Missouri Western State College

Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

ENG 210.06 Approaches to Literature: Origins and Directions

2:00-3:20 T TH, A 201

Spring 2001

Instructor: Dennis Chepurnov

Office: JGM 309G

Office Hours: 10:00-11:00 T Th; 1:00-3:00 F; and by appointment

Phone: 271-5812 (during office hours); e-mail: chepurno@missouriwestern.edu

Text

The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. 5^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999.

Course Objectives

(see also the departmental ENG 210 web page: http://www.missouriwestern.edu/EFLJ/eng210.asp)

In this course you will:

• study fiction, poetry, and drama
• learn conventions of literary terminology and theory
• learn different approaches to literary criticism
• learn to analyze works of literature
• employ formal conventions of writing literary research/analysis papers

Attendance Policy

Attendance is expected (be sure to sign in daily). Six absences will constitute failure in the course. The fifth absence will decrease your final grade by a letter. Continual tardiness may lower your final grade by as much as 30 pts (½ letter grade).

Students with Disabilities Policy

Any student in this course who has a disability that requires any special consideration should make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible to discuss class requirements.

Assignments and Grading Policy

Three papers (Fiction, Poetry, Drama) x100 pts each == 300 pts

Reading journal (follow the attached guidelines), Quizzes & Exercises == 100 pts

Midterm Exam and Final Exam x100 pts each == 200 pts

600 pts total: A (600-540); B (539-480); C (479-420); D (419-360); F (359-0)

Revision Policy

The first two essays may be revised and resubmitted before the deadline (see calendar). Revisions must be submitted together with the graded drafts.

Classroom Behavior Policy

As stated in the MWSC Student Handbook, "Behavior which disrupts the classroom environment or interferes with other students' ability to learn may be grounds or justification for dismissal from the classroom" (28). Please turn off the ringers of your pagers and phones, and refrain from sleeping, conducting private conversations or using computers for other than assigned purposes until after the class.

Academic Honesty Policy

You are expected to do your own work in this course. Any case of cheating/plagiarism will result in no credit (0) for that assignment and may result in a disciplinary action by the College.

Tentative Calendar

T 1/16 Course, Texts, Literature

Th 1/18 Introduction (1-6), Ch 1 (9-13), Ch 37 (2021-5)

T 1/22 Ch 3 (60-8), Dubus (81-94)

Th 1/24 Formalism (2025-7), Faulkner (480-94), Ferguson (500-1)

T 1/30 Ch 4 (97-102), Melville (112-37), Biographical Criticism (2027-9), Hawthorne (138)

Th 2/01 Hawthorne (306-19), Ch 2 (40-43)

T 2/06 Ch 5 (143- 52), Camus (Handout)

Th 2/08 Psychological Criticism (2029-31), Wilson (497-99), Jen (642-53)

T 2/13 Ch 6 (174-9), Chekhov (185-96), Oates (199-212)

Th 2/15 Historical & Marxist Criticisms (2031-33), DeMott (495-7), London (Handout)

T 2/20 Ch 7 (215-7), O'Connor (369-73, 381-92, 407-426), Mythological Criticism (2037-9)

Th 2/22 New Historicism & Cultural Criticism (2033-35), Joyce (507-522)

T 2/27 Ch 8 (243-9), Mishima (593-609), Gender Criticism (2035-7)

Th 3/01 Ch 9 (268-72), O'Brien (555-64)

T 3/06 Reader Response & Deconstruction (2039-43), Munro (442-54, 474-5(Ross), 477-8)

Th 3/08 Midterm Examination

T 3/13, Th 3/15 Spring Break - No Class

T 3/20 Ch 14 (671-91), Salter (703-5)

Th 3/22 Ch 16 (717-27, 746-8), Ch 17 (752-9), Auden (1076-7), Neruda (1141-2)

T 3/27 Ch 18 (775-84), Ch 19 (797-806), Ch 15 (710-6)

Th 3/29 Ch 20 (826-38), Ch 21 (856-63)

T 4/03 Ch 22 (876-901), Ch 23 (902-24)

Th 4/05 Ch 28 (1169-95)

T 4/10 Ch 31 - Shakespeare (1316-26), Hamlet (Acts I&II: 1382-1424)

Th 4/12 Hamlet (Acts III&IV: 1424-63), Ch 29 (1210-6)

T 4/17 Hamlet (Act V: 1464-80), Ch 32 (1559-63), A Doll House (Act I: 1563-83)

Th 4/19 All Revisions Due; A Doll House (1598-1612), Ch 33 (1627-43)

T 4/24 Williams (1864-1910)

Th 4/26 Hwang (Acts I&II: 1672-1714)

T 5/01 Hwang (1715-28)

Reading Journals

Your journal should be your response to (not a summary of) the assigned works of literature. Every journal entry should include your name, date, and the title of the work. Journals are due at the beginning of each class . No late journals will be accepted.

A journal entry may be any one of the following:

- your exploration of the emotional effects created by the work

- a connection between the work and personal experiences

- your response to the moral/thematic issues raised by the work

- a correlation with relevant works from music, art, science or other disciplines

- a comparison, using any of the above as guidelines, to any other work(s) we read.

Sometimes you also may be asked to respond to specific question or through an exercise. I encourage you to try out various ways of responding throughout this semester.