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unlocking the novel
a guide to modernism and postmodernism
Syllabus:
The Modern Novel
ENGL
362, Modern Novel, is a study of representative American, British,
and European novelists of the 20th century. The course is
designed to acquaint the students with the themes, techniques, and
artistic problems of the modern novel and the relationship of the
latter to the basic issues and concerns of modern people.
Prerequisite: ENGL 204 or ENGL 208 or ENGL 209.
The
required texts are as follows (but note that any edition of
these texts is acceptable):
Joyce,
James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Woolf,
Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway.
Hemingway, Ernest. in our time.
Faulkner,
William. The Sound and the Fury.
O’Brien,
Tim. The Things They Carried.
Kingston,
Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior.
Morrison,
Toni. Beloved.
Cunningham,
Michael. The Hours.
Course
Goals
WebQuests,
online discussion, reading quizzes, reading analyses, and a major
semester project will be utilized to encourage students to reflect
thoughtfully on the central problems and issues raised in these
texts, to make significant connections between the texts, and to
encourage and assess careful critical reading and critical thinking
about the texts. These activities will give students the opportunity
to synthesize the critical reading and thinking undertaken
throughout the semester. Students' ability to think creatively,
reflectively, and independently about the deeper issues invoked by
the texts will be emphasized.
Assessment
and Evaluation
Your work in ENGL 362 will be assessed in the following ways:
Reading
checks: Nearly every week,
there will be an open-book, open-note reading check. These questions
will be designed to gauge the care with which you have completed the
week’s assigned reading and web exploration and to prompt further
learning during the upcoming class discussion. I will drop the
lowest two reading check scores (including “zeros”). The
remaining reading check scores will be recorded and will be a worth
a total of 25% of the final grade.
Reading
journal: Please see
“Keeping a Reading Journal” for guidelines and requirements. You
should bring your reading journal to every class period.
Journals will be collected periodically on an unannounced basis. If
you are not in class on the evening journals are collected, you will
receive a “zero” for that journal submission. If you know that
you will be absent for a legitimate reason, you may submit the
journal in advance. The journal is worth 20% of the final grade.
Reader’s
autobiography: At the
beginning of the semester, you will write a “reader’s
autobiography” to introduce yourself to your classmates. At the
end of the semester, you will revise this autobiography (or write a
completely new one). The final reader’s autobiography will become
part of the course website. The reader’s autobiography project
will count 5% toward the final grade.
Bulletin
board participation: You must
submit substantive comments to the course bulletin board at least
twice per week. In most instances, I will include specific bulletin
board questions at the end of the particular week’s WebQuests. I
will also include specific deadlines for posting your bulletin board
contribution. Take your time, and be thoughtful about the
contributions you make to the bulletin board. Bulletin board
participation is worth 20% of the final grade.
Web
projects: You will create two
“web” projects: “Unlocking the Modernist Novel” and
“Unlocking the Postmodernist Novel.” For more information on
these projects, see “Web Projects.” Each of these projects is
worth 15% of the final grade (for a total of 30%).
Citizenship:
This course will be
successful to the degree that all class participants
(regularly enrolled students and auditors alike) make a commitment
to completing all of the reading and WebQuets, attending all class
sessions, maintain the reading log, and contribute to the bulletin
board discussion. While no points will be awarded for attending,
participating, and completing all work, it will be virtually
impossible to do well in this course if you do not engage in the
course fully. If you miss more than two class periods, I will begin
deducting points from your overall course grade. Note that I do not
distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. My strong
preference is for each student to miss no more than one class
period. In the event of inclement weather, I will not take
attendance. Use your own discretion in deciding whether to travel to
the college. If the college is open, class will be held, and if you
live on campus or within walking distance of Knutti, you will be
expected to be in class.
Course
Policies
NO
LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON, AND EXTENSIONS WILL NOT
BE GIVEN.
Do
not consult any additional sources beyond those provided on
the WebQuests unless you explicitly clear them with me in advance.
