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ENG 105-03: Introduction to Narrative

Instructor: Jeremy South (jpsouth@uncg.edu)Location: SOEB 108Time: MWF 1 - 1:50pmCubicle location: MHRA 3112 FMailbox location: MHRA 3317 (look for the boxes with names)Office Hours: TBD (likely F 11-1)

Course DescriptionCritical reading and analysis of American and British novels, short stories, and narrative poems. Attention to historical, cultural, and literary backgrounds as appropriate. This includes (1) a variety of forms, within the category of the course, (2) some variety in time periods (in general, include works from at least two centuries), and (3) some variety in geography, culture, and nationality.

In short, we’re reading across time, genre, and space (primary emphasis on American and UK literature, but for example, we are reading 100 Years of Solitude from Colombia, not to mention Kafka).

Please look over the schedule and list of texts. If you feel that this course requires too much reading, or that the books are too expensive, please consider another section of 105. This is a course which requires reading in high volume, so expect around 25-30 pages a night (approx. 50-60 pages or more between classes) of potentially dense material, along with whatever other work you are expected to do for other classes. Note that I am also reading everything you are reading, on the same schedule — my memory isn’t good enough to work off notes alone, so we’re doing this together.

Please note: The College Writing Program now requires use of MLA 8th Edition, if MLA is your style guide of choice.

1. Evaluation

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for the GLT marker (revised 2015):1. Demonstrate orally, in writing, or by some other means a fundamental ability to use some of the techniques and/or methods of literary analysis. (LG1, LG3)2. Identify and/or describe some of the various social, historical, cultural, and/or theoretical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted. (LG3)

Those SLOs labeled (LG3) relate to UNCG’s Learning Goal #3 for General Education, which says students will “Describe, interpret, and evaluate the ideas, events, and expressive traditions that have shaped collective and individual human experience through inquiry and analysis in the diverse disciplines of the humanities, religions, languages, histories, and the arts.” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2016-2017/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program).

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Those SLOs labeled (LG1) relate to UNCG’s Learning Goal #1 for General Education. This is the ability to “think critically, communicate effectively, and develop appropriate fundamental skills in quantitative and information literacies.” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2016-2017/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program).

English 105 is designed to address UNCG’s Learning Goal #3 for General Education, which says students will “describe, interpret, and evaluate the ideas, events, and expressive traditions that have shaped collective and individual human experience through inquiry and analysis in the diverse disciplines of the humanities, religions, languages, histories, and the arts.” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2015-2016/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program). Additionally, it addresses UNCG’s Learning Goal #1 for General Education. This is the ability to “think critically, communicate effectively, and develop appropriate fundamental skills in quantitative and information literacies.” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2015-2016/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program).

See “6. Course Assignments and Requirements.”

Group presentations: 20%Papers: 10% each (x2, 20%)Exams: 10% each (x2, 20%)Reading journal: 30%Participation: 10%

2. Required Texts and Materials

The readings which are on Canvas are listed as PDFs, and will be noted in the third column of the schedule. You are more than welcome to bring in course PDFs on an electronic device, printed out, whatever works.

Browning, Abigail, and Melissa Ridley Elmes, eds. Lenses: Perspectives on Literature. 2nd ed., Hayden-McNeil Publishing, 2014.

Márquez, Gabriel Garcia. One Hundred Years of Solitude. Gregory Rabassa, trans., HarperCollins, 2006. ISBN 9780061120091.

Wallace, David Foster. The David Foster Wallace Reader. Hachette, 2016. ISBN 9780316182409.

Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway, Harcourt, 2005. ISBN 9780156030359.

PDFs on Canvas:Baxter, Charles. “What Happens in Hell.”Beard, Jo Ann. “Werner.”Cuda, Anthony ed., and Mary Oliver. “Cuda-Oliver Handbook.”

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Felton, Bex. “Poetry Triangle.”Kafka, Franz. “In the Penal Colony.”—. “Poseidon.”—. “Very Short Stories.”Melville, Herman. “The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids.”Orwell, George. “Politics & the English Language.”Poe, Edgar Alan. “The Fall of the House of Usher.”—. “Masque of the Red Death.”Rushdie, Salman. “Is Nothing Sacred?”UNC. “Plagiarism.”Vollmer, Matthew. “Keeper of the Flame.”Wallace, David Foster. “Authority and American Usage.”—. “Several Birds.”—.“Some Remarks on Kafka’s Funniness.”—. “The Soul is Not a Smithy.”—. “Tracy Austin.”Compilations: “Poetry 105,” “Poetry Practice,” and “Poetry Compilation.”Excerpts from Félix Fénéon’s Novels in Three Lines.

3. Note on Texts and what “Respectfulness” is, generally speaking

Sometimes the text, the setting, characters, and narrative structure engage with an incredible array of religious texts, politics, economic backgrounds, and cultures. This being said, I would like to set out some ground rules for our discussions:

1) Openness: UNCG is a state university, and since the state is incompetent to judge in religious and moral matters, my purpose is neither to confirm nor refute particular religious traditions, but to welcome a variety of viewpoints in discussion, from whatever believing or secular perspective.

2) Respect: We're bound to disagree, or at least diverge, in our responses, but avoid criticizing or attacking anyone in personal or ad hominem terms. Treat each other with basic courtesy, as you'd wish to be treated.

3) Relevance: Keep your comments on point and related to the texts up for discussion on a particular day, rather than ranging far and wide with statements of personal philosophy – though of course brief personal reflections are welcome.

4. Course Policies

I. Academic Integrity“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and

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list of violations at http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu. I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy. Incidents of cheating and plagiarism are reported to the Dean of Students and sanctions are aligned with the policies at http://sa.uncg.edu/dean/academic-integrity/violation/plagiarism/.”

In addition, you must always properly document any use of another’s words, ideas, images, or research both in the text and in a Works Cited/Bibliography. Failure to properly document is a form of plagiarism and will earn a zero on an assignment. You will be given a quiz on this.

II. SanctionsThese are nasty and hopefully you will not have to deal with sanctions, so be sure to adhere to the Academic Integrity policy above. While the Dean of Students recommends sanctions, they are ultimately at my discretion.

“Failure to Cite References:Intentional or obvious failures to properly cite sourcesRecommended sanctions range from requiring the student to re-do the paper

to a zero on the paperSubmitting, as one’s own, work done by or copied from another:

Includes work done by a fellow student, work done by a previous student, or work done by anyone other than the student responsible for the assignment.

Recommended sanctions range from F on assignment to a recommendation for expulsion.”Please note, again, these are merely recommended. As the instructor of record, sanctions are ultimately up to me, and more than one small violation (i.e. pasting in stuff from the internet) will automatically fail you in the course and have you removed from the roster.

Please note that what I have seen most often is stuff that’s not worth risking, such as copying a plot summary for an introduction, but otherwise writing an original paper. Be smart about this.

III. Attendance PolicyWe are required by our accreditation group to include an attendance policy on our syllabi. This is department policy, and I must adhere to it:

For English 104-110 classes meeting three times a week, students are allowed a maximum of four absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond those allowed, students will be penalized one-half letter grade. Students who miss eight classes on a three-day schedule will fail the course. This attendance policy does not differentiate between "excused" and "unexcused" absences; thus, it is the student's responsibility to plan for absences within the policy concerning program field trips, athletic events, work-related absences, advising sessions, minor illnesses, family and/or friend events, etc.

Note: “You are, by state law, allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays, which do not count toward your total allowed three absences. If you plan

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to miss class because of your faith, you must notify me in advance of your absence.”

IV. Behavior policyRespect for others and their ideas is expected in this course. Therefore, disruptive and disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated, and action to deter it will be taken. The UNCG Disruptive Behavior Policy describes words and deeds as follows:

“Disruptive is behavior which the UNCG regards as speech or action which 1) is disrespectful, offensive, and/or threatening, 2) impedes or interferes with the learning activities of other students, 3) impedes the delivery of university services, and/or 4) has a negative impact in any learning environment. Disruptive behavior includes physically, verbally or psychologically harassing, threatening, or acting abusively toward an instructor, staff member, or toward other students in any activity authorized by the University. Disruptive behavior also includes any other behavior covered by the Student Conduct Code.”For the entire policy, go to http://sa.uncg.edu/handbook/wp-content/uploads/disruptive_policy.pdf

V. Miscellaneous Course PoliciesE-mail Response Policy: I will make every effort to respond to your e-mail message within forty-eight hours. If I have not replied to your message after forty-eight hours, then please re-send the message. Please keep this policy in mind when writing your papers. Last-minute questions (like 4am the night before your paper is due) may not be answered in time.

Regular use of Canvas and email: You are required to use Canvas and your university email in this course.I will post our class syllabus, updated schedules, resources & readings, as well as assignments, exercises, and announcements to the Canvas course site. Please familiarize yourself with the system and ask me for help if needed. Also, the ITS department offers workshops on Canvas on occasion. You are also expected to regularly check your email account, and I will regularly check mine (jpsouth@uncg.edu) and respond to you within 48 hours. In the spirit of courtesy, you should also acknowledge via email that you received my reply. When composing an email, please include the course number (ENG 105) in the subject, a formal greeting, and a signature, otherwise it might get lost (I teach more than one class).

