The Art of Literature
ENGL 262G: Section 4
MWF 11-11:50
Instructor: Kyle Chalker
Room: McCormack 02-0404
Email: Kyle.Chalker001@umb.edu
Office: Wheatley 06-044
Office Hours: MWF: 12-1 and by appointment
Course Description: In this course, we will explore and examine the world of
literature—the imagination as it finds creative expression in language. Why do we call
some writing “literature”? What makes us label something “art”? We will familiarize
ourselves with literary devices and terminology such as genre, narrative voice and
diction, and understand how our awareness of those elements contributes to our
appreciation of what we read. You will learn to talk and write about literature and be able
to articulate your opinion of what is and is not literary, what is and is not art, and why a
piece of writing "works" for you and why it does not.
About the Intermediate Seminar Program: Intermediate Seminars offer students with
30 or more credits the opportunity to work on essential university capabilities in smallsized courses that are often thematic or problem-oriented and interdisciplinary in nature.
Designed in part to help students prepare for the Writing Proficiency Requirement,
Intermediate Seminars put special emphasis on critical reading, writing, and thinking.
They focus on other essential capabilities as appropriate to the course and might therefore
include attention to library research and information technology, collaborative learning,
oral presentation, and academic self-assessment. Students who practiced reading,
writing, and critical thinking in a First Year Seminar at UMass Boston will practice them
at a more advanced level in the Intermediate Seminar.
Only ONE Intermediate Seminar may be taken for credit. If you have taken another
G200-level course in any department at UMB, you cannot receive credit for this one.
Prerequisites: English 101, English 102, First Year Seminar (or waiver), and 30 credits.
The First Year Seminar is automatically waived for students who enter UMB with 30 or
more transfer credits. Because these are intensive reading and writing courses, some
students may find it helpful to enroll in CRW 221 to further develop their skills with
college-level writing before taking an Intermediate Seminar. Discuss your situation with
the instructor if you have any questions about these prerequisites or your readiness for the
work in this course.
The Writing Proficiency Requirement: Except for students in the College of
Management, all UMass Boston undergraduates complete the University’s Writing
Proficiency Requirement through the Writing Proficiency Evaluation (WPE). The
Writing Proficiency Requirement is not the same as the writing placement test you may
have taken when you entered UMass Boston. The WPE can be met through either an
examination or a take-home essay submitted along with a portfolio of papers written for
UMB courses. See the WPR website,
http://www.umb.edu/academics/vpass/undergraduate_studies/writing_proficiency, for
more details about the exam and portfolio options and dates. Students who have not
already satisfied the WPR should arrange to take the exam or submit a portfolio shortly
after completing this course.
Support services for Intermediate Seminar students: The Academic Support Office
offers both individual tutoring and drop-in workshops for students who need help with
the critical reading, thinking and writing skills necessary for success in General
Education courses such as this one.
More information is available online
(http://www.umb.edu/academics/vpass/academic_support/tutoring/rwssc) or at their
Campus Center office (CC1-1300).
The Ross Center for Disability Services (CCUL-0211) provides accommodations
and educational resources for students with demonstrated needs, as outlined on their
website (http://www.umb.edu/academics/vpass/disability/ ). Should you be eligible for
these services, you should contact the Ross Center right away so that their staff can help
you identify appropriate accommodations in this and other courses. Finally, if it appears
that you might not pass this Intermediate Seminar and if the instructor cannot figure out
how to support your success in the course, the instructor might inform one of the
University advisers working with the Student Referral Program. This strictly confidential
program is part of an early warning system designed to help students address personal
and academic difficulties that may interfere with their progress in the University.
Assessment of these courses: In addition to course evaluation forms that are routinely
administered at the end of each course at UMass Boston, Intermediate Seminar students
are asked to complete a self-assessment questionnaire addressing their progress as critical
thinkers and writers. Each term an assessment committee will look at randomly chosen
student writing from a small sample of Intermediate Seminars. Please save all your
writing in this course so that, if you are chosen, you will have your work available. The
purpose of this evaluation is to improve the program and to improve particular courses as
necessary, not to evaluate individual students. You may remove your name from your
papers if you prefer to submit them anonymously.
