SUNY Fredonia
College of Arts and Humanities
ENGL 427: Major Writers
Fall 2009
Section 1: M 10-10:50, Rockefeller Arts Center 236
Office: Fenton 265; M 11-12, TTh 9-12, 3-5, F 11-12, 3-5, and by appointment; 673-3856
E-mail: simon@fredonia.edu, brucesimon18@yahoo.com
Web Page: www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/
ANGEL Space: https://fredonia.sln.suny.edu/default.asp
About the Course Web Site
This web site is designed to help you get as much out of this course as possible--you can use it to find out what assignments are due and when, how your work will be assessed, how to use the course ANGEL space, and how to use the world-wide web for research, among other things. Please get in the habit of checking back to these pages to keep track of changes to the syllabus and advice on assignments, as well as to surf the ever-expanding list of links to interesting web pages related to the course. And please contact me anytime (see above for my coordinates) if you have ideas about how to improve these pages or the course as a whole.
I. Course Description
Close study of one or more writers and themes significant in American, British, or world literature and culture. In this section, we'll be considering the significance and stakes of the historical contexts of and intertextual dialogues between three major fantasy trilogies, by J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen Donaldson, and Philip Pullman. How do they speak to each other, to their own times, and to us?
II. Rationale
In ENGL 427, as in most courses offered by the English Department, the goals of the professional programs are integrated with specific course goals. Achieving these goals (described in Section IV below) will require us to foster academic skills and intellectual habits of reading closely and carefully, thinking critically and creatively, listening actively and attentively, speaking thoughtfully and concisely, and writing clearly and analytically--skills and habits useful to everyone, but of particular importance to future teachers.
III. Textbooks. The textbooks adopted for this course are:
IV. Course Objectives and Outcomes
ENGL 427 is designed to help students develop their abilities to (1) recognize and analyze relations among an author's characters, settings, and plots in a variety of works--gain a critical perspective on an author's fictional "world" (SLO #1: "English majors will read attentively, closely, and critically"); (2) recognize and analyze relations among an author's use of form, theme, and narrative strategy in a variety of works--gain a critical perspective on an author's strategies of storytelling and "re-vision" (SLO #1); (3) compare and contrast different authors' literary and political projects, analyze them in the context of the authors' cultures and historical eras, and consider their significance and stakes for us today (SLO #1 and #3: "English majors will develop and challenge their own thinking through scholarly research"); and (4) engage and join critical and theoretical debates on fantasy fiction, authorship, and canon formation (SLO #1 and #3). Students will typically try to fulfill goals (1) and (2) in class and on the ANGEL discussion forum, in critical essays, and in group pedagogical projects (SLO #1 and #2: "English majors will write thoughtfully, coherently, and persuasively"); and goals (3) and (4) in class and on the ANGEL discussion forum, in critical essays, and in the final research project (SLO #1, #2, and #3; see Section VI , below, for details on these assignments).
V. Instructional Methods and Activities
The methods used in the classroom will include lecture, in-class writing, guided discovery, open discussion, various kinds of cooperative group work, and other critical thinking- and active learning-oriented activities.
VI. Evaluation and Grade Assignment
A. Methods
Attendance/Preparation/Participation (15%). Regular attendance and thoughtful participation are crucial to your enjoyment of and success in this course. If there is absolutely no way for you to avoid missing a class, please contact me ahead of time or soon after your absence, preferably by email. More important than showing up on time, of course, is coming to class prepared and focused. I expect you to read what has been assigned for a given date at least once (and preferably more than that!) by the time we begin to discuss it in class, and to familiarize yourself with and think about the postings on the course ANGEL site's discussion board and on sf@sf, the course blog (described below and in Section VIIIB). This is a discussion rather than a lecture course, after all; although I will provide some context for and interpretations of our reading, the bulk of class time will be spent in small- or large-group discussions and activities. Since it's difficult to make good contributions to discussions about a literary work if you haven't read it carefully or thought about it extensively, how well you budget your time outside of class will to a large degree determine how well you do in this class in general and how well you do on this portion of your course grade in particular. Your grade for this segment of the course will be based on a combination of your attendance and your preparation/participation in class and on the course ANGEL site and/or blog. As there are no exams in this course, think of my evaluation of your preparation/participation as a different but equally important method of assessing your overall performance and improvement in the course. The quality of your online participation and preparation for your written and oral assignments will be factored into this grade. Due to the reliance on attendance of many aspects of preparation and participation, more than three unexcused absences will hurt your preparation/participation grade and each non-emergency absence after the fourth will lower your final course grade by one grade (e.g., with five such absences, a B+ will become a C+; with six, it will become a D+).
Discussion Forum (15%). Detailed instructions for using the course ANGEL site (https://fredonia.sln.suny.edu/default.asp) are given below (see Section VIIIB) and will be discussed in class. We will be using the site to distribute announcements, provide research and other resources, and collect certain assignments, so be in the habit of checking it regularly. To supplement and prepare for our class discussions and activities, as well as continue them after the end of class, I have created a discussion forum on our course ANGEL space. You should use it to develop your writing and critical thinking skills, demonstrate your engagement with the course material, and consider and respond to others' ideas and interpretations. For instance, you can, among other things,
Course Blog (20%). I will provide detailed information on the minimum of 4 posts (one on each author plus one comparative) you will contribute to the course blog, sf@sf, on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/mw8/cb.htm.
Group Discussion-Leading Project (20%). I will provide detailed information on the 35-to-50-minute group discussion-leading project on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/mw8/gdlp.htm.
Final Research Project (30%). I will provide detailed information on the 9-to-12-page final project on the course web site at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/simon/mw8/frp.htm. Possibilities include a research-based critical essay, a research-based pedagogical essay, a research-based creative project with author's note, or a research-based web authoring project. We will arrange for a mandatory individual conference on your final project topic before Thanksgiving break.
B. Grading. All work during the semester will be graded on a letter basis (A=outstanding, B=good, C=average, D=bad, F=awful) and converted into a number for purposes of calculating final grades. I use the following conversion system (the number in parentheses is the "typical" or "normal" conversion, but any number in the range may be assigned to a given letter grade):
A+=97-100 (98); A=93-96.99 (95); A-=90-92.99 (91); B+=87-89.99 (88); B=83-86.99 (85); B-=80-82.99 (81); C+=77-79.99 (78); C=73-76.99 (75); C-=70-72.99 (71); D+=67-69.99 (68); D=63-66.99 (65); D-=60-62.99 (61); F=0-59.99 (55)
Your final grade is determined by converting the weighted numerical average of the above assignments into a letter grade, according to the above scale.
C. Portfolio. All students should be aware of the English department's guidelines for ongoing portfolio submissions in their graduate program.
VII. Bibliography.
A. Contemporary References
B. Classic References
C. Key Journals
VIII. Course Schedule and Policies
A. Tentative Course Schedule. The following course schedule is subject to revision--please refer here regularly for updates to this schedule, notes on the texts, and suggestions for further reading.
M 8/24 introductions; course overview; which authors would you include in a course like this, and why?
W 8/26 forming teams; perceptions of fantasy fiction; definitions of major author
F 8/28 read Philip Marchand, "How Fantasy Took Over Science Fiction" (2009) and John Scalzi, "Science Fiction Outreach" (2005); post a response on the discussion board before class; come to class ready to discuss the essays and your responses
M 8/31 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Foreword-Book I, Ch. V (vii-122)
W 9/2 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Ch. VI-XII (123-242)
F 9/4 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Ch. 1-V (243-372)
M 9/7 NO CLASS: Labor Day
W 9/9 Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Ch. VI-X (373-458)
F 9/11 Tolkien, The Two Towers, Book III, Ch. I-V (1-115)
M 9/14 Tolkien, The Two Towers, Book III, Ch. VI-XI (116-228)
W 9/16 Tolkien, The Two Towers, Book IV, Ch. I-IV (229-303)
F 9/18 Tolkien, The Two Towers, Book IV, Ch. V-X (304-398)
M 9/21 Tolkien, The Return of the King, Book V, Ch. I-IV (1-100)
W 9/23 Tolkien, The Return of the King, Book V, Ch. V-X (101-177); GUEST APPEARANCE: Rachel Hoff, Master's Candidate, English Department, SUNY Fredonia
F 9/25 Tolkien, The Return of the King, Book VI, Ch. I- VI (178-289)
M 9/28 NO CLASS: Fall Break
W 9/30 Tolkien, The Return of the King, Book VI, Ch. VII-IX (290-340); Peter Beagle, "Foreword" (Tolkien iii); optional reading: Appendices A-F (341-466)
F 10/2 Please email me ASAP to let me know whether you plan to meet Dawn Eckenrode (Library) and Ann Siegle Drege (English) for a research session on literary studies at Reed Library or come to our regular classroom to have a discussion with Susan Lord (English) on Lord of the Rings and Tolkien
