Connections: English 120: Old Syllabi: Fall 2003

Friday, August 29

First day: Introductions and course outline

Monday, September 1

Emily BrontÎ, Wuthering Heights, Introduction and opening, 3-37
- You'll find good , bad , and outdated information alike from Mitsuharu Matsuoka's BrontÎ Sisters Web, but it's still the best starting point on the Web.

Group I Response: On the basis of the first pages of the novel, discuss images that strike you as interesting or potentially important. What images, in other words, would you suggest we follow as we read more of the novel?

Also (everyone, not just Group I), please go to the class discussion board and write a solid paragraph or two introducing yourself to the class. Aside from the obvious introductory function of this assignment, it also ensures that we flush out any technical problems before moving farther into the term. And do remember to bring your short essays on the Jamaica Kinkaid story (for the assessment exercise) to class.

Note: here and throughout this syllabus, the first (less indented) reading or link is required, while the second (more indented) reading or link is supplemental and optional. Here, for example, the reading from Wuthering Heights is required, whereas exploring the website is optional.

Wednesday, September 3

Wuthering Heights, 37-80

Group II Response: Use the last set of responses as the basis for these, either by following up on someone's suggestion or by pointing out a new development that you would like to follow.

Friday, September 5

Wuthering Heights, 80-138

Group III Response: open response.

Monday, September 8

Wuthering Heights, 138-208

Group IV Response: open response.

Wednesday, September 10

Wuthering Heights, 208-256

Group V Response: open response.

Friday, September 12

Wuthering Heights, 256-288, and criticism, 333-347

Group I Response: Discuss either a) what you find most surprising or interesting about the history of criticism of this novel or b) how the ending does or does not wrap up the issues we have discussed in the rest of the novel.

Monday, September 15

This and the next three assignments work through the critical case study in the back of your copy of Wuthering Heights. The first, for today, is Cultural Criticism, 411-450.

Group II Response: The response assignment will be the same for all four critical approaches. For the approach we read about each day, discuss a point in the article that you consider especially instructive or, on the contrary, to be a misreading of Wuthering Heights. You can talk about more general applications of the day's theory if you like, but every response should start by discussing a specific moment in the day's article.

Wednesday, September 17

Marxist Criticism, 379-410

Group III Response: See February 5.

Friday, September 19

Feminist Criticism, 451-477

Group IV Response: See February 5.

Monday, September 22

Psychoanalytic Criticism, 348-378

Group V Response: See February 5.

Wednesday, September 24

FICTION ANALYSIS PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE

Read the fiction section of Connections, following external links if and when you want to.

We will do an in-class assignment designed to familiarize you with the terminology of fiction writing.

Friday, September 26

Herman Melville, "Bartleby, the Scrivener"
- An article from American Literature (2000): "From Wall Street to Astor Place: Historicizing Melvilleís 'Bartleby,'" Barbara Foley (school access only)
- An article from The New England Quarterly (1996): "Melville's Doctrine of Assumptions: The Hidden Ideology of Capitalist Production in 'Bartleby'" (school access only)

Group I presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details.

Monday, September 29

Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis"
- An article from MLN (1980): "Darwin, Nietzsche, Kafka, and the Problem of Mimesis," Margot Norris (school access only)

Group II presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details.

Tuesday, September 30

FICTION ANALYSIS PAPER DUE BY 4:00

Wednesday, October 1

Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal"
- An article from Black American Literature Forum (1983): "Imagery of Imprisonment in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man," Per Winther (school access only)
- An article from MELUS (1993): "Ralph Ellison and K. S. Maniam: Ethnicity in America and Malaysia, Two Kinds of Invisibility," Tang Soo Ping (school access only)
- An article from American Literary History (1989): "'A Certain Eloquence': Ralph Ellison and the Afro-American Artist," Marcellus Blount (school access only)

Group III presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details.

Friday, October 3

Gabriel GarcÌa M·rquez, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings"
- Macondo, one of the excellent author sites from The Modern World, has a wide variety of information about GarcÌa M·rquez.

