Syllabus / Policy Statement
Georgia College & State University
Southern Literature
ENGL 5662.01, CRN 20998
(meets with ENGL 4662.01, CRN 20997)
Instructor: Marshall Bruce Gentry
Spring 2012
T 5:30-8:15 in A&S 3-68
email: bruce.gentry@gcsu.edu
Office: A&S 3-67
Office: (478) 445-6928
Home: (478) 414-1364
Office hours: M 4:50-5:40, T 2:30-4, W 1:30-2:30, plus other times by appointment
Chair of English & Rhetoric: Dr. Elaine Whitaker, A&S 3-03, Office (478) 445-5574
8 Required Texts:
David Bottoms, Easter Weekend (ISBN 9780807122778)
Forkner and Samway, eds., Stories of the Modern South, rev. ed. (ISBN 9780140247053)
Carson McCullers, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (ISBN 9780618526413)
Katherine Anne Porter, Pale Horse, Pale Rider (ISBN 9780151707553)
Charles Portis, True Grit (ISBN 9781590204597)
Ruppersburg, ed., After O’Connor (ISBN 9780820325576)
William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner (ISBN 9780679736639)
Alice Walker, The Color Purple (ISBN 9780156031820)
Recommended but NOT required: a recent edition of the MLA Handbook, a good dictionary,
and a good grammar handbook.
Note: Because I require and check page references to primary texts, you need a print version of
each book. If you use a version of the book that is different from the one I ordered, give me a
hard copy of the text you are citing when you submit written work with page references. E-books
are fine for reading but not for documenting formal written work.
Course Description, Goals: This course is an introduction to twentieth-century fiction produced
by writers associated with the American South and to surrounding cultural/literary issues.
Students will practice arguing for their critical opinions and contrasting them to the opinions of
literary scholars. Specific goals are as follows: 1. Students will read and discuss 5 novels and 23
stories and demonstrate their learning through discussion, informal writing, exam essays, and
formal papers (one of which will be researched). 2. Students will gain advanced familiarity with
artistic conventions of the literature of the American South in the twentieth century. 3. Students
will gain, through discussion and research, familiarity with the main critical ideas that have
characterized critical discussion of this body of literature.
Conferences: I invite you to meet with me outside class to discuss your writing. Let me know
when you want to have a conference at a time other than my usual office hours; you will usually
(and should always) find on my office door a sign-up sheet for conferences. When you write
your name on a time slot, you’ve reserved a time. What we talk about in conference is usually up
to you. You may leave messages on my email or on my phone. I respond as soon as possible.
You may receive 1-3 points extra credit for a substantial writing conference, once a week (M-F).
Writing Center: You may receive 2 extra credit points for a substantial writing conference once
each week (M-F) for up to seven weeks, until May 1, at the GCSU Writing Center. Several
experienced tutors are waiting for you to walk in and ask for their assistance and encouragement.
Please make sure that your Writing Center tutor makes a record of your visit, and have the tutor
give you a note that you’ll deliver to me at the next class meeting—about the date, place, and
content of the conference.
Course Assignments and Point Values
Short paper, on a Porter story
1000 words minimum
Research paper, on the novel by McCullers or the novel by Styron
4500 words minimum, with 6 secondary sources
Novel exam, on novels not used for research paper
800 words minimum
Daily grades: homework responses with participation,
other homework, editing, in-class exercises
Approx. 3000 words
Final exam, on stories by authors other than Porter
Two essays, 800 words each minimum
TOTAL POSSIBLE FOR SEMESTER
100 pts.
350 pts.
150 pts.
200 pts.
200 pts.
1000 POINTS
Grading Scale: A = 900-1000 points, B = 800-899 points, C = 700-799 points,
D = 600-699 points, F = 599 points or less. Note: only 201 points separate a D+ from an A-.
Extra Credit: You may add up to 40 extra credit points to your point total, for conferences,
Writing Center visits, as many as 4 extra homework responses to assigned readings (1/2-3 points
each), responses to film versions of assigned works, responses to special events. For advice
about writing extra credit responses, see the section below about Special Notes on Responses.
Maximum extra credit for a response to a film or special event lasting 2 hours is generally 10
points. Maximum extra credit for volunteer work lasting 3 hours at Andalusia is 10 points. Extra
credit to make up for late papers/excessive absence does not count toward the maximum of 40.
Revisions: After you receive your graded short paper on Porter, your research paper, and your
novel exam, you may submit a revision to pick up some additional points. If the grade improves
when I grade a revision, I average the new grade with the original grade. If you revise the same
paper more than once, I average the best revision grade with the original grade. Submitting a
revision of a graded paper is a matter of preparing a new and improved draft. When you submit a
revision, also turn in the last/best graded version, and at the front of the submission, give me a
“brag sheet” on which you point out the most significant improvements. It is very important that
a revision improve on weaknesses in the previous draft, that a revision provide what my
comments request. Revisions are optional.
Deadlines for revisions: Revisions may be submitted early. If you submit a revision late, I’ll
assume I should look at it as a draft that you want additional feedback about, but I generally
won’t regrade it. A revision submitted without a brag sheet loses one point. I do not accept
papers via email, but if a revision is submitted via email and miraculously arrives in my email, it
loses one point. Revisions may be submitted by Mar. 7, Mar. 23, Apr. 25, and at the very
beginning of your final exam on May 1.
Policies on Daily Grades: Any work receiving a grade of check-plus raises your point total for
daily grades by a point; a check-minus lowers your total by a point; a check leaves your point
total as is. A check with two plusses adds two points. On some assignments, some students will
receive checks while others may receive percentile grades. Homework must be made up. Editing
may sometimes be made up; it counts only if you are present. (You are counted present during
editing if, and only if, you participate in editing with classmates; if it is better for your grade that
I sometimes count you absent on an editing day and drop your editing grade, I will. Everyone
must end up with at least one editing grade, even if it is a zero on top of an absence.) In-class
exercises may not be made up, but, as with editing, they generally count only if you are present.
Participation helps generally and directly affects my grading of response pages.
Special Notes on Responses: A response page is a single sheet of paper on the front and back of
which you have recorded your most controversial and interesting and outrageous ideas about all
of a class meeting’s assigned readings. Note what is peculiar about a work and try to account for
it. Ask impossible questions and then take a stab at answering them. Talk about symbolism. You
should also write and underline a statement of your overall interpretation of each novel and story
that we’re completing that day. The goal is to prepare for good class discussion. Think of your
response as a list of ideas, which do not have to be connected to each other. Optional: report
opinions found in lit criticism.
Responses are due at the very beginning of class on the day the reading is to be discussed,
and you must discuss your response in class to receive full credit.
I call on some or all of the people who have written responses to begin the day’s discussion. You
are required to submit at least 8 responses, and at least 2 of those, on 2 different books, should be
submitted by Feb. 15. You are also required to write responses to 6 of the 8 different books.
If you submit additional responses, I will count best grades in each category and award extra
credit for up to 4 additional responses. Extra credit for extra responses is awarded as follows: 3
points for an A, 2 points for a B, 1 point for a C, ½ point for a D or F. Incomplete or late
responses receive low grades. I give feedback on responses primarily by underlining the best
ideas I find on the response. I grade responses primarily on the basis of the number of good
ideas. I also take account of the originality and controversiality of the ideas and the quality of the
overall interpretations, and my grading of responses is sometimes affected by my sense of how
well class discussion goes. It’s okay to turn in a response just to see what kind of feedback you
get, because not all of your responses have to affect your course grade.
Early submission of responses: if you provide, during the class meeting before a given response
is due, photocopies sufficient for everyone to see what you have to say about the next reading,
you need not be present during the class that the reading is assigned to get full credit.
Combining response grades: If you turn in only half or a third of a response, it won’t get a very
good grade, but I’m willing, one time, to combine two partial response page grades into one
grade with a maximum resulting grade of 79%.
Dates for homework responses: Every class from Jan. 18 to Apr. 18 except editing days and
the day of the novel exam—a total of 23 opportunities.
Writing responses to events, films, volunteer work for extra credit: Tell me how long the thing
you are responding to lasted, and then write the usual sort of response. If you know that I have
not witnessed the thing, give me more details summarizing what you are responding to. These
extra credit responses do not pick up points as quickly as homework responses earn points, but
they can indeed be grade-savers.
Special Needs: Any special needs will be accommodated on remaining assignments once the
needs are properly documented. Students with learning disabilities or special needs are urged to
contact me early in the semester in order to secure the best possible learning environment. If you
have a disability as described by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504, you may be eligible to receive accommodations to assist
in programmatic and physical accessibility. Disability Services, a unit of the GCSU Office of
Institutional Equity and Diversity, can assist you in formulating a reasonable accommodation
plan and in providing support in developing appropriate accommodations to ensure equal access
to all GCSU programs and facilities. Course requirements will not be waived, but
accommodations may assist you in meeting the requirements. For documentation requirements
and for additional information, we recommend that you contact Disability Services located in
Maxwell Student Union at (478) 445-5931 or (478) 445-4233.
Attendance: After you have 2 class periods’ worth of absence/tardiness/unconsciousness, points
are subtracted from your point total. I do not “excuse” absences. Each additional absence lowers
your grade 2 point for each 5 minutes of absence, with a max. of 30 points for an entire class
meeting. (Note: Extra credit work can eliminate this point penalty.) After I have learned names, I
usually take roll by passing around an attendance sheet, so make sure you sign in each day.
Please notify me in writing or by phone message when you know you are going to be absent.
Late Work: If you have to turn work in late, please notify me in writing or by phone message. In
general, I penalize late major papers 3 points per weekday late. You may turn in two papers a
day late (or one paper two days late) without penalty. Grades on late daily work are generally no
higher than D+ or check-minus. Seriously late work—major paper or daily work—may have its
credit cut in half. Don’t turn in late revisions.
Plagiarism & Other Illegal Behaviors: Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s words or ideas
as your own, in writing or speaking. You are engaging in illegal behavior if you present
another’s ideas as your own without citing the source; paraphrase without citing the source;
paraphrase improperly; use direct quotations without quotation marks; use direct quotations
without citing the source; submit material written by someone else as your own; submit work for
which you have received so much help that the writing is different from your own; copy
assignments previously submitted by another student. These and other illegal behaviors can
result in failing an assignment, failing a course, even being expelled from college. Please make
sure, through questions in class or conferences in my office, that you understand how to produce
your academic work legally. All students are expected to abide by the requirements of the
GC&SU Honor Code as it applies to all academic work. Failure to do so will result in serious
penalties. The instructor has the right to submit to plagiarism detection services any paper turned
in for college credit.
Fire Drills: In case of a fire or fire drill—and I’m told we should expect at least one—take the
nearest stairs, not the elevator. Crawl on the floor if you encounter heavy smoke. Learn the floor
plan and exits of the A&S Building. Assist disabled persons and others if possible without
endangering your own life. Get out of the building (in a quick, orderly fashion) and meet me on
the lawn in front of Terrell Hall (on the front lawn), where I will calmly check students off my
class roll as present and accounted for.
Tentative and Partial Schedule: Dates when class does not meet in the classroom are in brackets.
M Jan. 9
introduction to course, the South
W Jan. 11
introduction to writing assignments, assigned novels
visit by Craig Amason of Andalusia
[M Jan. 16]
MLKing Holiday—no classes
W Jan. 18
Porter’s “Old Mortality” and “Pale Horse, Pale Rider”
M Jan. 23
Porter’s “Noon Wine” and, from SMS, Porter’s “Holiday”
W Jan. 25
editing session for short paper on a Porter story
M Jan. 30
McCullers, Heart, Pt. 1 and, from SMS, McCullers’s “Sojourner”
W Feb. 1
McCullers, Heart, part of Pt. 2, pp. 97-223
short paper on Porter story due
M Feb. 6
McCullers, Heart, rest of Pt. 2 and rest of novel, pp. 223-359
W Feb. 8
Styron, Confessions, from beginning to end of Pt. 1
M Feb. 13
Styron, Confessions, Pt. 2
working bibliography homework due
W Feb. 15
Styron, Confessions, Pts. 3 and 4
second homework response (on second book) due
midterm grade cutoff
M Feb. 20
editing session for research paper
W Feb. 22
Walker, Color Purple, pp. 1-99, and from AO’C, Walker’s “Blaze”
I’ll distribute midterm grades.
M Feb. 27
Walker, Color Purple, pp. 100-99
research paper due
W Feb. 29
Walker, Color Purple, pp. 200-94
M Mar. 5
Portis, True Grit, 11-111
W Mar. 7
Portis, True Grit, 113-224
One revision accepted
M Mar. 12
Bottoms, Easter Weekend, pp. 1-106
W Mar. 14
Bottoms, Easter Weekend, pp. 107-98
M Mar. 19
novel exam
Note: At 8 pm in A&S Auditorium, Robert Donahoo, President of the Flannery
O’Connor Society, will deliver the Flannery O’Connor Memorial Lecture/Reading
W Mar. 21
from SMS, O’Connor
From AO’C, Bishop and Grimsley
[F Mar. 23]
one revision accepted
[M and W, Mar. 26 and 28] Spring Break—no class
M Apr. 2
from SMS, Betts and Welty
W Apr. 4
from SMS, Gaines, and from AO’C, Grooms
M Apr. 9
from SMS, Gilchrist, and from AO’C, Daugherty and Johnson
W Apr. 11
from SMS, Faulkner, and from AO’C, Ansa
M Apr. 16
from SMS, Capote and Williams, and from AO’C, White
W Apr. 18
from SMS, Warren and Hood
In-class exercise on final exam questions
M Apr. 23
editing session for revision
I’ll assign the final exam.
W Apr. 25
evaluations of readings and review for final exam
one revision accepted
T May 1, 3:30-5:45 or 6-8:15 FINAL EXAM
one revision accepted at beginning of your final exam period
editing paperwork from Apr. 23 due (even if you don’t submit a revision)
Notes on the final exam: You may attend either of my final exam sessions. Absence from the final exam
counts as two absences. I’ll return final exams by mail if you give me an SASE with two ounces’ worth of
postage. I’ll mail you your final grade if you give me an SASE with one ounce of postage. I’ll retain
unmailed final exams as well as final revisions and any other work that comes in at the end of the
semester for one year after the course ends. Final grades are posted by 9 a.m. on Wed., May 9. I do not
discuss the details of final grades via email.