Late Work: Late work is not accepted. The only exception to this policy is if I am contacted by the Dean of Students office on your behalf (meaning you have spoken to them and documented extenuating circumstances).

Respect for all class participants: A supportive, constructive classroom environment will allow you to get the most from this class. Although students with disciplinary problems tend to be few and far between at the college level, if behavioral disruptions persist within a single class meeting (or, for that matter, across multiple meetings), the student in question will be asked to leave the class with points deducted from his/her participation grade and an absence for the day.

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Types of disruptive behavior can include any form of disrespectful comment or action directed toward me, another student, or the subject matter we are studying. I reserve the right to interpret inappropriate behaviors as I see fit and address them accordingly, and it goes without saying that remaining in my class is a tacit acknowledgment of this right. Repeated disruptions, of any kind, will be reported to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.

Electronics Policy: Bring whatever device you can use to view Canvas documents, if you like. Your device must be silent. Not “vibrate.” Silent. If noise becomes a distraction, you will be asked to leave and an absence recorded. If you have a situation such as a family emergency wherein you need to be accessible via your phone, please arrive to class a few minutes early and explain the situation to me. In these instances only, you may have your phone on vibrate. However, you may not answer the phone in class. Please excuse yourself from the classroom to take the emergency call.

Final Exam: Since this is a very busy time of year for all of us, we will not have a “final exam,” but this time-period will be used to hand back papers.

IV. Dean of Students & Extenuating CircumstancesIf you have extenuating circumstances such as a death in the family, chronic illness/injury requiring prolonged medical treatment, prolonged psychological issues, etc., you should make the instructor aware of these as soon as possible and keep him or her informed until you are able to return to class. You are also encouraged to contact the Dean of Students Office (http://sa.uncg.edu/dean/), which can review documentation and notify multiple instructors on your behalf, especially if personal reasons prevent you from properly doing so yourself. You should be aware, however, that assistance from this Office does not change the outcome of the instructor’s decision in any particular class. The Dean of Students office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC).

6. Course Assignments and Requirements

Our department teaching handbook recommends that “each section [of literature courses] should have at least one formal essay that is thesis and evidence-driven, that relies on the techniques of close-reading, and that is of at least 5 pages (approximately 1,700 words).”

What you will do, then, are some shorter less-formal papers, group projects, and the final paper. More details will be provided via Canvas documents and in class for each assignment, but the general breakdown is as follows:

Group presentations: 20%Papers: 10% each (x2, 20%)Exams: 10% each (x2, 20%)Reading journal: 30%Participation: 10%

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Group presentations: More or less, you’ll tell us about the author of what we’re currently reading (who they are, what they’re known for), the text itself (how was it received? Did it cause any controversy?), some cultural context (what values are part of the culture we’re reading about? History? Wars? Religions? Geography), and there may be some specific things I want you to look into, depending on the text. More info will be given as we go along.

Papers: These requires research. We will discuss how to do research. Topics are more or less up to you: what interests you about certain texts? We’ll do a process format, revising ideas and building to a final draft over the second half of the semester.

The reading journal is to make sure you’re on track, and I will randomly collect them for review. Consider a physical copy you can bring each day (or electronic if that works for you), as you can use them to prep for class activity, keep tabs on characters and plot, personal response to the text, that kind of stuff.Things to include: questions, unfamiliar words (which you look up and investigate), personal reaction, general confusion, parallels to other books you’ve read outside or inside of class, that sort of thing.

Participation: you have a voice and thoughts, and we’d love to hear them. A class really drags if no one contributes. Then I start asking people to contribute, and that’s not fun.

7. Student Resources

I. Software

UNCG has kindly charged you in advance (whether you like it or not) for access to Microsoft Office, so get it at http://its.uncg.edu/office365/

Due to numerous issues in the past with compatibility, accessing documents, etc. you must submit all of your documents in either Word (.doc, .docx) or Pages (.pages) format. I have set Canvas to not accept anything else. Use Office Online if you have a Chromebook. Do not email me PDFs or Google Docs.

II. The Office of Accessibility Resources (OARS)

“Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (http://ods.uncg.edu/) on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: oars@uncg.edu.”

Note: I have dealt with OARS as both a student and instructor. The experience was painless, and I recommend you get in touch with them as quickly as possible, along with your doctor’s office for supporting documentation, if you need

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accommodations. All we get as instructors are slips of paper that say “So-and-so has registered with us, and this is what they require” — nothing about you other than your name.

