English 262G: Art of Literature
THE ART OF LITERATURE
ENGL 262G, Section 01
MWF 8:00AM – 8:50AM
Instructor: Jerimiah Bergstrom
Email: jerimiah.bergstro001@umb.edu
Office Hours: T: 5:00-6:00, F: 10:00-11:00 W-06-44 or by appointment
Wiki: http://engl262g-bergstrom.wikispaces.umb.edu/
REQUIRED TEXTS:
1. Othello (Norton Critical Ed.) Ed. Edward Pechter. Publisher: W. W. Norton and Company.
ISBN: 978-0393976151
2. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, by Marjane Satrapi ISBN: 978-0-375-71457-3
I will also be putting materials on our course wiki; you must print these materials off of our course wiki
page and bring the printout to class. The wiki materials are not “extras” – since you are only
responsible for purchasing two textbooks for this course (both of which are relatively cheap), please
factor in the cost of printing. All are available on the wiki from the beginning of the semester, so you will
have ample time to print before the class in which the text is required.
You must have a copy of all materials for the day. Coming to class without the text will negatively affect
your participation for the day, and I reserve the right to count unprepared students as absent for the day.
A Note on the Texts: Although a few of the works assigned this semester can be found in
various places online, I still strongly encourage you to purchase the editions listed here. While
you are allowed bring copies of the daily assigned text to class from sources other than the one I
provide, it is entirely your responsibility to follow along whenever the text is referenced. Also, if
your assigned text for the day is posted to the wiki, the expectation is that ALL TEXTS WILL
BE PRINTED OUT AND BROUGHT TO THE CLASS IN A HARD COPY.
A Note on Technology: Unless special accommodation or the day’s lesson requires it,
LAPTOPS, TABLETS, AND PHONES ARE PROHIBITED IN THIS CLASS. For the
duration of this class, phones MUST remain silent (preferably in airplane mode or, better yet,
off). Laptops and tablets are uniformly prohibited. Notes in the class are to be taken on paper.
This expectation derives not from some outdated nostalgia for manual writing, but rather to sever
you from the siren call of the Internet. Believe me, this is one of those “you need to eat your
vegetables” situations; it may be annoying and restricting now, but it will produce superior
scholastic results, which is why you’re coming here in the first place.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this intermediate seminar is to make students
stronger readers, writers, and appreciators of literature. As such, we will be reading a variety of
different types of literature, spanning epochs, genres, and subject material. Throughout the
semester, we will be reading poetry, short prose fiction, graphic novels, works of drama,
watching films, and even listening to music in order to more deeply understand how literature
functions as well as illuminate the role absorbing literature plays in promoting emotionally and
intellectually mature thinking. To this end, we will be writing a great deal in this class. In
addition to the three major assigned essays, we will do frequent in-class writing activities as well
as several short writing assignments to be completed outside of class. Our goal is to write
frequently enough so that written critical analysis becomes a more comfortable activity, allowing
longer writing assignments to be looked at with enthusiasm rather than dread.
INTERMEDIATE SEMINARS: Intermediate Seminars offer students with 30 or more credits
the opportunity to work on essential university capabilities in small-sized courses that are often
thematic or problem-oriented and interdisciplinary in nature. Designed in part to help students
prepare for the Writing Proficiency Requirement, Intermediate Seminars put special emphasis on
critical reading, thinking, and writing. They focus on other essential capabilities as appropriate to
the course and might therefore include attention to library research and information technology,
collaborative learning, oral presentation, and academic self-assessment. Students who practiced
reading, writing, and critical thinking in a First Year Seminar at UMass Boston will practice them
at a more advanced level in the Intermediate Seminar.
*Only ONE Intermediate Seminar may be taken for credit. IF YOU HAVE TAKEN
ANOTHER G200-LEVEL COURSE IN ANY DEPARTMENT AT UMB, YOU CANNOT
RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THIS ONE.
