LIT 2020 Course Policy Sheet
LIT 2020-14
T/T 5:15-6:30
WMS 317
Dr. Nesbitt
wcn5418@mailer.fsu.edu
office: 437 WMS
office phone: 644-6659
office hours: 6:30-7:00 T/T
Text: The Scribner Anthology of Short Fiction. Edited by Lex Williford and Michael Martone. 1999.
Course description and goals: In this course we will analyze numerous contemporary short stories. We will use presentations and class discussion as a way to both clarify and express our ideas. We will consider various literary elements such as plot, setting, dialogue, climax, and character as well as other ideas that I will explain in class. Our purpose is not to explain why we do or do not like these works but rather to explore what these works can mean.
One of our chief considerations will be the term contemporary. What makes a work contemporary? Drawing from our book, one of the most obvious ways in which we can define a contemporary work is to say that a contemporary work is one written within the last thirty years since our text tells us that it is a collection of "fifty North American stories written since 1970." How can we expand this definition from the chronological to the theoretical? For example, are there certain racial, geographical (why only "North American?"), and/or thematic qualities that comprise a contemporary work? Can a work written in the 1950s be contemporary, when, according, to the chronological limitations of the word contemporary as set forth by our anthology, we cannot locate such a work within that category? What are the characteristics of a contemporary story? Can one definition of contemporary include all of these stories? Can we at least say what a contemporary story is not? Additionally, many critics such a M.H. Abrams imply that contemporary is more or less that same as modern and do not formally recognize a distinction between the two (290, 181-120). In The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, before elucidating some possible differences, one of the editors tells us that "the boundary between 'modern' and 'contemporary' is inevitably somewhat arbitrary" (xxxiii). However, modern refers to work produced between World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) whereas postmodern applies to the literature and art coming after World War II (critics continue to debate the possible differences between these two terms and whether there is a pronounced break between the two or, instead, the latter is merely an extension of the former). [this would be in a footnote if I were writing in Microsoft Word The term avant-garde (advance guard) refers to a small group or works such as Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons that are, in lay terms, cutting edge and often take wild risks with both from and content. Such radical and pronounced breaks are not characteristic, for the most part, of the stories in our collection [end footnote]. Can these two terms encompass works written before space exploration, civil rights, feminism, Vietnam, AIDS, multi-culturalism, the Internet, 911, and the present/recent Iraq conflict? In Postmodern American Fiction, we read that "a more radical break with modernism occurred in the mid-1970s, when fiction by women, gay and lesbian, African-American, Asian-American, Native American, Caribbean, and Hispanic writers emerged as an explosion of 'other' postmodern voices" (xviii). Consequently, is it possible that we have mislocated postmodernism and that it began thirty years later that we originally thought? In other words, is what we call the postmodern era, with some revision of the concept, the contemporary era and vice versa? There are additional complications. For examples, under what umbrella(s) do we place works written within the last thirty years set in pre-1970s settings? Thus, do we need a term such as contemporary to account for the different political and cultural climate of the post 1960s, or is such a term redundant for the emerging tendencies displayed by modernist and/or postmodernist works? Are there differences between contemporary form and contemporary content? Can we say a work is contemporary if it displays one but not the other? In short, do the editors of The Scribner Anthology posit a distinction without a difference or are M.H. Abrams and others suppressing a difference by failing to make a distinction?
This class will help you to develop as well as test you on the skill of close reading. Essentially, the process of close reading means slowly and closely reading the text, paying attention to detail, rereading, underlining, taking notes, interpreting, and giving careful consideration to the words on the page as opposed to hastily skimming the text and looking only for the major points. Thus, we are concerned both with what we read as well as how we read. If you have not had ENC 1101 and 1102, this is not the class for you.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is grounds for failure in this course as well as for suspension from the university. I have a zero tolerance policy regarding plagiarism. If I find you have engaged in plagiarism, we will have a discussion. If you reason is unacceptable--I have not heard a satisfactory explanation for plagiarism yet--I will flunk you and have you sign and date a form in which you admit to having plagiarized. If this is an unacceptable resolution to you, we will move up the chain of command.. First, we will talk with the Director of Undergraduate Studies who also has a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism. If a resolution is not found there, we will then go to the student honor court. If we have to take these steps, you may fail the course, be placed on probation, be suspended from the university, be expelled from the university, or some combination thereof.
