Connections: English 120: Old Syllabi: Spring 2003

Monday, January 20

First day: Introductions and course outline

Wednesday, January 22

Emily BrontÎ, Wuthering Heights, Introduction and opening, 3-37.
- The BrontÎ Sisters 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.

Friday, January 24

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.

Monday, January 27

Wuthering Heights, 80-137.

Group III Response: open response.

Wednesday, January 29

Wuthering Heights, 137-206.

Group IV Response: open response.

Friday, January 31

Wuthering Heights, 206-254.

Group V Response: open response.

Monday, February 3

Wuthering Heights, 254-285 and criticism, 289-302.

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.

Wednesday, February 5

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 Deconstruction (359-384).

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.

Friday, February 7

Marxist Criticism (385-414)

Group III Response: See February 5.

Monday, February 10

Cultural Criticism (415-450).

Group IV Response: See February 5.

Wednesday, February 12

"What Is Feminist Criticism" (330-337); Note that the feminist article by Homans is not required.

Group V Response: In class, we will be following the models of the other articles to work up our own version of a feminist reading of the novel. In light of that prospect, write a response that suggests some of the key passages that a feminist reading will address (based on the reading) and your thoughts about them.

Friday, February 14

Paper prospectus due for fiction analysis paper.

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.

Monday, February 17

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 page for details.

Wednesday, February 19

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 page for details.

Thursday, February 20

Fiction analysis paper due by 4:00

Friday, February 21

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 page for details.

Monday, February 24

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 page for details.

Wednesday, February 26

Amy Tan, "Two Kinds"
- An article (about Tan, not this story specifically) from Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (1994): "Reading Mother's Tale-Reconstructing Women's Space in Amy Tan and Zhang Jie," Xiaomei Chen (school access only)
- An article (again about Tan, not this story specifically) from MELUS (1994): "Memory and the Ethnic Self: Reading Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club," Ben Xu (school access only)

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

Friday, February 28

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.

Monday, March 3

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

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.

Wednesday, March 5

Welles, Citizen Kane (continued)

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

Friday, March 7

Paper prospectus due over the weekend for the scene analysis paper.

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

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.

Monday, March 10

David Fincher, Fight Club (1999)
- The IMDB page
- davidfincher.net compiles web resources on Fight Club, which as you might expect are more promotional and less analytical than those for the earlier films

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.

Wednesday, March 12

David Fincher, Fight Club (continued)

We will do in-class work on the film. Work on those papers!

Friday, March 14

Scene analysis paper due by 2:00
No class meeting today.

SPRING BREAK

Monday, March 31

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

Wednesday, April 2

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

Friday, April 4

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

Monday, April 7

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

Wednesday, April 9

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

Friday, April 11

No class meeting today: I will be away giving a conference paper.

Monday, April 14

"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.

Group IV Response: open response.

Wednesday, April 16

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.

Friday, April 18

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.

Monday, April 21

Marxist Criticism, 131-167

Group II Response: See April 18th.

Wednesday, April 23

Psychoanalytic Criticism, 220-260

Group III Response: See April 18th.

Friday, April 25

Combining Perspectives, 315-342

Group IV Response: See April 18th.

Monday, April 28

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

Wednesday, April 30

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

Friday, May 2

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

Paper prospectus due by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday the 4th for poetry analysis paper.

Monday, May 5

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

Wednesday, May 7

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

Friday, May 9

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

Tuesday May 13

FINAL PAPER DUE AT NOON

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	Spring 2003 Monday, January 20 First day: Introductions and course outline Wednesday, January 22 Emily BrontÎ, Wuthering Heights, Introduction and opening, 3-37. The BrontÎ Sisters 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. Friday, January 24 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. Monday, January 27 Wuthering Heights, 80-137. Group III Response: open response. Wednesday, January 29 Wuthering Heights, 137-206. Group IV Response: open response. Friday, January 31 Wuthering Heights, 206-254. Group V Response: open response. Monday, February 3 Wuthering Heights, 254-285 and criticism, 289-302. 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. Wednesday, February 5 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 Deconstruction (359-384). 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. Friday, February 7 Marxist Criticism (385-414) Group III Response: See February 5. Monday, February 10 Cultural Criticism (415-450). Group IV Response: See February 5. Wednesday, February 12 "What Is Feminist Criticism" (330-337); Note that the feminist article by Homans is not required. Group V Response: In class, we will be following the models of the other articles to work up our own version of a feminist reading of the novel. In light of that prospect, write a response that suggests some of the key passages that a feminist reading will address (based on the reading) and your thoughts about them. Friday, February 14 Paper prospectus due for fiction analysis paper. 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. Monday, February 17 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 page for details. Wednesday, February 19 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 page for details. Thursday, February 20 Fiction analysis paper due by 4:00 Friday, February 21 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 page for details. Monday, February 24 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 page for details. Wednesday, February 26 Amy Tan, "Two Kinds" An article (about Tan, not this story specifically) from Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (1994): "Reading Mother's Tale-Reconstructing Women's Space in Amy Tan and Zhang Jie," Xiaomei Chen (school access only) An article (again about Tan, not this story specifically) from MELUS (1994): "Memory and the Ethnic Self: Reading Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club," Ben Xu (school access only) Group V presentation on the story; see the assignments page for details. Friday, February 28 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. Monday, March 3 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 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. Wednesday, March 5 Welles, Citizen Kane (continued) We will do an in-class exercise on the film today. Friday, March 7 Paper prospectus due over the weekend for the scene analysis paper. Alfred Hitchcock, Vertigo (1958) The IMDB page The tdfilm.com page indexes some of the many web resources for the film 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. Monday, March 10 David Fincher, Fight Club (1999) The IMDB page davidfincher.net compiles web resources on Fight Club, which as you might expect are more promotional and less analytical than those for the earlier films 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. Wednesday, March 12 David Fincher, Fight Club (continued) We will do in-class work on the film. Work on those papers! Friday, March 14 Scene analysis paper due by 2:00 No class meeting today. SPRING BREAK Monday, March 31 Read the sonnet section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of sonnets in class. Wednesday, April 2 Read the heroic couplets section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of heroic couplets in class. Friday, April 4 Read the blank verse section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of blank verse in class. Monday, April 7 Read the ballads section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of ballads in class. Wednesday, April 9 Read the free verse section of Connections and make notes that will prepare you to analyze the technique of free verse in class. Friday, April 11 No class meeting today: I will be away giving a conference paper. Monday, April 14 "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. Group IV Response: open response. Wednesday, April 16 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. Friday, April 18 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. Monday, April 21 Marxist Criticism, 131-167 Group II Response: See April 18th. Wednesday, April 23 Psychoanalytic Criticism, 220-260 Group III Response: See April 18th. Friday, April 25 Combining Perspectives, 315-342 Group IV Response: See April 18th. Monday, April 28 Group V will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Wednesday, April 30 Group I will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Friday, May 2 Group II will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Paper prospectus due by 8:00 p.m. on Sunday the 4th for poetry analysis paper. Monday, May 5 Group III will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Wednesday, May 7 Group IV will assign us a poem or poems to read and then run the class session. Friday, May 9 Last day of class: wrapping up, questions about the final paper. Tuesday May 13 FINAL PAPER DUE AT NOON
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