English 200 B: Introduction to Literary Forms

INSTRUCTOR | Dr. Emily George

LOCATION / TIME | M/W, 1:30-3:20, Smith 305

OFFICE | Zoom: https://washington.zoom.us/j/99625371204

OFFICE HOURS | M/W 12-1 & by appointment—please email to schedule

EMAIL | ecg136@uw.edu

Course Description

Turn, Turn, Turn: Literary Transformations

Welcome to English 200: Reading Literary Forms! This course focuses on studying literature in its various forms, especially poetry, drama, and prose. Our thematic entry point for this work is “literary transformations”: narratives and characters that explore questions of individual and cultural identity through metamorphosis, translation, revision, and adaptation. We will study ghost stories, animal hybrids and shapeshifters, and witches as they appear in medieval lais and story collections, early modern drama and prose, and other historical and contemporary ballads, oral traditions, and poetry. Our readings, discussions, and written assignments will ask you to consider ‘texts’ as material creations, with meanings that are shaped by their forms, contexts, languages, and content. Over the next ten weeks, we will explore questions such as:

• How do narratives transform as they shift into new forms, genres, languages, and contexts?
• How do forms and genres travel across time, cultures, and literary traditions? How does this travel transform characters, themes, imagery, social dynamics, and/or broader cultural concerns?
• What is the relationship between authenticity and transformation, truth and fiction, self and disguise, in various literary traditions and forms?
• When is difference perceived as dangerous or monstrous, as assimilable and erasable, or as a source of curiosity and empathy? When can it foster connections, and when is it used to condemn? When and how is it treated as human, and when and how is it not?

This is a literature course with a “W” credit, meaning that you will do a significant amount of informal and formal writing, peer review, and revision. See “Assignments and Grading” for more information.

Materials

The readings in this class are available for free on Canvas. However, there is one recommended print edition that I encourage you to purchase:

• The Witch of Edmonton, by Thomas Dekker, William Rowley, and John Ford. Arden Edition paperback is $15.36.
  You’re welcome to get the play through the library, or to share a copy with a friend in the class. This edition is the easiest to read and has the best notes, but I will also provide you with access to an adequate free eBook on Canvas if you cannot purchase this edition for whatever reason. We’ll be beginning The Witch of Edmonton on February 17^th.

Course Goals

1. Students are able to contextualize and analyze the materials or topics covered, historically, politically, culturally.
2. Students gain and/or build on basic research traditions and skills. Students develop more familiarity with library resources and electronic or on-line media may be critical to their improvement.
3. Students develop more sophisticated discussion and presentation skills in the interest of being better able to construct and defend their own arguments or interpretations.
4. Students are acquainted with a range of texts useful to understanding the course topic and to doing future work in this area.

Assignments and Grading

In this class, it is important for us to approach the reading, writing, discussions, and research we do as a kind of thinking process and practice, and therefore to see it as the difficult, continuous work that it is rather than as a single skill to achieve. Therefore, the majority of your work in the class is graded Complete (a checkmark on your grades page) meaning you have fulfilled all the requirements of the work, and thus receive full credit, or an “incomplete” (an X or a 0 on the grades page), meaning either you have ignored the work, or you have submitted something that does not fulfill the assignment requirements and have not made the requested corrections. Assignment requirements will always be specified on the assignment prompt. My hope is that this approach to grading will be more equitable and transparent, and will encourage you to take risks with your writing and trust that the failures you will inevitably encounter as you learn and try new things are part of that process. As your professor, I will give you feedback on your work, and you will have the opportunity to use feedback you receive from me and from your peers to revise the project that you want to submit for a formal grade. I believe this will help us feel like this process is collaborative rather than competitive, an honest and generous way of engaging with one another’s ideas and questions and pushing yourselves and each other to develop as thinkers and writers.

—Participation (25%): Every scheduled class day will include at least one graded participation component. This may take the form of in-class free write activities, small group discussions and written notes, responses to lecture questions, paired activities, or other class work. The Participation category also includes reading annotations and providing peer responses on your project group members’ “learn something” projects. All participation assignments are graded Complete/Incomplete. To receive a “Complete” grade, make sure you are fulfilling all requirements and submitting assignments complete and on time. See “Missing Class” policy for absences.

—Discussion Clusters (25%): Your discussion clusters are a weekly forum to converse with one another in informal writing settings, responding to particular themes and questions about our class readings. You will practice incorporating quotes, synthesizing what your classmates have said, generating discussion questions, and doing intertextual analysis. All discussion cluster assignments are graded Complete/Incomplete. To receive a “Complete” grade, make sure you are fulfilling all requirements and submitting assignments complete and on time.

—Learn Something Projects (25%): You will complete two “learn something” projects. Each “learn something” project consists of several components: a line of inquiry, source assessments, a project pitch, and the project itself. All Learn Something steps are graded Complete/Incomplete. To receive a “Complete” grade, make sure you are fulfilling all requirements and submitting assignments complete and on time.