Student plagiarism and classroom behavior: Students are expected to abide by the
University’s Code of Student Conduct in all their classes at UMass Boston
(www.umb.edu/student_affairs/programs/judicial/csc.html). Plagiarism is a particularly
serious violation, as outlined in the Academic Honesty section of the code (section VI),
and will not be tolerated. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person’s
work, research, ideas and/or thoughts, and will not be tolerated in this class. The
following all constitute plagiarism: Using a document or part of a document written by
another student; buying an essay or term paper from one of the services that sell such
documents; using a document published on the Web; having someone else write as essay
or term paper for you; or having someone so drastically edit your work that it no longer
your work. It is always essential to use quotation marks around any
words/phrases/sentences that are not yours, and to properly cite the source of the
quotation or information. Plagiarism will result in failure/and or dismissal from this
course.
Offensive and insulting behavior undermines the sense of community that the
Intermediate Seminars strive to build. Class discussion and group projects can be
productive only in a climate of respect for the opinions and beliefs of all. A healthy
exchange about issues may include disagreement about ideas, but it must not demean the
character or background of the individuals holding those ideas.
Required Texts: For classroom purposes, you must have the exact edition that is in the
bookstore. If you purchase your books online, make sure the edition has the same ISBN
number as listed below.
The Norton Introduction to Literature: Shorter Eleventh Edition (ISBN: 978-0393-91339-2)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon: Vintage
Edition (ISBN: 978-1-4000-3271-6)
*You will occasionally be asked to print outside materials off of our course wiki
page and bring the printout to class. (You must bring in a copy, either print or
digital, in order to receive participation credit for class that day.)
Course Grade Determination:
Paper 1: 10%
Paper 2 (including workshop, rough draft, & conference): 25%
Paper 3 (including rough draft): 15%
Final Presentation: 15%
Weekly Assignments: 15%
Participation/Attendance: 20%
Email and Meeting: I will be using WISER to send out class information and
documents. Make sure you check your UMB account every day. (You may forward your
UMB email to an email account of your choice.) I am always happy to discuss your work
with you both inside and outside of class. If you are unable to meet with me during my
office hours, feel free to make an appointment. You are also welcome to email me with
any questions about assignments or anything else happening in the course. I can reply to
timely, not last-minute, messages.
Course Wiki: This course also has its own wiki page. Each of you will receive an
invitation to the course wiki, please follow the link and join the wiki: engl262gchalker.wikispaces.umb.edu. The wiki page will be a space for class news and updates,
assignments will be posted to the wiki, copies of class handouts can be found on the wiki
page, and there will also be outside readings that your must print and bring to class.
Attendance: Attending class and arriving on time is crucial to your success in this course
and to the success of the course in general. You may not miss more than 4 class sessions
and pass the course. Missing more than 3 classes will negatively impact your grade.
Two “tardies” will become an absence. Any student who misses more than four classes
by the November 7th withdrawal deadline will be recommended to drop the course.
Participation: English discussions rely on your thoughts, ideas, and interpretations;
participation is imperative. Come prepared to participate by reading the assigned
materials and also by completing your weekly assignment.
Weekly Assignments: At least once a week you will be asked to turn in a written
assignment. These assignments will focus on the reading for class or class discussion.
You must come to class in order to receive the written assignment and many written
assignments will be completed in class. These assignments will vary, (i.e. quick writes,
reading logs, dialectical journals, presentations, workshops, etc.), according to the
materials we are covering in class each week.
Submissions of Assignments: All assignments are due at the beginning of class unless
otherwise noted. Written assignments are due in hard copy format, in class (emailed
papers will not be accepted). Rough drafts cannot be turned in late because you cannot
make up peer reviews or conferences. A paper received after class is considered late and
will be marked off one full letter grade. A full letter deduction will accrue for each
day the paper is late after it’s due.
Formal Papers: In addition to the weekly assignments, your formal papers are the best
way to demonstrate what you have learned about literature and to showcase your ability
to express your thoughts clearly and cohesively through written language. There will be
three papers, in addition to a final project, and all of these papers combined make up half
of your final grade.
Final Presentation: A formal assignment explanation will be handed out toward the end
of the semester. These final projects will allow you to creatively express your individual
understanding of literature and literary studies, which will be worth 15% of your final
grade. As we get closer to the end of the semester you will receive a handout that will
contain the specifics of your final project assignment and presentation.