Group IV presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details.

Monday, October 6

Lan Samantha Chang, "San"

Group V presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details.

Wednesday, October 8

Read the film section of Connections, following external links if and when you want to.

We will do an in-class assignment designed to familiarize you with the terminology of film analysis.

Friday, October 10

Orson Welles, Citizen Kane (1941)
- The standard resource: IMDB's page
- Filmsite.org's page on the film has a lot of interesting information, especially about the Kane-Hearst parallel.
- Roger Ebert's very good page
- Reviews from MRQE

Group I response: Write a response based on any element of the film that you would not experience by reading the screenplay of the film.

Monday, October 13

Welles, Citizen Kane (continued)

We will do an in-class exercise on the film today.

Wednesday, October 15

Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo (1958)
- The IMDB page
- The tdfilm.com page indexes some of the many web resources for the film
- Reviews from MRQE

Group II response: Write a response based on any element of the film that you would not experience by reading the screenplay of the film.

Friday, October 17

Sam Mendes, American Beauty (1999)
- The IMDB page
- Reviews from MRQE

Group III response: Write a response based on any element of the film that you would not experience by reading the screenplay of the film.

FALL BREAK

Monday, October 27

SCENE ANALYSIS PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE

Mendes, American Beauty (continued)
Daniel Chandler, Notes on "The Gaze"

Prepare notes on how the ideas on Chandler's "notes" might apply to an analysis of American Beauty. We will do in-class work on the film.

Wednesday, October 29

Read the sonnet section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of sonnets in class.

Friday, October 31

SCENE ANALYSIS PAPER DUE BY 2:00

In class, we will read the heroic couplets section of Connections and analyze the technique of heroic couplets.

Monday, November 3

Read the blank verse section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of blank verse in class.

Wednesday, November 5

Read the ballad section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of ballads in class.

Friday, November 7

No class meeting today--I will be attending a convention.

Monday, November 10

Read the free verse section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of free verse in class.

Wednesday, November 12

"Biographical and Historical Contexts" (3-24 of your Coleridge volume)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," 1798 Text (on the left side of the book)
- The Lyrical Ballads Bicentenary Project is an excellent scholarly site. The best and most authoritative starting point for Coleridge is probably his section of the Voice of the Shuttle Romanticism page. Also see Marjorie A. Tiefert's Coleridge Archive.
- There is a new electronic scholarly edition of Lyrical Ballads produced by Romantic Circles and Cambridge University Press. The project is on the cutting edge of digital textual scholarship.

Group IV Response: open response.

Friday, November 14

No class meeting today--I will be attending a conference.

Monday, November 17

Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," 1817 Text (on the right side of the book)

Group V Response: Address one specific change Coleridge makes between the 1798 and 1817 versions of the poem and what significance you see in the change.

Wednesday, November 19

Reader Response Criticism, 97-130

Group I Response: We return to the response assignment for critical approaches. For the approach we read about each day, discuss a point in the article that you consider especially instructive or, on the contrary, to be a misreading of Coleridge's poem. You can talk about more general applications of the day's theory if you like, but every response should start by discussing a specific moment in the day's article.

Friday, November 21

Marxist Criticism, 131-167

Group II Response: See November 19th.

Monday, November 24

Psychoanalytic Criticism, 220-260

Group III Response: See November 19th.

Wednesday, November 26

Combining Perspectives, 315-342

Group IV Response: See November 19th.

THANKSGIVING BREAK

Monday, December 1

Group V will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session.

Wednesday, December 3

Group I will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session.

Friday, December 5

Group II will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session.

PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE FRIDAY
VIA EMAIL BY 8:00 P.M.

Monday, December 8

Group III will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session.

Wednesday, December 10

Group IV will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session.

Friday, December 12

Last day of class: wrapping up, questions about the final paper.

