Introduction to English Studies
(DRAFT SYLLABUS: May Be Revised Before the Semester Starts)
ENG 215, Section 002
Fall 2015
Monday & Wednesday: 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM in Bolton 294
Course Description
ENG 215 is designed to be an introduction to
university-level English studies. Over the course of
the semester we will develop various ways of
reading, interpreting, and writing about literary texts.
Additionally, I hope to give you a taste of the
diversity within English studies. We will read poetry,
short stories, a novel, a graphic memoir, a play, and
even watch a blockbuster film. The authors are
likewise diverse in time period, geographical location,
and identity.
We will practice a variety of analytical methods such
as close reading, critical thinking, and scholarly
research in order to analyze these texts. Our writing
assignments will offer you a chance to work directly
with texts to formulate your own unique claim or
argument. Research assignments will help you
become familiar with library resources and enable
you to contribute to academic conversations.
These more practical goals aside, this class should be
fun and interesting. These texts should change the
way you understand and look at the world around
you. I hope this class encourages you to keep
reading, keep asking questions, and most
importantly, keep sharing your thoughts with others.
Assignments & Grading:
Your final grade consists of three elements:
Class Participation – 10%
Close Reading Paper (3 pages) – 20%
Academic Article Review (2 pages) – 20%
Quizzes and Response Papers – 20%
Final Close Reading/Research Paper (6 pages) – 30%
Contact Information:
Instructor: Bob Bruss
Email: rlbruss@uwm.edu
Available in Library Grind:
TBD,
also by appointment
Phone: (507) 381-6338
Required Texts:
 Graff, Gerald, Cathy
Berkenstein and Russel Durst.
They Say/I Say. 978-0393933611
 Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A
Family Tragicomic. 0618871713
 Melville, Herman. Bartleby the
Scrivener. 978-1466268777
 Mamet, David. Glengarry Glenn
Ross. 0802130917
 Le Thi Dem Thuy. The Gangster
We Are All Looking For.
0375700021
 Culler, Jonathon. Literary Theory:
A Very Short Introduction.
0199691347
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
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Participation: Class participation is a crucial element to this course. I want to encourage Asking
questions, pointing out interesting or difficult passages, sharing your opinions, and responding
to others are all ways to participate in this class.
Close Reading Paper (3 pages): We will discuss what close reading is in class. These papers
must fulfill this kind of practice and will be evaluated on how they do so in response to the texts.
This type of reading and writing is a foundational skill in English studies, and proves to be
challenging for many students. As a result, if you are unsatisfied with your grade on this
assignment, you will have a week to rewrite it with the possibility of moving up one letter grade
(e.g. C to B).
Academic Article Review (2 pages): We will visit the library in order to be able to take
advantage of the resources available for finding scholarly peer-reviewed articles in English
studies. You will find an article based on a text or writer discussed in class. Your paper must
summarize the article, make it clear that you understand the author’s argument, critique or add
to the argument, and show how it adds to our understanding of the original text or writer in
question. Grades will be based on the clarity of your summary and the strength of your critique.
Quizzes and Response Papers: I will periodically give reading quizzes in class. The questions I
ask should be relatively easy as long as you have done the assigned reading for that day. So just
keep up with the reading and come to class and you should have nothing to worry about. I will
also sometimes ask you to type up a short response paper based on our reading. All the quizzes
and response papers together make up 20% of your grade. Missed quizzes or late response
papers cannot be made up.
Final Close Reading/Research Paper (6 pages): Your final paper will be a sustained close
reading of one of our primary course texts. Your reading must also utilize other source material
(e.g. academic articles) that relates to the text you have chosen. I will discuss this assignment in
more detail later in the semester, but over the course of the semester think about what interests
you and what you might want to write your final paper about. I encourage you to come talk to
me about your ideas before you start writing.
Course Policies
1. Attendance: Students are allowed four absences for any reason without penalty. Missing a
significant portion of a class will also count as an absence. Every absence after the fourth will result
in a full letter grade deduction from your final course grade.
2. Deadlines: All assignments are required to be completed in order to pass this course. Assignments
must be turned in on D2L before class on the day they are due, even if you are absent that day. Late
assignments will receive a letter grade deduction for each day it is late. After a week, late assignments
will not be accepted, and you will be unable to pass this course. Be sure to contact me about any
extenuating circumstances well before a deadline, so that we can make alternative arrangements if
necessary.
3. Academic Honesty/Plagiarism: Students will be held to the highest standards of honesty.
Presenting someone else’s work as your own is always unethical and, at times, illegal; conversely,
allowing someone else to use your work is also academically dishonest. Any time you include outside
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
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material in your work, you must also include a citation to let readers know this is the case. The
university takes plagiarism very seriously. Willful plagiarism may result in failure of the course,
suspension, or even expulsion from the university.
