Department of English and
Cultural Studies
McMaster University
English and Cultural Studies 1A03
(Spring Term, 2010)
Shorter
Genres
Instructor:
Dr. David L. Clark
Office Hours:
Tuesdays, 5:30-6:30 pm, CNH 210
[email protected]
http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~dclark/
Teaching Assistants:
Ms. Robin E. Chamberlain
[email protected]
Ms. Karen Espiritu
[email protected]
William Blake, “Los Howled in Dismal Stupor,” The Book of Urizen (1794)
After all, consider what education asks of students: to listen, to pay attention, to stop talking, to hold the whisper,
the stay with the subject, to concentrate, to risk a mistake, to talk in front of peers, to take a test, to go play, to be
serious, to stop laughing, to consider things which would not occur to the self, to debate a belief, to encounter
strange theories; indeed, it asks students to confront perspectives, situations, and ideas that may not be just
unfamiliar but appear at first glance as a criticism of the learner’s view. In all these demands, education seems to
be asking selves to risk their resistance even as educators have difficulty tolerating the forms working through
resistance takes.
Deborah Britzman, Lost Subjects, Contested Objects: Towards a Psychoanalytic Inquiry of Learning
Course Description
This brief but intense course examines a selection of exemplary shorter literary texts, including
poems, short stories, novellas, and autobiographical narratives. Each of these texts is designed to
unsettle commonplace understandings and cherished beliefs about who you are and what you
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know. It will therefore be important to read these texts and consider what is being said about them
in class with a generous and rigorous spirit. Emphasis in the course will be given to the complex
cultural contexts in which these literary texts are embedded and with which they are in a difficult
and sustained conversation. We will often focus on how the formal features of the texts at hand are
connected to the problems, questions, and themes by which these texts are quickened. In other
words, we will attend carefully to the ways in which how a text unfolds is profoundly caught up in
what it is trying to say. Students will be exposed to a wide range of critical approaches to the
assigned materials. A major course objective will be to refine and develop your critical reading
skills, i.e. to strengthen your ability to read and to think about literature with rigour, imagination,
and intellectual courage. Emphasis will also be put–especially in your tutorials–on improving your
writing skills, i.e., learning how to analyze literary texts, and to mount persuasive and articulate
arguments about them.
Required Texts
De Quincey, Thomas. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (1821). Ed. Joel Faflak.
Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2009.
Gwynn, R.S. Ed. Literature: A Pocket Anthology. Third Edition. New York: Penguin
Academic/Pearson Longman, 2007.
Ozick, Cynthia. The Shawl. New York: Vintage International, 1990.
Lester Faigley, Robert Graves, Heather Graves. The Little Penguin Handbook.
First-Year English and Cultural Studies Handbook, 2009-2010. Available on the Department of
English and Cultural Studies Website and on Dr. Clark’s website, respectively:
http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~english/undergraduate/csctindex.html
http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~dclark/courses.html
All literary texts taken up in class are found in Gwynn’s Literature: A Pocket Anthology, with the
exception of Blake’s “London,” a copy of which is attached to the course outline, and De
Quincey’s Confessions of an English Opium-Eater and Ozick’s The Shawl, which are separate
books to be purchased in addition to Gwynn. All books are available in The Tank, TSH-B203.
Assignments and Due Dates
Essay #1 (500 words). (Due in tutorial 20 May).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%
Essay #2 (1000 words). (Due in tutorial 10 June).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%
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Tutorial work:
Quiz (In tutorial 25 May).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
Participation*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10%
*The evaluation of your participation is based on a number of inter-related abilities: the quality–the
thoughtfulness and helpfulness--of your contributions to tutorial discussion; your level of
preparedness for that discussion; your intellectual generosity, i.e., your willingness to listen carefully
to the arguments of others, and to respond in kind; and your unwavering attendance. Here’s a helpful
tip: when you are making points and raising questions in tutorial, ensure that your remarks aren’t
anecdotal or merely personal–for example, “that makes me feel this way...” or “this reminds me of
the time that I....” Instead, keep your focus on the assigned materials at hand, speaking about
specific details, problems, and questions rooted in those materials. W hen you participate in tutorial,
remember to point to particular examples in the assigned materials. Note that the TA’s for this
course will be assigning materials in addition to the list provided below under the heading “Lecture
Schedule, Assigned Readings.” Students are expected to attend every tutorial and to be prepared to
discuss the material assigned for that week.
