COURSE SYLLABUS
Fall 2009
August 24, 2009 – December 11, 2009
Lecture: T/R 10:00-11:15am, WH 108
Literary Criticism
ENG 44103, Section 01
English Department
Professor:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office:
Office Hours:
Office Fax:
Secretary:
Dr. Heather Duda
740.245.7258
hduda@rio.edu
Wood Hall – Room 247
Monday: 2:30-3:30, Tuesday/Thursday: 12:15-2:15, or by appointment
740.245.7432
740.245.7254 (only use if absolutely necessary)
Course Description
According to the catalog, Literary Criticism is, “An intensive study of the ways of responding to
literature. Practical and theoretical aspects of literary criticism.” Yet, literary criticism is so much
more than these two sentences allow. Literary criticism is the lens through which English
professionals view texts. Criticism comes in a wide range of approaches and more than one
approach can be applied to a single text. Throughout the course of this semester, students will
become familiar with the major types of literary criticism and how those different lenses can be used
to enhance their reading experience.
Prerequisites
ENG 24103
Credit Hours
3 credit hours
Required Textbook
Dobie, Ann B. Theory Into Practice: An Introduction to Literary Criticism. 2nd ed. Boston: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning, 2009. ISBN-13: 978-1-4282-1198-8
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray and Three Stories. Ed. Gary Schmidgall. New York: Signet,
1995. ISBN: 0-451-52601-5
Program Outcomes: The following outcomes have been adopted for the degree program for which
this course is required:
1. Have had opportunities to discuss, enjoy, be stimulated by, and find value in, a variety of
imaginative literature via a multicultural perspective.
2. Have an ability to discern various literary forms, genres, periods, and critical approaches.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the purposes and qualities of good writing, including
creative writing.
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4.
5.
6.
Apply critical reading and learning techniques to a variety of different kinds of reading, with awareness of the historical,
cultural, and social meaning.
Appreciate the history and complexity of language.
Recognize the necessity of, and helping to develop and participate in, an interactive learning community via sharing learning
and responding to other members of the course in a positive and supporting way.
Course Outcomes: The following outcomes have been adopted for this course. All outcomes listed
below have direct relevance to course material. Upon completion of this course students are
expected to:
1. Understand the basic tenets of a wide range of literary theories and schools of criticism.
2. Recognize the major influences and historical/cultural contexts of those literary theories and
schools of criticism.
3. Recognize the major practitioners of each literary theory and school of criticism.
4. Analyze how the literary theories and schools of criticism interact and influence one another.
5. Apply the literary theories and schools of criticism to a variety of literary works of different
time periods, countries, and genres.
Course Assignments
Class Participation
Reading Responses
Final Essay
Final Exam
25%
25%
25%
25%
100%
Class Participation: Because schools of criticism can be difficult to grasp, it is important that we all
talk through the ideas presented by literary theorists. To that end, our class sessions will be
discussion-based. You are expected to attend all classes; you are also expected to come prepared
ready to discuss the day’s readings.
Reading Responses: After we finish discussing select theories, you will submit a 1-2 page response to
the reading. The response needs to discuss what you think about some aspect of the school of
criticism. For example, you could connect the current critical approach to one of the primary texts.
Or you could connect the critical approach to a text you’ve recently read/viewed. Or you could ask
a question about the critical approach and explain why you chose that particular question. These are
just three options. The idea of the theory response is for you to have “big thoughts” about the
criticism you are reading.
Reading responses will be graded on a ten-point scale. When I grade I will take into consideration
the following items: length, coherence, explanation, “big thought” vs. rambling thought, grammar,
and originality.
Final Essay: The final writing assignment for the class is a 5-7 page essay in which you will apply
three different critical approaches to a text of your choosing (one which is not on the syllabus). The
three approaches must work together to create meaning for the chosen text. Therefore, you should
not think about this final essay as three short essays – like the reading responses – but one cohesive
essay in which you think about how multiple critical approaches come together to support one
argument about a text. We will discuss the final essay in more depth later in the semester.
Final Exam: The final exam will be held on Tuesday, December 8 from 8:30-10:30am. It will be a
comprehensive exam on the literary criticism you have learned over the course of the semester. The
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exam will consist of four sections: theorists, theory explanation, theory application, and an essay
question.
Attendance Policy
Because you will be graded every day on class participation, you are expected to be in class every
day. However, I understand that things can happen. There are two situations that automatically
receive an excused absence: a University-sponsored event (i.e. sports, music) and dangerous road
conditions. A University-sponsored event must be preceded by a note or email from the
instructor/coach/chaperone. If you miss class for road conditions, you must call or email me the
day you are missing; do not contact me the next day or later and expect to receive an excused
absence.
I will also excuse an absence for a medical emergency for either the student or an immediate
member of the family. A doctor’s appointment for you or a family member and/or a visit to the
health clinic are not medical emergencies and, in most cases, will not receive an excused absence.
Academic Honesty and Integrity
All students are expected to adhere to the college’s academic honesty and integrity policy. Cheating
will not be tolerated. Nor will plagiarism be tolerated. Plagiarism is using someone else’s words and
not giving them credit. You are plagiarizing if you quote another author and fail to provide a
citation. You are also plagiarizing if you paraphrase another author and do not give them credit.
You are even plagiarizing if you use a past student’s essay as your own (unpublished work can still
be plagiarized). Plagiarism is a serious offense in academia. If you are found plagiarizing, the
University’s policy will be followed. You will automatically receive a failing grade for the course and
you will not be permitted to drop the course.
(For more information on the University’s Academic Integrity policy, visit
http://www.rio.edu/catalog/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=8.)