4. Accommodations: If you have a chronic health condition or disability that may affect your ability to
meet any of the requirements of this course, you must bring me a VISA form completed by a
counselor from the Accessibility Resource Center within the first two weeks of class. Together with
the ARC, we can then establish a plan that enables you to meet the goals of the course.
5. Technology: Cell Phones - Receiving or sending communications via cell phone – of any kind – is
distracting and disrespectful to your instructor and your fellow students. Please silence your cell
phones and keep them stowed for the duration of class. If you have a unique situation wherein you
need to be contacted during class for a serious reason, please notify me at the beginning of class; I
will allow you to step outside to take your call.
Computers - I recognize some students may find it advantageous to take notes on their computers
during class. Still, we are all aware computers can be distracting during class; thus, you take
responsibility for remaining attentive and not distracting others if you choose to use one. It is up to
my discretion to determine if you are adequately participating, as well as determining appropriate
usage. I reserve both the right to look over your shoulder during class and to require you to stow
your computer if necessary.
Assistance/Concerns:
1. Instructor: If you have questions, comments, concerns, etc., please do not hesitate to contact me.
My primary mode of communication is e-mail (rlbruss@uwm.edu). I check it every day and you can
usually expect a reply within 24 hours (often much less). Otherwise, feel free to stop by during my
available hours or schedule an appointment. Finally, you can call or text my personal phone number:
(507) 381-6338. This can be helpful for last minute concerns, or if you’re just more comfortable with
this mode of communication. Please do not call late at night or early in the morning. And I reserve
the right to post any embarrassing texts or voicemails online .
2. Writing Center: This is a wonderful resource that provides one-on-one dialogue about your
writing. Do not just think of them as a fix-it shop. They can help at any stage of the process, at any
skill level, and for any course. To make an appointment, visit www.writingcenter.uwm.edu, call (414)
229-4339, or visit Curtin 127 or the Library East Wing.
3. Student Accessibility Center: The SAC can provide assistance and guidance for students struggling
with chronic illness or any disabilities that create additional academic challenges. These include, but
are not limited to, sensory impairments, limited mobility, ADHD, dyslexia, chronic depression, and
cognitive disabilities. If you feel as though you may benefit from their services, contact them at
Mellencamp 274 or (414) 229-3800
4. Norris Health Center: At times physical concerns such as illness or injury, or personal concerns
including stress, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, etc., could negatively affect your academic
performance. In these instances, I encourage you to take advantage of the medical and counseling
services provided on campus. The Norris Health Center is located between Enderis Hall and the
Klotsche Center, and can be reached at (414) 229-4716.
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
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ENGLISH 215 COURSE GOALS
1. English studies in the 21st century is a global enterprise; it is not necessarily limited
by boundaries of class, ethnicity, nationality, or other demarcations of difference.
Instead, English studies recognizes difference as the catalyst of creativity in the life of
English (or “Englishes”) around the world. Through selected texts from the U.S. and
other countries, English 215 should familiarize students with the many ways in which
English has become an essential means of communication and expression in the arts,
politics, popular culture, technology, and other forms of public discourse. Across borders
of many kinds (geographic, historical, sociocultural), students should be encouraged to
investigate the ways in which English has and continues to reinforce, reframe, or resist,
prevailing values and systems of belief. Through course readings, assignments, and
discussions, students should acquire a deeper understanding and broader knowledge of
English as a multicultural phenomenon, which links readers and writers from many
different backgrounds in their efforts to make sense of the world.
2. English studies has grown to include a wide range of artistic, persuasive, and
popular forms of communication and expression. Essays, poems, short stories, plays,
and novels belong in the realm of English studies; so do films, television shows, online
articles, performance art, and other signs of the endless potential of English to speak
creatively in many voices for many purposes. Texts and materials for English 215 should
reflect the diversity of forms that English studies takes as its field of inquiry as well as
the critical vocabularies and concepts responsive to that diversity of creative forms.
3. Through reading and writing, students should have the opportunity to engage in
activities of interpretation and writing that emphasize the dynamic interrelationship
of writer, reader, text, and context in giving life and meaning to the written word.
Texts for English 215 should invite discussion of the historical, cultural, material, and
institutional contexts that have shaped, reshaped, and continue to shape the significance
of English and English language art forms. Through extensive practice in responding to
these texts and performances, students should enhance their analytical and rhetorical
skills; they should gain confidence in their own ability to write with persuasive power.
4. The continuing evolution of the English language itself, in its many variations across
contexts and cultures, is a richly creative process of invention, adaptation,
transformation, and expansion. Students should be encouraged to explore and
participate in this process through their course work. Rather than approach the study of
English as the categorization of texts by form and function, students should be given the
opportunity to “break open” texts and discover how they work, i.e., how they represent,
reconstruct, and re-imagine the world. Moreover, students should learn to appreciate
their own roles and responsibilities as writers, readers, and world citizens whose use of
language contributes to its vitality.