Final Examination (Two hours; in-class, Thursday 17 June). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40%
Lecture schedule, Assigned Readings, Essay Due Dates, Quiz and Final Examination Dates
May
4
6
11
Introduction
Coleridge, “Frost at Midnight” (Essay #1 topics handed out in tutorial)
Blake, “Chimney Sweeper,” “London” (bring handout of poem attached to course
outline)
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20
25
Stevens, “Sunday Morning”
Keats, “Ode to a Nightingale”
Herbert, “Redemption;” Donne, “Holy Sonnet XIV” (Essay #1 due in tutorial)
Rich, “Diving into the Wreck;” Plath, “Daddy” (Essay #2 topics handed out in tutorial;
Quiz)
June
27
1
3
8
Joyce, “Araby”
Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Ozick, The Shawl
Landing Place (Class devoted to consolidating what we’ve learned in class; q & a about themes
discussed in the course)
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15
17
De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (Essay #2 due in tutorial)
De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater
Final examination (in class, two hours; no tutorials)
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English and Cultural Studies 1A03 (Spring 2010)
Thirteen Important Notes
1. Class cancellations:
In the unlikely event of a class cancellation, students will be notified on the Department of English and Cultural
Studies website and on Dr. Clark’s website. The url’s for those websites are, respectively:
http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~english/
http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~dclark/courses.html
2. Class attendance and preparedness:
Although there is no roll-call (this is university, after all!), attendance in both lectures and tutorials is mandatory.
Be aware that in the Spring term missing one evening class and/or tutorial is the equivalent of missing a full week
of the course. Uneven class attendance is very likely to have a profound impact on your ability to thrive in the
course and to do well in the final examination. Make every possible arrangement to ensure that you are able to
attend lectures and tutorials. Ensure that you come fully prepared for lectures and tutorials by reading and rereading the assigned materials with great care.
3. E-mail policy and protocols:
It is the policy of the Faculty of Humanities that all email communication sent from students to instructors
(including TA’s), and from students to staff, must originate from the student's own McMaster University email
account. This policy protects confidentiality and confirms the identity of the student. Instructors will delete
emails that do not originate from a McMaster email account. Note: please ensure that your McMaster e-mail
account quota is not full. TA’s will not resend messages if your quota is full.
All e-mails must be written in full sentences (i.e. no point form, no text-messaging short form), and must contain
a subject line that includes the course designation, “1A03." Receipt of all e-mails from me and from your TA
must be acknowledged. Don’t forget to be professional and courteous in all communications.
4. University Statement Regarding Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by deception or by other fraudulent means and can
result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the
transcript (notation reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion from
the university.
It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the
various kinds of academic dishonesty see:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/policy/Students-AcademicStudies/AcademicIntegrity.pdf
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The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:
i) Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one’s own or for which other credit has been
obtained.
ii) Improper collaboration in group work.
iii) Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.
All submitted work is subject to normal verification that standards of academic integrity have been upheld. See:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity/students/index.html
5. Statement from the Office of the Associate Dean, Faculty of Humanities, regarding course
modifications
The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. The university
may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of
modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will be given with
explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their
McMaster email and instructor websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.
6. Copies of Essays
Keep a copy of all work submitted for the course.
7. Course evaluation
Students will be invited to evaluate the course towards the conclusion of the term.
8. McMaster University Grading Scale
Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Equivalent Grade Point
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Equivalent Percentages
90-100
85-89
80-84
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
57-59
53-56
50-52
0-49 -- Failure
9. Cell phones and internet connections
All cell phones must be turned off and all internet connections must be suspended during lecture and tutorial.
Failure to comply with this instruction will result in you being asked to leave that particular class or tutorial.
10. Tutorials
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Tutorials begin Tuesday 6 May, 2010.
Please carefully consider the detailed description of what “participation” means (provided under the heading
“Tutorial work / Participation” on p.2-3 of this outline).
11. Essay, essay topics and late essays
Essay topics will be handed out in class (see “Lecture Schedule, Assigned Readings...”).
Essays are to be submitted at start of tutorial on the appropriate due date. Late essays will be docked one grade
per day up to seven days. For example, a B+ paper handed in two days late will be lowered to B-. Saturday and
Sunday are included in the calculation of days late. After seven days, the grade is zero. TA’s are not authorized
to grant deadline extensions. Students must contact their Faculty Office to make arrangements before any
deadline extensions can be considered.
If you are a smoker, please ensure that you print your essay in a smoke-free location before submitting it for
grading.
12. What to bring to class
In addition to reading the assigned materials before class, it is important to remember to bring those materials to
class so that you can refer to them. I.e., don’t forget to bring your book. Don’t forget too to bring pen and paper
(or your laptop), and to get into the very good habit of taking lots of notes in class. Taking good notes keeps you
alert and alive to the content of the lectures and to the materials that we are studying. A complete and detailed set
of notes will help you thrive in the course, and will be a life-saver when it comes to preparing for the final
examination in this course.
13. To whom do I direct questions?
Questions about the course or arising from the lectures should first be directed towards your TA, whether in
tutorial, via e-mail, or during your TA’s regular office hours. If you are unable to have your question answered
by your TA, I am happy to address it with you during my regular office hours (see first page of this outline for
time and location).
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Instructor: Dr. David L. Clark
English and Cultural Studies 1A03 (Spring 2010)
Handout to bring to class, 11 May 2010
William Blake (1794)
“London”
I wander thro' each charter'd street,
Near where the charter'd Thames does flow,
And mark in every face I meet
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
In every cry of every Man,
In every Infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forg'd manacles I hear.
How the Chimney-sweeper's cry
Every black'ning Church appalls;
And the hapless Soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down Palace walls.
But most thro' midnight streets I hear
How the youthful Harlot's curse
Blasts the new born Infant's tear,
And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse.