1
Dr. Stephen Tumino
English 201: Introduction to Literature
Office: N761; Phone: (212) 220-8310
Office hours: T: 11-11:30am; W: 1:45-2:15pm
Mailbox: English Dept. N751
E-mail: STumino@bmcc.cuny.edu
Fall 2015, EN 201
Section 1211
W: 12:10-1:40 and F: 1-1:50
Room W: M1212, F: M1107
Literature and/or Literariness
1. Course Description: English 201 is an introductory course to the study of literature
that asks the question, "What Is Literature?" Is "literature" anything written in "letters"
(as the Latin root of the word suggests)? If that is the case, why is text messaging not
considered literature? Or, is literature a "poetic" use of language which unlike the
everyday use of language draws attention to itself? Is slang literary then? What about the
view of literature as being anything we value as literature? In that case, is there really no
difference between Shakespeare and Twitter? In the course we will be reading a variety
of texts from poems and plays to novels and short stories and we will be asking in our
readings what is it that makes literature and why – why is this even a question? What
difference does it make if "great" books are taught in English departments or Facebook is
instead? In other words, we will ask why does literature matter and for whom – whose
interests are at stake in the question of how literature is defined?
2. Course Format and Requirements:
The course will consist of lecture-discussions and collective work in small writing
groups. During writing group sessions, students will work together to develop readings of
theories/texts as well as read and respond to the work of others in the course; attendance
in writing groups is required. Students who miss a collective writing group session will
be required to write a 1-2 page paper for their writing group. This paper will not be a
"summary" of the texts discussed for that session, but a critical analysis, to be submitted
within one week of the missed session, otherwise one (1) point will be deducted from the
overall grade for every session missed. There will be no conventional examinations,
although there may be quizzes (the frequency to be determined by students'
preparedness).
Students will be required to complete three formal papers: one 3-4 page analytical paper,
one 4-5 page position paper, and one final 6-8 page critical research paper, and
participate in writing group discussions in which students will be asked to provide
comments and suggestions on another student's paper.
Also required is:
One 3-ring binder or large folder (for the syllabus and additional photocopied readings
and handouts that I will provide).
2
One folder for ALL your writings.
3. A 'Mapping' of the Course Units and Major Writing Assignments
Unit I: Reading the Text
Reading the Text: The first paper is a 3-4 page essay that questions the act of "reading" a literary text by
paying close attention to how the text is written and asking how the writing affects how we make sense of
it. For this essay you will discuss at least two of the assigned stories for this unit (Achebe, Updike, Gilman,
or Melville) while focusing on a particular issue of literary form discussed by Lodge in The Art of Fiction
(such as Defamiliarization, Irony, Aporia, the Uncanny,…).
Unit II: Reading Literally/Reading Literariness
Reading Literally/Reading Literariness: The second paper is a 4-5 page essay on "reading" considered as
an act of interpretation of a literary work. Your essay will provide a reading of certain tropes, literary
figures, or devices (such as "darkness," the mode of Narration, or, the Point of View, Impressionism, or,
Style, or…) in Conrad's Heart of Darkness and investigate what possible affects these may have on readers.
What "way of thinking" does the text support or call into question? What views does it normalize or
challenge? Besides Conrad's novel your essay will also make use of either Lodge, Achebe or Miller, from
the assigned readings for the course. Your essay will not be a summary of the texts but it will provide
description of how language is used in the texts and ask about possible meanings as to why.
Unit III: Critique-al Reading
Critique-al Reading: For the final paper you will write a 6-8 page paper that investigates how poetic
language in a literary text may question what is taken for granted in a culture as "just the way it is" (i.e.,
"common sense"). Your paper will take a position on the question is literature a form of writing for change
or must it always resecure what exists by normalizing the status quo? For this paper you will be analyzing
August Wilson's play Fences and conduct your own independent research into contemporary literary theory
using resources in the Library. For instance, your paper may investigate what it means to "deconstruct"
(Murfin 185-201; 301) an anti-racist narrative such as Fences (Wilson) if the purpose of deconstruction is
to demonstrate how a text dismantles its own intelligibility so that its meaning is finally "undecidable". Is
the deconstruction of "race" an anti-racist mode of writing for change or changing the subject (writing as
post-race)?
