ENGL 200 E: Reading Literary Forms

The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations. We acknowledge the people – past, present, and future – of the Dkhw’Duw’Absh, the Duwamish Tribe, the Muckleshoot Tribe, and other tribes on whose ancestral lands we study and work. 

September 2023 / Text by Pablo Helguera / The National Museum of Nostalgia For the Very Moment You Are Living

ENGL 200 E: Reading Literary Forms

Nostalgia and the Twentieth Century Novel: History, Memory, and Self-Perception

Autumn Quarter 2024

MTWTh 1:30-2:20 SMI 405

ERIN GILBERT eringil@uw.edu

Office: MW 11:30-12:30 Padelford B 28 (or by appointment)

“The twentieth century began with a futuristic utopia and ended with nostalgia” (Boym, The Future of Nostalgia, 2001).

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Since the term “nostalgia” was invented in the seventeenth century, the meaning of the word has continued to change. What was once understood to be a devastating illness later came to be defined as an emotional response to displacement or the passage of time, a distinctive cultural aesthetic, and even more recently, a relationship with the past that provides mental health benefits.  Today, researchers suggest that as technology and media change the way people interact with evidence of the past—both individually and collectively—nostalgia is changing again. By reading a progression of novels Pnin, Housekeeping, and The Idiot (each written rand set roughly one or two generations apart) students will investigate how the experience of nostalgia has shifted cultural perceptions and expectations over the late twentieth century. Drawing on the readings and research projects, students will develop theirr own theories about  how nostalgia might continue to evolve as a personal experience and cultural force as the twenty-first century progresses. Supplemental readings and lectures highlighting findings in disciplines in the sciences, social sciences and humanities will support critical thinking about the science and art of nostalgia in a variety of times, places, and texts. By the end of the quarter, students will develop their own analysis of nostalgia as an element in twentieth century literary production and culture in the United States and formulate predictions about how “nostalgia” may be defined and experienced by future generations

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Students are able to contextualize and analyze the materials or topics covered, historically, politically, culturally. (Analytical; Writing; Disciplinary)
• Students gain and/or build on basic research traditions and skills. Students develop more familiarity with library resources and electronic or on-line media that may be critical to their improvement. (Analytical; Disciplinary; Writing)
• Students can appreciate the value and challenge of difference and disagreement. (Analytical)
• Students develop both an appreciation of literature and a lifelong habit of reading. (General Analytical; Disciplinary)
• Students are able to perform competent close readings of course texts and similar texts. (Analytical; Disciplinary; Writing)
• Students understand the investments, contexts, and effects of the kind of close/critical reading skills or approaches under study/use. (Analytical; Disciplinary; Writing)
• Students are acquainted with a range of texts useful to understanding the course topic and to doing future work in this area. (Disciplinary)
• Students have a fundamental knowledge of genres and/or arguments about genre. (Disciplinary)
• Students have an appreciation for and knowledge of literature’s relationship to related areas or disciplines. (Analytical; Disciplinary)
• Students develop more sophisticated discussion and presentation skills in the interest of being better able to construct and defend their own arguments or interpretations. (Analytical; Disciplinary; Writing)
• Students improve their writing skills generally, and with regard to writing about literature and culture. (Analytical; Disciplinary; Writing)

TEXTS:

Pnin, Vladimir Nabokov (1957)

Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson (1980)

The Idiot, Elif Batuman (2018)

(All additional readings can be found on Canvas)

ASSIGNMENTS

Writing Prompts: These short, timed writing exercises support the development of a generative writing practice, supply material for early drafts, and focus thinking around salient questions for course discussions. The goal is to write as much as possible in the time allotted without stopping and without worrying too much about spelling, punctuation, or sentence structure. This is more challenging than it sounds! (Graded as complete or incomplete.) 20%

Course Readings, Quotes and Questions Posts, and In-Class Discussions: Assigned readings provide models for audience and genre-specific writing about important issues in the natural sciences. Students earn credit by completing the readings, identifying and annotating passages that seem important, and contributing to the in-class discussions. (Graded as complete or incomplete.) 20%

Peer Reviews (Drafts and Feedback): Credit for the peer review process is assigned to everyone who submits both a draft and feedback during the peer review process. Each peer review session will be a little bit different, allowing students to model, practice, and revise skills that will lead to successful completion of the midterm and final writing assignment. (Graded as complete or incomplete—draft and feedback required to earn a complete.) 10%

