ENGL 340 A: Irish Literature

Course description:

A small island nation in the Atlantic, on the Northwest edge of Europe, Ireland has long been associated with its literature and “The Troubles,” a lingering conflict over British possession of its northern six counties. Ireland was a British Colony until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 and officially became an independent republic, untethered to the British Commonwealth, in 1949. Over the twentieth and into the 21^st century, Irish writers have depicted complex sensibilities of place that reflect indigenous views of the land along with colonized perspectives.  Whether the landscapes are rural landscapes, as in Seamus Heaney’s poetry, or urban, as in James Joyce’s Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man, Irish writers wrangle with what WB Yeats called “the terribly beauty” of this place.

Casting off the colonial rule of the British empire, which was largely Protestant, left a power vacuum for the Catholic Church to position itself with the republic and have an enormous influence in Ireland. In combination with earlier Pagan Celtic traditions, Catholic religious practices took hold. In this course, we will focus on themes of place and landscape in Irish Literature since the Easter Uprising of 1916, when Ireland began its contemporary journey towards becoming an independent republic, and view how Pagan, Celtic and Catholic images arise.

We’ll read poems, stories, plays and novels that detail place and landscape and reflect notions of colonialism vs. Celtic storytelling traditions. We’ll begin with WB Yeats’ poetry and poems of Seamus Heaney, a poet who was born in the year Yeats died, 1939. (Heaney died in 2013). How did each poet describe the “terrible beauty” of Ireland while using old traditions in experimental ways? We’ll move to James Joyce, Samuel Beckett and contemporary poets Paula Meehan and Eavan Boland and novelist Sara Baume, seeing how language about place surfaces visions of gender, colonial power, urban and rural landscapes and religious contexts, particularly through the lens of power and difference.

Structure and Course Assignments:

The course will be a balance of a traditional reading-lecture-quiz-writing-papers structure (three “response papers” of 500 words; four short quizzes) and a project-based learning course. “Projects” will be assembled in groups, based on student interest. 

Our seminar-style discussions will happen in class. We will also write together. Our writing studios will offer us low- stakes ways to practice creating response papers and enhance our conversations about the literature. We’ll also test out drafts of papers.

Expectations of Students: 

1. Participation. Participation matters to everyone. Because we’re involved in intense small and large group discussions and writing studios, active participation is crucial. Read your assignments BEFORE the due date, take substantial notes in class, jot ideas outside of class, talk to your classmates, work well in a group. Do the assignments that aren't graded; these will count towards your participation mark. 
2. Three One-Page Response Papers.These papers are single-spaced, no more than one page, 12 point Times New Roman, delivered on Canvas. The point of these papers is for you to drive your own responses to the reading. I will use the papers to steer class discussion. The papers also give you practice in fashioning short essays that display critical thinking about the literature we are reading. Think of these as the "middles" of longer essays. You won't need formal introductions or conclusions. Rather, you will create a question that you will attempt to answer. A good response paper chooses a question that is not answered with Yes/No, and that provokes thinking rather than delivering a complete answer.  Here's an example: How does the theme of damage vs. repair play out in physical structures in Heaney’s poetry instead of: Are the characters in Heaney’s poems actually his parents? (Yes/No). A rubric will include how well you: 1) focus on the particular work assigned; 2) create a substantive question that your paper begins to answer but may not resolve (think of it as a mini paper without a thesis, introduction or conclusion); 3) avoid answering yes or no questions or assuming things like "The author is trying to..." or "The author is showing that..." or "The author intends..", or uncovering some sort of secret "deeper meaning;" 4) write in third person, not first person and do not use "The Reader"; 5) avoid mechanical errors. 

For the Second and Third papers, you must state the errors you had in previous papers and show evidence of avoid those same errors. State error(s) on top of the paper. For example: Use of quotation marks; run-on sentences; literary present tense.

Papers may not be turned in late, early or via email. Submit on Canvas only.

3. Four Reading Quizzes. These will be given in class and based on our class discussions and the readings. You will need to bring your laptop and access CANVAS during the class period when each quiz is assigned. If you miss class on a quiz day, you won't get credit for the quiz. Each quiz will ask 5 simple multiple choice questions and take less than five minutes. Quizzes can’t be rescheduled.
4. One Final Project This project, in collaboration with 3-4 classmates,  asks you to research a theme that surfaces in the course. You will focus on at least one of the writers whose work we have discussed in class.