Cheating: If you cheat, which consists of but is not limited to using unauthorized materials and/or looking at someone else's paper, you will receive a zero for that quiz or exam.
Attendance: I call roll at the start of class. If you're not here when I call your name, you are absent. If you leave early, I mark you absent. If you disappear during class, I mark you absent. What your watch says is irrelevant. Tardy, absent, it's all the same to me (if you doubt that you cannot come to class on time, find a class more understanding of your tardiness. If the class you have before mine runs late, you will have to make a decision about which class is more important to you). If you are in a class that meets twice a week, you get four absences. Upon incurring the fifth absence, you fail. Only in the direst circumstances and with proof that is sufficient to me, will I allow you to make up the midterm or final exam. Why you are or are not here is irrelevant to me. I do not need to know why you missed class. Here is the only exception: Athletes and other individuals who miss school due to unavoidable school related activities need, in advance, to provide signed documentation on FSU letterhead informing me of any absences that they will incur due to participation in such activities as sports games or band performances.
Class discussion: We will spend most of our time discussing the readings as a class. I use a variety of methods to facilitate discussion. I like to pinpoint passages (some of which may show up on the exams), closely read those passages, and discuss their implications. Other times, I throw out various theories (some of which may show up on the exams) about the text as a whole and ask you to discuss these ideas with me. I may ask what questions you have about the text. I am interested in analysis and thoughtful discussion of the text. I assume that you have read the reading for the day. Whether you liked, disliked, or felt indifferent about the text is not our focus. I have no problem calling on a specific student to address a point I have just put forth. This class cannot succeed without your input and discussion.
Always bring the book to class.
Students with disabilities: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should in the first week of class 1) register and provide documentation from the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) and 2) bring a letter to me from the SDRC indicating the need for academic accommodations. For such students, course materials are available in alternative formats if needed.
Late assignments: For each day (a day is defined as a day that FSU has classes, even if it is only half a day; usually this means M-F) that a paper is late I deduct ten points. If your paper is more than three days later, I won't accept it. All late papers not turned to me in class, should be taken to 405 WMS. Ask someone at the desk to put a timestamp and date on the paper and place it in my box. Do not put the paper in my box yourself. I don't check my box every day. Without a timestamp and date from the English department, I will assume that the paper has been turned in just moments before I found it. I do not check my box daily.
Papers: All papers will be typed in 12 pt. Times New Roman with a single-spaced heading on the first page. Include your last name and page numbers on all pages after the first. I will not accept papers that are not stapled. The margins are one-inch all the way around and will be left-justified; the right edge will be ragged. You will include short, concise quotes with page numbers from one of the readings on our syllabus as well as short, concise quotes with page numbers from several secondary, outside sources. Any information that is not common knowledge must be cited according to MLA guidelines. Sources will come from the FSU library and/or databases and not from Yahoo, Google, or other such sites. Do not use general encyclopedias. Include copies of all secondary materials with the cited passages highlighted or underlined. If it's an essay, include the whole text. If it's a book, Xerox the relevant sections or pages. I must have everything to consider the paper as on time. If you give me the paper on the due date and the Xeroxed copies the next day, the whole thing is still late.. In both cases, I must have all quoted or paraphrase passages highlighted. If you don't give me the Xeroxed and highlighted copies, I cannot accept the essay for any credit. Place all of this in a folder or flat envelope of some kind. If you don't, I can't accept it. No binders. Underline or italicize the thesis. Include a works cited page as well. This paper should be five to seven pages long (without the works cited page).
There are several things that you should keep in mind. This is not a report. It is a research paper. You should use the research to advance your own position about the work. Don't just summarize the viewpoints of others. Also, you might have difficulty locating materials that pertain to a particular story. Do not let this be a problem for you. For example, you might find a book about Native American myths that you can use for "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona." Here are some other examples: a secondary source about Belle Starr might help with "The Man Who Knew Belle Starr," a biography concerning Anton Chekhov or information about tuberculosis will shed light on "The Errand" a source about Indian culture, particularly the grief process, could be useful for understanding "The Management of Grief," a text about the Vietnam conflict would lend understanding about "The Things They Carried," or information about popular music and/or race relations during the 1950s and 1960s can help us to better understand what is at stake in "Nineteen Fifty-five."