Tuesday, December 16

FINAL PAPER DUE AT 5:00

Textbook Poetry Fiction Film Theory Contexts Research and Writing Research Writing Courses Tutorial 120 Syllabus Discussion Board Assignments Policies Old Syllabi Spring 03 Fall 03 Spring 04 Spring 07 121 224 226 Seminars Site Information Site Updates Navigation Site Map	Fall 2003 Friday, August 29 First day: Introductions and course outline Monday, September 1 Emily BrontÎ, Wuthering Heights, Introduction and opening, 3-37 You'll find good , bad , and outdated information alike from Mitsuharu Matsuoka's BrontÎ Sisters Web, but it's still the best starting point on the Web. Group I Response: On the basis of the first pages of the novel, discuss images that strike you as interesting or potentially important. What images, in other words, would you suggest we follow as we read more of the novel? Also (everyone, not just Group I), please go to the class discussion board and write a solid paragraph or two introducing yourself to the class. Aside from the obvious introductory function of this assignment, it also ensures that we flush out any technical problems before moving farther into the term. And do remember to bring your short essays on the Jamaica Kinkaid story (for the assessment exercise) to class. Note: here and throughout this syllabus, the first (less indented) reading or link is required, while the second (more indented) reading or link is supplemental and optional. Here, for example, the reading from Wuthering Heights is required, whereas exploring the website is optional. Wednesday, September 3 Wuthering Heights, 37-80 Group II Response: Use the last set of responses as the basis for these, either by following up on someone's suggestion or by pointing out a new development that you would like to follow. Friday, September 5 Wuthering Heights, 80-138 Group III Response: open response. Monday, September 8 Wuthering Heights, 138-208 Group IV Response: open response. Wednesday, September 10 Wuthering Heights, 208-256 Group V Response: open response. Friday, September 12 Wuthering Heights, 256-288, and criticism, 333-347 Group I Response: Discuss either a) what you find most surprising or interesting about the history of criticism of this novel or b) how the ending does or does not wrap up the issues we have discussed in the rest of the novel. Monday, September 15 This and the next three assignments work through the critical case study in the back of your copy of Wuthering Heights. The first, for today, is Cultural Criticism, 411-450. Group II Response: The response assignment will be the same for all four critical approaches. For the approach we read about each day, discuss a point in the article that you consider especially instructive or, on the contrary, to be a misreading of Wuthering Heights. You can talk about more general applications of the day's theory if you like, but every response should start by discussing a specific moment in the day's article. Wednesday, September 17 Marxist Criticism, 379-410 Group III Response: See February 5. Friday, September 19 Feminist Criticism, 451-477 Group IV Response: See February 5. Monday, September 22 Psychoanalytic Criticism, 348-378 Group V Response: See February 5. Wednesday, September 24 FICTION ANALYSIS PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE Read the fiction section of Connections, following external links if and when you want to. We will do an in-class assignment designed to familiarize you with the terminology of fiction writing. Friday, September 26 Herman Melville, "Bartleby, the Scrivener" An article from American Literature (2000): "From Wall Street to Astor Place: Historicizing Melvilleís 'Bartleby,'" Barbara Foley (school access only) An article from The New England Quarterly (1996): "Melville's Doctrine of Assumptions: The Hidden Ideology of Capitalist Production in 'Bartleby'" (school access only) Group I presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details. Monday, September 29 Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis" An article from MLN (1980): "Darwin, Nietzsche, Kafka, and the Problem of Mimesis," Margot Norris (school access only) Group II presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details. Tuesday, September 30 FICTION ANALYSIS PAPER DUE BY 4:00 Wednesday, October 1 Ralph Ellison, "Battle Royal" An article from Black American Literature Forum (1983): "Imagery of Imprisonment in Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man," Per Winther (school access only) An article from MELUS (1993): "Ralph Ellison and K. S. Maniam: Ethnicity in America and Malaysia, Two Kinds of Invisibility," Tang Soo Ping (school access only) An article from American Literary History (1989): "'A Certain Eloquence': Ralph Ellison and the Afro-American Artist," Marcellus Blount (school access only) Group III presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details. Friday, October 3 Gabriel GarcÌa M·rquez, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" Macondo, one of the