Dr. Elizabeth Howells and Dr. Richard Nordquist English 3010: Introduction to Literary Studies Fall 2006 Class: TR 4:30-5:45 Solms 207, Office Hours: TR 2:30-4:30 & by appt. howellbe@mail.armstrong.edu www.llp.armstrong.edu/howells Office: 108b Gamble Hall, 927-5218 Mailbox: 108 Gamble

ENGLISH 3010: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES, PART I

"Theory is often a pugnacious critique of common sense notions, and further, an attempt to show what we take for granted as 'common sense' is in fact a historical construction, a particular theory that has come to seem so natural to us that we don't even see it as a theory. [It] involves a questioning of the most basic premises or assumptions of literary study, the unsettling of anything that might have been taken for granted: What is meaning? What is an author? What is to read? What is the I or the subject who writes, reads, or acts? How do texts relate to the circumstances in which they are produced?" (Jonathan Culler, Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, 4-5)

Course Description and Goals: This course provides an introduction to interpreting, studying, and writing about literature: it will teach you how to read, research, and write based on the expectations of this discipline.
· During Part I of this course, you will be taught how to read critically through an introduction to modern literary criticism. Some of you may have entered this course because you like to read. The study of literature today, however, demands you re-examine your notion of and approach to reading based upon contemporary and historical theories of reading and analysis. This part of the class will introduce the fundamentals of literary criticism and literary study: its basic ideas, terminologies, methods, tools, schools, and resources.

Texts:
You must have these editions for Part I of this class.
Peter Barry. Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 0719062683
James Joyce. The Dead. Ed. Daniel R. Schwartz. Bedford/ St. Martin's Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. 1994.0312080735

Requirements
1. Reading Responses and Quizzes. This class is reading intensive. You are required to struggle with and complete all of the difficult reading assigned. Be certain that you are prepared for this reading load and be certain to have time devoted to these challenging reading assignments. In order to encourage you to keep up with the reading and to ensure in-class discussion every day, in-class reading responses will sometimes take the form of quizzes, sometimes they will be a written response to a particular prompt, and sometimes they may be more creative or experimental. They will require that you read the assigned texts in order to be successful. These cannot be made up. Your reading responses are worth 40% of your final Part I grade.

2. Exam. You will have one exam at the end of Part I of this course. It will include short answer, long answer, and essay formats. You will receive review information and an outline of the exam format in a timely manner prior to the test. Exam I will each be worth 60% of your final Part I grade.

Your Part I grade will be 50% of your total final grade for this course.

POLICIES:
Completion of Work: There are no make-ups for reading responses or the exam. These are to be completed in class on the assigned day. You will receive a "0" for any missed assignments.

Attendance: This is a class that depends on your being there. Your participation and daily writings cannot be made up. Therefore, you must be in class. After 3 absences, your grade will drop a letter per absence until you have failed the course. You can be removed by me at that point with W or WF. You may use your three absences with no penalties. There will be no excused absences. EXAMS CANNOT BE MADE UP. Tardiness can be translated into time absent. Sleeping during class will not be tolerated and will be counted as an absence.

PLAGIARISM
All students at AASU must agree to abide by the Honor Code and Code of Conduct found in the appendix to the catalog. Be aware that plagiarism can result in dismissal from the university, failure of the course, or failure of an assignment. Cite any sources you use at any time in this class whether you are quoting directly or paraphrasing. See me or consult the Armstrong Atlantic State University Handbook if you are ever uncertain about the issue. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

FINAL GRADES will be based on the following scale:
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F=GRADES BELOW 59
Individual grades will be determined on a plus minus scale.

WRITING CENTER
The Writing Center located in 109 Gamble Hall can be a good resource for revising your essays if you would like a little extra help with your writing. It is a free service. Please consider taking advantage of it.

Part I Syllabus:

8.17 Introduction to Course; Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art"

8.22 James Joyce's "The Dead," pp. 21-59
8.24 Barry, Ch. 1 Liberal Humanism; excerpt from Eliot "Tradition and the Individual Talent"

8.29 Barry, Ch. 2 Structuralism; excerpt from Saussure's lectures
8.31 Barry, Ch. 3 Deconstruction; Deconstruction and "The Dead," Joyce, 206-234; excerpt from Derrida's "Difference"

9.5 Barry, Ch. 4 Postmodernism; excerpt from Eco and art history overview
9.7 Barry, Ch. 5; Psychoanalytic Criticism and "The Dead," 85-124; excerpt from Lacan "The Agency of the Letter in the Unconscious or Reason since Freud"

9.12 Barry, Ch. 6; Feminist Criticism and "The Dead," 178-205; excerpt from Cixous' "Laugh of the Medusa" and Toril Moi's Feminist Literary Criticism
9.14 Barry, Ch. 8 Marxism; excerpt from Williams to be determined

9.19 Barry, Ch. 9 New Historicism; New Historicism and "The Dead," 163-205; excerpt from Foucault's "The Repressive Hypothesis"
9.21 Barry, Ch. 10 Postcolonial; excerpt from Said; Exam Review

9.26 EXAM I
9.28 LIBRARY DAY