TiffinUniversity,SchoolofArtsandSciences Spring2013
Spirituality,Consciousness,andLiterature
ENG290h‐01Spring2013CourseDescription
Spirituality,Consciousness,andLiteraturewillfocusonsignificanttextsinthehistoryofbothwesternandnon‐westernliteratureandphilosophythataddresshowthehumanmindunderstandsitselfinrelationshiptoalarger,spiritualworld.Textswillreflectavarietyofperspectives,genres,andtraditions.BecausethiscoursefillsrequirementsforENG142,thiscoursewillalsoteachresearchwriting.
JamesRovira
OfficeHours
M‐Th,1:30‐5:30
W10:00‐12:00
Classhours
M‐Th,11:00‐12:45
ClassLocation
LibraryL1
About M.Phil.DrewU2004
Ph.D.DrewU2008
Contact [email protected]
419‐448‐3586
BridgewaterHouse5
TostudyliteratureistostudysomeofthemostcomplexusesoftheEnglishlanguage.Itwillimproveyour
communication,listening,reading,writing,andcriticalthinkingskills.
ThissemesterwewillbereadingliteratureandphilosophythatexploresthehumanmindThiscoursewillexploreavarietyofphilosophicalandreligioustraditionsfromantiquitytothetwenty‐firstcenturythatconsiderhowthehumanmindunderstandsitselfinrelationshiptothepossibilityofaspiritual,immaterialworld.PhilosophywillberepresentedbythewritingsofPlatoandNietzsche;theologyinAugustineandOrigen;sacredtextswillberepresentedbytheearlychaptersofGenesis;poetrybyJohnMilton,WilliamBlakeandEmilyDickinson;dramabyWilliamShakespeare;thenovelbyJonathanCarroll,andshortstoriesbyJhumpaLahiriandFlanneryO’Connor.
Thisselectionwillsupportyourstudyofliteraturebypresentingarangeofauthors,genres,andperiodsfromaroundtheworld.ReadingsinPeterBarry’sBeginningTheoryareintendedtopresentinterpretiveapparatusfromavarietyoftheoreticalschoolsthathavebeeninformedbyandthatrespondtosomeoftheliteraturethatyouwillbereadinginthisclass.YourWritingMatterstextisanimportantwritingresourceintendedtohelpyoudevelopresearchwritingskills.
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TiffinUniversitySchoolofArtsandSciences Spring2012
CoursePoliciesParticipationinthiscourseimpliesagreementwithallpoliciesasstatedinthecoursesyllabus.Applicablepoliciesarenotlimitedtothoseexplicitlystatedinthecoursesyllabusbutalsoincludeverbalinstructiongivenprivately,giveninclass,anduniversity‐widepolicies.
RequiredTexts: WritingMatters BeginningTheory BonesoftheMoon,JonathanCarroll Midsummer’sNighDream,Shakespeare InterpreterofMaladies,JhumpaLahiri BeyondGoodandEvil,Nietzsche Studentsmustpurchasetheassignedtextsforthisclassasnotes,
introductorymaterial,andcriticismunavailableonlinewillbeassignedfromthesetexts.
Allfinaldraftsofwritingassignmentsaretobeuploadedtoturnitin.com.TheinstructorwillgradethemusingtheGrademarkfunctioninturnitin.com.Oncethewritingassignmenthasbeengraded,studentscanviewinstructorcommentsbyopeningtheassignmentandclickingtheGrademarkbuttonintheupperlefthandcornerofthepage.Instructorcommentswillappearbothintherightsidebarandinlittlebluebubblesonthepaper.Thebluebubbleswillrevealinstructorcommentswhenthemousecursorisplacedoverthem.Pleasedonotjustviewfinalgradesonturnitin.com.Readallinstructorcommentsandcorrecterrorsonyournextassignment.Errorsthatarerepeatedfromassignmenttoassignmentwillcostmorepointseachtimetheyarerepeated.
AcademicHonestyPolicyThiscoursewillfollowtheacademichonestypolicyasstatedinthemostrecenteditionofthestudenthandbook.Thefollowingcourse‐specificpolicieswillalsobeenforced:AnystudentfoundplagiarizingonanypaperoverthecourseofthesemestertoanyextentmaybeawardedagradeofXFfortheclass.Thispolicymaybeappliedretroactivelytoanypapersfoundtobeplagiarizedafterafinalgradehasbeenissued.Pleasenote,however,thattheinstructordistinguishesbetweencitationand/ordocumentationerrorsandblatantplagiarism,thefinaldeterminationofwhichrestswiththeinstructoralone.Impropercitationswillresultinalowergrade,butnotnecessarilyagradeofXF.