4. Course Procedures
Evaluation of Papers:
Each paper receives commentary, as well as a letter grade and the corresponding points.
A
4
6
8
10
A3.7
5.6
7.4
9.3
B+
3.3
4.9
6.6
8.2
B
3
4.5
6
7.5
B2.7
4.1
5.4
6.8
C+
2.3
3.5
4.6
5.8
C
2
3
4
5
CD
1.5
2.3
3
3.8
D
1
1.5
2
2.5
F
0
0
0
0
3
To be acceptable, final versions of papers must be typed and proofread, with proper MLA documentation.
Course Grade The course grade includes these components, weighted as follows:
15 pts
Engagement (includes class participation and writing workshops;
to be evaluated at midterm and end of term)
15 pts
Paper 1
20 pts
Paper 2
30 pts
Paper 3
20 pts
Response Papers and Quizzes
100 pts
To receive a passing grade in the course, you must complete all the course's papers. Final grades, based on
the academic 4.0 scale, are figured without rounding and include the following:
A
40+
A37+
B+
33+
B
30+
B27+
C+
23+
C
20+
D
10+
F
<10
Due-dates: In order to provide equitable working conditions for all of us within the schedule set by the
college, I have set due-dates for drafts and papers and established a late paper penalty. Failing to bring a
draft to class on peer review dates results in a quarter-point penalty. Turning in a paper after its due-date
reduces your paper grade by one half-point for each class late. Papers turned in after class on their duedate are considered late. Late papers may be submitted to me in person in class or during office hours or
left in my mailbox in N-751. Because of the unreliability of electronic media, I do not accept papers by
email. Finally, I grant extensions (without penalty) only in cases of documented illness or emergency.
Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is "the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and
the representation of them as one's own original work" (www.dictionary.com). See the student handbook
for an elaboration of what constitutes plagiarism (see link below). If you plagiarize in any of the work you
submit in your English 101 course, the penalty will be an "F" (or no credit) for that piece of work with the
possibility of further disciplinary action by the college.
If you have questions or concerns regarding any information in a paper please see the instructor before
turning the paper in. In addition to plagiarism, Manhattan Community College considers such practices as
cheating and computer abuse as forms of academic dishonesty. Academic Dishonesty is prohibited in The
City University of New York and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and
expulsion. BMCC's statement on Academic Integrity can be found in the student handbook:
http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/communications/pdfs/handbook/current.pdf
Stipulations on Papers and Assignments:
Paper Format: All papers (drafts, revisions, informal writing assignments) must be typed, double spaced,
in 12 point Times font, with one inch margins, paginated and stapled. You should also include a
heading for each paper, in the upper left hand corner of the first page. The heading should be singled
spaced and should include the following in separate lines: Your name, name of your professor, date, course
name, assignment name (for instance, 'Draft: Paper One' or 'Final Essay #2: Textual Analysis'). The title of
the paper, which should be different from the paper assignment, should be centered two lines below the
heading in the same format as the body of the paper (not in italic, bold, or in quotes, for instance). Please
also number the pages, starting with the second page, in the upper-right-hand corner of the page.
Drafts: When drafts are due, make sure to bring in a copy for me as well as a copy for a member of your
writing group.
4
Late Papers will not be tolerated. All papers are due in class during the class period for which they were
assigned. Any paper turned in after the assigned class period, even on the same day, will be considered late
and will be deducted a half-point. Papers will then lose an additional half-point for each subsequent day
they are late (including weekends). No papers will be accepted after seven (7) days and said papers will
receive a grade of zero (0).
Students should keep a copy of all papers until they receive a final grade for the course. It is the
responsibility of the student to provide the instructor with a copy in the event, and for whatever
reason, that any paper is lost.
Students must complete all assignments to receive a passing grade in the course. Any student who
does not complete all assignments—written or oral—will earn a failing grade.
