ENGL 499 (Section 902, Schedule #29901)
Virginia Commonwealth University
Fall 2015
MW 4:00-5:15pm :: 431 Hibbs
Prof. David Golumbia
Office: 324D Hibbs Hall
Fall 2015 Office Hours: MW 2:30-3:45pm

Senior Seminar: Contemporary Literature and Media

This course offers a wide-ranging survey of a few of the many themes and issues in contemporary media and literature and the theory and criticism written about them. We'll read across a wide range of genres, global cultures, and media forms. Students will write two 10-page papers or one 20-page paper. Vigorous participation in class discussion is expected.

Texts

The following is a list of required texts to purchase for the class. Other texts are provided on Blackboard or on direct links to websites in the Week-by-Week Syllabus below.

• Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Little, Brown, 2009)
• Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (Mariner, 2007)
• Chloe Caldwell, Women (Short Flight/Long Drive, 2014)
• Junot Díaz, This Is How You Lose Her (Riverhead, 2013)
• Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies (Mariner, 1999)
• Tao Lin & Mira Gonzalez, Selected Tweets (Short Flight/Long Drive, 2015)
• Claudia Rankine, Citizen: An American Lyric (Graywolf, 2014)
  
• Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Pantheon, 2004)
• Robin Sloan, Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel (Picador, 2012)
• Dana Spiotta, Eat the Document: A Novel (Scribner, 2006)

Assignments and Evaluation

Evaluation will be based on written exercises and course participation as follows:

• Papers (2 papers of 30% each, for 60% total). Students will write either two papers of approximately 10 pages (2500 words) each, or one final paper of 20 pages (5000 words) on topics related to the class. These are expected to be analytical papers that make a strong argument, supported with properly-cited sources where necessary. Students must decide at the begriming of the term whether to write two shorter or one longer paper, and are encouraged to submit a partial draft of the longer paper earlier in the term if they choose this option.
  
• Discussion Questions (20%): each student will contribute discussion questions to the Blackboard discussion forum on 10 separate days during the semester. The questions are graded using a 3-point system: 0 for not participating; 1 for reasonable but general questions; 2 for specific questions showing command of the text. The questions must be posted by midnight the day before class to receive full credit. Students may write questions on more than 10 days in order to ensure the maximum 20 point total for the term.
• Course Participation (20%): the instructor will assign a letter grade to each student reflecting their engaged participation in class, both online and offline, during the term.

Course-Specific Policies

• Attendance. This course is taught primarily via discussion. Your attendance and participation are vital to its success. Attendance is taken every day. A significant portion of your grade (20%) depends on your class participation. "Class participation" does not necessarily mean that you have said what everyone thinks is the smartest thing in the world, but has much more to do with whether other students know your name by mid-semester because you contribute to discussion regularly. More than 4 unexcused absences will count against your final course grade. 6 unexcused absences results in automatic failure of the course. An "excused" absence is one where you have a verifiable illness, or important commitment of which you notify the instructor beforehand, and does not count against the unexcused absence policy. An "unexcused" absence is when you do not show up for class, without verifiable explanation or approval beforehand.
• No Late Work. No late work is accepted in this class. Work handed in late is automatically marked down one-third grade (e.g., a B becomes a B-) for each day it is late, and after one week becomes a failing grade for the assignment.
• Class Preparation. You are expected to have done the primary reading and any other primary course assignments before the beginning of course each week.
• Honor System. All work in this course is subject to the University's Honor System. You may work in teams for some assignments, but all written work must be solely your own, and any reliance on published work must be properly cited.
• Evaluations. Final grades for the course will not be released until the entire class has submitted online course evaluations.

Official VCU Policy Statements

The VCU Office of the Provost maintains a list of official policy statements for each semester. Students are required to review the list of policies in its entirety. They constitute official course policies. Among the important topics covered in this policy statement, students should note the following policy regarding email:

Students are expected to check their official VCU email on a frequent and consistent basis in order to remain informed of university-related communications. The university recommends checking email daily. Students are responsible for the consequences of not reading, in a timely fashion, university-related communications sent to their official VCU student email account.

Week-by-Week Syllabus

Week One. Introduction

• Weds Aug 19

Week Two. Homeland

• Mon Aug 24. No reading; all media presented during class time.
• Weds Aug 26. No reading; all media presented during class time.

Week Three. The Bridge

• Mon Aug 31. No reading; all media presented during class time.
• Weds Sep 2. No reading; all media presented during class time.

Week Four. Caldwell, Women

• Mon Sep 7. No class (Labor Day)
• Weds Sep 9.

Week Five. Lin & Gonzalez, Selected Tweets

• Mon Sep 14
• Weds Sep 16

Week of Sep 19-27. No classes (reading period due to bicycle race)

Week Six. Sloan, Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

• Mon Sep 28. Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (beginning through page 188)
• Weds Sep 30. Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (page 189, aka "Binding," - end)

Week Seven. Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

• Mon Oct 5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (beginning through page 168)
• Weds Oct 7. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (page 169, aka "Valentine Heart," - end)

Week Eight. Bechdel, Fun Home

• Mon Oct 12. Fun Home (beginning through Chapter 5)
• Weds Oct 14. Fun Home (Chapter 6, "The Ideal Husband," - end).

Week Nine. Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies

• Mon Oct 19. Interpreter of Maladies (beginning through page 135)
• Weds Oct 21. Interpreter of Maladies (page 136, "This Blesed House," - end)

Week Ten. Díaz, This Is How You Lose Her

• Mon Oct 26. This Is How You Lose Her (beginning through page 149)
• Weds Oct 28. This Is How You Lose Her (page 150, "Miss Lora," - end). First paper due at beginning of class.

Week Eleven. Rankine, Citizen

• Mon Nov 2. Citizen (beginning through page 135)
• Weds Nov 4. Citizen (page 136, "VII," - end)

Week Twelve. Satrapi, Persepolis

• Mon Nov 9
• Weds Nov 11. No class, instructor away.

Week Thirteen. Spiotta, Eat the Document

• Mon Nov 16. Eat the Document (beginning through page 211)
• Weds Nov 18. Final presentations

Week Fourteen. Spiotta, Eat the Document

• Mon Nov 23. Virtual class (in discussion thread on Blackboard). Eat the Document (page 212, Part Eight, - end)
• Weds Nov 25. No class (Thanksgiving break)

Week Fifteen. Presentations

• Mon Nov 30. Final presentations
• Weds Dec 2. No class, instructor away.

Final paper is due by the end of the final exam period for this course, 5:15, Monday Dec 7, per the registrar's exam schedule. The paper or project should be emailed to me at dgolumbia-at-vcu.edu. No late papers can be accepted for the final paper assignment. There is no other final exam for the course.

Last updated November 18, 2015.