Other materials: You will need access to the WWW (for Blackboard and Turnitin)

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1 English Spring 2008 MWF 1-1:50 L211 Professor Sheridan Office N 428; x3239 Office hours: MWF 8:30-9:30 and by appointment sheridan@sxu.edu Course description: This course introduces the close reading and analysis of literary texts, with special attention being paid to contemporary critical theory. Requirements will include weekly summaries of critical articles, several brief essays, an in-class presentation, and a longer research essay. The course will operate as an informal seminar, with an emphasis on collaborative learning and group activities. Required of English majors and minors but also open to other interested students with a strong background in literature. Texts: Barnet & Cain, A Short Guide to Writing about Literature, 10/e Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Paul Fry, ed. Shelley, Frankenstein, 2/e, Johanna Smith, ed. Stoker, Dracula, John Paul Riquelme, ed. James, The Turn of the Screw, 2/e Peter Beidler, ed. Online readings found on Blackboard Other materials: You will need access to the WWW (for Blackboard and Turnitin) Blackboard and Turnitin.com: This course will use the Blackboard (Bb) course information software for the posting of all relevant documents, including paper assignments, reading questions, outside resources, and changes to the schedule. You are responsible for checking the Blackboard site 24 hours before every class. Access at NOTE: you must use your sxu.edu account to communicate with the instructor. Course Requirements: 1) Three 500 word essays engaging in close textual analysis. 2) Three 1000 word essays engaging with the essays in the Bedford Case Studies series. 3) A word researched essay. Before beginning the paper, you will submit a one page proposal outlining your topic, selected text(s), and an annotated bibliography of potential resources. This will count as 4 4) Weekly summaries of critical essays. If you turn in all the summaries on time, in the proper format and of appropriate length, you will receive full credit.

2 5) Quizzes. You should be prepared for frequent, unannounced reading quizzes. If you are absent on the day of a quiz, you may not make it up. If you arrive after I have collected the quizzes, you may not make it up. 6) Presentation. Each student will participate in a group presentation. You will form your own groups, determine which presentation you will undertake, and share the presentation grade with your group. Days on which the presentations will occur are listed on the schedule. The presentations offer the group an opportunity to delve a bit deeper into the selected critical theory. All group presentations must include a) A discussion of the theory that goes beyond the that found in the Bedford Case Book. Consult the works listed in the Bibliography that accompanies each essay in the Bedford b) An argument that explains why the selected theory yields a more informed reading of the text than other theories; c) A series of discussion questions to ask the rest of the class. Your presentation should last 20 minutes and all group members must participate. The presentations will be evaluated both by me and by your classmates. The Peer Evaluations will count towards your Summaries grade. 7) Active and informed class participation. Participation in each Workshop session. Missing or being unprepared for a Workshop session without a valid excuse will result in a letter deduction from the grade for that paper. Grade Distribution: Close Reading Essays (combined) 10% Summaries 10% Quizzes 10% s 1-3(individually) 3 x10% Presentation 10% 4 (proposal and annotated bib) 5% Research 25% Academic Honesty: All work composed for this class must be written exclusively for this class and be your original work. You may of course receive assistance on your writing, but submitting someone else s work as your own or failing to acknowledge sources appropriately will be grounds for plagiarism. Be especially wary of electronic sources; essays will be checked via Turnitin.com. Violations of academic honesty will result in failure for the course and may result in further disciplinary action by the University.. Other Policies: 1) Late Assignments: Unless you have arranged an extension with me at least 24 hours in advance, no late assignments will be accepted. 2) Late Arrival: Do not enter the classroom if you arrive after I have shut the door. If you do enter late, you will be counted as absent and not allowed to take the day s quiz. Policies and assignments subject to change as the semester progresses.

3 All assignments can be found in the Assignments section of Bb. Online Readings can be found on Bb COURSE DOCUMENTS>READINGS Week Date Readings Assignments 1 Jan 7 Introduction. Dover Beach (photocopy) Initial Assessment 9 Barnet & Cain (BC) Chapters 6 and 7. Blake, Sick Rose BC 229 Wordsworth, A Slumber BC BC Chapter 9 Return to Dover Beach Response to Opening Questions 2 14 BC Chapters 1 & 3: Writing About Literature 16 BC Chapter 4 (pp ) Explication Poems for Explication (Online) 18 BC Chapter 4 (pp ) Analysis Poe, The Raven (Online) Explication 3 21 NO CLASS MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY 23 Hoffmann, The Sandman (Online) Freud, The Uncanny (Online) 25 Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher. (Online) Analysis 4 28 Coleridge, Rime (1798 text, even pages only) Biographical and Historical Contexts 30 Rime, 1798 text Feb 1 Rime 1817 text Compare and Contrast 5 4 Reader Response and the Rime, pp Deconstruction and the Rime, pp Deconstruction and the Rime, pp Summary 6 11 Workshop 1 13 Shelley, Frankenstein to p Shelley, Frankenstein to p.79 1

4 7 18 Shelley, Frankenstein to p Shelley, Frankenstein to the end. 22 NO CLASS INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE 8 25 Psychoanalytic Criticism and Frankenstein Summary Group 1 27 Feminist Criticism and Frankenstein Summary Group 2 29 Marxist Criticism and Frankenstein Summary Group 3 9 Mar 3 Workshop 2 5 Stoker, Dracula, pp TBA 2 SPRING BREAK Stoker, Dracula, to p Stoker, Dracula, to p NO CLASS EASTER BREAK Stoker, Dracula, to end. Contextual Documents 26 New Historicist Criticism and Dracula Summary Group 4 28 Gender Criticism and Dracula Summary Group Workshop 3 Apr 2 NO CLASSES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY 4 James, Turn of the Screw, to p James, Turn of the Screw, to p James, Turn of the Screw, to the end. 11 Workshop Reader Response and the Turn of the Screw 4 16 Marxist Criticism and the Turn of the Screw Summary Group 6 18 Combining Perspectives on Turn of the Screw

5 15 21 No Class. Individual Conferences. N428 Rough Draft of Research 23 No Class. Individual Conferences. N No Class. Individual Conferences. N Conclusions 30 TBA. 2 NO CLASS INSTRUCTOR AT CONFERENCE FINAL DRAFT OF RESEARCH PAPER DUE DURING EXAM PERIOD