Interpretation of Literature: Sense of place
8G:1:028
Fall 2009
10:55-12:10 Tuesday and Thursday
E132 Adler
Sarah Viren, Instructor
sarah-viren@uiowa.edu
Campus Mailbox: 308 EPB (under my name)
Office hours: 12:30-3:30 Tuesdays
Office: Fairgrounds Coffee Shop, 345 S. Dubuque Street
Course description: What does it mean to be from a place? Most of us could readily answer this
question about ourselves, but speak much less freely, or often, about the geographic birthrights of
works of literature. In this class we’ll collectively tackle that sometimes nebulous phrase “sense
of place,” using our understanding of this concept in literature as a tool for more broad-based
literary analysis. Traveling the globe, from India to Key West to the moon, and crossing all
genres, we’ll visit what is often the most overlooked feature in literature: the setting. The goal
here is not to become experts on disparate places, but to understand the ways in which place acts
as both character and symbol in some of the world’s best stories, poems and plays.
Required Texts:
 One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez (Harper) ISBN 0060883286
 Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (Pantheon) ISBN 9780375714573
 Course Packet
 Othello by William Shakespeare (any copy, but I recommend one with instructive
footnotes)
Note: The first two texts are available at the University Book store. The course packet is under
my name and this class number at Zephyr, 124 Washington Street.
ICON
Occasionally required reading assignments will be posted on our online course page at
http://icon.uiowa.edu. Each of you should be able to access this site with your Hawk ID and
password. On days when we are reading material posted on the ICON site, it is your
responsibility to print the material before class and bring your copy with you.
Weekly Schedule
Week 1
T 8/25 – Introductions, Discussion of syllabus
Th 8/27 – “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood
Week 2
T 9/1 Poems: “I Hear America Singing,” by Walt Whitman; “I, Too” by Langston Hughes; “A
Supermarket in California,” by Allen Ginsberg
Autobiography of a Reader due
Th 9/3 “The Distance of the Moon,” “At Daybreak,” and “The Aquatic Uncle,” by Italo Calvino
Week 3
T 9/8 Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude, pp 1-78
Th 9/10 100 Years, pp. 79-181; Marquez’s speech to Nobel board (ICON)
Week 4
T 9/15 100 Years, pp 181-244;
Th 9/17 100 Years, pp. 245-332; poem “The Colonel” by Carolyn Forche
Week 5
T 9/22, 100 Years, pp 333-end
Th 9/24, 100 Years wrap-up
Essay 1 Thesis due
Week 6
T 9/29 “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien and “Refresh, Refresh,” Benjamin Percy
Th 10/1 “Girls at War” by Chinua Achebe; poem “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa
Essay 1 due
Week 7
T 10/6,William Shakespeare’s Othello Acts I-II
Th 10/8 Othello, Acts IV-V
Week 8
T 10/13 Othello projects presentations
Th 10/15 Othello projects presentations
Week 9
T 10/20, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor
Th 10/22 “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner and “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston
Week 10
T 10/27, “Wild Plums” by Grace Stone Coates and “Las Papas” by Julio Ortega
T 10/29 “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” by Jhumpa Lahiri; poem “Jerusalem” by Yehuda
Amichai
Week 11
T11/3 “Saboteur” by Ha Jin
Th 11/5 “No Name Woman,” by Maxine Hong Kingston; “To live in the Borderlands means you”
by Gloria Anzaldúa
Week 12
T 11/10, “The Farmer’s Children” by Elizabeth Bishop and “Invierno,” by Junot Díaz; “Grief” by
William Matthews
Th 11/12, Iowa story due NO Class
Week 13
T 11/17, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, pp 1-79
Th 11/19, Persepolis, 80 to end, essay discussion, thesis due
Week 14
Winter Break! Enjoy.
Week 15
T 12/1, “End of a Story” by Reinaldo Arenas; “The Route” by Joy Williams; “Postcard from
Kashmir” by Agha Shahid Ali
Th 12/3, Essay draft due
Week 16
T 12/8: Reading IOWA STORIES
Th 12/10 Essays 2 due
Wrap-up, Exam discussion, etc
Final exams (Friday, December 18, 2009, 9:45 a.m.)
