N.b.: full syllabus available here. Assignment prompts will be posted for the start of term.
English 200 E: Vampires in Literature
Dr. Matt Poland (mjpoland@uw.edu)
MW 2:30-4:20pm, Thompson Hall (THO) 325
Canvas: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1829285
Drop-in office hours: MW 12:30-1:30 in person (Padelford B36) or by appointment on Zoom
See availability and schedule on Google Calendar
The modern literary vampire has become one of our most potent symbols of horror, capable of creating altered, heightened psychological states in victims and readers alike. But the vampire is also a figure who allows us to engage with big ideas. Indeed, Karl Marx memorably described capitalism as “dead labour, that, vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks.” In this course, we will read, discuss, and write about vampire fiction that is beautifully made and treats topics including gender, race, queerness, technology, and imperialism. …And things that go bump in the night. Together, we will dig into the pleasures of vampire fiction and create new knowledge about what this genre can tell us about modern life that no other can.
The goals of this course are:
- to introduce students to significant examples of vampire fiction, as well as their aesthetic and political concerns
- to engage students in creating new knowledge through textual interpretation, including the production of nuanced and historically engaged close reading of cultural objects
- to encourage students to refine their analytical, interpretive, argumentative, and creative skills
- to instigate discussion of how historical cultural objects, even “genre” fiction, are tools to think with about contemporary social problems
Textbooks
- Octavia Butler, Fledgling (Seven Stories Press, ISBN 9781644211298, $27.95)
- Bram Stoker, Dracula (Second Norton Critical Edition, edited by David J. Skal and John Edgar Browning, ISBN 9780393679205, $24)
Please buy/borrow these particular physical books (new or used) at the beginning of the quarter. If buying online, search by the ISBN number. Prices are for new books at the UW Bookstore. If this requirement constitutes a financial hardship or presents accessibility issues, let me know and we’ll figure it out.
Additional Materials
- A notebook for in-class writing and out-of-class reading notes
- A folder to keep class materials together
- All supplemental class materials and links will be posted on our course website and/or available as printed handouts
- Internet access, UW Net ID and password, UW email account that you check every day.
Coursework
For more detailed information, see policies (below) and individual assignment prompts (to be distributed throughout the course). You will receive written feedback on all assignments.
Successful completion of this course satisfies the A&H general education requirement and the W additional writing requirement.
Requirements:
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Class Participation: good citizenship in our intellectual community, including completing the assigned reading, being on time & courteous in class, contributing actively to large- and small-group discussion, and completing the Commonplace Book writing assignments. See full policy below.
|
30% |
|
Discussion leader: select a class session and a passage from the assigned text, then produce a short close reading (with or without a thesis), which you’ll (1) informally present to class and (2) write up for me after the class discusses it (2 pages max). Write-ups due on Canvas by Friday 11:59pm the week you present.
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10% |
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Midterm essay (4-5 pages): analytical close reading essay (with thesis) on a topic related to class material and discussions. You’ll have the opportunity to revise based on feedback to improve your grade. Assignment prompt to follow.
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30% |
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Creative project OR final essay (4-5 pages): analysis of a topic related to class material/discussions in the form of an essay or a non-essay project that creates critical perspective on the material. Full assignment prompt to follow. |
30% |
|
Total points |
100% |
Points to 4.0 scale conversion:
|
Number scale |
Percentage points |
Letter Grade |
|
4.0 |
100 |
A + |
|
3.9 |
95 |
A |
|
3.8 |
92 |
A - |
|
3.4 |
88 |
B + |
|
3.1 |
85 |
B |
|
2.8 |
82 |
B - |
|
2.4 |
78 |
C + |
|
2.1 |
75 |
C |
|
1.8 |
72 |
C - |
|
1.4 |
68 |
D + |
|
1.1 |
65 |
D |