ENGL 10133 (005) Fall 2013

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Goals & Outcomes 2

A brief look at the course’s primary objectives and the skills we will be developing throughout the Fall 2013 semester.

Course Policies 3

Everything you need to know about how the course will be run—grades, attendance policies, contact information, etc.

Course Calendar 7

A comprehensive schedule of readings, exams, and major assignments. (Subject to change, of course.)

“literature as equipment for living”: contemporary american lit How might Kenneth Burke’s conception of literature as “equipment for living” help us better understand texts published in our own day and time?

Using the words of a rhetorical theorist as the overarching theme for a literature course might seem strange at first, but a look at Kenneth Burke’s lengthy career as a critic reveals an unceasing interest in the ways that our beliefs and behaviors are shaped by the ways that we think, speak, and write about them—in other words, how the language we use to describe the world around us changes the way we understand that world. In referring to literature as “equipment

for living,” then, Burke wanted to suggest that the way an author presents a scene or a character to us implies a certain way of responding to that scene or character—and that, if we looked hard enough at a wide enough sample of novels, plays, poems, and short fiction, we might be able to surmise how people generally felt about the kinds of characters and situations those texts deal with.

Throughout this semester, we’ll be focusing on American literature

published over the last three-plus years (2010-13) to see what it can tell us about how people living in the 2010s view the modern, postmillennial world. The strategies we explore and the (tentative) conclusions we draw from the course’s seven texts will, of course, not apply to everyone in every situation, but they should be able to give us at least a general idea of how authors in the 20th and 21st centuries attempt to “size things up” (Burke 298) in the texts they produce.

David Foster Wallace

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goals and outcomes Though it would be far easier to state simply that the main goal of this course is to read and discuss LOTS of literature—with the expected outcome that students will learn a lot about contemporary American literature in the process—it’s important that we all have a clear understanding of what our time spent together will be designed to achieve. With this in mind, the following six learning outcomes have been established as the foundation for all of the readings, lectures, activities, and assignments we will be undertaking this semester.

Core Outcomes 1. Students will demonstrate an understanding of how literature constructs human cultures. (LT)

• Students will examine the interrelationships of the individual, cultural milieu, and society by reading and analyzing fiction, graphic novels, and poetry.

2. Students will be able to analyze representative texts of significance and to practice critical analysis of work at the center of the humanities. (HUM)

• Students will explore texts in terms of multiple cultural heritages, aesthetic approaches, and/or ideological perspectives.

Course-Specific Outcomes 3. By reading at least two different genres of literature, students will demonstrate through written assignments and participation the historical and contemporary issues reflective of the human condition.

4. Students will demonstrate close reading by focusing on discrete portions of text as support for larger claims related to literature, the humanities, culture, and authorship.

Section-Specific Outcomes 5. Students will explore specific connections between course readings and other cultural texts (movies, television shows, online content, etc.) as a means of demonstrating contemporary literature’s wider dialogue with modern culture.

6. Students will engage with multimedia and new media technologies in order to develop an appreciation for how literature can make an impact in forms other than the traditional printed page.

course information ENGL 10133 (Section 005)

T/TR 8:00-9:20AM Reed Hall 417

Mr. Tom Jesse

Reed 402 Tuesdays 9:30-11:00 Thursdays 11:00-1:00

(or by appointment)

E-mail: t.jesse@tcu.edu

Website:

tomjesse.com

Heidi Durrow

Robin Black

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policies and procedures the nuts & bolts of our class

Core Assignments Like any literature course, you will be asked to complete regular reading assignments and prepare for in-class discussions on the readings that we’re currently working on as a class.

As a means of motivating you to stay “on track” with your reading, we will have brief reading quizzes during the first five minutes of (almost) every class. These quizzes should be considered a part of your regular preparation for each class meeting, so be thinking about the kinds of questions I might ask or the information that seems most relevant as you read. Quizzes cannot be made up for any reason, though I will drop your lowest quiz grade for the semester. Percentage of Course Grade: 10%

In addition to these daily expectations, students will be expected to complete the following four assignments:

Journal Responses (JR) Some mornings you will be asked to complete a brief journal response instead of a more formal reading

quiz. (Journal Responses may also be assigned as homework to be handed in at the beginning of the next class meeting.) These journals will be assessed more for your honest and thoughtful responses to the assigned reading than for any “right” or “wrong” answers you provide. Much like the reading quizzes, JRs cannot be made up for any reason—though, again, your lowest score will be dropped at the end of the semester. Percentage of Course Grade: 10% Cultural Impact Presentation (CIP) Starting the third week of the semester (Sep. 5), we will have two pairs of students present each week on the wider cultural impact of the authors, issues, and/or themes we’ve been studying. The purpose of these short (8-10 min.) presentations is two-fold: first, to share with your peers information about how our course readings are in constant dialogue with other forms of cultural expression—like movies, television, and the Internet; and second, to develop your command of verbal, visual, and textual rhetoric as you present this information to the class. More specific information about these presentations will be given on the first

Natasha Trethewey

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Thursday of the semester (Aug. 22), but understand that you need only present ONCE during the semester, and that you must provide a handout to the class that includes the most important/interesting information you’ve gathered. Percentage of Course Grade: 10% Close Reading Analysis (CRA) The CRA is an introductory paper that asks you to focus on one character or event from one of our first two texts and perform a “close reading” of moderate length (4-6 pages). We will talk more about what the term “close reading” means in the first two weeks of the course, but essentially, you’ll be analyzing a specific passage from the text and supporting your analysis with at least three reliable sources. As with the CIP, a more detailed explanation of the assignment and its specific requirements will be addressed during the first weeks of the course, but think of this assignment as an opportunity to “practice” your critical and research skills before embarking on the course’s longer second paper.

***Revision will be allowed for this assignment***

Percentage of Course Grade: 10% DUE DATE = THUR, October 10 Research-Based Argument (RBA) The RBA is the most time-intensive assignment you’ll be asked to complete for this course, and as such, it carries a fairly significant impact on your overall grade (20%). In order to do well on the paper, you will need to develop a detailed literary argument over 6-8 pages with the help of at least six reliable sources. As with the CIP and the CRA, a more detailed explanation of the assignment and its specific requirements will be addressed during the semester, and at that time, I will be more than happy to work with you on finding a suitable topic for the paper. For now, just be keeping an eye out for the authors, stories, characters, or themes that most interest you in the texts we study. Any one of these might make a fascinating research topic for your paper.

***Revision will not be allowed for this assignment***

Percentage of Course Grade: 20% DUE DATE = TUES, November 26

Course Midterm and Final This class will include both a midterm (Thursday, October 3) and a final examination (Tuesday, December 10). The midterm will be a shorter, objective test with multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, and a few questions that ask you to respond with short answers (one paragraph). The final will be a longer, essay-based exam that asks you to draw connections between texts and authors from across the entire span of the course. We will, of course, discuss each of these exams in more detail as we move closer to their scheduled dates. (Midterm Exam) Percentage of Course Grade: 15% (Final Exam) Percentage of Course Grade: 25%

Grades & Assessment

Grading Philosophy The number one source of anxiety for both students and professors is how grades in a given course will be determined. This is something we both think about an awful lot, and I want to make my grading philosophy as transparent as possible so that we can all be on the same page. If you have any questions at any time about how your grade is being determined, be sure to consult this section of the syllabus in addition to contacting me so that we can resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Simply fulfilling the minimum course requirements warrants an average grade (i.e., C). A higher than average grade will be based on three factors: 1) the distinctive quality of your work and level of participation in the course; 2) the consistent demonstrating of critical and creative thinking in your quizzes, journals, papers, and presentation; and 3) a willingness to take risks by exploring new subjects, genres, and techniques.

Coming to class every day and completing your assignments is not something that

earns “extra credit” or an automatic A; it’s an expectation for being in this course.

Below is a breakdown of how final grades are calculated; as we move into the semester you’ll receive more detailed information about how your work is evaluated. I update the grade book on our PLS website regularly, so be sure to keep track of your performance in the course as the semester progresses.