WRITING PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT: Students from the College of Liberal Arts, the
College of Science and Mathematics, and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences complete
the University’s Writing Proficiency Requirement through the Writing Proficiency Evaluation
(WPE). The Writing Proficiency requirement is not the same as the writing placement test you
may have taken when you entered UMass Boston.
The WPE can be met through either an examination or a take-home essay submitted along with a
portfolio of papers written for UMB courses. See the WPR website at
www.umb.edu/academics/wpr for more details about the exam and portfolio options and dates.
Students who have not already satisfied the WPR should arrange to take the exam or submit a
portfolio shortly after completing this course.
SUPPORT SERVICES FOR INTERMEDIATE SEMINAR STUDENTS: The Academic
Support Office offers both individual tutoring and drop-in workshops for students who need help
with the critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary for success in General Education
courses such as this one. More information on their program is available online at
www.academicsupport.umb.edu/rwsscenter.html, or at their Campus Center office (CC1-1300).
The Ross Center for Disability Services (CC2-2010) provides accommodations and educational
resources for students with demonstrated needs, as outlined on their website:
www.rosscenter.umb.edu
Should you be eligible for these services, you should contact the Ross Center right away so that
their staff can help you identify appropriate accommodations in this and other courses. Finally, if
it appears that you might not pass this Intermediate Seminar and if I cannot figure out how to
support your success in the course, I may inform the Director of the Student Referral Program in
the University Advising Center. This strictly confidential program is part of an early warning
system designed to help students address personal and academic difficulties that may interfere with
their progress in the University.
INCOMPLETES: Incompletes are rarely offered, as they are reserved for students who are
unable to complete a small portion of the course at the end of the term due to an extreme
circumstance such as illness. Incompletes are not allowed to replace a significant amount of
coursework or absences. If you are awarded an Incomplete, you must sign a contract with your
instructor outlining the work to be done and work due dates. Although an INC automatically turns
into an F after a year, your Incomplete work will typically be due before the year’s end.”
--Incomplete policy:
http://www.umb.edu/registrar/academic_policies/incomplete_policy/
ASSESSMENT OF THESE COURSES: In addition to course evaluation forms that are
routinely administered at the end of each course at UMass Boston, Intermediate Seminar students
are asked to complete a self-assessment questionnaire addressing their progress as critical thinkers
and writers. Each term an assessment committee will look at randomly chosen student writing
from a small sample of Intermediate Seminars.
PLEASE SAVE ALL YOUR WRITING FOR THIS COURSE so that, if you are chosen, you
will have your work available. The purpose of this evaluation is to improve the program and to
improve particular courses as necessary, not to evaluate individual students. You may remove your
name from your papers if you prefer to submit them anonymously.
STUDENT PLAGIARISM AND BEHAVIOR: Students are expected to abide by the
University’s Code of Student Conduct in all their classes at UMass Boston:
umb.edu/student_affairs/programs/judicial/csc.html. Plagiarism is a particularly serious violation,
as outlined in the Academic Honesty section of the code (section VI), and will not be tolerated.
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person’s work, research, ideas and/or thoughts,
and will not be tolerated in this class.
THE FOLLOWING ALL CONSTITUTE PLAGIARISM: using a document or part of a
document written by another student; buying an essay or term paper from one of the services that
sell such documents; using a document published on the Web; having someone else write an essay
or term paper for you; or having someone so drastically edit your work that it is no longer your
work. It is always essential to use quotation marks around any words/phrases/sentences that are
not yours, and to properly cite the source of the quotation or information. Plagiarism will result in
failure/and or dismissal from this course.
If you find yourself in an unfortunate situation wherein you are considering plagiarism, PLEASE
COME SEE ME. I do not want any of my students to fail; if there are extenuating circumstances
that are preventing you from producing excellent work in the time I expect, we can always work
something out. A few points off or a lowered grade for late work is ALWAYS better than facing
failure (or worse) by committing plagiarism. It is never worth it.