These papers should show evidence of avoiding all previous errors. Put a sentence at the bottom of your paper that has a list of previous errors.

Grade Breakdown:

Participation: 15%

Paper 1 10%

Paper 2 10%

Paper 3 10%

Reading quizzes (4 at 5 points each) 20%

Final Project: 35%

If you miss class, do not email me. Please do not ask what you "missed." Consult your classmates instead.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Show an ability to use texts, quotations, and detailed examples to reveal an appreciation of complexity and awareness of nuance

• Develop familiarity with major works, authors, genres, and movements in Irish literature since 1922
• Demonstrate an understanding of the aesthetic, cultural, political, and historical contexts of literary texts
• Demonstrate familiarity with historical and cultural contexts and how they affect the creation and understanding of literary texts 

• Write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences
• Demonstrate a deeper/more refined ability to perform close readings of literary prose and poems, paying special attention to the ways in which various techniques generate meaning and/or emotion

Course Texts:

Baume, Sara. A Line Made By Walking, Mariner Books; Reprint edition (April 24, 2018). Available as an ebook as well. 

Joyce, James. Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man,  (Penguin Classics) Paperback – March 25, 2003 Seamus Deane (Editor, Introduction) See: 

Additional readings available as PDFs throughout the course. These include:

Ireland: First Colony of the British Empire

Well Water Rock: Holy Wells

Yeats. See PoetryFoundation.org as well.

Guests of the Nation

(Read while listening to What's The History Podcast-- Episode Short Story Time: Guests of the nation. On Spotify).

Endgame by Samuel Beckett

and watch along. This one is excellent. 

A Kind Of Scar Eavan Boland.pdf

Eavan Boland.pdf

Paula Meehan.pdf

Vona Groarke.pdf

You should bring both the books and the supplemental readings to class with you so that you can consult them during discussion.

Grade Scale:

Computers and Electronics: Because a number of the readings will be posted to the course website, you are permitted to bring a computer or other device to class if you prefer to read them in electronic form rather than printing. However, I expect that this is the only use to which you will put said devices.

Disability Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course. If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at https://disability.uw.edu.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The UW English Department aims to help students become more incisive thinkers, effective communicators, and imaginative writers by acknowledging that language and its use are powerful and hold the potential to empower individuals and communities; to provide the means to engage in meaningful conversation and collaboration across differences and with those with whom we disagree; and to offer methods for exploring, understanding, problem solving, and responding to the many pressing collective issues we face in our world--skills that align with and support the University of Washington’s mission to educate “a diverse student body to become responsible global citizens and future leaders through a challenging learning environment informed by cutting-edge scholarship.”

As a department, we begin with the conviction that language and texts play crucial roles in the constitution of cultures and communities, past, present, and future.  Our disciplinary commitments to the study of English (its history, multiplicity, and development; its literary and artistic uses; and its global role in shaping and changing cultures) require of us a willingness to engage openly and critically with questions of power and difference. As such, in our teaching, service, and scholarship we frequently initiate and encourage conversations about topics such as race and racism, immigration, gender, sexuality, class, indigeneity, and colonialisms. These topics are fundamental to the inquiry we pursue.  We are proud of this fact, and we are committed to creating an environment in which our faculty and students can do so confidently and securely, knowing that they have the backing of the department.

Religious Accommodation: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Academic Integrity:  When quoting, paraphrasing, or referring to another writer’s words or ideas (including any you might find on the Internet), you must cite the source properly using MLA citation guidelines, which I will explain before the first essay assignment is due.  Don’t hesitate to ask me if you have questions about proper attribution.  I will hand over any plagiarized work to the Dean’s Committee on Academic Conduct, and plagiarism may result in a failing grade on the assignment or the course.  For further information on what constitutes plagiarism, see http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm#misconduct.

Schedule will appear in assignments.

Evaluation Details:

The course is based on 100 points.

• Three Response Papers (10 points each for a total of 30 points) Second
• One final group project (35 points)
• Four reading quizzes (5 points each, for a total of 20 points)
• Participation (15 points)