ENGL 301 (Section 001, Schedule #31836)
Virginia Commonwealth University
Spring 2017
MWF 2-2:50pm :: Hibbs 207
Prof. David Golumbia
Office: 324D Hibbs Hall
Spr 2017 Office Hours: MW 1:30-2, 2:50-4pm

Introduction to the English Major

This class provides an overview to the study of literature and interpretation. Our focus will be on understanding the variety of approaches used in the discipline. Our time will be split about evenly between fiction and poetry, . We’ll read both original literature and criticism about that literature, exploring the many ways that readers and writers respond to and make sense of textual expression. The works we’ll read include Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and an interpretive revision of Jane Eyre, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys; Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; and poetry by Frank O’Hara and Adrienne Rich. The class is taught primarily by discussion, and significant attention will be devoted to the construction of solid interpretive essays about literature, including spending one day most weeks workshopping each other’s papers and doing other classroom exercises about the written interpretation of literature and media.

Books

• Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (England 1847; Fourth Norton Critical Edition, 2016)
• Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (British West Indies 1966; First Norton Critical Edition, 1998)
• Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (England, 1803/1818; First Norton Critical Edition, 2004)
• Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon (US 1977; Vintage reprint, 2004)
• Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (US 1930; Harper Perennial new edition, 2006)
• Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle (US 1962; Mariner Books new edition, 2012)
• Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here (US 1935; Signet reprint, 2014)
• Frank O'Hara, Lunch Poems (US 1964; City Lights Books)
• Gwendolyn Brooks, Selected Poems (US 2006, Harper Perennial)
• Adrienne Rich, The Fact of a Doorframe: Poems 1950-2001 (US 2002, Norton)
• Jarret Kobek, I Hate the Internet (US 2016, We Heard You Like Books)

IMPORTANT NOTICE

• This syllabus contains all of the official information about how the class will be conducted. When in doubt, consult the syllabus first. The answer is almost always here.

Assignments and Evaluation

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

• Papers (3 papers of 20% each, for 60% total). Students will write 3 papers of approximately 6 pages (1500 words) each 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. These papers will be about the text we read in class each day. Early in the term students will be randomly assigned to three dates on which papers are due. The papers are due at the beginning of class period on each of the assigned days. Papers may be submitted in hardcopy or via email to dgolumbia-at-vcu.edu.
  • Thesis Statement exercises
  • Link to Assignment 1
  • Link to Assignment 2
  • Link to Assignment 3
• Discussion Questions (20%). A discussion thread will be created for each day there is reading for the class. There will be about 25 of these threads. On any 10 of these threads students will post one discussion question, drawing attention to a topic of interest in the reading. These questions are graded on a very simple basis: you get 2 points for a question that in any way reflects having done the reading. By asking 10 questions students will get 20 points of credit toward the course total of 100. No extra credit is given for additional questions. You may choose any 10 days to ask questions, including multiple days when we study the same text. What counts is days on which you ask questions. This is a blatant effort to "encourage" you to do the reading for the course.
  
• 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. I take attendance in this class and attendance is included in your participation grade (see attendance policy below). Chronic lateness is as much of an issue as absence; please consult with me ahead of time if you know you will have a problem getting to class on time on a regular basis.

Course-Specific Policies

• Attendance. This course is taught primarily via discussion. Your attendance and participation are vital to its success. 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. 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

Please consult the Provost's official page on topics such as classroom conduct, email, the Honor System, and other important policy issues.

Week-by-Week Syllabus

Week One. Introduction

• Weds Jan 18
• Fri Jan 20. No class.