A final note on the Intermediate Seminar: Supervising the Intermediate Seminar Art of
Literature courses is Dr. Alex Mueller, Assistant Professor of English. Please expect
occasional visits from Dr. Mueller, as well as other Intermediate Seminar Instructors.
Class Schedule
*Subject to change at instructor’s discretion*
*Readings are due the day they’re assigned*
Week One: Introduction, Syllabus and Student Assessment
Sept. 4:
Syllabus and Introductions
6:
Flannery O’Connor: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (422-433)
Week Two: Plot, Narration and Point of View
9:
Chapter 1: Plot (82-89)
“Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin (95-117)
10: (Add/Drop ends)
11:
Chapter 2: Narration and Point of View (160-164)
George Saunders: “Puppy” (172-177)
Jamaica Kincaid: “Girl” (170-171)
Edgar Allen Poe: “The Raven” (838-841)
Margaret Atwood: “Happy Endings” (wiki)
Handout for Paper 1
Week Three: Character and Setting
16:
Chapter 3: Character (180-186)
David Foster Wallace: “Good People” (215-222)
William Faulkner: “A Rose for Emily” (516-522)
13:
18:
Chapter 4: Setting (245-246)
Italo Calvino, from “Invisible Cities” (247)
Flannery O’Connor: “Good Country People” (433-447)
20:
Ambrose Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (551-557)
Week Four: Symbol, Figurative Language and Theme
23:
“Symbol and Figurative Language” (285-290)
Ernest Hemingway: “Hills Like White Elephants” (590-594)
25:
James Joyce: “Araby” (153-158)
27:
Chapter 6: Theme (334-338)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”
(356-361)
UNIT TWO: How Do We Read Literature?
Week Five: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
30:
Haddon, Curious Incident (1-26) or (Ch. 2-47)
Paper #1 Due
Oct.
2:
Haddon, Curious Incident (26-50) or (Ch. 53-79)
4:
Haddon, Curious Incident (50-76) or (Ch. 83-109)
Week Six: Curious Incident
7:
Haddon, Curious Incident (76-102) or (Ch. 113-151)
9:
Haddon, Curious Incident (102-126) or (Ch. 157-173)
11:
Haddon, Curious Incident (126-177) or (Ch. 179-211)
Week Seven: Curious Incident
14: Columbus Day – No Class
16:
Haddon, Curious Incident (177-200) or (Ch. 223-229)
18:
Haddon, Curious Incident (200-226) or (Ch. 233-APPENDIX)
Handout for Paper #2
Handout for Criticism and Theory Workshop
Week Eight: Curious Incident
21:
Criticism and Theory Workshop
23:
Criticism and Theory Presentations
25:
Criticism and Theory Presentations
Week Nine:
28:
Peer Reviews/Workshops
Nov.
30:
In-Class Paper Workshop
Draft of Paper #2 Due
1:
Conferences (MANDATORY)
UNIT THREE: How Does Literature Read Us?
Week Ten: Antigone
4:
Sophocles: Antigone (1565-1571)
Paper #2 Due
6:
Antigone (1571-1585)
8:
Antigone (1585-1597)
Cultural Context Materials (wiki)
Week Eleven: Trifles
11:
Veteran’s Day – No Class
Handout Paper #3 (wiki)
13:
Susan Glaspell: Trifles (1125-1135)
Cultural Contexts (Wiki)
Handout Paper #3 (questions)
15:
Trifles
Week Twelve:
18:
Antigone and Trifles Wrap-up
20:
In-Class Paper Workshop
Paper #3 Draft Due
22:
Paper Workshop
UNIT FOUR: What Are the Arts of Literature?
Week Thirteen: Poetry
25:
Intro to Poetry
Poetry: 670-673
Selected Poems TBD
27:
Selected Poems TBD
Paper #3 Due
Presentation Handout
29:
Thanksgiving – No Class
Week Fourteen: Poetry
Dec. 2:
Selected Poems TBD
4:
Selected Poems TBD
6:
Selected Poems TBD
Week Fifteen:
9:
Presentations
11:
Presentations
13:
Presentations and Course Wrap-Up