http://www.english.uottawa.ca/pdf/mroon/ENG1120I_syllab by Web Arts

English 1120 I—Literature and Composition: Prose Fiction Winter 2009; SMD 221 Wednesdays 16:00-19:00 Instructor: Morgan Rooney Office: ARTS 344 Office Hours: Wednesdays 13:30-15:00 (or by appointment) Phone: 613.562.5800, ext. 1183 Email: morgan.rooney@gmail.com COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to introduce you to the basic elements of prose fiction, to hone your critical reading and writing skills, and to explore together some classic stories of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Classes will consist of lectures, discussions (towards which you are expected to contribute), and in-class assignments. By engaging with the readings in a variety of written exercises, you will be required to apply the concepts taught in the lectures. REQUIRED TEXTS: Gerald Lynch and David Rampton, eds. Short Fiction: An Introductory Anthology. 2nd ed. Toronto: Nelson, 2005. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein. 2nd ed. Ed. D. L. Macdonald and Kathleen Scherf. Peterborough: Broadview, 1999. These books are available at Benjamin Books (122 Osgoode). Students will also require access to a style manual (the Department of English’s Working with Sources: Introduction to Research in English Literature [available at Benjamin Books] or the MLA Handbook [1st floor reference, LB 2369 .G522]), a dictionary (University of Ottawa students can access free of charge the online Oxford English Dictionary), a grammar aid (Checkmate [1st floor reference, PE 1408 .B865]), and a dictionary of literary terms (J. A. Cuddon’s Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory [1st floor reference, PN 41. C83] or Irene Makaryk’s Encyclopedia of Contemporary Literary Theory [PN 81. E53]). EVALUATION: Pop Quizzes (best three [3] out of four [4]) Short Essay (1000 words, or 3 pages; Feb. 4) Grammar Quizzes (two [2]; Mar. 4 and Mar. 11) In-class Midterm (Feb. 25) Final Essay (2000 words, or 6-7 pages; Apr. 1) Final Exam (to be announced; exams take place Apr. 14-30)

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2 COURSE POLICIES: Attendance: Attendance is mandatory, and it is vital to securing a passing grade in this course. Every class, at a random time, I will circulate a sign-in sheet; this sheet will be the final authority on your attendance record, so make sure you sign it. While I won’t officially be awarding marks for attendance, the course is in fact structured to encourage and reward regular attendance. If you still need further motivation, take careful note of the following: I will not allow you to write the exam if you miss four (4) or more classes and will award you with an “Incomplete” (INC) for the course—no ifs, ands, or buts. Dedicate yourself to the course for the next three months, and do it now. Anyone who misses a class is solely responsible for catching up with missed material. I don’t make my lecture notes available under any circumstances, so you’ll have to make arrangements with a friend to get the notes. Because your Pop Quiz mark is determined by the best three (3) out of four (4), which means that there is some flexibility here, there will be no re-scheduling of that particular in-class assignment: if you are absent the day of a Pop Quiz, you forfeit the marks. With that said, we all get sick from time to time, and there are other legitimate reasons why you might have to miss a class. I’m always willing to help you out in such situations, but you have to help yourself out first. If you miss a class for medical reasons, bring me a doctor’s note for the next class and you won’t forfeit any marks. If you have to leave class early or come in late one day, email me a minimum of 5 hours in advance, and you will at least get partial credit for that part of the class you attended—otherwise, failure to sign the sign-in sheet counts as a full absence. If you have to be absent during a day we write a scheduled in-class assignment, email me a minimum of 5 days in advance and we’ll arrange a time for you to write it outside of class. If you contact me a) without medical documentation to explain your absence, b) 5 minutes before class to explain why you must leave early, or c) after the in-class assignment has been given in order to set up an alternate time, I won’t be able to do anything for you. In every possible scenario involving your absence, you are responsible for taking the first steps to make sure your grade doesn’t suffer unnecessarily. Completion of Course: To complete this course, you must submit the Final Essay and write both examinations. Students who fail to complete these tasks will automatically receive a grade of “Incomplete” (INC). Assignment Submissions: All typed assignments are to be submitted in person during regularly scheduled classes, and all in-class assignments are to be submitted in class on the day they take place. If for some reason you cannot submit your assignment in person, you will need to slide it under my office door (ARTS 344) and then send me an email immediately after notifying me of the day and time that you did so. If you omit this last step, I will assume that the paper was submitted on the day I find it in my office. Email submissions will be accepted only in the rarest of circumstances.

3 Late Assignments: The essays will be accepted one week after the due date, but with a 10% penalty (i.e., a 75% becomes a 65%, and so on). No essay will be accepted after seven (7) days from the original due date have elapsed. An extension without penalty for the essay will be allowed only to students who can provide valid medical documentation, or whose circumstances are particularly extenuating (i.e., a family crisis) and who have made arrangements with me prior to the due date. Be aware that the fact that you have an assignment for another course due on the same week or day is not a sufficient cause for an extension. Plan ahead. Inquiries about Grades: I’m always willing to review returned assignments, but please don’t come to me with questions about why you got the grade you did immediately after an assignment has been handed back. In the instance of your essays, I will be providing you with detailed feedback; before you approach me about your mark, I ask that you take 48 hours to process that feedback. If, after that time, you still wish to discuss your grade, we can arrange a time to do so. Please note, however, that I will expect you to explicitly engage with my feedback to show me how some aspect of my criticisms doesn’t apply to or misses something in your paper, and that requests for re-marking raise the possibility of a lower as well as a higher grade. All in-class assignments, conversely, will be taken up during a later class, at which time you’ll learn why you got the mark you did. If something is still unclear after that, then we can arrange a time to sit down and talk. As in the previous case, come prepared to show me how the mark I gave you doesn’t square with what I said on the issue when I took up the assignment in class. Academic Dishonesty: Forms of academic dishonesty include improper, missing, or made-up bibliographical information; passing off others’ work as one’s own (plagiarism); turning in the same assignment for more than one class; and relying on collaborative effort when individual work is requested. All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited and may result in failure of the assignment, failure of the course, or expulsion from the University. It is your responsibility to know what constitutes academic fraud: see http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/info/regist/crs/0305/home_5_ENG.htm and http://www.uottawa.ca/plagiarism.pdf. Please, just don’t do it. I assure you it’s not all that difficult to distinguish between the writing of undergraduates and professional scholars. Nor is it particularly difficult to spot dramatic and unexplained improvements in writing styles and/or essay-writing abilities. Don’t run the risk. Suspected cases of academic fraud will be submitted to the Dean’s Office and prosecuted with my full support. In-class Conduct: In order to foster the most productive learning environment for you and your peers, I ask that each of you • •

Refrain from private conversations within the class during teaching time. Avoid being late; I understand that sometimes this isn’t always possible given the realities of winter in Ottawa, but chronic lateness is both rude and annoying.

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Turn off all cell phones and electronic equipment that might disrupt the class. Students may use laptops, but for note-taking purposes only; please disable all chat functions and email alerts, and close all internet browsers before class begins. If I catch someone using his or her laptop for anything other than taking notes, or if I receive any complaints from students sitting behind you who are distracted by the fact that you’re fooling around on your laptop, all laptops will be banned from the classroom for the remainder of the term. You have been warned.

ASSIGNMENT DETAILS: Assignment Specifications: All assignments undertaken outside of the classroom must conform to the following specifications: •

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Typed using Times New Roman font; double-spaced, on one side of white, unlined 8½ x 11 inch paper; one-inch margins (sides, top, and bottom); page numbers in the upper right corner; pages stapled or clipped together in the upper left corner; free of penciled-in corrections; no extra spaces between paragraphs. A cover page, including the title of the assignment (one that reflects the paper’s contents, not just “Final Essay”), student name, course name and section, instructor’s name, and date of submission. For the Final Essay only: proper documentation of all sources referenced in the essay, using either the Modern Languages Association (MLA) or the Chicago style of citation. Unencumbered by a folder or envelope of any kind.