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
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GER Humanities Syllabus Language
Department of English
General Education Requirement
This course meets the criteria for General Education Requirement Humanities
credit at UWM by addressing “questions, issues and concepts basic to the formation of
character and the establishment of values in a human context; … induc[ing] an organic
study of letters and knowledge; [and providing] literary, aesthetic and intellectual
experiences which enrich and enlighten human life,” as specified in UWM Faculty
Document No. 1382. The course uses humanistic means of inquiry, including critical use
of sources and evaluation of evidence, judgment and expression of ideas, and
organizing, analyzing and using creatively substantial bodies of knowledge drawn from
both primary and secondary sources. In addition to addressing other GER Humanities
criteria, the course introduces substantial and coherent bodies of historical, cultural and
literary knowledge to illuminate human events in their complexities and varieties, and
enhances appreciation of literary and other arts by thoughtful, systematic analyses of
language and artifacts such as novels, stories and films.
UWM seeks Essential Learning Outcomes throughout the undergraduate
curriculum in four key areas: Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and
Natural World; Intellectual and Practical Skills; Personal and Social Responsibility; and
Integrative Learning. GER courses in particular contribute to these learning outcomes.
Student work in GER courses is assessed individually for course-specific outcomes and
goals, and holistically as part of departmental self-assessment of learning outcomes
throughout the major.
Grading and Assessment
In English 215, students will demonstrate learning outcomes in “Knowledge of
Human Cultures” and in “Intellectual and Practical Skills”: by engagement with key
questions in literary and other cultural artifacts, and by producing written literary or
cultural analysis that reflects thoughtful, informed engagement with source material
and standards of evidence and argumentation in humanistic disciplines. This outcome
will be assessed through review of papers written in the course, a requirement of all
English GER courses, via the rubric which appears on the following page.
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
A
B
C
D
F
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Content
Organization
Mechanics &
Editing
Other
Highly original. Clear
thesis and argument. No
factual or logical
inaccuracies.
Well-organized, even
at paragraph level.
Accurate use of
citation
conventions.
Precise word choices; vivid, fresh
language. Avoids wordiness.
Informal language only when
clearly appropriate. Establishes
ethos strongly through knowledge
of subject.
Minimal summary; uses
evidence, not opinion;
represents secondary
sources accurately.
Less original; may have
minor factual errors.
May use secondary sources
uncritically or with mild
inaccuracy.
Relies more on summary
than original interpretation
or argument. Restates
common or familiar
arguments or
interpretations uncritically.
Secondary sources do not
clearly contribute to or
support the argument, or
may be presented
inaccurately.
No original contribution;
restatement or
misstatement of the ideas
of others.
Doesn’t interpret, but just
repeats or reports.
Lacks clear thesis or point.
Reader led through a
logical sequence;
paper stays on topic.
Well-organized, but
structure sometimes
disjointed.
Goes off-topic on
occasion.
Basically well
organized, though
individual
paragraphs may be
disunified or
misplaced.
Virtually no
mechanical or
formatting errors.
Some awkwardly
worded passages.
Some errors, but
not enough to
distract the reader.
More frequent
awkwardness, with
distracting errors,
although meaning
is clear.
Entertains, educates, and makes
reader want to know more.
Language sometime too general or
less precise than the A writing.
Enough errors to suggest the paper
needs more polish and thought.
Language is competent but wordy,
general, imprecise, or trite.
Logical and apparent
plan overall.
Citations
improperly
formatted or
absent.
Poor organization;
reader has little sense
of a plan even though
a thesis or main point
is recognizable.
Some sentences
may be so confused
that their meaning
does not clearly
emerge.
Words may be imprecise, incorrect,
trite, or vague. In general, however,
the paper is understandable.
Language muddled
and unclear in several
spots.
Highly distracting
mechanical errors.
Shows little care or attention to
detail on the part of the author.
GER Course Assessment
All GER courses in the Department require significant student writing, including
papers of varying length. The Department samples GER courses in each semester,
including primarily papers from the required ENG 215 course, evaluating them on a
holistic scale, according to the following rubric:
1.
Work does not meet disciplinary standards for critical analysis, evidence-based
argument, and interpretation of literary or cultural artifacts. Work does not meet
expectations for clarity of thought and language, and for edited academic prose.
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Work does not show student awareness of conventions for analysis and
expression.
