English 502:
Adolescence in Literature
Fall 2014
image credit: cover art, Their Eyes Were Watching God
Instructor: Mary Galbraith, PhD
Class hours: Tues/Thurs 9:30-10:45am, Music120
Office: 230 Arts and Letters
Office hours: 8:30-9:15am Tues, 2:30-3:15pm Thurs
(appointment recommended)
English 502_ Fall 2014_ Galbraith_page 1
Schedule of Reading and Writing Assignments
Readings are to be completed before class on the day they are assigned
Week 1: Hamlet –adolescence and the weight of parents
Tues, Aug 26. Course introduction. Read for first class: Act 1 and 2 of Hamlet, William
Shakespeare.
Thurs, Aug 28. Finish Hamlet.
Response 1 due Thursday before class. Hamlet.
Week 2: Secondary Readings: the gods are dangerous
Tuesday, Sept 2. The story of Oedipus, Ernest Jones on Hamlet
Thursday, Sept 4. “Freud, The Oedipus Complex, and Feminism”
Informal Writing on Thursday: Hamlet and secondary readings.
Week 3: Tess of the D’Urbervilles: the sacrifice of daughters
Tues, Sept 9. Tess, Phase the First: The Maiden
Thurs, Sept 11. Tess, Phase the Second: Maiden No More; Phase the Third: The Rally
Response 2 due Thursday before class. First two phases of Tess.
Week 4: Tess continued
Tues, Sept 16. Tess, Phase the Fourth: The Consequence; Phase the Fifth:
The Woman Pays
Thurs, Sept 18. Tess, Phase the Sixth: The Convert; Phase the Seventh: Fulfillment
Study Question 2: Tess.
Week 5: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Tues, Sept 23. Chapters 1-10.
Thurs, Sept 25. Chapter 11-end.
Response 3 due Thursday before class
Week 6: Go Tell It on the Mountain: are you my father?
Tues, Sept 30. Part 1. The Seventh Day.
Thurs, Oct 2. Part 2. The Prayers of the Saints: Florence’s Prayer and Gabriel’s Prayer.
Response 4 due Thursday before class. First two sections of Go Tell It.
Week 7: Go Tell It on the Mountain continued
Tues, Oct 7. Part 2 continued: Elizabeth’s Prayer
Thurs, Oct 9. Part 3. The Threshing Floor.
Study Question 3: Their Eyes and Go Tell It.
Week 8: Catcher in the Rye
Tues, Oct 14. First half.
Thurs, Oct 16. Second half.
Response 5 due Thursday before class
English 502_ Fall 2014_ Galbraith_page 2
Week 9: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Tues, Oct 21. Chapters 1-2.
Thurs, Oct 23. Chapters 3-4.
Response 6 due Thursday before class.
Week 10: Oscar Wao continued
Tues, Oct 28. Chapters 5-6.
Thurs, Oct 30. Chapters 7-8.
Study Question 4. Oscar Wao.
Week 11: Fun Home
Tues, Nov 4. First four parts.
Thurs, Nov 6. Last three parts.
Response 7 on a spread from Fun Home due Thursday—bring to class.
Week 12: Kafka on the Shore
Tues, Nov 11. Chapters 1-12.
Thurs, Nov 13. Chapters 13-24.
Response 8 due Thursday before class.
Week 13: Kafka on the Shore
Tues, Nov 18. Chapters 25-37.
Thurs, Nov 20. Chapters 38-49.
Study Question 5. Kafka on the Shore
Week 14: Discussion
Tues, Nov 25. Further discussion of mythological and literary allusions in Fun Home
and Kafka on the Shore
Thurs, Nov 28. Thanksgiving holiday
Informal Writing on Tuesday
Week 15: Me and You
Tues, Dec 2. Chapters 1-5
Thurs, Dec 4. Chapter 6 to end.
R9 due Thurs before class.
Week 16: Conclusion
Tues, Dec 9. Last day of class
Final Paper due.
English 502_ Fall 2014_ Galbraith_page 3
Written Assignments for English 502:
Type I. Assignments without letter grades: Responses, Informal Writings, Group Notes
A. Reading Responses: complete/incomplete/missing
The response assignment will vary slightly in each case, but here are the general requirements:
1. Choose a short (~100 words) passage from the beginning, middle, and end of the
assigned reading. Don’t use passages that have already been discussed in
class.
2. Copy these three passages into your response.
3. Write about each passage in an intimate way. How did you experience the
passage as you read it? How does this passage resonate with your reading of
the work so far? Consulting outside sources for historical context is fine, but the
point of the response assignment is the exploration and articulation of your own
close encounter with the text, so avoid contaminating your response with the
opinions of others. If you are confused and having trouble understanding a
passage, write about your confusion and difficulty--just stick as close as you can
to the text and your own attempts to "get" it. Avoid retelling the story except
where this retelling makes a point of your own.
4. There is no required length for reading responses, but they should delve deeply
into your understanding and sense of the passage. (Typical responses will
devote at least 200 words to each passage.)
5. Submit your response before class on the day it is due. The Blackboard window
for submission will close at the time class begins.
6. Bring the assigned text to class and be ready to share and discuss the passages
that you wrote about.
How responses are evaluated and recorded:
Reading responses are evaluated only in terms of meeting the assignment—they should
demonstrate that you did all of the assigned reading, and they should “get inside” your
reading of particular passages in an intricate way. I will not penalize you for having
eccentric opinions or for raising taboo topics. You are free to express yourself as you wish
so long as you show me that you did the reading and that you are writing about your own
reading experience.
Responses are recorded in Blackboard Grade Center as complete (2), incomplete (1), or
missing/unsatisfactory (0). They must be submitted online before class on the day they
are due.
(2) Complete: the response (a) demonstrates that you read the assignment and (b)
articulates a specific sense of the chosen passages.
(1) Incomplete: the response demonstrates reading but is lacking in other aspects of the
assignment (e.g. copying of passages, in-depth explication).
(0) Missing/Unsatisfactory: the response was not submitted or it does not demonstrate
reading of the assigned material.
English 502_ Fall 2014_ Galbraith_page 4
B. Reading Quizzes: tally of correct answers
These are unannounced short questions at the beginning of class, and they cover the day’s
reading assignment. Answers should be obvious to anyone who did the reading.
Grading of Reading Quizzes: Satisfactory completion of reading quizzes = cumulative score
above 70%. (Note: quizzes missed due to unexcused absence are averaged in as zeroes.)
C. Class Discussion Notes and Informal Writings: credit/no credit
On days when we have small group discussions in class, your group will turn in notes from your
discussion and all members of the group will get credit for these notes if they meet the assigned
task. If you are asked to write individually on a question posed informally in class, you will get
credit for handing in your answer if it shows reading.
Type II. Assignments Given Letter Grades: Study Questions and Final Paper
A. Study Questions
These are in effect take-home exam questions. .
Grading criteria for Study Questions:
—answer responds to all parts of the question
—answer demonstrates familiarity with lectures and
assigned readings
-- answer is based on own close observation of readings
– answer uses examples and quotes to support assertions
—answer provides high level assertions that emerge from observation
t-- answer "gets inside" the readings in a profound way
-- answer is understandable, original, and convincing
Grade of A: satisfies all criteria
Grade of B: satisfies most criteria
Grade of C: satisfies several criteria
B. Final Paper
The final paper will be a short essay on a work of literature that you choose yourself. It will be
due the last day of class. The requirements and grading criteria of the final paper will be spelled
out later in the semester.
Final Grades
Completion of all assignments is key to your final grade. If all your Type I assignments
(Responses, Quizzes, Group Notes, Informal Writings) have been satisfactorily completed, your
final grade will consist of the average letter grade of your Type II assignments (Study Questions
and Final Paper). Each missing Type II assignment counts as an F.
In case of missing or incomplete type I assignments, deductions from your final grade will be
taken according to the following formula: two missing/unsatisfactory type I assignments= one
step deduction (e.g. B  B-); three missing= two step deduction (B  C+), and so on.
English 502_ Fall 2014_ Galbraith_page 5
image credit: Marlies Odehnal, “Kafka on the Shore”
Appendices:
Note on Academic Integrity:
Our class is based on personal reading, writing, and thinking. Two forms of deception in
particular threaten the integrity of our whole enterprise. The first is pretending to have
read something one hasn’t read; the second is pretending to have written something
one did not write (i.e. plagiarism). Evidence of these deceptions will be investigated and,
if conclusive evidence is found, reported to the Center for Student Rights and
Responsibilities. Appropriate penalties will be assessed.
University-mandated statement for Students with Disabilities:
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this
class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473.
To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact
Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are
not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until
you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from
Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
English 502_ Fall 2014_ Galbraith_page 6