Students are required to keep a portfolio of all your completed and graded work.
E-mailed Papers: No papers will be accepted by email, except due to extenuating, unavoidable
circumstances (which must be discussed with me in advance).
Attendance and Participation
Remember, a significant portion of your grade is based on regular participation in class and writing group
discussions. If you do not attend class regularly you will not have an opportunity to participate in
discussions and collective group work. Writing is a craft, best learned through constant practice and
ongoing exchange of ideas. That is why your consistent presence in class is crucial to your success in this
class. However, you may miss two classes without penalty, although I expect that you will keep up with the
class; after missing two classes (including accumulated time lost to late arrivals and early departures), each
missed class results in a one-half point deduction from the participation grade. An 'absence' is any time that
you are not in class. There is no distinction between an 'excused' and 'unexcused' absence in college. If you
are absent more than eight hours, the College policy is that you may receive a grade of WU (Unofficial
Withdrawal).
Please note: if the excessive absence occurs after the last day to withdraw from class (indicated on the
academic calendar), you cannot receive a passing grade for the course.
Lateness: Lateness will not be tolerated. Tardiness is disruptive and disrespectful – please make your best
effort to come to class on time. Students who are more than 15 minutes late or who leave before the end of
the class period will be considered absent for that day. 3 latenesses is equal to 1 absence. Finally, full class
attendance entails your mental as well as physical presence. Students who nap in class will be marked as
absent.
Special Needs: Any student who feels that he/she may need an accommodation based upon the impact of a
disability should contact me privately to discuss his/her specific needs. Please contact the Office of
Accessibility in the Main Building, Room N-360 (212-220-8180) to coordinate reasonable accommodations
for students with documented disabilities.
For additional writing instruction students may wish to visit the Writing Center located in S-510 (Main
Bldg.).
Cell Phones and Electronic Devices: Your cell phones, iPhones, tablets, etc. should all be turned off when
you enter the classroom space, as the use of such electronic devices is extremely disruptive. Students'
participation grade will be lowered by a point if their cell phones ring or if they use electronic devices more
than once. If there is an emergency situation about which you are expecting a phone call, you need to
discuss this with me before class and we will make an arrangement.
5
Preparedness: As with any other class, you are expected to be prepared every time class meets, regardless
of other course work, work schedule, dorm/fraternity/sorority/dance/theatre/team commitments, vacation
plans, and transportation/parking situation. Being prepared means not simply having read what we are
discussing in class that day but being ready to take part in the discussion with questions and comments
about the reading, and it will be expected that you have read the required readings at least once. For
instance, class members either should mark specific passages in the text(s) or take good notes as you are
reading that will allow you to point to particular moments in the text(s) that you would like to discuss. I
retain the right to quiz you on the readings for the class, with or without prior notice, and these will be
included as part of your preparation and participation grade, which will be fifteen percent of your final
grade.
Incompletes: Arranged by contract, an 'I' is granted only in cases when a student has successfully
completed the major part of the course work with a passing grade but, due to circumstances beyond his/her
control (e.g., documented illness or emergency), has been prevented from fulfilling the remaining minor
part of the course work.
5. Required Texts and Materials
The Art of Fiction: Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts, by David Lodge.
Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad (Ed. Ross Murfin).
The World's Greatest Short Stories, Ed. James Daley (Dover Pub.).
Fences: A Play, by August Wilson (Plume, Penguin).
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Edition. Ed. Joseph Gibaldi.
(Available online at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/)
If purchasing texts from anywhere other than the BMCC Bookstore, please make sure
to get the exact editions marked above so that our page numbers coincide.
6. COURSE CALENDER:
Schedule is subject to change; students are responsible for keeping track of any schedule changes.
Note: All readings and assignments are due on the day they appear on the schedule; you must bring the
books or photocopied readings to be discussed to class on the days we will be discussing them.
Week 1:
F Aug. 28 – Introduction: "What is Literature?"