[Work quality falls between 1 and 3]
Work shows some awareness of conventions for analysis and expression but may
contain distracting errors. Work meets some disciplinary standards for critical
analysis, evidence-based argument, and interpretation of literary or cultural
artifacts, but inconsistent in doing so. Work meets some expectations for clarity
of thought and language, and for edited academic prose, but is inconsistent in
doing so.
[Work quality falls between 3 and 5]
Work meets most or all expectations for analysis and interpretation, argues from
evidence, and is written clearly and without significant mechanical errors,
showing student awareness and achievement the learning outcomes for the
course.
Numeric scores are used to generate snapshots of how well GER courses meet the
department’s stated learning outcomes and what, if anything, needs to be altered when
the course is next offered.
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
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Tentative Course Calendar
* The following calendar is subject to change, but if any changes are made, you will be provided
with a newly revised calendar.
Week 1
Wed 9/3: Introduction and Syllabus
Mon 9/8: What is “literature”?
Read: Culler – Chapter 2 “What is Literature and Does It Matter” from Literary Theory:
A Very Short Introduction; They Say/I Say Preface, Introduction, and Chapter 11; Updike
– “A&P”
Week 2
Wed 9/10: Finding the “Unfamiliar”
Read: Shklovsky – “Art as Technique”; Dickinson – “I heard a Fly buzz–when I died”;
Donne – “Batter my heart, three-personed God; for you”; Soto “Oranges”
Mon 9/15: Form and Content
Read: Brooks – “The Formalist Critics”; Herrick – “Delight in Disorder”; Cummings
“l(a”; Stevens – “The Emperor of Ice Cream”
Week 3
Wed 9/17: Thinking about Art
Read: Gallop – “Close Encounters: The Ethics of Close Reading”; Keats – “Ode on a
Grecian Urn”; Cortázar – “The Continuity of Parks”; Heaney “Digging”
Write: Short response paper - close reading DUE
Mon 9/22: Finding “Meaning”
Read: Culler – Chapter 4 “Language, Meaning, and Interpretation”; Morrison –
“Recitatif”
Week 4
Wed 9/24: Interpreting through “Bartleby’s” Text
Read: Melville – Bartleby the Scrivener
Mon 9/29: Interpreting through “Bartleby’s” Context
Write: Close Reading Paper DUE
Week 5
Wed 10/1: Contexts: War
Read: Whitman – “Beat! Beat! Drums!”; O’Brien “How to Tell a True War Story”
Th 10/6: Contexts: Politics/Dystopia
Read: Vonnegut – “Harrison Bergeron”; Auden – “The Unknown Citizen”; Orwell –
excerpt from “1984”
Week 6
Tu 10/8: Library Orientation
Read: TS/IS Part 1
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
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Th 10/13: Contexts: Harlem Renaissance
Read: Culler – Chapter 8 “Identity, Identification, and the Subject”; Hughes – “Mother
to Son” & “I, Too”; Cullen – “Yet Do I Marvel”; Hurston “How It Feels to Be Colored
Me”
Week 7
Tu 10/15: Contexts: Feminisms
Read: Gilman – “The Yellow Wallpaper”; Schreiner – “The Buddhist Priest’s Wife”;
Glaspell – “A Jury of Her Peers”
Th 10/20: Graphic Novel, Memoir, and Identity
Read: Bechdel – Fun Home pp. 1-54
Week 8
Tu 10/22: Fun Home cont.
Read: Bechdel – pp. 55-102
Write: Academic Article Review DUE
Th 10/27: Fun Home cont.
Read: Bechdel – pp. 103-150
Week 9
Tu 10/29: Fun Home cont.
Read: Bechdel – pp. 151-186; TS/IS Chapters 4 & 5
Th 11/3: Fun Home cont.
Read: Bechdel – pp. 187-232
Week 10
Th 11/5: Drama and Masculinity
Read: Mamet – Glengarry Glen Ross pp. 10-52
Tu 11/10: Glengarry cont.
Read: Mamet – pp. 53-108
Week 11
Th 11/12: Sharing plans for final paper
Read: TS/IS Chapters 6-10
Write: Response paper – final paper proposal DUE
Tu 11/17: The Gangster We Are All Looking For
Read: Thuy – The Gangster We Are All Looking For pp. 3-35
Week 12
Th 11/19: Gangster cont.
Read: Thuy – pp. 36-78
Tu 11/24: Gangster cont.
Read: Thuy – pp. 79-124
Week 13
Th 11/26: NO CLASS – Thanksgiving Break
ENGL 101-020 Syllabus
Tu 12/1: Gangster cont.
Read: Thuy – pp. 125-160
Week 14
Th 12/3: Final Paper Workshop
Write: Full Draft of Final Paper DUE
Tu 12/8: Application to Pop Culture
Watch: The Dark Knight
Week 15
Th 12/10: Final Thoughts
Write: Final Paper DUE!!!!
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