Paper / Presentation
For the presentation you will pair up with someone else and present a particular reading. Essentially, you want to help us to better understand the text. Your presentation might consist of a lecture and/or class discussion. If you give a lecture, you should do some research and be ready to present a particular reading or interpretation of the text. Although your research paper will consist of an original argument, at this point you might only present the findings of others. If you have begun working on your research paper or have finished your research paper, you might share your initial thoughts with others and get some feedback through class discussion. If you do not plan on lecturing, you should have some thoughtful questions in mind to engage the class with. I want to see each presentation last a minimum of ten minutes, though you are free to go longer. You are free to make handouts, bring in other useful materials, or use whatever options available in the classroom such as a computer should we have one. While the presentation, might be useful starting point for your research paper, you are not obligated to write on the same text that you present on. If you are going towards the end of the semester, I would not advise waiting to present before working on your research paper. Realize that while you will present with a partner, your research paper will be your own argument supported by your own sources. While you and your partner are free to write about the same text, papers should not share sources, thesis statements, or other close similarities. Also, be prepared to present on your own with no notice. In an ideal world, equipment always works, people always do what they will do when they say the will do it and will always give you plenty of notice when they cannot. However, it is wise to realize that we do not live in that world and, therefore, to plan accordingly.
Here are some sample questions and topics you can use for the presentation and/or paper, though you are free to develop your own topics. You may find that some topics work better with some of the readings than others. Remember that these are general questions that require specific answers.
1) How does the main character evolve from the beginning to the end of the story?
2) Role of death.
3) What is the theme of the novel and how does one character better define the theme through his or her actions?
4) Role of hallucinations, dreams, or visions.
5) Pick an emotionally disturbed character. Explain the function, origin, and resolution (if any) of this disturbance. Try to be more specific than simply saying that a character is "crazy."
6) Relevancy or irrelevancy of sex in a story.
7) Pick a story that adapts a real historical event. How does the story use, adapt, and/or modify that event?
8) Role of narration or form. How does the narration or form of a story limit what we know and/or give us information? How does the form reinforce or contradict the story? How would the story change if the narration or form changed?
9) Compare and contrast two characters in the same story.
10) Influence of a character's past on his or her present.
11) Explain the symbolism of one story.
12) Gender identity and roles, portrayals, representations, and constructions thereof.
13) How does the author create the setting of a particular story? What function does setting play in that story?
14) Religious or mythological symbolism.
15) Examine the dynamics of a family or a relationship between or among family members.
16) What sort of expectations does the story create and how does it deny or fulfill those expectations?
17) How do characters change and/or stay the same in a story?
18) What's the relation of the title to the story?
19) Examine the contradictions between what a character says and what that character does.
20) What are a character's options at a specific point or at various points in the story. Why does the character make certain choices?
21) What is power in the story? Where does it come from, who has it, who doesn't, and why?
Exams: We have two. Each one will consist primarily of 20 to 33 identification and fill in the blank questions based on the reading, class discussion, and ideas/terms that I have put forth. I will give you more information as we approach each exam. The final will not be cumulative and will include an essay question.
Evaluation:
Presentation 20%
Research Paper 20%
Midterm 30%
Final 30%
Students who chat amongst themselves or engage in other disruptive behaviors: Attending class is a privilege, not a right. Students who consistently engage in disruptive, distracting, quarrelsome, disrespectful, or other negative behaviors that we cannot resolve in class will be referred to a higher authority. I am not going to be a prison warden.
Personal responsibility issues: I really have no way to verify what goes on outside of class, so what happens outside of class is irrelevant to me. Turn off all cell phones and pagers. Consult your syllabus; I will not remind you of what is due. On the day a reading is listed, I will expect you to have read the reading before you come to class that day.
The difference between fault and responsibility: "I didn't finish my paper on time because the printers in the library weren't working. It's the library's fault." Maybe, maybe not. But whose responsibility is it? Yours. "I couldn't do the reading because I left my book in New Orleans. It's not my fault" It's not? Who left the book there? Whose book is it? It is both your fault and your responsibility.
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