A note on group discussions: We will frequently be discussing the assigned work as a class.
Offensive and insulting behavior undermines the sense of community that the Intermediate
Seminars strive to build. Class discussion and group projects can be productive only in a climate
of respect for the opinions and beliefs of all. A healthy exchange about issues may include
disagreement about ideas, but it must not demean the character or background of the individuals
holding those ideas. Disrespectful behavior or comments in any degree will not be tolerated and
retribution will be swift.
ASSESSMENT: Your final grade will be determined by the following:
Paper 1: 10%
Paper 2: 15% (includes rough draft)
Paper 3: 25% (includes workshop, rough draft, and one-on-one conference)
Final Project: 15%
Participation/Attendance: 20%
Weekly writing assignments: 15%
Email: I will be using WISER and the course Wiki page to send out class information and documents. It
is your responsibility to check your UMB email routinely (or to have your emails forwarded to an account
you regularly check.) I am available to answer timely questions or requests via email (where “timely”
does not mean the night before the assignment is due.)
Attendance: In literature courses, your presence in the classroom matters: you are an important part of
the discussions that take place, and your opinions and perspectives will enrich your classmates’ learning
experience. Please come to class on-time, prepared, and ready to engage with the material.
More than TWO absences will negatively impact your grade, and more than FIVE may
result in failure of the course.
WEEKLY WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: Each week, you will be responsible with turning in a
weekly, semi-formal writing assignment in addition to any other writing we may be doing that
week. Although the prompt will change every week, unless otherwise noted, the requirements for
the assignment will remain the same throughout the semester. These weekly assignments are to
be between 1-2 pages (at least one sentence needs to spill onto the next page), adhering to
standard MLA formatting. These assignments are worth 15% of your final grade. I will give
more detailed instructions on the specifics of this weekly assignment on the first Friday of the
semester.
FORMAL PAPERS: In addition to your weekly writing assignments, your formal papers are the
best way to 1) demonstrate what you have learned about literature, and 2) showcase your ability
to express your interpretations clearly and cohesively on paper. There will be three papers, in
addition to a final project. All of these papers combined are 50% of your final grade.
FINAL PROJECT: This final project will allow you to express your individual understanding of
literature and literary studies. It will be worth 15% of your final grade. Detailed instructions for your
final project will follow later in the semester.
*One More Thing...
Please be aware that Assistant Professor Alex Mueller and other intermediate seminar
instructors will drop in to observe our classes on occasion.
RESOURCES
❖ Course Wiki: http://engl262g-bergstrom.wikispaces.umb.edu/
❖ Writing Proficiency Requirement: http://umb.edu/academics/wpr
❖ Academic Support Office: http://academicsupport.umb.edu/rwsscenter.html
❖ The Ross Center for Disability Services: http://rosscenter.umb.edu
❖ MLA/Writing Guides: http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocMLA.html,
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/writersref7e
❖ Citation Machine: http://citationmachine.net/Plagiarism1:,
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
__________________________________________________________
WEEK ONE: INTRO/GETTING COMFY WITH LITERATURE
Mon 1/26: Introductions, syllabus
Wed 1/28: In class: “What Writing Is” – Stephen King; Epic simile handout
Fri 1/30: In class: “A Modest Proposal” – Jonathan Swift
WEEK TWO: OLD DEAD WHITE GUYS: A BRIEF HISTORY OF ENGLISH
Mon 2/2: “Beowulf’s fight with Grendel”, from Beowulf – Anonymous; “Cædmon’s Hymn” –
Cædmon (or Bede); and “The Origins of Old English” – David Crystal
(ADD/DROP ENDS TUESDAY, 9/9)
Wed 2/4: Excerpts from “The Pardoner’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer and “Alliterative Morte
Artur” by Anonymous; and “Evolving Variation” – David Crystal
Fri 2/6: Excerpts from Paradise Lost – John Milton; and “The Emerging Standard” – David
Crystal
WEEK THREE: RHYME AND REASON: HOW FORM AND FUNCTION WORK
TOGETHER
Mon 2/9: “Casualty” and “Two Lorries” – Seamus Heaney; “Walking the Dog” – Bernard
MacLaverty
Wed 2/11: “Brownies” – Z. Z. Packer; and “Black Matters” – Toni Morrison
Fri 2/13: ESSAY ONE ASSIGNED “Ode on a Grecian Urn” – John Keats
WEEK FOUR: “Is that a symbol?” “Sure it is”: CRAFT AND LITERATURE
Mon 2/16: President’s Day – no class.
