Maggie Sloan
English 10LC: Introduction to Literary Studies
Artists, Creation, Technology, and Structure
http://english10lc.wordpress.com/
Instructor:
Maggie Sloan
Class Time:
MW 3:30 – 5:10
Class Location: SH 1415
Office:
South Hall 2432 F
Email:
msloan@umail.ucsb.edu
Office Hours: M 2:15 – 3:15 or by appt.
Mailbox:
South Hall 2nd floor, Sankey
Important Dates
Wednesday, October 11
Wednesday, October 18
Wednesday, October 25
Monday, October 30
Monday, November 27
Wednesday, December 6
Friday, December 8
Close Reading I due
Close Reading II due
Deadline to drop this class
Paper I due
Paper II due
Presentation of Final Projects in Progress
Final Projects due
Required Texts (available at UCen Bookstore)
N. Katherine Hayles, Writing Machines
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, Norton critical edition
Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Norton Critical Edition
Additional online readings will be indicated on the course website.
Course Description
This course offers an introduction to literature with an emphasis in exploring the intersection
between traditional forms of literature and newer technologies. We will read across three primary
genres–poetry, drama, and prose–and work closely with the texts to develop critical reading and
writing skills. We will pay particular attention to the importance of media and to the consideration
of digital approaches to literature.
The course requirements reflect the diverse nature of our course
readings: assignments include posts to an online discussion forum,
traditional academic papers, and a web project. You will complete
two short (1 page) written assignments. These are designed to
develop the most important critical skill in literary studies—how
to do a close reading. We will spend a considerable amount of
class time working on this important skill, which will help you
succeed not only in this class but in all literature classes in general.
In addition to these short assignments, you will write two short
papers (3-4 pages) that develop a critical argument about a literary
text. Topics will be announced in class. The final project for the
class will be a website project that allows you to use a creative,
non-traditional academic genre to present and develop a critical
argument about a text.
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Recommended for students interested in doing a future Literature and Culture of Information
specialization. English 10 is required for all English majors and recommended for English
minors.
Please note: Robin Chin, Transcriptions RA, is available for assistance during the following
drop-in hours:
Monday: 1:30 - 5:30 pm
Tuesday: 3 - 6 pm
Wednesday: 12 - 5 pm
Course Goals
The goals for this course are learning-centered and designed to provide students with the tools to
succeed in any literature class. Additionally, this class will give students a brief introduction to
literature and culture of information. By the end of the course, students will be able to:
 recognize major literary genres and identify important literary terms and to demonstrate this
knowledge in class discussion and activities
 ask analytical and critical questions about a literary text and to demonstrate these skills during
class discussion and an in-class presentation
 perform close readings by analyzing the relationship among different literary elements of a text
and evaluating how they contribute to its meaning
 develop a coherent critical argument and present it in a traditional academic genre, an analytical
literary essay
 develop a coherent critical argument and present it in a non-traditional academic genre, a website
Grade
Your final grade will be comprised of the following elements:
Attendance and Participation
20%
Close Reading Assignments
10%
Paper I
20%
Paper II
25%
Web Project
25%
Class Attendance
Class attendance is mandatory. Absences will affect your final grade. Two late arrivals (more than
five minutes) or early departures will be considered one absence. In-class work and assignments,
including quizzes, cannot be made up. After five absences you will fail the class. Please notify me in
advance if any circumstances will keep you from meeting your attendance or other requirements.
Class Participation
Active participation in section is mandatory. It is expected that we will respect one another and one
another’s ideas, and it is vital to the success of this class and of
your learning that you participate in class discussion and
activities. Failure to do so will affect your final grade. You are
expected to come to class prepared: “prepared” means you
have completed all assignments and are ready to participate in
class discussion and in-class exercises. Readings are to be
completed by the date indicated on the schedule.
No cell
phones, pagers, or other electronic communication will be
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permitted in class. If you have any questions or concerns about participating, please let me know.
In-Class Presentation and Online Discussion Forum
As part of your participation grade, all students will give an in-class presentation and post regular
critical responses and discussion questions to the online forum. Each student will be assigned one
day to give a brief (5-10 minutes) in-class presentation on the day’s assigned readings. Students will
choose one passage, section of the reading, or theme, explain briefly to the class why they made their
selection, and pose two or three open-ended questions intended to prompt reflection and
discussion. Students are encouraged to interpret the format creatively if they wish.
As a complement to the formal writing assignments of the class, students will participate in an
ongoing discussion forum. Due each class period (excepting those days when another written
assignment is due), students will choose a brief section (a few lines of poetry or prose) from the
assigned readings and use that as a basis for their response to the work. Responses should be 1-2
paragraphs (approximately 125-175 words) and conclude with a thoughtful question for class
discussion. These responses offer a chance for you to think thoughtfully and experimentally about
our readings, and the goal is to stimulate further thought and discussion, not to present a fullyformed argument. Please, however, use complete sentences and avoid abbreviations and emoticons.
Responses should be posted by 1pm the day of class. Please see me if you have any questions.
