English 264: Censorship (P5)
MWF 4-5:20
Dr. Melissa Bloom
Office hours: T, Th 9-11:30 and by appt.
Basil 131; 385-7397 mbloom@sjfc.edu
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
First Amendment
In this class we will look at only a very few books which have been subject to some kind of censorship, for very different reasons. Through our discussions, we will not only cover the technicalities of legal censorship in America, but also the larger question of why works of art and literature repeatedly bring down calls for censorship, what kind of harm they seem to do to society, and how, as works of art, they do that. We will ask questions of social responsibility as well as individual freedom, and look at what these works (in particular) themselves say about that balance.
At the end of the semester students will:
1. be able to read closely and discuss some of the language choices a writer makes
2. consider how different forms of literature and different audiences change your understanding or appreciation of particular literary works
3. be able to discuss in broad outlines the legal rulings regarding censorship in America
4. be able to discuss the social conflicts regarding the effects of literature
5. have a sense of the historical and cultural influences on both legal and social conflicts
6. be familiar with some controversial novels and poems, and be able to apply this knowledge to other novels, poems, movies, and music that either deal with similar issues or are dealt with, by the public, in a similar manner.
We will be reading three novels and one long poem, as well as selections from two other novels. We will also read some court decisions regarding these works —which we’ll read as literature, not just as context —as well as essays, newspaper articles, and personal reflections. Many of these are on
Blackboard in PDF; you are required to print these out and bring them with you to class when they are assigned. I suggest you buy a three ring binder to keep all of these together.
At some points I will also ask you to bring a highlighter. If you do not own one, buy one.
Books we’ll be reading:
Ginsberg, Allen. Howl . City Lights.
Nabokov, Vladmir. Lolita Vintage Books
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran
Rushdie, Salman. The Satanic Verses
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Th is is an English class, which means you’re expected to do a hefty amount of reading. You are also going to be asked to talk about ideas, not just plots; this may take practice. So speak up and practice!
You will take a midterm and a final exam, and you will write two papers, in addition to reading questions and quizzes, a “trial,” and a very short presentation. Quizzes cannot be made up, but may be taken in advance, if you know you’ll be missing class. All assignments will be posted on blackboard. All schedule changes will be posted on Blackboard.

P5 (Intercultural Perspectives) Student Learning Goals:
1. Students will be able to discern appropriate behaviors, attitudes and beliefs to operate and interact respectfully within another culture
2. Students wi ll be able to draw linguistic and/or cultural comparisons and contrasts between one’s own and another’s culture
3. Students will be able to understand that there are cultural assumptions implicit in all aspects of communication -- linguistic and behavioral.
Paper 1 17
Midterm
Paper 2
Final
Presentation
18
20
18
5
Trial participation 10
HW/Quizzes/In-class writing 12
I expect you to come to class prepared. This means you have the book with you, you have done the reading, the homework if any was assigned, and you are prepared to talk about it, even if that takes the form of asking questions. Questions are lovely. Silence is deadly.
Attendance Policy: Students may miss two classes without penalty. Three late arrivals will equal one absence. Subsequent absences will lower your final grade in the course.
Cell Phones: If your cell phone draws attention to itself in any way -- this includes the buzzing of
"vibrate" -- during class, then you will be asked to bring snacks for all to the next class meeting. If you have a personal situation that requires you leave your phone on, let me know before class begins. Otherwise, turn it off. If you text during class time you will be counted absent for the day.
Policy on Plagiarism : Plagiarism is the undocumented use of another person’s ideas, organization, or research on a written assignment. It is plagiarism to turn in a paper written by another student or to copy or paraphrase any portion of your text from another source (study guides, articles, books, another student’s paper or the Internet) without proper documentation. Any case of plagiarism will be prosecuted according to the guidelines in the SJFC handbook. Students who plagiarize will receive an F for the course.
Policy on Disabilities: In compliance with St. John Fisher College policy and applicable laws, appropriate academic accommodations are available to you if you are a student with a disability. All requests for accommodations must be supported by appropriate documentation/diagnosis and determined reasonable by St. John Fisher College. Students with documented disabilities (physical, learning, psychological) who may need academic accommodations are advised to make an appointment with the Coordinator of Services for students with disabilities in the Office of Academic
Affairs, Kearney 202. Late notification will delay requested accommodations.
Reading and Assignment Schedule:
1/14 What is censorship? What isn’t censorship?
1. On Wednesday students will write 2 paragraphs [please write these and email them to me]: 1) What do you think censorship is? (give specific examples, even if made up ones, and generalize a little as well) 2) what do you think counts as "literature" and what rules would you make in order to

determine this? why does your definition matter? What does "literature" do?
[This is not a graded writing assignment.]
HW for 1/19: Bibliography wiki
HW for 1/21: Begin reading Huck Finn . Reading Questions.
1/19 discussion of Bibliography assignment
1/21 HF Chs. 1-10 (reading questions due)
1/26 HF Chs. 11-18
1/28 Read Monteiro v Tempe on Huck (PDF, BB Course Documents).
2/2 HF Chs. 31-43
2/4 More discussion, HF
HW: begin reading Lolita – first quiz on 2/18
2/9 Bring Howl to class (you do not need to read ahead of time)
2/11 Howl. PAPER 1 Due
HW: Read Fanny Hill selection for Wednesday (BB Course Documents)
2/16 More discussion, Howl.
2/18 Lolita Quiz to p.74. Bring Fanny Hill , also bring Fanny Hill decision (BB Course Documents) and a highlighter.
HW: Read assigned secondary court document (BB Course Documents), and Lolita to p. 154.
2/23 Bring secondary court reading and highlighter.
2/25 Lolita Quiz to p.154. Bring Lawrence selection.
HW: Finish Lolita.
2/23 Lolita Quiz to end. Finishing discussion of Lawrence
2/25 Lolita and the Law
HW: see assignments.
3/2 Lolita and the law
Take home midterm [does not include Lolita] due Wednesday 3/4
3/4 In class work, Lolita and the law
Spring Break No Classes 3/9-3/13
HW: Read Rushdie section 1 [chs 1, 2, 4], Reading Questions
3/16 Trial begins —the case for the prosecution.
3/18 Trial continues.
Essay 2 Draft due.
HW: Read Part I in Reading Lolita in Tehran . Reading Questions
3/23 “Lolita” in Reading Lolita in Tehran .
Essay 2 Revision due
3/25 Read article against Nafisi. (BB Course Documents)
HW: Read Rushdie Part II (pp. 93-128) Reading Questions.
3/30 Rushdie
4/1 Rushdie
4/6 Rushdie Essays, articles (BB Course Documents)
4/8

HW: Read Rushdie Part IV, Reading Questions
4/13
4/15
4/20 Other stuff – rap music, Mapplethorpe, Passion of the Christ, etc. Student directed content. See
BB, Assignments.
4/22 continued.
Final exam: Will cover from Lolita through Satanic Verses in short answer questions, will ask some larger general questions, answers to which should include material from the entire semester.