Fall 2007
29256.01, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:25-11:50, Thompson 119
Dr. Donna Campbell
Avery 357; 335-4831; campbelld@wsu.edu
Office Hours: T Th 12-1:30
and by appointment
Virtual Office Hours: Send an
instant message at any time to drcampbell6676@hotmail.com,
drcampbell6676@aol.com, or drcampbell6676@yahoo.com.
Course materials available at http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/index.html
Required Texts
| Lewis, Sinclair | Babbitt | 2003 | Dover / 0486431673 |
| Lewis, David Levering | The Harlem Renaissance Reader | 1995 | Penguin / 0140170367 |
| Fitzgerald, F. Scott | The Beautiful and Damned | 1998 | Oxford / 0192832646 |
| Toomer, Jean | Cane (Norton Critical Ed.) | 1988 | Norton / 0393956008 |
| Larsen, Nella | Passing | 2003 | Penguin / 0142437271 |
| Hemingway, Ernest | The Sun Also Rises | 1995 | Scribner / 0684800713 |
| Parker, Dorothy | The Portable Dorothy Parker, ed. Marion Meade | 2006 | Penguin / 0143039539 |
Recommended Text
Harmon and Holman, A Handbook to Literature (Prentice Hall, 9th ed.) (ISBN 0-13-012731-0)
Schedule of Assignments
This schedule should be regarded as a tentative guide to the assignments; it may well be changed as the semester progresses. Because good, in-depth class discussion is more important than keeping up with the schedule, you should not be disturbed if some selections are omitted or if we appear to fall behind. For some of the novels, you'll be asked to read more than the usual amount over the weekend for a Tuesday class, with a lighter reading assignment for the Thursday class. The schedule usually alternates between heavier and lighter reading assignments.
You should read each day's assignment carefully, including any headnotes or background material, and come to class prepared to discuss the reading. You're responsible for the material even if you missed class that day. Since you will also be writing about films and music of the era in your papers, quizzes, and exams, you should make arrangements to view or listen to any materials that you may miss if you do not attend class on a given day. Most are available either online, in the library, through Interlibrary Loan, or through a commercial service such as Netflix.
| Date | Reading Assignments |
Other Assignments | |
| 1 |
8/21 |
Introduction |
|
| 8/23 |
Flappers and Philosophers |
Sign up for weblog, report, or both | |
| 2 |
8/28 |
The Beautiful and Damned, part I |
|
| 8/30 |
The Beautiful and Damned, part II |
Weblog post #1 | |
| 3 |
9/4 |
The Beautiful and Damned, part III |
|
| 9/6 |
"Collegiate" |
Weblog post #2 | |
| 4 |
9/11 |
Algonquin Round Table |
Reports |
| 9/13 |
Visit to MASC (if available) |
Weblog post #3 | |
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| 5 |
9/18 |
A Day in the Life Lewis, Babbitt, chapters 1-12 |
Proposal for Paper 1 |
| 9/20 |
Lewis, Babbitt, chapters 13-22 |
Weblog post #4 |
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| 6 |
9/25 |
Lewis, Babbitt, chapters 23-end |
|
| 9/27 |
Prohibition and Gangster Culture |
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| 7 |
10/2 |
Exam 1 |
|
| 10/4 |
No Class: Research Day |
Paper 1 due (e-mail it to campbelld@wsu.edu) | |
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| 8 | 10/9 | The Harlem Renaissance: Jazz and Poetry Lewis, introduction to The Harlem Renaissance Reader (xiii-xli) |
Reports |
| 10/11 | No Class: Research Day |
Weblog post #5 |
|
| 9 |
10/16 |
Harlem Renaissance: Poetry and Aesthetics |
|
| 10/18 |
Harlem Renaissance: Lives |
Weblog post #6 | |
| . | |||
| 10 | 10/23 | Harlem Renaissance: Modernist Experimentation Jean Toomer, Cane 1-51, especially "Karintha," "Fern," "Georgia Dusk," and "Blood-Burning Moon" |
|
| 10/25 | Cane, 52-end, especially "Bona and Paul" and "Box Seat" Criticism, pp. 197-207 (optional, but this will help you understand the book) |
Weblog post #7 | |
| . | |||
| 11 |
10/30 |
Harlem Renaissance: Race, Secrets, and Violence |
Proposal for Paper 2 |
| 11/1 |
Passing, part 3 |
Weblog post #8 | |
| . | |||
| 12 |
11/6 |
Claude McKay, from Home to Harlem, HRR 370-388 |
Reports |
| 11/8 |
Film: Oscar Micheaux, Within Our Gates (1919) |
Weblog post #9 |
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| 13 |
11/13 |
Lost Generation and Expatriate Life |
Precis assignment due |
| 11/15 |
The Sun Also Rises, chapters 13-end (pp. 131-251) |
Weblog post #10 | |
| 14 |
11/20-22 |
Thanksgiving Week: No Class |
|
| 15 | 11/27 |
Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Film |
|
| 11/29 |
Paper
2 due |
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| 16 |
12/4 |
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| 12/6 |
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| 17 | 12/13 | Final exam 10:10 a. m. to 12:10 p.m | |
Attendance and Class Participation. Attendance is expected, as is class participation; both are essential parts of the course. You have four free absences (unexcused); a fifth absence means that you may fail the course, as will an excessive number of excused absences.