excellent author sites from The Modern World, has a wide variety of information about GarcÌa M·rquez. Group IV presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details. Monday, October 6 Lan Samantha Chang, "San" Group V presentation on the story; see the assignments section for details. Wednesday, October 8 Read the film section of Connections, following external links if and when you want to. We will do an in-class assignment designed to familiarize you with the terminology of film analysis. Friday, October 10 Orson Welles, Citizen Kane (1941) The standard resource: IMDB's page Filmsite.org's page on the film has a lot of interesting information, especially about the Kane-Hearst parallel. Roger Ebert's very good page Reviews from MRQE Group I response: Write a response based on any element of the film that you would not experience by reading the screenplay of the film. Monday, October 13 Welles, Citizen Kane (continued) We will do an in-class exercise on the film today. Wednesday, October 15 Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo (1958) The IMDB page The tdfilm.com page indexes some of the many web resources for the film Reviews from MRQE Group II response: Write a response based on any element of the film that you would not experience by reading the screenplay of the film. Friday, October 17 Sam Mendes, American Beauty (1999) The IMDB page Reviews from MRQE Group III response: Write a response based on any element of the film that you would not experience by reading the screenplay of the film. FALL BREAK Monday, October 27 SCENE ANALYSIS PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE Mendes, American Beauty (continued) Daniel Chandler, Notes on "The Gaze" Prepare notes on how the ideas on Chandler's "notes" might apply to an analysis of American Beauty. We will do in-class work on the film. Wednesday, October 29 Read the sonnet section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of sonnets in class. Friday, October 31 SCENE ANALYSIS PAPER DUE BY 2:00 In class, we will read the heroic couplets section of Connections and analyze the technique of heroic couplets. Monday, November 3 Read the blank verse section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of blank verse in class. Wednesday, November 5 Read the ballad section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of ballads in class. Friday, November 7 No class meeting today--I will be attending a convention. Monday, November 10 Read the free verse section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of free verse in class. Wednesday, November 12 "Biographical and Historical Contexts" (3-24 of your Coleridge volume) Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," 1798 Text (on the left side of the book) The Lyrical Ballads Bicentenary Project is an excellent scholarly site. The best and most authoritative starting point for Coleridge is probably his section of the Voice of the Shuttle Romanticism page. Also see Marjorie A. Tiefert's Coleridge Archive. There is a new electronic scholarly edition of Lyrical Ballads produced by Romantic Circles and Cambridge University Press. The project is on the cutting edge of digital textual scholarship. Group IV Response: open response. Friday, November 14 No class meeting today--I will be attending a conference. Monday, November 17 Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," 1817 Text (on the right side of the book) Group V Response: Address one specific change Coleridge makes between the 1798 and 1817 versions of the poem and what significance you see in the change. Wednesday, November 19 Reader Response Criticism, 97-130 Group I Response: We return to the response assignment for critical approaches. For the approach we read about each day, discuss a point in the article that you consider especially instructive or, on the contrary, to be a misreading of Coleridge's poem. You can talk about more general applications of the day's theory if you like, but every response should start by discussing a specific moment in the day's article. Friday, November 21 Marxist Criticism, 131-167 Group II Response: See November 19th. Monday, November 24 Psychoanalytic Criticism, 220-260 Group III Response: See November 19th. Wednesday, November 26 Combining Perspectives, 315-342 Group IV Response: See November 19th. THANKSGIVING BREAK Monday, December 1 Group V will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Wednesday, December 3 Group I will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Friday, December 5 Group II will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. PAPER PROSPECTUS DUE FRIDAY VIA EMAIL BY 8:00 P.M. Monday, December 8 Group III will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Wednesday, December 10 Group IV will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Friday, December 12 Last day of class: wrapping up, questions about the final paper. Tuesday, December 16 FINAL PAPER DUE AT 5:00
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