I’ll provide more than enough background and support information
to help you with your reading—and I’ll be able to ensure greater
quality control
All
work should be your own and should not be borrowed from another
student, from a published source, or from your own work done in
another course. Plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind will
result in automatic failure of the course—and students guilty of
academic dishonesty will not be allowed to drop the class with a
“W.” Please review the Shepherd College regulations regarding
plagiarism and academic dishonesty.
I will regularly post course materials on the course website (see
instructions above for gaining access to this website). You will
always find there a copy of the syllabus, all supplemental
materials, all additional readings, all project and journal, all
WebQuests, and the course bulletin board. If you are unable to
attend a particular class or if bad weather disrupts our schedule,
the easiest way to get material or find out what’s happening is to
check the website.
You
may find it helpful to work with a tutor in the Writing Center and
are encouraged to do so for all assignments in this class. Getting
feedback from a reader is one of the most effective tools at any
writer's disposal. It is a good idea to work with the same tutor
consistently and to schedule a series of appointments for each
essay. However, you should not work
with tutors who are enrolled in this course.
All
assigned reading and WebQuests should be completed by the date
listed on the syllabus. You should read carefully, take notes, and
be prepared to discuss the reading in class.
If you have a documented learning
disability and will need additional time for in-class reading
checks, please let me know as soon as possible. We’ll need to
make alternate arrangements for you to complete these activities
outside of regularly scheduled class time.
Course
Calendar
Week
1: Challenges of being a 20th/21st-century reader
Week 2: Becoming a modern reader
Preparation:
Complete Joyce WebQuest; read Chapter 1 only of Joyce’s A
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man; start reading journal;
begin posting to course bulletin board; write reader’s
autobiography (no more than 300 words telling the story of your life
as a reader)
In
class: open-book/open-note
reading check; read autobiographies aloud in class (and submit to
Dr. Tate after presentation)
Wednesday,
September 3: Joyce, A Portrait of the
Artist as a Young Man
Preparation:
Complete WebQuest #2; finish reading Joyce’s Portrait; continue
journal and bulletin board
In
class: open-book/open-note
reading check
Wednesday,
September 10: Woolf, Mrs.
Dalloway (the novel)
Preparation:
Begin WebQuest #3 (as assigned); read Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway; continue
journal and bulletin board
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Tuesday,
September 16: Screening of Mrs. Dalloway, 7:00-10:00 p.m.,
location TBA
NOTE:
You must have viewed the film
by classtime on Wednesday, September 17. You may attend this
screening or view the film on your own.
Wednesday,
September 17: Mrs. Dalloway (the film)
Preparation:
Complete WebQuest #3 (steps #-#); make sure you have watched the
film, Mrs. Dalloway; continue journal and bulletin board
(second post not due until 3 p.m., Wednesday, September 17—after
watching the film)
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Monday,
September 22
Post
at least two “unlocking the modern novel” project ideas to the
bulletin board by midnight. This post is in addition to your
regular twice-weekly bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
September 24
Read
all of the ideas posted by your classmates, and respond to them by 3
p.m. This post is in addition to your regular twice-weekly
bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
September 24: Hemingway, in
our time
Preparation:
Complete all of WebQuest #4;
read all of in our time; continue journal and bulletin board
(and be sure you have posted and responded to “unlocking
the modern novel” ideas)
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Monday,
September 29
Post
at least two “unlocking the modern novel” project ideas to the
bulletin board by midnight. These can be refinements or expansions
of the ideas you posted last week—or they can be completely new
ideas. This post is in addition to your regular twice-weekly
bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
October 1
Read
all of the ideas posted by your classmates, and respond to them by 3
p.m. This post is in addition to your regular twice-weekly
bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
October 1: Faulkner, The
Sound and the Fury
Preparation:
Start WebQuest #5 (as assigned); read all of The
Sound and the Fury; continue
journal and bulletin board (and be sure you have
posted and responded to “unlocking the modern novel” ideas)
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Wednesday,
October 8: Faulkner, The
Sound and the Fury
Preparation:
Finish WebQuest #5 (as assigned); finish reading The
Sound and the Fury; continue journal and bulletin board; bring
draft of your “unlocking the modern novel” project (hard copy and
soft copy)
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check; workshop web projects during
second half of evening (if possible, we will meet in Knutti 206 for
the workshop)
Sunday,
October 12
DUE
DATE: Email your “unlocking the modern novel” project to Dr.
