eng201

Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN: 0141439475
Toni Morrison, Beloved, Vintage, 2004. ISBN: 1400033411
Jeanette Winterson, Written on the Body, London: JonathanCape, 1992, ISBN: 0679744479
Ozick, Cynthia. The Shawl, Vintage, 1990. ISBN: 0679729267
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World, Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 1998. ISBN: 0060929871
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, New York: Anchor Books, 1994. ISBN: 0385474547

All other readings will be provided to you (either as handouts or made available online).

Recommended Texts:

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition, 2003. (Although the essays you write will not be research papers, per se, this book will show you how to cite your sources and is an often necessary resource for any humanities class.)

A good dictionary is also essential. For this course, you should also make extensive use of the Oxford English Dictionary, available online to GMU members from the databases page of the GMU Libraries (click here and type "OED" into the search box to locate the Oxford English Dictionary database).

Other Resources:

Some materials for the course will be available online, either posted on the class blog or accessible via a proprietary database (such as JSTOR or Literature Online). These databases can be accessed through the GMU Libraries page. You should access and print out the required readings before they are needed for class, so that you can get assistance if you run into any trouble along the way. (Inability to access the material in time will not be considered an acceptable excuse for failure to do the assigned reading.) If you need assistance you should consult a librarian: use the "Help with Research" menu to find out various ways to do this.

Writing Center: The University Writing Center is a free writing resource. Tutors are available to assist you at any level and at any stage of your writing process, thus EVERYONE can benefit from utilizing this service. Tutors will not proofread your writing, but they will help you to develop revision and editing strategies. Please Note: If you have any difficulty writing grammatically correct English, I will require you to meet regularly with a tutor at the Writing Center. The University Writing Center is located in Robinson A 114. For an appointment, call (703) 993-1200 or schedule online at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu. Also, consult the Writing Center website for more information about their services, as well as a variety of helpful online resources.

Course Description: This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of interpreting literature by exploring a wide-range of genres, including fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, and cyberliterature. This section of English 201 will focus specifically on the body in literature. We will interrogate and scrutinize texts closely, paying careful attention to the ways in which the human body has been a central object of discussion in literature. We will also identify, discuss, and write about the literary devices authors use to explore issues around the body, such as voice, tone, plot, symbolism, and setting. Additionally, this course will also incorporate some secondary readings in order to help us more critically engage some of these texts. Particular attention will be paid to bodily malleability and how various representations and tropes of the body in pain, pleasure, illness, and transformation simultaneously inform and reflect various social, racial, political, technological, sexual, and other cultural issues and contexts.

Course objectives:

To broaden horizons and cultural literacy through engagement with texts from several different cultures
To enhance skills of written and oral communication, especially those of close reading and interpretation of complex (literary) texts
To enhance skills of textual analysis through more sophisticated understanding of features such as literary language, structure, and genre
To enhance familiarity with and understanding of issues in the study of culture and the humanities through engagement with the cultural politics of language in several contexts around the globe
To develop and enhance writing skills involving analysis and argument through intensive practice in essay writing, plus frequent short assignments and attention to editorial evaluation and revision
To develop information gathering skills through familiarity with and use of reference tools for literary study
To foster lively interchange of ideas through informal discussion, small group exchange, and oral presentation

Course Requirements: You should read texts exhaustively and thoroughly, marking key passages and generating points to be discussed in class. You should attend all classes, contribute to discussions, and raise questions about the readings and/or points made in class and in the course blog. Occasionally, you may have projects (in and out of class) in which groups (two or three students) will undertake an assignment. In addition to three formal papers, you are also responsible for weekly contributions to the class blog, as outlined below.

1. Blog Response Assignments: Each week, students will be required to post a thoughtful and critical response to readings and/or class discussions in an online class blog discussion forum. Students are expected to not only engage with the topic and/or questions posed by the professor, but also with one another, so that the blog becomes a place for collaborative dialogue. Your blog responses will count as 30% of your final grade. More information about what is expected is posted on the blog under “About Class Blog.” Please note that I will NOT grade late responses; but I will be dropping your lowest grade.

