- Winter 2019
Syllabus Description:
ENGL 242 D: READING PROSE FICTION: DISPLACEMENT
T/Th 6:30-8:20, SAV 131
Brad Gerhardt
B-428 Padelford Hall
Office Hours: Tues/Wed 12:30-1:30 PM
DESCRIPTION:
This course will explore prose fictional texts from throughout the 20th and into the 21st century dealing with displacement and identity. As we examine modernist, postmodernist, and contemporary modes of narration in short stories, novellas, and novels, we will discuss the interaction between place and identity; in particular we will investigate how notions of gender, sexuality, race, and human-ness are troubled or reified through the literal and narrative locations in which they are inscribed. Because 242 specifically examines prose fiction, we will attend to questions of form, and our written assignments will focus primarily on developing the related skills of close reading and comparative analysis.
REQUIRED TEXTS
-Thomas Mann, Death in Venice, Trans. Michael Henry Heim (Ecco, ISBN: 9780060576172)
-Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (Norton, ISBN: 9780393352566)
-Octavia Butler, Kindred (Beacon Press, ISBN: 9780807083697)
-Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go (Vintage; ISBN: 9781400078776)
-Course Packet, available at Rams Copy Center (4144 University Way NE)
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Students understand the investments, contexts, and effects of the kind of close/critical reading skills or approaches under study/use.
- Students are able to contextualize and analyze the materials or topics covered, historically, politically, culturally.
- Students improve their writing skills generally, and with regard to writing about literature.
ASSIGNMENTS
Graded assignments are intended to implement learning outcomes, and practice a variety of skills; however, both assignments and reading responses will require you to develop and maintain habits of close reading. They will be evaluated on the originality of thought, clarity of articulation, and depth of analysis. Please note that I expect printed copies of all written work.
Reading Journal (length will vary)
For our first texts of the quarter, you will make journal, with one entry for each day, discussing your reflections, questions, and observations from that day’s text. Your grade for each journal is more directly correlated to the consistency of your record than its length; this is intended to practice reading skills and not necessarily writing finesse. The format is up to you, but it should pay close attention to details from the text and be primarily analytical, not summary or evaluative, in its approach.
Close Reading (750-1000 words, generally 2-3 pages double-spaced)
An effective argument gains its authority through careful consideration of its evidence. This assignment is all about your thinking, not about the form; you will not have an introductory paragraph culminating in a thesis; rather, you will begin with analysis—untying and unpacking through detailed observation—and your own argument will arise from your examination of the components of the passage you’ve selected, rather than simply reciting what you think it “should” be saying.
Thematic Analysis (1000-1500 words, generally 4-5 pages double-spaced)
Although depth and clarity of thoughts should be our priority in all writing, an argument gains much of its credibility through a sound and intentional structure or form. In this assignment you will practice a thematic analysis of Octavia Butler’s Kindred, utilizing organizational skills we will discuss in class, in response to a specific prompt.
Comparative Analysis (1800-2400 words, generally 6-8 pages double-spaced)
Our last written assignment will be a comparative analysis of Never Let Me Go and another assigned text. An effective comparative analysis identifies a fundamental concern or tension that two texts share and expands on that through careful and close reading of both texts. A successful comparison will be a critical synthesis of your materials, placing them in a dialogue with each other rather than subordinating their differences, and expanding beyond a list of similarities and differences into a nuanced study of the relation between the two on the issue of your choice.
READING RESPONSES
To balance the more formal written assignments, we will also have lower-stakes, informal writing exercises to practice skills and build community. Do not expect any feedback from me on them.
Discussion Board
In the third week of the quarter, I will start a weekly discussion question on Canvas. Here you can continue discussions from class, add your own insights, and see how others are interpreting the texts. Responses should be about a paragraph in length, with clear reference to or quotation from specific parts of that week’s reading. I’ll post them Thursday; you have until Sunday night to respond.
In-Class Writing
I will have freewriting activities from time to time to practice skills and gauge questions and struggles the class is having with the texts. They are intended to be informal practice opportunities.
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance and Participation:
ENGL 242 is not intended as a lecture course; it is a discussion-based course, and as such, your daily preparation and participation largely determine the success of the course. When illness or other circumstances arise, please let me know beforehand, and please attach to your email any assignments that are due, so that they won’t be counted late. Keeping up with the reading is essential for effective discussions; my first impulse is to trust you implicitly to read and think about our materials before each class. My second impulse is to use reading quizzes to assess this; it is better to read and discuss. Note that participation is more than merely attending class; it means contributing to discussions. I reserve the right, and will exercise it, to call on anyone in class and expect a response.