Failure to comply with these specifications may result in a deduction of up to 10%. Pop Quizzes: The Pop Quizzes are designed to motivate you to regularly attend classes and do the required reading(s), and to better prepare you for the midterm and final exams. There will be four (4) Pop Quizzes in total; your best three (3) will account for 15% of your overall mark in the course. Because of this flexibility, they must be written in class on the days during which they are administered. If you are absent from class during a day in which a Pop Quiz was given, you forfeit the marks. The Pop Quizzes will be administered on random days and times, with no advance warning. You will be given a passage from a work we have recently read. You will have 15 minutes to identify, by full name, the author and title of the work, and to explain the significance of the quotation as relates to the work in question. Make sure you always have a sheet of paper on hand for these assignments. Short Essay: The Short Essay must be 1000 words (i.e., about 3 pages) long, and is due on Feb. 4. A list of topics can be found below. Secondary sources are neither expected nor required for this assignment. Your paper must have a thesis (a central insight, a main point around which you organize the essay) that answers the question(s) being asked of you. You are expected to engage with the text on a regular basis to advance your reading: cite specific details and passages from a story, and use them to help develop a coherent,

5 argumentative reading. Omit plot summary and your personal, affective response to the text (“I liked or hated this story because…”). Instead, be analytical in your approach: carefully think through what it is that the story sets out to do or to communicate, and make sure you answer the question being asked of you. Short Essay topics: 1. “The Birthmark” ends with the sound of Aminadab’s “hoarse, chuckling laugh.” What does Aminadab represent and why does he laugh at Aylmer’s loss? What larger thematic concern(s) does he help to develop? In your reading, focus in particular on the ways in which Hawthorne describes this character and contrasts him with Aylmer. 2. “The Fall of the House of Usher” is often read as a quasi-allegorical account of the clash between reason and irrationality. What is the significance of the “zigzag fissure” and the Usher house’s eventual fall? How does its collapse help to develop the thematic concern identified above? Use the frame story (Usher’s poem, “The Haunted Palace”) in particular to help develop your reading. 3. Frankenstein is full of characters who read. Focusing on one of Frankenstein, Walton, or the monster, answer the following questions: how does the character’s limited reading shape him and the decisions he makes? To what end does Shelley develop the theme of unguided reading? Grammar Quizzes: The Grammar Quizzes (Mar. 4 and 11) are designed to test you on the issues raised in the grammar lectures (Feb. 25 and Mar. 4), and to help you write a clean Final Essay. In order to help you better prepare, I will make practice quizzes available. To receive one, simply email me the week before the quiz in question. Final Essay: The Final Essay must be 2000 words (i.e., about 6-7 pages) long, and is due on Apr. 1. A list of topics will be handed out on Feb. 4. Please note the following very carefully: Final Essays submitted on a topic not covered in the essay topic handout, or which take as their subject the same text you used for the Short Essay, will not be graded. There will be no exceptions to these rules. A strong essay will exhibit the qualities I will have gone over in class (Mar. 4 and 18) and in the feedback I will have provided on your Short Essay: critical and analytical skills, the ability to work with and properly cite scholarly sources, a clear thesis that develops an argument, and clean, grammatical prose. Students must make meaningful engagement with a minimum of three (3) scholarly sources. For the purposes of this course, scholarly sources consist of those which you will find in our library, in the form of books and articles, or through our library databases, in the form of electronic books and articles. Non-scholarly sources—Wikipedia, Sparknotes, or any other internet resource you locate outside of a university library catalogue or electronic database—are not acceptable and are to be avoided entirely. As most of the authors discussed in this class have received more than adequate treatment by the scholarly community, there is little reason to turn to non-scholarly sources. Do not make

6 the mistake of thinking that I take this point lightly: essays that do not engage at least three (3) scholarly sources will be heavily penalized and run the risk of failure. In-class Midterm & Final Exam: Guidelines for the Final Exam for this course are set ahead of time by the Department of English. Students can therefore expect an exam with three (3) parts. Part 1 will require students to define literary terms and to provide an illustrative example; Part 2 will require students to identify passages from the assigned readings and to comment on their significance as relates to the work in question; and Part 3 will require students to write a well-organized, argumentative essay. The In-class Midterm (Feb. 25) will be organized much like the final, although considerably shorter. All exams will be based on material covered in the lectures and the assigned readings. Please note that the University will determine the date of the Final Exam later in the semester, and that it will take place sometime in between April 14-30. Don’t book any flights or plan on being anywhere other than Ottawa during that time until your official exam schedule is released. Except in the instance of a deferral, I won’t allow you to write the final exam at any time other than the official date. WRITING ASSISTANCE: The Writing Centre: Students enrolled in ENG 1120 have access to and are encouraged to take advantage of the Writing Centre’s resources, which include graduate student teaching assistants, multimedia workstations equipped with a large selection of software, and a library of reference books and handbooks on grammar and composition. Students who are experiencing writing difficulties will be directed to get extra help at the Writing Centre, which is located at 0021 Simard Hall, 165 Waller Street (http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/; 613.562.5800 ext. 2267). The Academic Writing Help Centre: The AWHC is an academic support service offered by the Student Academic Success Service (SASS). It provides students with free one-on-one assistance in the development of their writing abilities. Among other things, students can get help in learning how to complete an effective brain-storming session, create a structured outline, identify and correct errors in grammar, and avoid plagiarism. The Centre is located at 110 University Private (http://www.sass.uottawa.ca/writing/; 613.562.5800 ext. 3820).