Week Two. Austen, Northanger Abbey

• Mon Jan 23. Beginning - page 142 (Volume II, Chapter X)
• Weds Jan 25. Page 143 (Volume II, Chapter XI) - end of novel.
• Fri Jan 27. Critical essays on Northanger Abbey: Erickson, "The Economy of Novel Reading: Jane Austen and the Circulating Library"; Litvak, "The Most Charming Young Man in the World" (both included in Northanger Abbey)

Week Three. Brontë, Jane Eyre

• Mon Jan 30. Beginning - page 146 (Chapter XVI)
• Weds Feb 1. Page 147 (Chapter XVII) - page 198 (Chapter XX)
• Fri Feb 3. In-class exercise on essay writing.

Week Four. Brontë, Jane Eyre

• Mon Feb 6. Page 199 (Chapter XXI) - page 346 (Chapter XXXIII)
• Weds Feb 8 Page 347 (Chapter XXXIV) - end of novel.
• Fri Feb 10. Critical essays on Jane Eyre: Gilbert and Gubar, "A Dialogue of Self and Soul: Plain Jane's Progress"; Kaplan, "Girl Talk: Jane Eyre and the Romance of Women's Narration" (both included in Jane Eyre)

Week Five. Brontë, Jane Eyre

• Mon Feb 13. Critical essays on Jane Eyre: Meyer, "Indian Ink"; Marsh, "Jane Eyre and the Pursuit of the Mother's Pleasure" (both included in Jane Eyre)
• Weds Feb 15. No class (instructor away)
• Fri Feb 17. No class (instructor away)

Week Six. Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea

• Mon Feb 20. Wide Sargasso Sea, complete text of novel
• Weds Feb 22. Essays in Norton Critical Edition by Walcott, Thorpe, Drake & Rody
• Fri Feb 24. Essays in Norton Critical Edition by Fayad, Spivak, & Perry

Week Seven. Rich, Poems (all from The Fact of a Doorframe)

• Mon Feb 27. Poems from A Change of World, The Diamond Cutters, and Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law
• Weds Mar 1. Poems from Necessities of Life, The Will to Change, and Diving Into the Wreck
• Fri Mar 3. Poems from The Dream of a Common Language, A Wild Patience Has Taken Me This Far, Time's Power, and Fox. First paper due at beginning of class.

Spring Break. No classes.

• Mon Mar 6. No class (spring break)
• Weds Mar 8. No class (spring break)
• Fri Mar 10. No class (spring break)

Week Eight. Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

• Mon Mar 13. Through Chapter 16.
• Weds Mar 15. Chapter 17-end of book.
• Fri Mar 17. No class (instructor away)

Week Nine. Morrison, Song of Solomon

• Mon Mar 20. All of Part I.
• Weds Mar 22. Chapters 10 and 11.
• Fri Mar 24. Chapters 12-15.

Week Ten. Brooks, Selected Poems

• Mon Mar 27. A Street in Bronzville and Annie Allen.
• Weds Mar 29. The Bean Eaters.
• Fri Mar 31. New Poems.

Week Eleven. Lewis, It Can't Happen Here

• Mon Apr 3. Introduction + Chapters 1-27
• Weds Apr 5. Chapters 28-32
• Fri Apr 7. Chapters 33-38 + Afterword. Second paper due at beginning of class.

Week Twelve. Dick, The Man in the High Castle

• Mon Apr 10. Beginning - Chapter 9
• Weds Apr 12. Chapters 10-12
• Fri Apr 14. Chapters 13-15.

Week Thirteen. Kobek, I Hate the Internet

• Mon Apr 17. Beginning through Chapter 26.
• Weds Apr 19. Chapter 27-end.
• Fri Apr 21. In-class workshop day.

Week Fourteen. O'Hara, Lunch Poems

• Mon Apr 24. Entire book (we'll work through the book on all three days).
• Weds Apr 26. Entire book (we'll work through the book on all three days).
• Fri Apr 28. Entire book (we'll work through the book on all three days).

Week Fifteen. Wrap-up

• Mon May 1.

Final paper is due via email to the professor by the final exam period for this course, Monday May 8, 1pm. There is no final exam for this course.

Last updated April 23, 2017.