Zero Tolerance Policy
Literature, by its nature, should invite a wide range of reactions, opinions, and interpretations; I hope to encourage this by providing an intellectually challenging but respectful environment; I ask you to do the same. There will be no tolerance for words, speech, behavior, actions, or clothing/possessions that insult, diminish, demean, or belittle any individual or group of persons based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual preference, ability, economic class, national origin, language, or age. Academic freedom, freedom of speech, and freedom of discourse DO NOT protect racism or other acts of harassment and hate. Violations of this Zero Tolerance Policy may result in removal from the classroom and actions governed by the student code of conduct will be taken.
Technology Policy
Unless you have a very specific reason for needing them, I request that you not use computers or electronics in class. I ask that you purchase physical copies of our texts, and our discussions will refer extensively to those physical objects, so bring to class with you the text you were assigned to read and be ready to engage with it. Please mark up your readings and take notes with pencil/pen and paper.
Late Work:
I will accept any of the written assignments late with a penalty of one grade level for each day (24 hour period) after the due date (for a paper that would receive a 4.0 had it been on time on Monday, any time after class up through Tuesday, it will receive a 3.0, Wednesday a 2.0, etc.). I will not accept reading responses late.
Revision:
In an ideal world, you would receive feedback from me on each assignment, then revise and resubmit. This is logistically unmanageable in a ten-week quarter, so I instead give you the OPTION to revise and resubmit one and only one assignment. This does not include the last assignment. It is due during finals week and should include: 1. the original, with my comments; 2. a substantially revised final copy; 3. a one-page discussion of what you revised and how you feel it strengthened the paper.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any way in my class; your work should be entirely your own, and cite any outside sources you have used (though none of the assignments ask you to do this). Definitions of what constitutes plagiarism and the consequences at the UW can be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/plag.html
UNIVERSITY RESOURCES
Writing Centers
The Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC) offers free, one-on-one help with all aspects of writing at any stage in the writing process. It is best to make an appointment in advance: https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/signup.php
The CLUE Writing Center in Mary Gates Hall is open Sunday to Thursday from 7pm to midnight. The graduate tutors can help you with your claims, organization, and grammar.
Disability-Related Needs:
If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.
GRADING
I will return assignments as quickly as possible with my written comments and grade, which is my primary form of communication, though I’ll also post grades to Canvas.
Total: 600 pts (see Canvas for grading scale)
Assignments (55%)
Reading Journal – 50 pts
Close Reading – 75 pts
Thematic Analysis – 100 pts
Comparative Analysis – 125 pts
Reading Responses (25%)
Discussion Board – 75 pts
In-Class Writing – 75 pts
Participation (20%) – 100 pts
SCHEDULE
NOTE: Readings/viewings should be completed BEFORE class on the date indicated.
8 January – Course Introduction; Katherine Mansfield, “The Canary” (read in class)
Unit One: Displacement and Identity
10 January – Marcel Proust, “Mme de Breyves’ Melancholy Summer Vacation”; Franz Kafka, “A Report to an Academy” (in Course Packet; CP)
15 January – Christopher Isherwood, “Sally Bowles” (CP)
17 January – Thomas Mann, Death in Venice, through p. 42
22 January – Death in Venice to the end
Reading Journal due in class
Unit Two: Displacement in Narrative
24 January – Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea, Part One
29 January – Wide Sargasso Sea Part Two, through p. 137
31 January – Wide Sargasso Sea Part Two
5 February – Wide Sargasso Sea Part Three
Close Reading paper due in class
Unit Three: Displacement in Time
7 February – Octavia Butler, Kindred, through “The Fire”
12 February – Kindred, through “The Fall”
14 February – Kindred, through “The Fight”
19 February – Kindred, through “The Storm”
21 February – Kindred, through the end
Thematic Analysis paper due in class
26 February – Novellas (to be assigned by group and distributed via email)
Unit Four: Displacement in Body
28 February – Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go, through Chapter 3
5 March – Never Let Me Go, through Chapter 9
7 March – Never Let Me Go, through Chapter 15
12 March – Never Let Me Go, through Chapter 20
14 March – Never Let Me Go, through the end
Comparative Perspectives paper due in class
21 March – optional revision of one paper due (via email)