2. In-Class Participation: Though I will occasionally lecture, this is not a lecture course, but rather a course intended to encourage consistent and frequent dialogue (both written and oral) about the texts we are reading. I therefore will grade your participation in this class on things such as in-class discussions, group work, peer reviews of drafts, and so forth. In-class participation will count as 10% of your final grade. Obviously, participation requires attendance, so if you miss too many classes or frequently come in late or leave early, your participation grade will be affected.

3. Essays: You will write three essays (from 3-6 pages). Guidelines for each essay will be provided a few weeks before the first draft is due. Each paper should provide a critical argument--not a plot summary or a mere rehashing of events in the text. While I encourage the use of occasional secondary sources, these essays are not meant to be research papers, but rather thoughtful, reasoned analyses that demonstrate your ability to critically engage with the text; you should therefore rely, primarily, on close-readings and your own interpretations, which you must then support via textual evidence.

A few weeks prior to the due date, I will distribute a handout (or make available an online document) outlining the paper guidelines and submission standards.

Essay Format: For each essay, you should use the Modern Language Association (MLA) format. Each assignment should be typed, double-spaced, and in a reasonable 11 or 12-point font. Your name, our course number, Professor Scott, and the date should be on the first page (no separate title pages) in the upper left hand corner. Your last name and the page number should be on ensuing pages at the bottom right. All pages should be stapled or clipped together.

Peer Review and Drafts: All of the essays will be written in drafts and submitted for peer review in essay workshops. I will go over requirements for the draft and peer reviews in class. The final grade of each essay is cumulative and considers the quality of work and progress made from draft to final, as well as your active participation during in-class peer review sessions and feedback provided to colleagues.

Late Paper Policy: Late assignments will be penalized an entire letter grade for each day (not class day, but actual day) that they are late. I do not accept late essays more than four days after the due date. Please note that blog response assignments cannot be made up; you will receive a zero for any such work that you miss.

A note on plagiarism (see the English Department Statement on Plagiarism): GMU is governed by an honor code system, which is designed to punish the theft of others’ work and ideas. Plagiarism includes the unacknowledged use of someone else’s ideas, whether a literary critic, another student, or some piece from the Internet. Plagiarism is a very serious offense that carries severe consequences (i.e., course failure and/ or suspension from the University).

Grade Distribution: the following percentages will make up your overall grade.

Weekly Response Assignments: 30%

Participation: 10%

Essay #1: 15%

Essay #2: 20%

Essay #3: 25%

Some Guidelines:

1. Please be on time: class will begin promptly at 7:30 am. Lateness (or leaving early) and attendance are factored into your participation grade.

2. Since the readings and assignments for each class will be posted (and updated) on the class blog, I expect you to check the class blog after each class (to see what’s due for the next class).

3. Please bring to each meeting the text(s) which contains the readings we’ll be discussing. Failing to bring these books/other readings demonstrates that you are unprepared for class and will be reflected in your class participation grade.

4. If you are unable to attend a class, please check the class blog for upcoming readings/assignments and another student for notes on the class you missed.

5. Be sure you keep up with what’s due when; I will not grade late blog responses, and late papers will be lowered a full letter grade for each day (not class day, but 24 hour day) they are late. Computer and/or printer problems are not valid excuses for submitting late work. If, for any reason, you cannot submit your weekly responses on the blog, type and bring to class when due. If you experience printing problems (other than no ink), you can email me your essays, as a Microsoft Word document; but I expect a follow up printed copy within 48 hours after you have emailed me your essay.

6. Be sure to disable electronic devices (cellular telephones, pagers, etc.) prior to entering the classroom to avoid disrupting discussions.

Students with Disabilities: Students with documented disabilities are legally entitled to certain accommodations in the classroom. Please contact me as soon as possible so that we may make sure your needs are met. The Disability Resource Center is located in Student Union Building 1, Room 222. Please visit the GMU Disability Resource Center website for more information.