 Midterm: The midterm will consist of three questions about Pnin and Housekeeping drawn from readings, course discussions, lectures, and writing prompt responses. Each student will conduct research to prepare and then select and answer one question. (Graded according to rubric.) 25%

Final: The final writing assignment helps cement learning, render skills transferrable, and forge a narrative of accomplishments to finish the quarter. (Graded according to rubric.) 25%

COURSE CALENDAR

COURSE POLICIES

PARTICIPATION: In this course, as in most courses about literature, much of the learning happens through a combination of reading and preparing questions at home and in-class discussion and activities, so preparation and attendance are especially important! Participation assignments are generally graded as complete or incomplete and can’t be made up outside of class. That said, you might find that you need to miss class due to an illness or personal emergency. If this happens, you can request to have all in-class participation coursework for the day you missed excused on the day of your absence for up to two days this quarter (if you need to stay home longer, email me for help making a plan). See below for how to handle coursework due outside of class in cases of illness or emergency.

DEADLINES: Assignments designed for the use of classmates (including discussion posts, in-class group activities, and peer review drafts and feedback) won’t be accepted late because they’re no longer useful to the classmates they were intended for after the deadline has passed (see above for what to do if you get sick). If you are struggling to finish the midterm or final on time, reach out to me before the deadline to request more time, and I will almost always grant you a 48-hour extension and you are welcome request further extensions (in 24-hour increments beyond the initial 48) in cases of illness or emergency. If you don’t reach out, I can’t grant an extension, and the assignment grade will drop 10% a day

RELIGIOUS ACCOMODATION: 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/).

ACCESS AND ACCOMODATION: 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 disability.uw.edu.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: The University takes academic integrity very seriously. Behaving with integrity is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. If you’re uncertain about if something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.

Acts of academic misconduct may include but are not limited to:

• Cheating (working collaboratively on quizzes/exams and discussion submissions, sharing answers, and previewing quizzes/exams)
• Plagiarism (representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s))
• Unauthorized collaboration (working with each other on assignments)

Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by (include information for specific campus office). Students found to have engaged in academic misconduct may receive a zero on the assignment (or other possible outcome).

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND AI: The plagiarism policy (above) prohibits “representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s)”  and consequently extends the use of AI for the creation, development, and completion of any part of the assignments and coursework in this class. Using Large Language Models (LLMs) can raise additional ethical consideration too, particularly in regard to citation practice, and I am happy to discuss these and support intentional decision-making. However, as LLMs become increasingly omnipresent, their role in knowledge production and communication is important for all readers and writers to consider. This course provides clearly marked opportunities for using—and thinking through the ethical implications of using—AI in the study of literature. AI is also beginning to shape history, memory, and self-perception in ways that we will explore as we study nostalgia.

RESOURCES

SAFETY: Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested.

 THE UW FOOD PANTRY provides food to students, staff, and faculty who may be experiencing short-term food insecurity.  It could be the result of a short-term disruption in finances, a food desert in the local community, or a lack of access to other financial assistance. Visitors are welcome to shop in person once per week and receive 2-3 days’ worth of food. The food pantry provides shelf stable products, UW Farm organic produce, ready-to-eat items from campus dining locations, and hygiene products at no cost to visitors.

HUSKY HELPLINE: If you are in crisis and need to talk to someone, Husky HelpLine operated by Telus (formally MySSP) to give students access to same-day, confidential mental health and crisis intervention support, 24/7 and in multiple languages. Husky HelpLine is available to support you to same-day access to a Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

THE Q CENTER facilitates and enhances a brave, affirming, liberatory, and celebratory environment for students, faculty, staff, and alumni of all sexual and gender orientations, identities, and expressions.

THE CLUE WRITING CENTER in Mary Gates Hall (141 suite, CUADSS lobby) is open Sunday to Thursday from 7pm to midnight. The graduate tutors can help you with your claims, organization, and grammar. You do not need to make an appointment, so arrive early and be prepared to wait. 

THE ODEGAARD WRITING AND RESEARCH CENTER is open in Odegaard Library Monday - Thursday 9am to 9pm, Friday 9am to 4:30pm, and Sunday 12pm to 9pm. This writing center provides a research-integrated approach to writing instruction. Find more information and/or make an appointment on the website: depts.washington.edu/owrc.