Syllabus (Liberty Stanavage, Fall 2005)
From UCSB English Department Knowledge Base
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Office Hours: M 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., Th 2:00 – 3:00 p.m., or by appointment
Office: South Hall 3432 E
Email: lstanavage@umail.ucsb.edu
Mailbox: South Hall SH 2623
Telephone numbers:
- cell 805-259-5134
- office 805-893-2613 (messages only)
Class Times: M/W 1:00 – 2:40 p.m.
Class Location:
Contents |
[edit] Required Texts and Materials
- Anon. Arden of Faversham (Bookstore Reader)
- Salzman, Paul, ed. An Anthology of Elizabethan Prose Fiction. Oxford UP: Oxford, 1987
- Shakespeare, William. The Merry Wives of Windsor. Penguin; New York, 2002.
- Course Reader (available from Associated Students) Vol. 1 and 2
[edit] Overview
While to many people, literary criticism seems to function as a smokescreen for questionable or unsupported thinking, this is not actually its purpose. We will be working on methods to keep your writing and analysis from resembling that described here by Calvin (writing that often seems superficially to be arguing some deeper point, but that fails to maintain clarity, define its terms, or to make a concrete argument.)
Specifically, this course will focus on preparing you to assume an active or participatory role in the literary community by making you familiar with the conventions, terminology and expectations of the study of literature. Students will learn how to clearly and effectively communicate ideas and intuitions/feelings about the literature you read for the course. The course's overall intent is to encourage students to formulate their own arguments about the aesthetic, political, and/or cognitive value of literature. In very simple terms, students should leave this course with the ability to:
a) read literature "actively" (i.e. read and reread texts slowly, ask appropriate questions, research unfamiliar textual references, take notes recording a set of impressions in a reading log or in the margins of the text);
b) analyze literature "logically" (i.e. compare and contrast the use of literary devices, make meaningful connections between references in the text or between texts written by different authors);
c) write about literature "critically" (i.e. develop interesting claims, make arguable points, attempt to answer a set of questions raised during the reading process, understand and apply theoretical approaches, provide comprehensive commentary on ambiguous meanings, TAKE RISKS!!!).
[edit] Course Requirements
[edit] Attendance
More than two unexcused absences will result in a penalty. Repeated unexcused absences will result in failing the course. You must arrive, prepared, to section on time and stay for the class period—two late arrivals or two early departures equal one absence. Be aware that most in-class assignments cannot be made up, and that documentation will be required for an absence to be excused. Repeated excused absences will need to be made up through additional conferences during my office hours.
Please notify me in advance if any circumstances will keep you from meeting your attendance or other requirements.
[edit] Class Participation
Your active participation is necessary for this course to function. This means that you are expected to attend class, do the required reading as assigned for each class meeting and other assignments, and to participate in class discussion. Lack of preparation or participation will affect your course grade. All course work must be turned in to receive a passing grade.
You are required to meet with me at least once during the first three weeks of the quarter to discuss your concerns and questions about your own writing or about the course in general. Failure to meet with me will result in a lowered class participation grade. Sign-up sheets will be circulated in class and then posted outside my office (SH 3432 E).
Late work is not acceptable; do not ask. Early work is encouraged.
[edit] Grading
The breakdown for course grades will be as follows:
- Quizzes and In-class Writing: 5%
- Class participation: 10%
- Group Research Project: 10%
- Essay 1: 20%
- Essay 2: 25%
- Final Exam: 30%
Quizzes and In-class writing ... 5%:
There will be a number of "surprise" quizzes that will involve in-class writing. These quizzes will test for basic reading comprehension (i.e. your ability to identify the text's main characters, basic themes, key moments in terms of the plot, etc.), but they will sometimes also ask for a "critical" response to a passage or to the set of works we are reading for that day.
Class Participation ... 10%: You are required to keep up with daily reading assignments and to come to class prepared to contribute to class discussions. If you know yourself to be particularly shy in group settings, you MUST still contribute to discussion by taking advantage of alternative forms of communication (e.g. via email or by submitting reading logs).
Group Research Project ... 15%: You will be working in groups of 4 examining and comparing specific ballads from the EMC ballad archive to each other and to additional contextualizing resources. You will prepare a 10 minute presentation on your ballad categories/sets for presentation to your peers.
You will be expected to use the resources of the Early Modern Center (SH 2510) for your research project. While you can use the computer resources from a distance, using these in the Early Modern Center means that you can get help from Kristina McAbee, the Early Modern Center Graduate Fellow.
EMC hours:
- Monday: 10:50-12:50, 2:30-4:30
- Tuesday: 1:30-4:30
- Wednesday: 10:50-12:50
- Thursday: 1:30-4:30
- Friday: None
Essays 1 and 2 ... 20 and 25%: For these two analytical essays, I will assign specific topics on our readings. You are expected to come up with and argue an original, argumentative claim on these topics. Papers should conform to MLA style standards. Deviations from this format will result in a lowered grade.
Final ... 30%: For the Final (12/8), you will be expected to interpret - using short-answer form - various passages from the literature we will have covered up until the exam. The final will also ask you to identify important literary terms and other concepts discussed in lecture. In addition, the final will have a longer essay component in which you are asked to analyze material from our readings.
Revision policy:
Essay #1 and #2 may be revised with instructor consent, granted during an individual meeting. Revisions are due one week after having received the original grade. Revisions must include: a brief defense of your reasons for revising, a detailed plan for revision, your revised essay, and the original graded essay – all of which must be typed. Only grades of C+ and below are eligible for revision. Grades may not increase more than one full letter grade.
A Note On Discussion:
In this course, you are required to treat each other with respect. Disagreement is natural and voicing different opinions is vital to conducting an effective discussion. However, rudeness and disrespect for your peers will not be tolerated and will result in you being dropped from the section. In addition, I expect you to turn off or silence cell phones, pagers, and other forms of electronic communication.
[edit] Plagiarism
Using another’s ideas or language without acknowledging the source or passing off another’s ideas or language as your own is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Plagiarism (or any other form of cheating) will earn you a failing grade in this course and will be reported to the Dean of Students Office for possible additional disciplinary action. Note: Students often plagiarize without intending to because they are unsure about how to cite sources. Plagiarism by accident is still plagiarism (and will be punished as such), so please feel free to come see me if you are unsure about how to cite sources. (For a detailed description of the University policies regarding academic misconduct please see this helpful website put together by Professor Harry N. Nelson from High Energy Physics:
) hep.ucsb.edu/people/hnn/conduct/disq.html#over ).
[edit] Disabled Students Policy
If you are a student with a disability and would like to see me to discuss special academic accommodations, please contact me during my office hours.
[edit] Important Dates
- Thursday 9/22: Instruction begins
- Wednesday 10/5: No class – group meetings
- Wednesday 10/12: Add Deadline
- Wednesday 10/19: Drop Deadline
- Wednesday 10/26: Essay #1 Due
- Monday 11/21: Essay #2 Due
- Wednesday 11/30: Group Presentations
- Friday 12/2: Instruction Ends
- Thursday 12/8: Final Exam 4-7 p.m.
This syllabus and all dates subject to change by instructor.