You should come to class prepared to discuss each day's reading. Since the syllabus is online, as are the readings not in your textbooks, you should have no trouble in reading the next day's assignments even if you're absent on the previous day.
Giving your full attention to the material and to your classmates' comments raises the level of learning in a small, discussion-based class such as this one. Although you're welcome to keep your cell phone on in case of an emergency (such as having a relative in the hospital), please be considerate and turn your cell phone off otherwise while you're in class. Also, although you may use your laptop to take notes if you wish, I have noticed that a student's participation in class discussions usually diminishes when a laptop is used. Since class participation is a substantial part of your grade, please consider this when deciding whether to bring a laptop to class.
Students with Disabilities: Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, please visit the Disability Resource Center (DRC). All accommodations MUST be approved through the DRC (Admin Annex Bldg, Room 205). Please stop by or call 509-335-3417 to make an appointment with a disability specialist.www.drc.wsu.edu.
Papers
Formal Papers. Students in this class will write two formal papers, a short (5-7 pages) analytical interpretation of fiction or poetry, and a longer analytical project that will require some research. Your second project will involve looking at primary sources such as 1920s periodicals and researching a topic or author not covered in class. It does not have to take the form of a formal paper 10-12 pages in length, although it should have about that much analysis and information.Instead, it can be a group web project such as a wiki. The research you do for Paper 2 will be presented to the class as part of the grade. A list of paper topics will be handed out well before the papers are due.
Format. Papers must be neatly typed and carefully proofread. Citations should follow MLA style as outlined in the MLA Handbook, Bedford Handbook, or other such guides.
Electronic Version. You will need to turn in a computer-readable version (as a Word or .rtf attachment) of your paper by e-mailing it to me in addition to, or instead of, turning in a paper version. Your paper will not be graded and you will not receive any credit for the paper until I receive the electronic version.
Late Papers and Extensions. Late papers are penalized at the rate of one letter grade (10 points) per class day late; a paper that would have received a "B" on Monday will receive a "C" if handed in on Wednesday.
If no paper is turned in within 4 class days (due date plus three more days), no credit will be given and a 0 will be averaged in as 15% (Paper 1) or 25% (Paper 2) of your course grade..
You have one 48-hour extension in this class. This extension means that your paper will be due on the next class day, which could be more than 48 hours if the next class day is a Monday, without penalty.You must request the extension ahead of time, and you should save it for a true emergency, since no other extensions will be granted for illness, funerals, weddings, or any other reason.
Plagiarism Policy. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's words or ideas. This definition includes not only deliberately handing in someone else's work as your own but failing to cite your sources, including Web pages and Internet sources. Penalties for plagiarism range from an F on the paper or the course to suspension from the university.
For a first offense, any paper plagiarized in whole or in part will receive an "F" (0 points), and the incident must be reported to the WSU Office of Student Conduct. You will NOT be allowed to rewrite the plagiarized paper for a better grade.
WSU Statement on Academic Integrity. As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the University community share the responsibility for maintaining and supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. To maintain the academic integrity of the community, the University cannot tolerate acts of academic dishonesty including any forms of cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication.
Exams
The midterm and final exams in this course will consist of objective (multiple choice, short answer, matching) and identification questions and an essay. Exams cannot be made up without a doctor's note. If you want to complete a weblog AND a report, you have the option not to take the final exam. The midterm is not optional.
Other Work
Quizzes. Frequent, unannounced quizzes over the reading will be given in this class. They cannot be made up, but the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Quizzes are usually given in the first 10 minutes of class; if you come in late and the quiz is in progress, you will not be able to take the quiz.
In-class writing and short assignments. Short, typed responses to the reading may be assigned from time to time, as will short pieces of in-class writing. One of the out-of-class assignments will be to write a precis of a journal article and critique it.
Reports and Weblogs
Students in this class will either present a brief oral report to the class or keep an online journal (weblog) of their reading this semester. Both options will should involve about the same amount of work, but with the weblog option, you'll be spreading the work out over the entire semester. Those who choose both to present a report and to keep a weblog will not have to take the final exam.
- You'll sign up for a report or a weblog in class. See the Reports and Weblogs pages for more details.
- To make the schedule updatable and available to all, it will be posted at the link above with your names on it. Weblogs will also be linked from our main page, which will contain the names of class webloggers. Because the point of the weblog is to share your thoughts with others in the class, our main class site will contain a link with your name as part of the requirement.
- If you have any privacy concerns (under FERPA) about having people know that you are in this class or do not want your name posted anywhere on our class site, you should choose the Reports option instead; you'l also need to write to me (on paper) requesting that your name be omitted from the Reports page.
Grade Distribution. Note: Because of FERPA and privacy issues, no grades will be discussed or transmitted by e-mail or instant messaging. You can check all of your grades (except the grade for class participation) in WebCT.
| Exam 1 (Midterm) | 10 percent |
| Exam 2 (Final) | 15 percent |
| Paper 1 | 15 percent |
| Paper 2 (includes final presentation) | 30 percent |
| Report or Weblog | 15 percent |
| Quizzes, class participation, group presentations, short writings (including precis), and in-class writings | 15 percent |