Wed 2/18: “The Woman Who Thought She Was a Planet” – Vadana Singh; “Does He Mean
That?” – Thomas C. Foster
Fri 2/20: “The Library of Babel” – Jorge Luis Borges ; “Is That a Symbol?” – Thomas C. Foster
WEEK FIVE: PERSEPOILIS INCIPIT
Mon 2/23: ESSAY ONE DUE. Persepolis 3-25 (The Veil – The Water Cell)
Wed 2/25: Persepolis 26-46 (Persepolis – The Party)
Fri 2/27: Persepolis 47-71 (The Heroes – The Sheep)
WEEK SIX: MORESEPOLIS
Mon 3/2: Persepolis 72-93 (The Trip – The Jewels)
Wed 3/4: Persepolis 94-117 (The Key – The Cigarette)
Fri 3/6: Persepolis 118-153 (The Passport – The Dowry) ESSAY 2 ASSIGNED
WEEK SEVEN: CONTEXT AND PAPER FODDER
Mon 3/9: “I Must Go Home to Iran Again” – Marjane Satrapi
Wed 3/11: Structure workshop. OUTLINES AND THESES FOR PAPER 2 DUE IN CLASS
Fri 3/13: “Ramadan” – Neil Gaiman
WEEK EIGHT: THE BREAK OF SPRING
Mon 3/16: Spring Break – no class
Wed 3/18: still no class
Fri 3/20: see above
WEEK NINE: OTHELLO PRIMER – LET’S GET USED TO THE LANGUAGE
Mon 3/23: ESSAY 2 DUE. In Class: Shakespeare Primer
Wed 3/25: Othello, Act 1
Fri 3/27: Othello, Act 2
WEEK TEN: MORETHELLO
Mon 3/30: Othello, Act 3
Wed 4/1: Othello, Act 4
Fri 4/3: Othello, Act 5
WEEK ELEVEN: THE ART OF ESSAY WRITING
Mon 4/6: "Marxist Literary Criticism, then and now" – Imre Szeman
Wed 4/8: "Feminism: A Movement to End Sexual Oppression" – bell hooks
Fri 4/10: “In Black and White” – Jared Diamond ESSAY 3 ASSIGNED
WEEK TWELVE: THE FINAL ACT OF THE OTHELLO ESSAY
Mon 4/13: : “Feeling into Words” – Seamus Heaney
Wed 4/15: No class, individual scheduled meetings today.
Fri 4/17: PEER INTERROGATION ASSIGNED
WEEK THIRTEEN: THE INTERROGATION, AND GETTING READY FOR THE END
Mon 4/20: Patriot’s Day. No class.
Wed 4/22: PEER INTERROGATION TODAY
Fri 4/24: ESSAY 3 DUE.
WEEK FOURTEEN: “LITERATURE” AND THE FLUID GENRE
Mon 4/27: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog – Joss Whedon FINAL PROJECT ASSIGNED
Wed 4/29: “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” – The Decemberists and fan videos
Fri 5/1: La Jetée – Chris Marker
WEEK FIFTEEN: THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Mon 5/4: Grave of the Fireflies – Isao Takahata
Wed 5/6: “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” – Neil Gaiman
Fri 5/8: Sita Sings the Blues – Nina Paley
WEEK SIXTEEN: THE END OF THE END
Mon 5/11: Final presentations
Wed 5/13: Final presentations cont.