Tate by midnight.
Monday,
October 13
All
student projects will be posted by midnight (some may be posted
earlier).
Wednesday,
October 15: Student Projects/Jumping into Postmodern Fiction
Preparation:
Read as many student projects as possible before class, and be ready
to discuss them in class; complete WebQuest #6; continue journal and
bulletin board
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Wednesday,
October 22: O’Brien, The
Things They Carried
Preparation:
Complete WebQuest #7; read all of The Things They Carried; continue
journal and bulletin board
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Wednesday,
October 29: Kingston, Woman
Warrior
Preparation:
Complete WebQuest #8; read all of Woman Warrior; continue
journal and bulletin board
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Monday,
November 3
Post
at least two “unlocking the postmodern novel” project ideas to
the bulletin board by midnight. This post is in addition to your
regular twice-weekly bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
November 5
Read
all of the ideas posted by your classmates, and respond to them by 3
p.m. This post is in addition to your regular twice-weekly
bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
November 5: Kingston, Woman
Warrior
Preparation:
Finish WebQuest #8 (as assigned); read all of Woman Warrior;
continue journal and bulletin board (and be sure you have
posted and responded to “unlocking the postmodern novel” ideas)
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Monday,
November 10
Post
at least two “unlocking the postmodern novel” project ideas to
the bulletin board by midnight. These can be refinements or
expansions of the ideas you posted last week—or they can be
completely new ideas. This post is in addition to your
regular twice-weekly bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
November 12
Read
all of the ideas posted by your classmates, and respond to them by 3
p.m. This post is in addition to your regular twice-weekly
bulletin board posts.
Wednesday,
November 12: Morrison, Beloved
Preparation:
Finish WebQuest #9 (as assigned); read all of Beloved;
continue journal and bulletin board (and be sure you have
posted and responded to “unlocking the postmodern novel” ideas)
In
class:
open-book/open-note reading check
Wednesday,
November 19: Morrison, Beloved
Preparation:
Finish WebQuest #9 (as assigned); finish reading Beloved;
continue journal and bulletin board; bring draft of your
“unlocking the postmodern novel” project (hard copy and
soft copy)
In
class: open-book/open-note
reading check; workshop web projects during second half of evening
(if possible, we will meet in Knutti 206 for the workshop)
Wednesday,
November 26: Thanksgiving Break—No Class!
Sunday,
November 30
Email
your “unlocking the postmodern novel” project to Dr. Tate by
midnight.
Monday,
December 1
Projects
will be posted by midnight (some may be posted earlier).
Tuesday,
December 2: Screening of The Hours, 7:00-10:00 p.m., location
TBA
NOTE:
You must have viewed the film
by classtime on Wednesday, December 3. You may attend this screening
or view the film on your own.
Wednesday,
December 3: Cunningham, The
Hours
Preparation:
Complete all of WebQuest #10; read all of The Hours; make
sure you have watched the film, The Hours; continue journal
and bulletin board (second post not due until 3 p.m., Wednesday,
December 3—after watching the film); read as many student
projects as possible before class, and be ready to discuss them in
class.
In
class: open-book/open-note
reading check
Sunday,
December 7
Email
your final version of your “reader’s autobiography” to Dr.
Tate by midnight.
Tuesday,
December 9
Entire
website will be available by midnight (or earlier).
Wednesday,
December 10: Website launch!
Preparation:
Review the entire website.
In
class: Course evaluation;
website unveiled!
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