7 MARKING GUIDELINES FOR ESSAYS: Below are the guidelines I generally follow when marking essays. Read through them carefully so you understand how your essay will be evaluated. Please note that there is some flexibility within this system, and that it is the sum total of positive and negative aspects of your essay (as detailed below) that I am trying to evaluate. A-/A/A+ (80-100%) —Thesis: clear, specific, challenging —Organization of paper reflects thesis —Strong paragraphing: one idea per paragraph, topic & concluding sentences, all paragraphs relevant to thesis —Anticipates alternative points of view, engages with opposing readings and/or counter-evidence —Good sentence variety, structure —Confident, graceful style (not pompous, breezy, convoluted) —No major grammatical errors, almost no minor errors or typos —Detailed reference to text, always uses quotations to support readings, explains relation between quotation and point developed —Develops its own reading, not that of a critic —Quotations integrated grammatically, properly documented —Demonstrates an ability to expound a sophisticated argument with a degree of subtlety, no problems in logic B/B+ (70-79%)

—Thesis: clear, specific, but somewhat lacking in complexity —Organization of paper largely reflects thesis —Good paragraphing: one idea per paragraph, topic & concluding sentences, almost all paragraphs relevant to thesis —Acknowledges opposing readings and/or counter-evidence —Good sentence structure, with reasonable variety —Style is competent, neither wordy nor pedestrian —No major grammatical errors, few minor errors, has minor proofreading issues at the most —Adequate reference to the text, usually supports readings with quotations and explains relation between quotation and point developed —Develops its own reading, usually distinguishes from critics’ —Quotations usually integrated grammatically, documented —Demonstrates an ability to logically expound an argument

C/C+ (60-69%)

—Thesis: clear (if unstated), but not specific, lacking complexity, and/or insensitive to the text —Organized, but doesn’t reflect thesis —Decent paragraphing, but has problems —Struggles with opposing readings and/or counter-evidence —Simple but generally correct sentence structure

8 —Simple but generally competent style —Few major grammatical errors, needs proofreading —Some reference to the text, but lacking overall —Some effort to integrate quotations and to document sources properly, but lacking overall —Struggles to maintain voice against critics, allows critics to take over paper, or doesn’t engage critics in a meaningful way —Demonstrates an ability to follow an argument through, but lacks complexity and suffers from problems in logic D/D+ (50-59)

—Thesis: absent —Some attempt at organization, but doesn’t reflect an argument —No acknowledgement of opposing readings or counter-evidence —Has one of the following problems: 1) Difficulty with consecutive thought 2) Difficulty with paragraphing 3) Frequent major and minor grammatical errors, major proofreading issues —Limited engagement with the text, quotations not properly integrated, explained, or documented —Largely fails to engage critics in a meaningful fashion, or to meet minimum research requirements —Confused ideas and development, not in control of the essay —Weak expression, poor style overall, meaning often unclear —Over-generalization, inadequate support, not analytical or critical, largely plot summary

F (0-49%)

—Thesis: absent —Organization: absent —Poor paragraphing, little or no sense of structure —Has several of the following problems 1) Difficulty with consecutive thought 2) Difficulty with paragraphing 3) Frequent major and minor grammatical errors, major proofreading issues —Limited or no engagement with the text, quotations not properly integrated, explained, or documented —Poor engagement with secondary sources; failure to engage critics in a meaningful fashion, or to research at all —Ideas developed are too simple for the level of the course —False, odd, or confusing logic; nonsense —Weak expression, style; unintelligible, vague, unclear writing —Plagiarized (0%)

9 TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE: *Students are expected to have read the assigned readings for each lecture prior to the beginning of class* Date

Readings