—Revised Learn Something Project (25%): Using your feedback from me and from your peers, you will select one of your learn something projects to revise and submit as your showcase project at the end of the quarter. We will create the grading rubric for this revision together as a class.

The Revised Learn Something Project is graded using the following grade scale:

Policies

Late Policy

If you submit your assignments on time, it is easier for me to get them back to you in a timely manner, and it is also easier for you to move on to the next assignment having gained skills and experience from the previous assignment. Assignments are sequenced purposefully so that they build on each other, and completing them in the correct order is the best way to make sure that you’re learning as much as possible from them. Therefore, I hope you will make your best effort to submit all assignments on time. However, I also understand that this isn’t always possible for a variety of reasons. Therefore:

• You may use a 48-hour extension for any assignments (see exceptions in the next bullet) that you are not able to complete on time, up to 3 times. To use this extension and ensure your assignment will not be marked incomplete, you can email me any time before the assignment is due to let me know you are using an extension. As long as you’ve done this, your assignment will not be marked late. You do not need to offer any excuse or documentation.
• Exceptions: Because our course includes opportunities for peer review, and students receive credit for performing peer reviews for each other, your classmates will be relying on you to complete assignments that will be submitted for peer review on time, and they will also be relying on you to give them your own peer reviews on time. Therefore, the 48-hour extension does not apply to peer reviews you are giving to others or to drafts of your work that will be receiving peer review. You will always know well ahead of time if a draft is receiving peer review. If you have extenuating circumstances that make this impossible, please contact me before the due date so we can find a solution together.
• If you are unable to complete an assignment within the 48-hour extension window, please email me to set up a meeting with me so we can work together on a plan to help you catch up on your coursework. This meeting is required for extensions beyond 48 hours.
• Late work submitted outside of an arranged extension will receive half credit (see peer review exceptions above). I accept late work for one week after grading it incomplete.

Ignored Work

Ignored work is work that is 1) never submitted; or 2) an assignment is marked “incomplete” (an X or a 0) and which is not revised accordingly within 1 week of receiving the “incomplete” grade. An assignment is “incomplete” if it does not meet ALL expectations outlined on the assignment sheet or prompt. If an assignment is submitted on time but marked incomplete, I will note the reason why it is incomplete in my comments, and you will be given 1 week to complete it. If you have questions or concerns about the “incomplete” designation, reach out to me as soon as possible. Incomplete work that is not completed in this timeframe will be considered “ignored.” Late work that is not submitted within this time frame will be considered “ignored.” Peer reviews that are not submitted will be marked “Incomplete” without the possibility of correction.

Note: in order to know when you have received an “Incomplete,” it is important that you regularly check your grades on Canvas. You should also set up Notification Settings on Canvas to alert you whenever you receive a grade. You can find instructions here.

Missing Class

If you must miss class, you may request alternative participation assignments twice throughout the quarter, as long as you request them ahead of our class meeting. For longer absences due to extenuating circumstances such as long-term illnesses, you’ll need to set up a meeting with me so that we can make more specialized arrangements and discuss your options.

Class Expectations and Guidelines for Discussion

Please see and respond to our Community Agreement on Canvas during the first week.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else's ideas or writing as your own. In your writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing--as long as you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found to have plagiarized any piece of writing in this class will be immediately reported to the College of Arts and Sciences for review. If you are struggling with an assignment, please contact me so we can avoid plagiarism issues.

If you are confused or unsure about whether or not something you want to do would be considered plagiarism, please talk to me about it! I won’t penalize you for not knowing. Sometimes plagiarism is something obvious, like copying someone else’s essay, but sometimes it can get trickier, like incorrectly paraphrasing, forgetting to cite information/ideas and not just quotes, etc. Likewise, if you are feeling so much pressure or confusion that you’re thinking about plagiarizing, talk to me. Plagiarizing can have huge consequences for your grade and your academic future, and we can come up with a solution that’s better than taking that risk.

Academic Integrity: On the use of “Artificial Intelligence,” ChatGPT, and other AI writing programs

Artificial intelligence is a subject with tons of branches, and sometimes, the results of AI research and projects are useful, creative, and ethically well-thought-out. However, this is not true in many instances. ChatGPT and other forms of “AI” have repeatedly been shown to provide you with misleading or outright false information; to unethically scrape the labor of creators (artists, writers, researchers, programmers, engineers, and other workers) and use it without proper compensation or permission; and even, on occasion, to “hallucinate,” providing nonsensical responses to questions or tasks. All of these are important reasons for being wary of using AI for research, writing, or fact-checking. (In fact, you should never use AI for fact-checking.) Whenever you use AI, remember that the results are not created out of nothing; they are created out of someone’s labor, and we should all consider, each time, how that labor was obtained and valued. But in the case of this class, the most important thing to remember is that English 200 is a class designed to guide you through a particular process of writing and thinking, making judgments, coming to conclusions, learning about and reflecting on your own learning process, and revising your work. AI might be able to produce an essay that is coherent, follows “standard English grammar,” and addresses a given topic. It cannot, however, demonstrate how your ideas have changed over the course of reading and discussing a topic, or how your argument has been revised to accommodate new information, or how you have read and researched different sources and made your own judgments about their reliability, their usefulness, their connections to one another and to your own thinking. Therefore, because those are habits and skills we are practicing and evaluating in English 200, submitting work produced by AI instead of written by you is a form of academic dishonesty and falls under the plagiarism clause described above.