Letter Grade

Num. Grade Quality of Work FINAL

Grade

A 95 Outstanding 93-100

A- 92 90-92

B+ 88 87-89

B 85 Exceeds Expectations 83-86

B- 82 80-82

C+ 78 77-79

C 75 Meets Expectations 73-76

C- 72 70-72

D+ 68 67-69

D 65 Below average 63-66

D- 62 60-62

F 55 Unacceptable 0-59

Grade Breakdown Given the variety of assignments you’ll be completing for this course, the following weightings have been designed to reflect the amount of time, effort, and dedication each assignment requires. Those assignments that ask more of you have been weighted accordingly; those that ask less will (obviously) count less.

Success in this class depends on your ability to effectively prioritize assignments and readings based upon their importance both to you and to your grade. I simply ask that you make the most informed choices possible when deciding where to devote your time and attention.

Reading Quizzes 10% Journal Responses 10% Cultural Impact Pres. 10% Close Reading Analysis 10% Research-Based Argument 20% Midterm Exam 15% Final Exam 25%

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General Policies

Attendance

Regular attendance is necessary to your success in this course, and only official university absences are excused. Students representing TCU in a university-mandated activity that requires missing class should provide official documentation of schedules and turn in work in advance. Three weeks of unexcused absences (six total in this course) constitute grounds for failure of the course. Absences due to illness, sleeping, and long weekends are NOT excused—they all count toward the three weeks' absences limit. Since illness is likely at some point during the semester, students are urged to save their unexcused absences for times when you are too sick to come to class. To do well in this course, you must come to class.

Tardies

Please be on time for class. Students who arrive late (five minutes or more) can distract others’ attention from the day’s work—and, to be honest, they throw me “off my game” as well. For these reasons, I ask that you make it a priority to arrive before class begins (8:00AM) every day. If you choose to show up late for class regularly, keep in mind that multiple tardies will negatively impact your grade in the course. In-class work cannot be made up, so it is vital that you arrive on-time and ready to work.

Late Work

Major assignments for this class will be submitted electronically through the Pearson LearningStudio (PLS) website. Assignments are to be uploaded BY 11:59PM THE DAY BEFORE WE MEET TO DISCUSS THEM, and they will be considered late if they are submitted any time thereafter. Be sure to check the course schedule regularly so that you are not confused or mistaken about when assignments are due.

Late papers will be penalized one letter grade for each class period beyond the due date, unless a) the student has an official university absence and b) the instructor has agreed to late submission in advance of the due date. If you know you will be missing a class, then you need to submit the assignment ahead of time or meet with me well in advance of the due date for us to discuss the issue. This course relies heavily on technology, so you will need to have reliable access to the Internet, which is always available in several places (including the library) on campus. Problems with technology (i.e.: computer crash, printer malfunction, Internet connectivity issues, etc.) are not acceptable excuses for submitting late work. Plan ahead to avoid last minute crises related your assignments.

Course Conduct

It seems strange to think that we’d need “rules” in a college classroom, but in the remote chance that student conduct becomes an issue, I want to be sure that my expectations for your behavior in class are made clear from Day One:

1. Our classroom is a place for the free exchange of ideas in an environment of mutual respect. Students whose behavior distracts or disrespects others will be asked to leave and will be counted absent.

2. Please turn off your cell phone and/or laptop and put them away during class. If a true emergency requires you to keep your phone on or your computer out, please let me know before class starts.

That’s it—just two rules. No more, no less. I will warn you, however, that I guard these two rules fiercely, so please abide by them at all times.

Office Hours

During my office hours (TUE 9:30-11:00AM / THUR 11:00AM-1:00 PM) I will be at my desk and available to talk with you about any questions, comments, or

“I just happen to believe that folks of all cultures and colors, and grad school types and immigrants and lexics (people who love to read) and fanboys and fangirls and love-story addicts and lit heads and homeboys and homegirls and history buffs and activists and family-epic lovers and nerds can all sit in the same room together and blab usefully. In fact, I believe all of the above were meant to sit in the same room and blab usefully to one another. I’m idealistic that way.”

—Junot Diaz

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but are not limited to: • Cheating: Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files and listings; Using, during any academic exercise, material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test; Collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or laboratory without permission; Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or other assignment unauthorized for release; Substituting for another student or permitting another student to substitute for oneself; • Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means another’s work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that work as one’s own offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or paraphrasing of another’s work without giving credit therefore. • Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work offered for credit.

TCU Information

TCU Disability Statement

Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 11. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at (817) 257-7486. Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for documentation may be found at: http://www.acs.tcu.edu/disability_documentation.asp Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.