Portfolio Due
Coursework
A weekly reading journal, two formal essays, three informal assignments (including your choice
of one of two projects), an end-of-semester portfolio and a final exam. Class participation counts
considerably toward your final grade. Also please note, I do not round your final grade. My
grading scale is as follows:
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
100 – 97
96.99 – 93
92.99 – 90
89.99 – 87
86.99 – 83
82.99 – 80
79.99 – 77
76.99 – 73
72.99 – 70
69.99 – 67
66.99 – 63
62.99 – 60
Below 60
A –For excellent work that clearly exceeds expectations, meaning nearly error-free and showing
thoughtful and nuanced analysis.
B –For nearly error-free work that exceeds my expectations and indicates time spent analyzing
the texts, but in some places may lack in sophistication.
C –For meeting my expectations, meaning you complete the assignment successfully at a college
level, with some errors but not enough to be distracting, and your work is mostly organized and
on-point.
D –For work that is either error-filled, highly disorganized or indicates a consistent
misunderstanding of some of the key concepts or texts discussed in class.
F –Only given for plagiarized work or work that clearly shows little effort.
Informal assignments: 15 %
Journal: 30 %
Participation: 15%
Essay 1: 15%
Essay 2: 15%
Final Exam: 10%
Attendance
Coming to class is crucial. I allow THREE absences before I begin deducting points from the
participation portion of your grade (10 points for every day missed after that). If you have a
written excuse for an absence (such as a death in the family or religious holiday) please come
speak with me after class or during my office hours.
Late work
I rarely accept late work. If you know in advance that you will be missing one day, it is your
responsibility to get the assignment to me by the start of class. In such cases, assignments should
be placed in my mailbox or sent to class by another student, but will not be accepted via email
except under extreme circumstances. Anyone who shows up late to class on the day an
assignment is due is subject to grade deductions for that assignment.
Plagiarism
Do not under any circumstances use the paraphrased ideas or exact words of other people without
attribution. This is considered academic fraud and will result in an automatic zero in my class and
could require further punishment, including failure of the course, academic probation and/or
expulsion. We will discuss how to properly use citations before the first essay but if at any time
you have questions come see me. For more information visit
http://www.english.uiowa.edu/gel/resources/PlagiarismPolicy.pdf
Respect
At times we will touch on sensitive subjects and I expect each of you to act maturely. UI’s nondiscrimination policy requires all of us to treat our colleagues equally, without regard to race,
national origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation,
gender identity, or associational preference. Also, please turn off cell phones while in class. This
means no texting.
Portfolio
Each student must turn in a portfolio and brief analysis of major writing assignments at the end of
the semester. I’ll give you more information about this requirement as our term progresses.
Problems
Please come talk to me during my office hours if you are having any issues related to the class. I
am available via email and strive to respond to all questions within a 24-hour period. If you still
have issues after we speak or wish to speak to someone besides me about problems related to the
class, please contact one of the Program Associates (Victoria Sprow, Carolyn Hall or LeDon
Sweeney) in room in 64 EPB or at 335-0484. After speaking to one of them you have the further
option of contacting the General Education Literature Program Director and Course Supervisor
Brooks Landon (brooks-landon@uiowa.edu)
Writing Center
Please take advantage of this resource. Your tuition pays for this service. For more information
got to the Writing Center website at http://www.uiowa.edu/~writingc/.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the university. It subverts the
mission of the university and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Visit the
sexual harassment awareness site at http://www.sexualharassment.uiowa.edu for definitions,
assistance, and the full university policy.
Students with special needs
I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability that may require seating modifications or
testing accommodations so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during
my office hours.
University Cross Enrollment Policy
This course is given by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This means that class policies
on matters such as requirements, grading and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the
official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences. For details regarding the university policy of cross enrollment visit
http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc.
In Case of Tornado
The University of Iowa Operations Manual section 16.14 outlines appropriate responses to a
tornado or to a similar crisis. If a tornado or other severe weather is indicated by the UI outdoor
warning system, members of the class should seek shelter in rooms and corridors in the innermost
part of a building at the lowest level, staying clear of windows, corridors with windows, or large
free-standing expanses such as auditoriums and cafeterias. The class will resume, if possible, after
the UI outdoor warning system announces that the severe weather threat has ended.