If you have any questions, or if you have a specific use of AI in mind that you would like to propose, please get in touch with me. I will consider proposals that are well-thought-out, interesting, and account for the ethics of how specific AI programs work.

Resources and Accommodations

Religious Accommodations: 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/).

Disability Services: If you need accommodation of any sort, please let me know so that I can work with the UW Disability Resources for Students Office (DRS) to provide what you require. This syllabus is available in large print, as are other class materials. More information about accommodation may be found at http://www.washington.edu/students/drs/  

DACA: The University of Washington strives to provide a safe, secure and welcoming environment that protects the privacy and human rights of everyone in our community. Our long-standing policies do not permit immigration officials to enter UW classrooms or residence halls without a court order. Any students seeking guidance regarding immigration status can find resources at UW Leadership Without Boarders: http://depts.washington.edu/ecc/lwb/. You can also email undocu@uw.edu. 

Counseling Center: UW Counseling Center workshops include a wide range of issues including study skills, thinking about coming out, international students and culture shock, and much more. Check out available resources and workshops at: http://depts.washington.edu/counsels/

Career Center:

UW Career Center offers career counseling and planning, workshops and career fairs, a listing of part-time jobs on and off campus, and much more: http://careers.washington.edu/students.

wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House is a longhouse-style facility on the UW Seattle campus. It provides a multi-service learning and gathering space for American Indian and Alaska Native students, faculty and staff, as well as others from various cultures and communities to come together in a welcoming environment to share knowledge. It is located at 4249 Whitman Court. http://www.washington.edu/diversity/tribal-relations/intellectual-house/

Q Center: The University of Washington Q Center builds and facilitates queer (gay, lesbian, bisexual, two-spirit, trans, intersex, questioning, same-gender-loving, allies) academic and social community through education, advocacy, and support services to achieve a socially-just campus in which all people are valued. For more information, visit http://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/.

FIUTS: Foundation for International Understanding through Students: FIUTS is an example of a campus organization that can bring together your social and academic learning. "FIUTS is an independent non-profit organization which provides cross-cultural leadership and social programming for UW's international and globally minded domestic students. FIUTS is local connections and global community!" FIUTS also offers a free international lunch on the last Wednesday of every month beginning with a lunch on September 28 from 11:30-1:30 in the Kane Hall Walker-Ames room. Consult FIUTS' web site for a detailed calendar of events and links to many resources http://www.fiuts.washington.edu.

Any Hungry Husky: This program helps mitigate the social and academic effects of campus food insecurity. By providing students, staff, and faculty with access to shelf-stable, non-perishable goods and community resources at no cost, this initiative aims to lessen the financial burden of purchasing food and supplement nutritional needs. This resource is for everyone in the UW community. Learn more here: http://www.washington.edu/anyhungryhusky

Health & Wellness: provides support, advocacy, consultation, and education to the University of Washington campus community. Services are free for UW students, faculty, and staff. You can work with advocates on your behalf or on behalf of someone you know. Programs include Alcohol & Drug Consultation and Education, Suicide Intervention, Sexual Assault, Relationship Violence, Stalking and Harassment Advocacy, and Student Care Program. For more information: http://depts.washington.edu/livewell/

University Land Acknowledgment

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. Our acknowledgment of the tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations comes from consultation and guidance by the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs and Federal regulations and policies. In this phrasing we are adhering to tribal sovereignty.

English Department Statement of Values

The UW English Department aims to help students become more incisive thinkers, effective communicators, and imaginative writers by acknowledging that language and its use is powerful and holds 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. Our disciplinary commitments to the study of language, literature, and culture 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, immigration, gender, sexuality, and class. 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.

Towards that aim, we value the inherent dignity and uniqueness of individuals and communities. We aspire to be a place where human rights are respected and where any of us can seek support. This includes people of all ethnicities, faiths, genders, national origins, political views, and citizenship status; nontheists; LGBTQIA+; those with disabilities; veterans; and anyone who has been targeted, abused, or disenfranchised.

Reaching Out

If you have any concerns about the course or your instructor, please see the instructor about these concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the instructor or not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact Stephanie Clare, Director of Undergraduate Programs, sclare@uw.edu;  If, after speaking with Professor Clare, you are still not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact English Department Chair, Habiba Ibrahim, hibrahim@uw.edu, (206) 543-2690.