literature comments on life, explores issues that matter to us, and raises questions that trouble and fascinate us.
In this section, we will focus on the theme of the Shadow Self. The public personality often differs from the person on the inside. Events, thoughts reactions cause one to act in ways that are not in keeping with the public self. We will examine how writers explore this topic by creating characters that find answers to their problems and conflicts deep within themselves.
The following statements guide my teaching.
· Readers must respond to what they read. I will ask for a weekly journal response to one of the assigned works.
· Readers must go beyond the surface of the story. We will focus on character, structure, language, and details to understand and appreciate individual works.
· Readers must discuss. The opportunity to discuss literature, to ask questions, to offer reactions and opinions, to form interpretations will be part of every class.
· Readers need to understand that literature shows, does not always tell. We must recognize when characters and situations change and why these changes occur. We must study how these changes effect the characters within the work and our understanding.
· Readers must be independent. I will ask you to focus your thinking on specific questions, develop several essays, and lead a class discussion.
· Readers must discover how literature creates a magic spell on the reader, how literature engages us. We need to learn how writers grab our attention, make us want to read about a situation or character, and force us to think about an issue or event.
· Readers must search for meaning. We need to study how a work is believable, memorable, insightful, and meaningful. REQUIRED MATERIALS
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 5th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance
For this class to be successful and for you to be successful in it, attendance is mandatory. I expect you to be on time and ready to participate for every class meeting. I realize that "things" sometimes come up. Therefore, you are allowed two unexcused absences before your grade will be affected. Each and every absence beyond two will result in a 5% deduction of your final grade. Quizzes, in-class writing and class activities can not be made up if you are late for class or absent.
If you miss class because of a college-sponsored activity, you will not be penalized. It is your responsibility to contact me before class for assignments. Assignments
As in all literature classes, reading is essential. You will have a reading assignment for every class. You are expected to come to class with questions and reactions to what has been read and ready to participate actively in class discussions. Reading will be evaluated through my observation of your participation in discussion, quizzes, journal entries, and other class activities.
We will study three units during the course: An Inquiry, A Discussion, and The Major Work.
I expect you to keep a journal of your responses during each unit. The journal will include both assigned and free writing. You will also be required to write a literary essay for both the Inquiry and Discussion units. During the Discussion unit, you will plan and lead a class discussion.
Since this is a discussion-based class, participation will be a part of your grade. Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is an act of theft. It is taking another's words or ideas and calling them your own. That does not mean you cannot use another's words or ideas to illustrate and to support your thoughts, but it does mean that you must give credit to the one whose words and ideas you are using. Plagiarism like cheating cannot be tolerated. If I find evidence of plagiarism or cheating, the assignment will fail. Disabled Student Policy
Any student enrolled in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities or that prevents or hinders the completion of class requirements as stated in the syllabus should contact me as soon as possible so we can discuss class requirements. Center for Academic Support
The Center for Academic Support provides trained tutors for students requiring additional reading and writing instruction. There is no cost to students for using these services. You are encouraged to make use of these services throughout this course. GRADING
I expect you to complete all assignments on time. Late assignments (this is any work that is not submitted on time including assignments left at home) will result in a 10% deduction of that assignment's grade. If you are facing difficulties in completing a major assignment, please discuss the problems with me before the essay is due.
The grading scale for this course is:
100-90%=A; 89-80%=B; 79-70%=C; 69-60%=D; Below 60%=F COURSE SCHEDULE
This schedule explains the direction of the class, but it is subject to change. Aug 22 - Introduction. Selected poetry.
Aug 24 - Read O'Brien 555-564. Introduce Inquiry assignment. Read O'Connor 373-381 or 381-392 or 392-407 or 407-421.
Aug 29 - Read Dubus 81-94. Selected poetry.
Aug 31 - Read Chopin 10-13, Godwin 33-38. Selected poetry.
Sept 5 - Hawthorne 320-329, Bowering 298-305. Selected poetry.
Sept 7 - Munro 458-472. Selected poetry.
Sept 12 - Faulkner 72-81, Colette 220-223. Selected poetry. Introduce Discussion assignment.
Sept 14 - Mishima 593-609. Selected poetry.
Sept 19 and 21 - Mahfouz 591-593, Weldon 153-160, Mukherjee 102-113. Selected poetry.
Sept 26 and 28 - Hemingway 145-152, Jhabvala 160-169, Crane 250-258, Mansfield 258-262. Selected poetry.
Oct 3 and 5 - Wolff 665-668, Ng 235-242, Cisneros 218-219, Updike 576-581. Selected poetry.
Oct 10 and 12 - King 535-543, Carver 272-274, Allende 581-587. Selected poetry.
Oct 17 and 19 - Ellison 223-235, Head 587-591, Oates 653-665. Selected poetry.
Oct 24 and 26 - Boyle 276-290, Minot 290-298, Updike 169-173, Gilb 265-267. Selected poetry.
Oct 31 - Nov 16 - Shakespeare (Hamlet).
Nov 21 - Nov 30 - Ibsen (A Doll's House) and/or Miller (Death of A Salesman).
Dec 5 - Final Exam 2:00-3:50. |