Unit I: Reading the Text
Week 2:
T Sept. 1 – READ: Edmundson, Why Read? (pp. 1-7);
William Carlos Williams "Asphodel";
Abcarian, "Reading Poetry" (pp. 11-17);
Barry, "Deconstruction of A Poem".
F Sept. 4 – READ: Updike, "A&P";
Lodge, "Teenage Skaz" (pp. 17-20);
"Fancy Prose" (pp. 94-97);
"Ideas" (pp. 197-200).
WRITE: Response Paper.
Week 3:
T Sept. 8– READ: Achebe, "The Sacrificial Egg";
Lodge, "The Exotic" (pp. 158-161);
"Allegory" (pp. 142-145).
WRITE: Response Paper.
F Sept. 11 – READ: Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Lodge, "The Uncanny" (pp. 211-214);
"Surrealism" (pp. 174-177).
WRITE: Response Paper.
Week 4:
T Sept. 15 – No class.
F Sept. 18 – READ: Lodge, "Implication" (pp. 189-192);
"Aporia" (pp. 219-222).
WRITE: Response Paper.
Week 5:
T Sept. 22 – No class.
6
F Sept. 25 – Tuesday schedule.
READ: Melville, "Bartleby" (pp. 1-20);
Lodge, "Irony" (pp. 178-181).
WRITE: Response Paper.
Unit II: Reading Literally/Reading Literariness
Week 6:
T Sept. 29 – WRITE: PAPER ONE DRAFT. Writing workshop.
READ: Lodge, "Staying on the Surface" (pp. 117-120);
"The Telephone" (pp. 169-173).
F Oct. 2 – READ: Melville, "Bartleby" (pp. 21-30);
Lodge, "Defamiliarization" (pp. 52-55);
"Repetition" (pp. 89-93).
Week 7:
T Oct. 6 – PAPER ONE DUE.
READ: Conrad, Heart of Darkness (pp. 17-37);
Lodge, "The Intrusive Author" (pp. 9-12);
"The Unreliable Narrator" (pp. 154-157).
QUIZ #1.
F Oct. 9 – READ: Conrad, Heart of Darkness (pp. 38-57);
Lodge, "Point of View" (pp. 25-29);
"Narrative Structure" (pp. 215-218).
Week 8:
T Oct. 13 – READ: Conrad, Heart of Darkness (pp. 58-77).
F Oct. 16 – READ: Conrad, Heart of Darkness (pp. 77-95).
WRITE: Response Paper – Who or what is Kurtz?
Unit III: Critique-al Reading
Week 9:
T Oct. 20 – READ: Achebe, "An Image of Africa" (pp. 1-15).
QUIZ #2.
F Oct. 23 – READ: J. Hillis Miller, "Heart of Darkness Revisited".
QUIZ #3.
Week 10:
T Oct. 27 – WRITE: PAPER TWO DRAFT. Writing workshop.
READ: Wilson, Fences (1-28).
7
Miller, "Tragedy and the Common Man".
F Oct. 30 – READ: Wilson, Fences (28-57).
Lodge, "Intertextuality,"
"Names".
Week 11:
T Nov. 3 – PAPER TWO DUE.
READ: Wilson, Fences (58-77).
Lodge, "Motivation,"
"Telling in Different Voices".
F Nov. 6 – READ: Wilson, Fences (78-101).
Lodge, "Epiphany."
"Ending."
Week 12:
T Nov. 10 – Murfin, "What Is Deconstruction?" (pp.185-201).
QUIZ #4.
F Nov. 13 – READ: Murfin, "What Is Cultural Criticism?" (pp. 258-271).
QUIZ #5.
Week 13:
T Nov. 17 – READ: Edmundson, "The Ideal English Major".
F Nov. 20 – READ: Nealon and Giroux, "Author-/ity".
Week 14:
T Nov. 24 – READ: Benn-Michaels, "Going Boom".
F Nov. 27 – No class.
Week 15:
T Dec. 1 –
F Dec. 4 –
Week 16:
T Dec. 8 –
F Dec. 11 –
8