M 10/5 Donaldson, Lord Foul's Bane, Ch. 1-8 (1-114)
W 10/7 Donaldson, Lord Foul's Bane, Ch. 9-15 (115-281)
Th 10/8 PUBLIC LECTURE: Jeffrey Tucker, Associate Professor, English Department, University of Rochester, "The Necessity of Models, of Alternatives" (4:30 pm, S-121 Williams Center)
F 10/9 Donaldson, Lord Foul's Bane, Ch. 16-19 (281-376)
M 10/12 Donaldson, Lord Foul's Bane, Ch. 20-25 (376-474)
W 10/14 Donaldson, The Illearth War, Ch. 1-10 (1-161)
F 10/16 Donaldson, The Illearth War, Ch. 11-15 (162-262)
M 10/19 Donaldson, The Illearth War, Ch. 16-20 (262-398)
W 10/21 Donaldson, The Illearth War, Ch. 21-27 (399-518)
F 10/23 NO CLASS: Reading Day
M 10/26 Donaldson, The Power That Preserves, Ch. 1-3 (1-68)
W 10/28 Donaldson, The Power That Preserves, Ch. 4-10 (69-227)
F 10/30 Donaldson, The Power That Preserves, Ch. 11-15 (228-356)
M 11/2 Donaldson, The Power That Preserves, Ch. 16-21 (357-480)
W 11/4 Pullman, The Golden Compass, Part One, Ch. 1-9 (1-140)
F 11/6 Pullman, The Golden Compass, Part Two, Ch. 10-17 (141-265)
M 11/9 Pullman, The Golden Compass, Part Three, Ch. 18-23 (266-351)
W 11/11 Pullman, The Subtle Knife, Ch. 1-5 (1-102)
F 11/13 Pullman, The Subtle Knife, Ch. 6-10 (103-196)
M 11/16 Pullman, The Subtle Knife, Ch. 11-15 (197-288)
W 11/18 Pullman, The Amber Spyglass, Ch. 1-6 (1-69)
F 11/20 RESEARCH DAY: Fantasy Fiction (meet Dawn Eckenrode [Library] and Adrienne McCormick [English] at Reed Library)
M 11/23 - F 11/27 NO CLASSES: Thanksgiving Break
M 11/30 Pullman, The Amber Spyglass, Ch. 7-11 (70-131)
W 12/2 Pullman, The Amber Spyglass, Ch. 12-19 (132-240)
F 12/4 Pullman, The Amber Spyglass, Ch. 20-29 (241-351)
M 12/7 Pullman, The Amber Spyglass, Ch. 30-38 (352-465)
W 12/9 Tolkien, Donaldson, and Pullman; patterns; reflections
F 12/11 wrapping up; course evaluations
F 12/18 FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT due by 11:30 pm in the drop box in the "Lessons" area of the course ANGEL space
B. Class Policies
1. Attendance. As stated in Section VI above, barring emergencies any absence after the first will lower your final course grade by a full grade. Be aware that absences due to emergencies are the only absences that will not be counted toward your total for the semester. Emergencies include but are not limited to death in the family, hospitalization or serious illness, and natural disasters; scheduled and unavoidable school-sponsored events (games, meets, performances, etc.) are also counted as emergencies for the purpose of this attendance policy. Besides emergencies, the only other absences that won't affect your participation/preparation grade are excused absences. Please notify the instructor over email, in advance if possible and, if not, as soon after the absence as possible, if you wish an absence to be considered as an emergency or excused absence; the decision will be made at the instructor's discretion.
2. Online Participation. Please familiarize yourself with the college's Computer and Network Usage Policy in the University Catalog 2009-2010 and check with your instructor first before posting something to the course ANGEL space that is not directly related to the course.
3. Late Assignments. Online posts that are not well-timed with the course material and fail to spark other students' interest and responses will not count the same as well-timed posts or posts that do inspire further discussion. Late critical essays will not be accepted or graded. Only students who ask for an extension at least two days before the due date of any project will be granted an extension.
4. Plagiarism and Academic Integrity. To plagiarize is "to steal and pass off as one's own the ideas or words of another" (Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary). SUNY Fredonia strongly condemns plagiarism and takes severe action against those who plagiarize. Disciplinary action may extend to suspension from privileges or expulsion from college. Please familiarize yourself with the college's Academic Integrity Policy in the University Catalog 2009-2010 and check with your instructor if you have any questions about it.
5. Students with Disabilities. If you have a documented disability, please contact our Office of Disability Support Services in the Learning Center at Reed Library.
6. Cell Phones. Please turn them off before you enter the class. If you forget and yours rings, I'll be holding it the rest of the class.
ENGL 427: Major Writers, Fall 2009
Created: 8/26/09 9:41 am
Last modified: 10/21/09 3:34 pm
Webmaster: Bruce Simon, Associate Professor of English, SUNY Fredonia