Academic Misconduct (Sec. 3.4 from the Student Handbook)

Any act that violates the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in the offices of Academic Deans and the Office of Campus Life. Specific examples include,

concerns you have about the course. Please stop by and see me during these hours—that time is yours. If the times I have scheduled don’t work for you, I’m happy to make an appointment to sit down and discuss your work.

Technologies

Please turn cell phones and any other electronics off during class. You’ll be notified in advance if you should bring laptops to class for work; otherwise, assume you won’t need them. Texting, checking Facebook, etc. from your phone or computer means you’re not engaging in the daily activities of our course. I need you as focused as possible on the work we’re doing at all times—it’s the only way you’ll be able to get something valuable from class each morning. Before class begins, you’re welcome to use phones or laptops; during class time, however, I ask that you refrain from doing so. If you are using electronics or otherwise wasting time during class, it will be marked in the grade book and I’ll notify you after class or via email. Multiple violations will be considered grounds for a grade deduction in the course. Failure to adhere to the technology policies can impact your final grade, so please—do yourself (and your peers) a favor by giving each class meeting your full attention.

Pearson LearningStudio (PLS) Class Website

We have a course website we’ll use for various activities throughout the semester: required readings; handouts and assignment sheets; discussion threads; resources on the Webliography; and assignment submissions via the Dropbox feature. The PLS site will play a major role in this course, so you should familiarize yourself with it in the first two weeks of the semester to be sure that any questions or concerns you have can be addressed right away.

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ENGL 10133 (005) Fall 2013

the (post)modern family

Week One

Tuesday, Aug. 20 Semester Overview Introductions Syllabus & Course

Procedures Thursday, Aug. 22 Kenneth Burke and the

Link Between Rhetoric and Literature

Overview & Sign-Ups for Cultural Impact Presentations

Visit PLS Course Site Download & Read

Syllabus Kenneth Burke:

“Literature as Equipment for Living” (PLS)

Week Two

Tuesday, Aug. 27 Bio/Intro for Robin Black Reading Short Fiction:

How is it Different from the Novel?

LIT TERM: Genre Robin Black: “The

Guide” [through] “Immortalizing John Parker”

Thursday, Aug. 29 Exploring “Narrative

Voice” Overview & Assignment

Sheet for CRA Paper Robin Black: “Harriet

Elliot” [and] “Gaining Ground”

Week Three

Tuesday, Sep. 3 Chaos and Calamity in

the “Nuclear Family” Robin Black: “Tableau

Vivant” [through] “…Divorced, Beheaded, Survived”

Bill Keveney: “The Postmodern Family” (PLS)

Thursday, Sep. 5 Gender as a “Lens” for

Viewing the World Tips for CRA Success C.I. Presentations Begin Robin Black: “Some

Women Eat Tar” [and] “The History of the World”

Week Four

Tuesday, Sep. 10 Bio/Intro for Heidi

Durrow Gender, Race, & History LIT TERM: Point of View Heidi Durrow: Pages 1-

102 Thursday, Sep. 12 The Question of

Narrative Reliability Frantz Fanon’s “The Man

of Color and the White Woman”

C.I. Presentations Heidi Durrow: Pages

103-40 ***CRA Paper Topic

Due***

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making sense of adulthood

Week Five

Tuesday, Sep. 17 The Inbetween-ness of

Durrow’s Characters LIT TERM: Tragic Mulatto Heidi Durrow: Pages

141-221 Clay Cane: “Halle Berry

and the Resurgence of the Tragic Mulatto” (PLS)

Thursday, Sep. 19 Autopsy of an Ending: Is

Closure Even Possible? Introduction to GRAPHIC

NOVELS C.I. Presentations Heidi Durrow: Pages

222-64

Week Six

Tuesday, Sep. 24 Bio/Intro for Kevin

Huizenga Reading “Graphically” Jon Thompson: “Graphic

Novel” (PLS) Kevin Huizenga: “The

Groceries” Thursday, Sep. 26 How Much Text is

Actually Necessary? The Aesthetics of Visual

Storytelling LIT TERM: Surrealism C.I. Presentations Kevin Huizenga: “The

Sunset”

Week Seven

Tuesday, Oct. 1 The “Super Moon”