Documentation
AllpapersinthiscourseshallbeformattedanddocumentedfollowingMLAstyleasdescribedintheMLAHandbook7thedition.SeetheWritingMatterstextforMLAstyle.AllpapersshallbesetupaccordingtotheMLAHandbookfollowingtheexampldeprovidedbythesamplepaperinWritingMatters:TimesNewRoman,12pt.fontdoublespacedfromtoptobottomwithoutinterruptionorextralinespacesandwith1”marginsallaround.Propersetupofassignedpaperscountstowardthemechanicalhalfofpapergradesdescribedbelow.
Followingcorrectdocumentationstylegivesyouinvaluablepracticeinreadingandfollowingcomplexwritteninstructionsandinpaying
attentiontodetail.Itisasignofprofessionalisminwrittenpresentations.
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TiffinUniversitySchoolofArtsandSciences Spring2012
AttendanceandGradingPolicies
TherearenoexcusedabsencesexceptforcompetitionsportstravelasperNCAAregulations.Absencesforfamilyillnesses,births,deaths,weddings,etc.,andthestudent’sownillnessesarenotexcusedabsences.StudentswhomissmorethanthreeclassesexceptforcompetitiontravelwillreceiveanautomaticgradeofFintheclass.
Allstudentsarerequired•tosubmitallwrittenworkbytheduedateandtime,•todemonstratecomprehensionofthematerial
intheirwrittenwork,•toargueathesisoriginaltothestudentinevery
paper,unlesssummaryisexplicitlyassigned,•tofollowMLAstyle.
Nolateworkwillbeacceptedunderanycircumstances,includingcompetitionsportstravel,unlessthestudentmakesarrangementsinadvancetowhichtheinstructorhasagreedeitherinwritingorbyemail.Latepaperswillotherwisebeissuedagradeof0.GradingTherewillbe100pt.quizzesgiveninclassoneachweek’sreading.Quizzescannotbemadeupunlessyoumakearrangementsinadvance.Iwillagreetoonemake‐update.Ifyoudonotmeetthatdate,youwillnotbeabletomakeupthequiz.Quizzeswillcoverfactualinformationabouttheassignedreading,beingverysimilarincontenttoyourmidtermandfinal(seebelow).Youmusttakenotesonyourreadinginordertopassthequizzes.
Studentsmustcompleteaninitialtwo‐pagepaper,athreetofivepagepaper,aresearchprojectproposal,anannotatedbibliography,anda10‐12pageresearchpaper.Duedatesareoncourseschedulebelow.Allpapersshallbefocusedontheassignedreadings,
shallbeaboutanyoneormoreoftheliteraryworksfoundintheassignedtextsbutnoneexternaltoit(thoughsupportedbysecondarysources,seebelow),shallargueathesisoriginaltothestudentabouttheliterature,andshallsupportthatthesiswithevidencequotedfromtheliterarytextsandfrompeer‐reviewed,scholarlysourcesproperlydocumentedfollowingMLAstyle.Classdiscussionwillservethepurposeofhelpingstudentsdevelopideasabouttheliterature.SeealsothehandoutWritingaLiteraryThesisoneCollege.Studentsarealsorequiredtoincorporateatleastsixcriticalsourcesintotheirwriting.Thesecriticalsourcesmaycomefromtheassignedtexts,fromtheMLAInternationalBibliographyonOhiolink,fromTiffinUniversity’slibrary,orfrompeer‐reviewedarticlesobtainedbyInterlibraryLoan.Studentsarenotallowedtouseanyworksonthepubliclyavailableinternetwithoutadvancedwrittenpermissionfromtheinstructor.
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TiffinUniversitySchoolofArtsandSciences Spring2012
Continuedfrompreviouspage
Eachindividualpaperwillbegradedonthefollowingbasis:• 50%‐‐grammar,spelling,MLAformatting.• 50%‐‐clarity,style,organization,content,andfulfillmentoftherequirementsoftheassignment.
• Pointswillbedeductedfromthefinalgradeofanypaperforbeingshortoflengthrequirementsin¼and⅓pageincrementsasdeterminedbytheinstructoraddingupto100pointsperpage.Studentsshouldnotpadtheirpaperswithunnecessarywords,phrases,orideasiftheyarecomingupshort.Theyshouldaddmoredetail,moresupport,moreexamples,and/orfurtherexplanation.
• PapersusinginternetortextmessageabbreviationswillreceiveanautomaticgradeofF.
“Mycomputercrashed”isnotanexcusefornotsubmittingapapertoturnitin.combytheduedate.Studentsareresponsibleforbackingupallworkeitherontoamemorystick,ontotheschoolnetworkdrive,orontoafilestoragesystemsuchasGoogledocsorDropbox(preferablyatleasttwooftheabove).Studentswhohavetheirworkbackedupwillbeabletocontinuetheirworkonapubliccomputeroncampusshouldtheirpersonalcomputercrash.Studentswhodonotbackuptheirworkareresponsibleforfailingtodoso.Themidtermandfinalexamswillbeworth500ptseach.Thefinalexamwillcoveronlymaterialstudiedsincethemidtermexam.Eachexamwillconsistof50‐100multiplechoicequestionsaskingfactualquestionsaboutthefollowingtopics:
• Associatingauthorswiththeirworks.• Birthanddeathdatesofauthorsandcompositiondatesofworks.• Genreandotherliteraryfeaturesofworks.• Relevantbiographicalandhistoricaldetailsassociatedwiththeworks.
• Quotationorspeakeridentification:pleasenotethatbeingabletoidentifyaquotationorthespeakerassociatedwithquotedtextdoesnotmeanthatstudentsareexpectedtomemorizeassignedreading,onlythattheyhavereadit,comprehendedit,andunderstooditsmajorthemesandmajorcharacterswellenoughtoidentifythemwithinamultiplechoicequestion.
• Questionsonthemidtermandfinalwillbedrawnfromclassdiscussionandfromassignedreading.
Allpapersmustbesubmittedtotheappropriatefolderonturnitin.comontheduedate(bythestartofclassthedaythatthefinaldraftisdue)foragradetobeissued.Studentswillalsohavetosignacontractindicatingwhichpaperoptiontheyhavechosen.Nopaperswillreceiveagradewithoutthissignedcontract.
ServicesTutoring
StudentswhowouldlikeadditionalhelpwiththeirpapersmaytakeadvantageoftutoringservicesofferedbyTU’sStudentSuccessCenter.TheStudentSuccessCenterislocatedinFriedleyHallandisopenfrom9:00a.m.to9:00p.m.MondaythroughThursdayand9:00a.m.to12:00p.m.onFridays.Studentswhowishtoworkwithatutorareencouragedtocallextension3324tomakeanappointment.Pleasebeadvisedthattutorswillnotwriteor“fix”papers,norwilltheyguaranteeparticulargrades.Theirfunctionistoreviewanddiscusswritingwithstudentsandtomakesuggestionsforimprovement.
StudentConduct
TUisaprofessionaluniversity;itsstudentsarepreparingforprofessionalcareers.Theyarethereforeexpectedtodressappropriatelyandbehaveprofessionally.Studentsmustturnoffcellphonesandpagersatthebeginningofeveryclass.Studentsmustnotspendclasstimewritingletters,doinghomework,usingcomputersforactivitiesnotrelatedtoclass,chewingtobacco,and/ortalkingprivatelywithothers.Suchconductishighlydisrespectfulandwillnotbetolerated.
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TiffinUniversitySchoolofArtsandSciences Spring2012
January14:Courseintroduction,avoidingplagiarism.
January17:WritingMattersTabs1,2,6:WritingResponsibly,WritingMatters,andMLAStyle
January21:Barrych.2,Structuralism
Lastdaytoaddaclass
January25:Plato:selectionsfromtheRepublicandtheSeventhLetter(seeeCollegeforhandouts)
January28:Plato:selectionsfromtheSymposiumandGen.1‐3(seeeCollegeforhandouts)
January31:St.Augustine:selectionsfromTheConfessions(seeeCollegeforhandouts)
February4:Origen:selectionsfromOnFirstPrinciples(seeeCollegeforhandout)
February7:Barrych.8,Marxistapproachestocriticism
February11:Shakespeare,Midsummer’sNightDreamActsI‐III
Firstdraftoftwo‐pagepaperdue:synthesizeatleasttwotextsreadsofartoanswerthequestion,“Howmightdifferentinterpretiveapproachestowrittentextsreflectdifferentstatesofhumanconsciousness?”Printpaperandbringtoclassforpeerreview.
February14:Shakespeare,Midsummer’sNightDreamActsIV‐V
Finaldraftoftwo‐pagepaperuploadedtoturnitin.com
February18:Barrych.6,Feminism
February21:Milton:ParadiseLost,Bk.IV(seeeCollegeforhandout)
February25:Milton,ParadiseLost,BkIX(seeeCollegeforhandout)
February28:Barrych.5,Psychoanalyticapproachescriticism
March4:Blake,SongsofInnocenceandofExperience
andTheMarriageofHeavenandHell(seelinks).
March7:Midterm.
F,March8:Noclass,SpringBreak.