8. Grade ScaleA                     93-100A-                    90-92B+                   87-89B                     83-86B-                    80-82C+                   77-79C                     73-76C-                    70-72D+                   67-69D                     63-66D-                    60-62F                      Below 60   

9. Schedule of Readings – Subject to change, you will be notified via email, and the document will be on Canvas.

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105 Readings Schedule

Note: In years past, students – for varying reasons – have had difficulties getting books in time to start the semester. Therefore, we are relying on electronic texts for the initial portion of class.

Other Note: regard this schedule in terms of readings and directions, if given.Date Topic Book Reading Canvas

ReadingActivity

Wednesday January 18

Introduction “Plagiarism” — you will have a quiz on this

Friday January 20

Poetry: Reading

Lenses: Poetry Poetry Triangle

Monday January 23

Poetry: Scansion, form and content

Lenses: Poetry (in case there’s anything you may have missed)

Cuda-Oliver-Handbook, Poems from ppt “Poetry Practice”

Quiz on plagiarism due to Canvas

Wednesday January 25

Poetry: More form, content, scansion

Poetry Compilation — pick two for analysis

Friday January 27

Poetry presentations

Group Project 1: poem analysis

Monday January 30

Intro to genre fiction

Lenses: Short Prose

“Poseidon,” “Remarks on Kafka”

Wednesday February 1

Kafka Lenses: Theme “Penal Colony” and “Very Short Stories”

Friday February 3

Poe Lenses: Setting, Atmosphere, and Mood

“Fall of the House of Usher” and “Masque of the Red Death”

Group 1

Monday Melville Metaphor, “The

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Date Topic Book Reading Canvas Reading

Activity

February 6 Symbolism, Imagery

Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids”

Wednesday February 8

On Writing What close reading looks like, what I want your papers to look like

Friday February 10

Foster Wallace Reader pp. 381 - 394 (Brief Interviews)

Monday February 13

Reader pp. 452-455 (Incarnations of Burned Children)

Note: this one’s very intense and horrifying

Wednesday February 15

No Class

Friday February 17

Reader pp. 5-21, 395-418 (Trillaphon & Depressed Person)

Monday February 20

Reader pp. 418 - 451 (Good Old Neon)

Wednesday February 22

“The Soul is Not a Smithy”

Friday February 24

Exam 1 Exam 1

Monday February 27

Novels/Research

Lenses: Long Prose

How to do research for your papers, where to look, what to look for

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Date Topic Book Reading Canvas Reading

Activity

Wednesday March 1

Woolf Dalloway ch. 1 & 2

Friday March 3 Dalloway ch. 3 & 4

Monday March 6 Dalloway ch. 5 & 6

Group 2

Wednesday March 8

Dalloway ch. 7 & 8

Friday March 10 Dalloway ch. 9 & 10

Group Project 2: in class

Spring Break — no class

No Class

Monday March 20

Peer Review Peer Reviewing Papers, print yours out x 3

Wednesday March 22

Marquez Solitude pp. 1 - 58

Group 3

Friday March 24 Solitude pp. 59 - 101

Paper 1 due to Canvas by midnight

Monday March 27

Solitude pp. 102 - 159

Wednesday March 29

Solitude pp. 161 - 201

Friday March 31 Solitude pp. 203 - 267

Monday April 3 Solitude pp. 269 - 313

Wednesday April 5

Solitude pp. 315 - 354

Friday April 7 Solitude pp. 355 - 417

Monday April 10 Nonfiction Lenses: NonfictionReader: “A

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Date Topic Book Reading Canvas Reading

Activity

Supposedly Fun Thing” (p. 763)

Wednesday April 12

Reader: “Mrs. Thompsons”

Friday April 14 — No Class

No class

Monday April 17 Exam 2 Exam 2Wednesday April 19

Reader: “Federer”

“Tracy Austin”

Group 4

Friday April 21 Really Really Short Fiction

“Werner” and Excerpts from Félix Fénéon’s Novels in Three Lines

Monday April 24 Essays “What Happens in Hell”, “Keeper of the Flame”

Group 5

Wednesday April 26

“Politics & the English Language” and “Authority and American Usage”

Group 6

Friday April 28 “Is Nothing Sacred”

Monday May 1 Peer Review Peer ReviewTuesday May 2 — Friday Schedule

Turn in Paper 2 — no meeting

Paper 2 due to Canvas by Midnight

Wednesday May 3 — No Class

Reading Day

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Note: our final exam time is Monday, May 8 from 3:30 to 6:30pm, and I will be handing back papers.