Phenomenon Where Did All the

Superheroes Go? Midtem Exam Preview Kevin Huizenga: “The

Moon Rise” [and] “Basketball”

NASA Science: “Super Full Moon” (PLS)

Thursday, Oct. 3 ***MIDTERM EXAM***

Week Eight

Tuesday, Oct. 8 Bio/Intro for Junot Diaz The “Infidelity Issue” Junot Diaz: “The Sun,

the Moon, the Stars” [through] “Flaca”

Thursday, Oct. 10 LIT TERM: Code Switching Multiple Voices in

Latino/a Literature C.I. Presentations Junot Diaz: “The Pura

Principle” Lourdes Torres: “In the

Contact Zone” (PLS) ***CRA Paper Due***

Last Day to Drop (October 10)

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histories of the visible and the invisible

Week Nine

Tuesday, Oct. 15 “Confessional” Narrative

& Contemporary Lit Overview & Assignment

Sheet for RBA Paper Junot Diaz: “Invierno”

[through] “The Cheater’s Guide to Love”

Thursday, Oct. 17 Bio/Intro for Natasha

Trethewey Poetry as a Form of

Narrative C.I. Presentations Natasha Trethewey:

“Elegy” [through] “Knowledge”

Week Ten

Tuesday, Oct. 22 ***NO CLASS***

(Fall Break) Thursday, Oct. 24 Poetic Approximations

of “American” Identity LIT TERM: Identification C.I. Presentations Natasha Trethewey:

“The Americans” [through] “Rotation”

Alex Hoyt, “How Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey Wrote Her Father’s ‘Elegy’” (PLS)

Week Eleven

Tuesday, Oct. 29 Revisiting the Tragic

Mulatto Trope What is Postmodernism? Natasha Trethewey:

“Thrall” [through] “Illumination” ***RBA Paper Topic

Due*** Thursday, Oct. 31 Bio/Intro for David

Foster Wallace LIT TERM: Postmodernism C.I. Presentations James Morley, “Defining

Postmodernism” (PLS) David Foster Wallace:

“Editor’s Note” [through] §2

Week Twelve

Tuesday, Nov. 5 The Anatomy of

Boredom: Creating a World in Which Nothing Happens

David Foster Wallace: §3 [through] §10

Thursday, Nov. 7 The Literary Lives of

“Bureaucratic, Small-h Heroes”

LIT TERM: Irony Final C.I. Presentations David Foster Wallace:

§13, §14, §17 [and] §18

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“made-up stories can matter”

Week Thirteen

Tuesday, Nov. 12 Narrative as Personal

History: The Story of “How I Arrived”

RBA Paper: MLA Tutorial & Resources (Part 1)

David Foster Wallace: §22

Thursday, Nov. 14 The Ethics of Posthumous

Publishing RBA Paper: MLA Tutorial

& Resources (Part 2) David Foster Wallace:

§33, §43, §44, §49 [and] 50

Gilbert Cruz: “A Brief History of Posthumous Literature” (PLS)

Week Fourteen

Tuesday, Nov. 19 Bio/Intro for John Green “Nerdfighteria” and

Literary Celebrity in the Digital Age

LIT TERM: Author Function John Green: Chapters

1-6 (Pages 1-104) Michel Foucault: “On the

‘Author Function’” (PLS) Thursday, Nov. 21 Young Adult Literature &

The “Teen Voice” Cancer Narratives in the

21st Century RBA Paper: Final Q&A John Green: Chapters

7-10 (Pages 105-54)

Week Fifteen

Tuesday, Nov. 26 Hazel and Gus as

Internet Superstars LIT TERM: Cultural

Capital John Green: Chapters

11-14 (Pages 155-229)

Weinenger & Lareau: “Cultural Capital” (PLS) ***RBA Paper Due***

Thursday, Nov. 28

***NO CLASS*** (Thanksgiving Break)

Week Sixteen

Tuesday, Dec. 3 YA Lit: Frivolous Fun or

“Stories that Matter”? Semester Reflections Final Exam Preview John Green: Chapters

15-25 (Pages 230-313)

Thursday, Dec. 5

***NO CLASS*** (Exam Study Day)

Final Exam Tuesday, Dec. 10

8:00-10:30AM

John Green