ADVANCED LITERATURE SEMINAR
ENGLISH 499
Instructor:
John Garrison | [email protected] | 262-524-7256
Office Hours: TR 2:00-4:00PM or by appt. in MacAllister 303
Class:
TR | 4:00-5:50PM
Main 309
COURSE OVERVIEW
Demons. Witchcraft. Exorcism. Demonic Possession. Spell books. Familiars. Enchantments …
Magic and the supernatural have long fascinated writers and held particular interest for those writing in Renaissance
England. We’ll focus on early modern poems and plays that attempted to depict and grapple with the otherworldly,
a concept of profound importance in the post-Reformation culture of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. To
inform our readings of literary works, we’ll look at a range of contemporaneous primary materials – from
demonologic treatises to visual art – as well as survey secondary scholarship regarding the vexed history of depicting
the supernatural in literature. We will also think about why one of the foundational narratives of demonic
encounter, Faustus’ bargain with the devil, remains a narrative to which writers have incessantly returned across the
centuries. The works discussed in this course will open up extremely diverse lines of inquiry into the creation of
national myths, the nature of faith, the function of magic, the nature of evil, the limits of the human/non-human
boundaries, the appeal of power, gender roles, and many more. Like modern tales of the supernatural, early modern
explorations of the supernatural were written to entertain, and we will also consider how their earliest readers might
have understood and responded to them.
COURSE OUTCOMES
In this course, students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the five English Program Learning outcomes.
Course will be conducted as an advanced literature seminar, and students will read primary as well as secondary
materials in order to understand and insert themselves into a contemporary critical discussion. At the end of the
seminar, students will submit a senior thesis project that demonstrates scholarly research, critical engagement and
literary analysis.
COURSE GOALS
By the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate competency in the English program’s five
Learning Outcomes:
1) Develop strategies for originating and answering questions about literature.
2) Employ a variety of critical approaches to literature.
3) Use language specific to the discourses of poetry, drama and fiction.
4) Demonstrate their knowledge of literary canonicity as part of their preparation for citizenship in a diverse
community.
5) Analyze and respond critically to literature using research and bibliographic materials appropriate to the
discipline.
COURSE COMPONENTS
To demonstrate their mastery of goals in the course, and in order to fulfill the three components of the capstone
experience, students will be asked to complete/participate in the following assignments:
1) 18-20-Page Seminar Paper (50%): Please note that all components of the seminar paper (e.g., abstracts,
annotated bibliography, drafts, etc.) must be completed in order to receive a satisfactory grade on the paper.
2) 15-Minute Presentation (25%): At the end of the semester you will be required to present your work and
to “defend” your thesis/project to a committee of your instructors and peers.
Final Presentations on 12/12 from 12:30- 4:00 PM. All students must attend for the entire event.
3) Class Participation and Discussion (25%): Given that this is a seminar, students are expected to
participate vigorously in class discussion. This grade includes serious rigor with peer commentary.
Each of these components will involve all of the learning outcomes. Grades will be assigned according to the
following scale:
100–93%
88 –83%
78–70%
A
B
C
59% and below
F
92 –89%
82–79%
69–60%
A/B
B/C
D
REQUIRED TEXTS
1) Marlowe, Dr. Faustus
2) Ford, et. al., The Witch of Edmonton
3) Swanwick, Jack Faust (I will provide)
4) Shakespeare, The Tempest
5) The Devil: A Very Short Introduction
6) Additional readings on our course website.
PREREQUISITE
You must have senior standing or consent of instructor.
POLICY STATEMENTS
Disabilities statement: Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, or any student
considering obtaining documentation should make an appointment with Ms. Martha Bledsoe, Director of Services
for Students with Disabilities, no later than the first week of class. She can be reached by calling 262-524-7335 or
contacting her via email at [email protected].
Academic Integrity: The Carroll University Academic Integrity Policy is located in your student handbook
(http://www.carrollu.edu/campuslife/pdfs/handbook.pdf). I encourage you to familiarize yourself with it. If a
student violates this policy in any way, I reserve the right to impose a sanction of failure on the
assignment/assessment or failure in the course. If you have questions about appropriate citations, please ask.
Attendance & Late Assignments: This course is conducted as a seminar: you are expected to speak, listen and
contribute. Therefore, regular attendance is required. Please also note that in order to be counted as present, you
need to adhere to reasonable standards of punctuality and decorum. Late assignments will drop one grade value
(e.g., AB to B) for each day not submitted.
Modifications to the syllabus: The instructor and the University reserve the right to modify, amend, or change the
syllabus (course requirements, grading policy, etc.) as the curriculum and/or program require(s).
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week One
9/5: Course Introduction; Key moments in popular culture
Week Two
9/10: The Devil: A Very Short Introduction; Marlowe, Dr. Faustus Act I-II; “The Howling Man” (in class)
9/12: Dr. Faustus Acts III-V; Tromly, “Damnation as Tantalization”
Week Three
9/17: Kiessling, “Faustus and the Sin of Demoniality”; Foucault, “Of Other Spaces”; Fernie, excerpt from The
Demonic in Literature and Experience
9/19: Swanwick, Jack Faust, 1-95
Week Four
9/24: Jack Faust, 96-228; Dinshaw, excerpt from How Soon is Now?
9/26: Jack Faust, 229 to end; Berlant, excerpt from Cruel Optimism
Week Five
10/1: Barker, “The Last Illusion”; Lord of Illusions; Todorov, Chapters 1 and 2 (course website)
10/3: Lord of Illusions; Todorov, Chapters 7 and 8 (course website); Create a snapshot of one scholarly journal
Week Six
10/8: Ford, The Witch of Edmonton, excerpts from James I, Daemonologie; Nicol, “Interrogating the Devil” (optional)
10/10: Shakespeare, The Tempest; Summarize one critical article on the play; Daston, “Marvelous Facts and
Miraculous Evidence in the Early Modern Period” (optional)
Week Seven
10/15: Initial Topic Brainstorming meetings with Brittany Larson and Dr. Garrison
10/17: Initial Topic Brainstorming meetings with Brittany Larson and Dr. Garrison
Week Eight
10/22: Fall Break
10/24: Library Research Day
Week Nine
10/29: Abstract (Version One) Due; Library Research Day
10/31: Library Research Day; Annotated Bibliography Plus 3 Draft Pages Due
Week Ten
11/5: Individual Meetings; Abstract (Version Two) Due
11/7: Individual Meetings
Week Eleven
11/12: Workshop and revision
11/14: Workshop and revision
Week Twelve:
11/19: Workshop Rough Draft; Initial Rough Drafts due
11/21: Workshop Rough Draft
Week Thirteen:
11/26: Workshop and revision (online)
11/28 THANKSGIVING
Note: polished rough draft (at least 15 pages) must be e-mailed to me by 5:00 PM on 11/27.
Week Fourteen:
12/3: Individual Meetings
12/5: Individual Meetings
Week Fifteen:
12/12 Conference Presentations | 12:30-4:00 PM
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ALL FINAL PROJECTS DUE BY 5:00 PM ON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16th. IF I DO NOT
RECEIVE AN ELECTRONIC COPY OF YOUR PROJECT BY THIS TIME AND EVIDENCE OF
SYBMISSION TO A SCHOLARLY JOURNAL, YOU CANNOT PASS THE CLASS.