Academic Integrity
It is expected that all UCSB students will support the ideal of academic integrity and that they will be
responsible for the integrity of their work. Plagiarism is academic theft. It is the representation of
another’s ideas or words as your own. Submitting work that you have written for another class is
also considered plagiarism. Plagiarism and cheating are violations of university policy; they are
serious offenses and bear serious consequences.
Knowing when and how to cite sources can be confusing. Learning how to incorporate outside
materials into one’s writing effectively and appropriately is a crucial skill that we will be developing
in this course. If you are unsure whether you need to cite a source, please do not hesitate to ask me.
Plagiarism by accident or mistake is still plagiarism (and will be punished as such), so please see me if
you have any questions about how to cite sources.
Campus Resources
Transcriptions Studio: Robin Chin is the Transcriptions Research Assistant for the Fall 2006
quarter. She is available to assist you with the technology side of the course during the following
open hours: Mon: 1:30 - 5:30PM; Tues: 3:00 - 6:00PM; Wed - 12:00 - 5:00PM. For questions or to
set up an appointment, please contact her at rchin@umail.ucsb.edu.
Campus Learning Assistance Services: (893-3269, www.clas.ucsb.edu) CLAS helps students
increase their mastery of course material through course-specific tutoring and academic skills
development. CLAS has tutorial groups and individual drop-in writing tutors available numerous
hours during the week (see the web site for schedules). You may also make an appointment to meet
with a writing tutor at the main office, Building 477, from 9-5 M-F.
Counseling & Career Services: (893-4411, www.counseling.ucsb.edu) offers free counseling for
personal and career concerns, self-help information and connections to off-campus mental health
resources.
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Disabled Students Program: (893-2668, www.sa.ucsb.edu/dsp) provides academic support
services to eligible students with temporary and permanent disabilities. You must register with DSP
prior to receiving these accommodations. If you are a student with a disability and would like to see
me to discuss special academic accommodations, please contact me during my office hours or after
class.
UCSB Sexual Harassment & Title IX Office: (893-2546, www.shot9.ucsb.edu/) provides
assistance in resolving and investigating complaints of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
For Sexual Harassment or Title IX questions and concerns, please contact UCSB's Sexual
Harassment & Title IX Officer Paula Rudolph at 893-2546 or Paula.Rudolph@shot9.ucsb.edu.
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Tentative Schedule of Topics, Readings, and Assignments
(please see course website for up-to-date readings and online materials)
Readings are to be completed by the date indicated.
* This syllabus is provisional and subject to change.
Monday, 10/02
Wednesday, 10/04
Monday, 10/09
Wednesday, 10/11
Monday, 10/16
Wednesday, 10/18
Monday, 10/23
Wednesday, 10/25
Monday, 10/30
Wednesday, 11/01
Monday, 11/06
Wednesday, 11/08
Monday, 11/13
Wednesday, 11/15
Monday, 11/20
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Introduction to the Class
Introduction to Close Reading
N. Katherine Hayles, Writing Machines
Preface, Chapters 1-3, lexicon linkmap
browse the different editions of Songs of Innocence and Experience in the
William Blake Archive
 read especially: "Infant Joy," "The Shepherd," "The Chimney
Sweeper" (both versions), "The Little Black Boy," "London," "The
Tyger"
 paraphrase of a Blake poem due
 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
 1831 Preface (169-173); Vol. I (7-58)
 Close Reading I due (a Blake poem not discussed in class)
 Frankenstein, Vol. II (59-101)
 Frankenstein, Vol. III (103-156)
 1818 Preface to Frankenstein (5-6)
 Close Reading 2 due (brief passage from Frankenstein)
 watch Thomas Edison’s Frankenstein (online)
 Barbara Johnson, “My Monster/My Self.” (241-251)
 draft thesis statement due
Class meets in Transcriptions Lab
 Shelley Jackson, Patchwork Girl
 Writing Machines, Chapter 7
 Rough draft of Paper I due
 Robot Stories screening
 Paper I due
 Robot Stories
 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1-62)
 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
 Performance Adaptations (150-180)
 Katherine Linehan, “Sex, Secrecy, and Self-Alienation” (204-213)
 John Milton, excerpt from Paradise Lost, Raising of Pandemonium
 Eidophusikon
 Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Kubla Khan”
 Writing Machines, Chapter 5
 George Herbert, “The Temple” and “Easter Wings”
 Bob Grumman, “MNMLST Poetry”
 Peter Howard, “A Poppy”
 Dan Waber, “Strings”
 Writing Workshop
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Wednesday, 11/22
Monday, 11/27
Wednesday, 11/29
Monday, 12/04
Wednesday, 12/06
Friday, 12/08
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Draft Paper II due
No Class
Jorge Luis Borges, “The Garden of Forking Paths,” print version
Paper II due
“The Garden of Forking Paths,” hypertext version
Jorge Luis Borges, “Borges and I”
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Ulysses”
Emily Dickinson, “On this Wondrous Sea”
Walt Whitman, “The Untold Want”
John Perry Barlow, “A Declaration of the Independence of
Cyberspace”
Presentation of Final Projects in Progress
Final Projects Due