Other Information
 I will consider giving you an incomplete if you have a valid reason for not completing the
class and if you have completed 60% of the work (including class participation) with a 75%
or higher.
 I am happy to discuss your grades with you at any point in the semester. However, I will not
give out grade information via email. If you’d like to learn how well you are doing, please
see me during office hours or make an appointment for another time.
 Cell phones must be turned off during class. If your phone rings, do not answer it. Please
do not be disruptive.
 You are here for 75 minutes. There is no need to get up and wander the halls during that
time. I expect you to come to class prepared and ready to work for the entire time. Please
be respectful of me and your fellow students; constant leaving of the classroom is very
disruptive to everyone in the class.
 As the instructor, I reserve all rights to change and/or modify this syllabus.
ADA Policy
If a student wishes to be identified as having a physical, mental, or learning disability, that may or
may not require reasonable accommodation(s), he/she must register with the Office of
Accessibility. These registered students should identify themselves to their instructors and provide a
written statement from the Accessibility Office that indicates the appropriate accommodations. The
process of a student self-proclaiming the need for accommodation should occur as early in the
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semester as possible. The Office of Accessibility phone is 245-7339 and is located in Rhodes Hall,
Room 116, University of Rio Grande.
FERPA
The University of Rio Grande and Rio Grande Community College are committed to fully
respecting and protecting the rights of students under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA). These rights generally include the right to inspect, review and seek amendment to the
student's education records and the right to provide written consent before personally identifiable
information from education records is disclosed. Under FERPA, students have the right to file a
complaint with the US Department of Education concerning alleged failures to comply with
FERPA. Please see the Student Records Confidentiality/Rights Under FERPA section of the
Student Handbook for details and more information.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, August 25
Thursday, August 27
Tuesday, September 1
Thursday, September 3
Tuesday, September 8
Thursday, September 10
Tuesday, September 15
Thursday, September 17
Tuesday, September 22
Thursday, September 24
Tuesday, September 29
Thursday, October 1
Tuesday, October 6
Thursday, October 8
Tuesday, October 13
Welcome and Introduction
Familiar Approaches, pp. 14-25
Brief History of Literary Criticism
Formalism, pp. 33-43
Cleanth Brooks, “Wordsworth and the Paradox of the Imagination”
(handout)
Dorian Gray, pp. 17-107
Reader-Response Criticism, pp. 131-141
Stanley Fish, Is There a Text in This Class? (handout)
Dorian Gray, pp. 108-173
Due: Reading Response
New Historicism, pp. 175-190
Stephen Greenblatt, “Shakespeare and the Exorcists” (handout)
Dorian Gray, pp. 174-end
Due: Reading Response
Psychoanalysis, pp. 49-58
Sigmund Freud, “The Theme of the Three Caskets” (handout)
Psychoanalysis, pp. 58-67
Northrop Frye, “The Archetypes of Literature” (handout)
Dianne F. Sadoff’s “The Father, Castration, and Female Fantasy in
Jane Eyre”
Structuralism (handout)
Jack Solomon, “Masters of Desire: The Culture of American
Advertising” (handout)
Due: Reading Response
Marxism, pp. 86-96
Karl Marx, The German Ideology (handout)
Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical
Reproduction” (handout)
Marxism Continued
Terry Eagleton, from Marxism and Literary Criticism (handout)
Warren Montag, “The ‘Workshop of Filthy Creation’: A Marxist
Reading of Frankenstein”
Class Cancelled
Slumdog Millionaire (film)
Due: Reading Response
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Thursday, October 15
Tuesday, October 20
Thursday, October 22
Tuesday, October 27
Thursday, October 29
Tuesday, November 3
Thursday, November 5
Tuesday, November 10
Thursday, November 12
Tuesday, November 17
Thursday, November 19
Tuesday, November 24
Thursday, November 26
Tuesday, December 1
Thursday, December 3
Monday, December 8
Slumdog Millionaire (con’t)
Deconstruction, pp. 150-165
Nina Schwartz, “No Place Like Home: The Logic of the Supplement
in Jane Eyre”
Postmodernism
Fredric Jameson, Postmodernism (handout)
Michel Foucault, “What is an Author?” (handout)
Due: Reading Response
Feminism, pp. 104-120
Virginia Woolf, from A Room of Ones Own (handout)
Helene Cixous, “The Laugh of the Medusa” (handout)
Feminism Continued
Elaine Showalter, “Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the
Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism”
Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar, The Madwoman in the Attic
(handout)
Geoffrey Chaucer, “Wife of Bath’s Prologue” (handout)
Feminism Continued
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Television Show – to be watched in class)
Laura Mulvey, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (handout)
Final Essay Brainstorming/Prewriting Session
Due: Reading Response
Queer Theory
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, from Epistemology of the Closet
Joseph A. Porter, “Marlowe, Shakespeare, and the Canonization of
Heterosexuality” (handout)
Posthumanism
Neil Badmington, from Alien Chic (handout)
Due: Reading Response
Cultural Studies, pp. 173-175
Stuart Ewen, All-Consuming Images: The Politics of Style in Contemporary
Culture (handout)
Bouriana Zakharieva, “Frankenstein of the Nineties: The Composite
Body” (handout)
Postcolonialism, pp. 205-217
Christopher Columbus, “Letter of Columbus, Describing the Results
of His First Voyage” (handout)
Homi Bhabha, from The Location of Culture (handout)
Due: Reading Response
Peer Review – Bring a draft of your final essay to class.
Thanksgiving – Classes Cancelled
American Multiculturalism, pp. 217-226
W. E. B. DuBois, “The Souls of Black Folk” (handout)
End-of-Semester Discussion
Due: Final Essay
Final Exam
8:30-10:30am
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