March11:Noclass,SpringBreak
March14:Noclass,SpringBreak
March18:Firstdraftof3‐5pagepaperdueforpeerreview.Argueathesisofyourchoiceabouttheassignedreadingusinganytheoreticalapproachstudiedsofar.
March21:SelectionsfromEmilyDickinson‘spoems(seeeCollegeforhandout)Finaldraftof3‐5pagepapersubmittedtoturnitin.com.
March22:Lastdaytowithdrawwithoutafailinggrade
March25:WritingMatters,Tab5.Researchpaperproposaldue–250worddescriptionofyourprojectanditsapproachwithanoutline.Nietzsche,Genealogy,PrefaceandFirstEssay
March28:Nietzsche,SecondEssayandpp.167‐198
April1:Barrych.12,Narratology
April4:Noclass.AnnotatedBibliographydue,submittoturnitin.com.Atleastsixsources.
April8:FlanneryO’Connor,“Revelation”and“AGoodManisHardtoFind”
April11:SelectionsfromLahiri
April15:SelectionsfromLahiri
April18:BonesoftheMoon,Part1(pp.1‐40).Firstdraftof10‐to12‐pageresearchpaperdueinclassforpeerreview.
April22:BonesoftheMoon,Part2(pp.43‐134)
April25:BonesoftheMoon,Part3(pp.137‐222).Finaldraftofresearchpapertoturnitin.com
April29:FinalExam,10:30‐12:30
May4:Commencement
CourseSchedule
TiffinUniversitySchoolofArtsandSciences Spring2012
WritingRubricGradeofA:ExcellentTheApaperisahighlysophisticatedpaperthatsupportsanoriginalthesiswithacomplexargumentthatskillfullyandcorrectlyintegratessubstantialoutsideresearch.TheApaperdemonstratesnotonlysubstantialunderstandingofprimaryandsecondaryreadingbuttheabilitytoadvanceknowledgewithitsinsightintothematerial.Ithasfewornogrammaticalorpunctuationerrors‐‐nomorethanthreeorfourforeveryfivepagesofwriting‐‐andmaintainsahighlyacademictonethatcorrectlyandeffectivelyemploysfield‐specificlanguage.
GradeofB:AboveAverageTheBpaperfulfillsallrequirementsoftheassignment.Itmeetsorexceedsresearchrequirementseffectively,demonstratingcomprehensionofallsources.Itproperlydocumentsitssourceswithnomorethantwoorthreecitationerrors.Itisalmostfreeofgrammaticalorpunctuationerrors,havingnomorethanoneortwoerrorsperpage,butwhilehighlycompetent,theBpaperlackstheinsightandlinguisticcompetencecharacterizingtheAessay.
GradeofC:Average
Theaveragecollege‐levelpaperwillreceiveagradeofC.Thispaperiswrittenwellenoughtobeeasytofollow,butcouldbenefitfromsomerestructuringoradditionalparagraphs.Itmeetsminimumassignmentrequirementsforresearchandotherelementsandintegratessourcescorrectlyfollowingthemostbasicrequirementsoftheassigneddocumentationstyle;in‐textcitationsareclearlykeyedtothereferences,bibliography,orworkscitedpage.Itdemonstratesbasicreadingcomprehensionofbothprimaryandsecondarysources.Itmayhavesomeminorpunctuation,capitalization,grammatical,orspellingerrorsorsomeuseofinformallanguagebutisgenerallyappropriateandcorrect.
GradeofD:BelowAverage
TheDpaperisdeficientinoneormoreofthefollowingareas:structure/organization,research,readingcomprehension,documentation,wordchoice,grammar,orpunctuation,capitalization,orspelling.ThegradeofDindicatesbelow‐averageachievementinorganizingideas,expressingideas,understandingsources,writingcorrectly,orfollowingdocumentationstyle.MostDpaperscontainseriouserrorsinusageandfailtopresentacentralthesisortodevelopitadequately.TheseessaystandardssummarizetheWritingIntensiveClassrubriccreatedbyDr.JimRoviraandDr.SherryTruffinintheSummerof2011.TherubricitselfisoneCollegeandintegratedintoturnitin.comandwillbeusedtoscoreyourpapers.
Investinthisclass.Indoingso,youwillinvestinyourself–inyourknowledgeoftheworld,ofpeople,oflanguage,ofhistory,of
art,andofimagination.
GradeScale
A 93‐100A‐ 90‐92B+ 87‐89B 83‐86B‐ 80‐82C+ 77‐79C 73‐76C‐ 70‐72D+ 67‐69D 63‐66D‐ 60‐62F 59orbelow
