TOP Attendance Evaluation ENG 190W , Fall 2005, Melvin J. Hoffman. Dpt. Xtt.: 5416/7; Dpt. Fax: 878-5700. E-mail Webpage INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 3, 3/0 Prerequisites ENG 101 and ENG 102, or the equivalent. An introduction to the basics of literary analysis and interpretation. The basic type of responses to literature, the defining characteristics of poetry and fiction, and skills of close reading of literary texts (literary interpretation). Students should take this class immediately after completing their freshman writing requirement or within the first year of transferring into the English major. ****************************************************************************************** Textbooks: Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. 2nd. Ed. _The Bedford Glossary of Critical & Literary Terms._ Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 2003. Kennedy, X. J. and Dana Gioia. _Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama._ 9th. Ed. Longman, 2004. ****************************************************************************************** MAJOR OBJECTIVES: Students will: A. Define and practice various types of responses to literature: the personal, topical, formal, and interpretive and demonstrate the differences among them through oral and written responses. B. Practice responding to literature through this wide range of responses (listed above) in order to discover types of responses that enhance the close reading of texts and what types inhibit that close interaction and reading. C. Practice, at length, interpretive and analytical writing about poetry and fiction using the basic premises of close reading. The goal here is to move students to internalize the idea that sophisticated, educated readings of texts focus on careful and complex inter- actions with words and ideas originating in the text. D. Understand 1) that personal and topical responses, in them- selves, are not interpretive or analytical in nature; and 2) that good analytical writing often is inspired by a critical stance rooted in one's personal sense of the world and literature. Students will work toward this understanding by reading comments on papers by instructors, by revising, and by reading each other's work in order to see what strengthens a good analysis and what weakens one. E. Identify and define the distinguishing characteristics of poetry and fiction and demonstrate ways this knowledge can enhance an analytical/interpretive paper. F. Be introduced to basic notions of literary theory that interpretation arises out of complicated inter- actions among readers (of differing genders, classes, races, educational levels, et), texts, and contexts (cultural, historical, literary, etc), but that literary criticism is a genre with distinguishing characteristics. TOPICAL OUTLINE: A. Definitions of basic types of responses to literature: personal, topical, formal, interpretive and the inter- relationships among them. B. Practice in applying all these responses to literature in oral and written responses. This part of the course will be conducted with each new piece of literature read and will be ongoing; its focus will be to highlight how early, preliminary responses are as potentially dangerous as helpful when moving to interpretation. C. Introduction of specific types of literature and their defining characteristics. 1. Poetry: metaphor, simile, meter, metonymy, allusion, and image, and other figures of speech and conventions of form and meter. 2. Fiction: characterization, narrative structure, exposition, voice, theme, conflict, denouement, tone, and other aspects of style and technique. D. Practicing interpretive essays, the close reading of texts incorporating the skills and ideas developed above will be conducted throughout the class. (Students will write, receive feedback on, and revise at least four formal papers, each of which will also be read by their peers in class and commented upon by them.) E. Critical stances and theoretical approaches such as feminism, liberal humanism, psychoanalysis, Marxism, formalism, historicism will be mentioned at relevant points throughout the term. (Often, these discussions will be prompted by student writing.) ATTENDANCE Attendance taking begins after adjustment day. After six absences, I deduct one point from your accumulated points. NO DISTINCTION IS MADE BETWEEN EXCUSED AND UNEXCUSED ABSENCES. Though absences may not be your fault, innocence does not equal attendance. The six class-hour absences are intended to cover advisement, registration and work conflicts; court appearances; family crises; field and team- away trips; funerals; illnesses; jury and military duty; religious holidays, vehicular failure, and weather delays etc. six class-hour absences are already more than 10% of the semester's meetings. Innocence is not equivalent to attendance. After add day, I pass out an attendance sheet at the beginning (and occasionally, without prior notice, at the end) of class. Pre-notified departures, may or may not, result in no, to varied, deductions-- depending upon how much time is lost. Unannounced departures (leaving class early without having told me in advance) receive 2/3 of a point deduction. TOP ****************************************************************************************** EVALUATION MEASURES: 14 Short Essays, 10 Two-Paragraph Analyses of Criti- 25 x 4 cal Approaches & 1 Exam-Critique at 4 points apiece: = 100 Maximum Pos- sible Score Assignment Grading Template: Title on the assignment 0.2 Please use the title of the device or the critical theory under examination. DO NOT USE an assignment number, a date, or a title of your own Assignment is proper length 0.2 One assignment copy has student name 0.2 There is a second assignment copy 0.2 2nd. assignment copy lacks student name 0.2 --- 1.0 Conforms to grammar, spelling and punctuation conventions-- Exceeds Expectations 1.0 Meets " 0.7 Below " 0.3 Unsatisfactory 0.0 --- 1.0 Conforms to writing instructions & (in essays) con- forms to close reading & to MLA format requirements-- Exceeds Expectations 2.0 Meets " 1.3 Below " 0.7 Unsatisfactory 0.0 --- 2.0 --- Possible Grand Total for Assignment: 4.0 Scores ending in .4, .3, .2, .1 round down; those ending in .5, .6, .7, .8 & .9 round up. TOP ****************************************************************************************** Behavior conveying disrepect or rudeness toward anyone based on age, race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or marital, veteran or socio-economic status as well as other behavior--in the instructor's opinion-- disruptive to the educational process may result in the instructor's having a student removed from the classroom and in charges brought against a student pursuant to Buffalo State College's Procedure Regarding Disruptive Individuals. IF YOU HAVE A DISABILITY OR SUSPECT THAT YOU HAVE A DISABILITY THAT REQUIRES ANY KIND OF ACCOMODATION TO FULFILL THE RE- QUIREMENTS OF THIS COURSE, PLEASE CON- TACT THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AT 878-4500 ****************************************************************************************** 190W COURSEWORK CALENDAR FOR FALL 2005 All Work must be typed/printed. No handwritten work will be accepted. TWO COPIES of all work must be handed in: one WITH the student's name (returned), the other, WITHOUT the student's name (retained). Copies of all work must be retained for assessment purposes to satisfy requirements of accreditation bodies and other agencies; however, NY State Right-to-Privacy Laws forbid the identification of individual students on such work. 1. Between Wed. Sept. 7 and Dec. 5, every Mon. & Wed. will have an assignment due. 2. Every week will have one literature assignment. 3. In a week with both a Mon. and a Wed. meeting, the Mon. will be a literature assignment, and the Wed. will be an assignment on criticism. 4. Put the name of the book section which your assignment ad- dresses on every assignment which you turn in. Your own title, a date, or an assignment number are not acceptable substitutes. AUG. M 29 None W 31 None SEP. F 2 M 5 Labor Day W 7 *Read pp. 3-22; do the writing assignment on "Reading a Story," p. 22. (one page.) F 9 M 12 *Read pp. 23-29; do the writing assignment on "Point of View," pp. 89-90. (2/3 pp.) W 14 *Read pp. 2202b-2207t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Formalist Cri- ticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 16 M 19 *Read pp. 91-123; do the writing assignment on "Character," p. 123. (one page) W 21 *Read pp. 2207b-2212t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Biographical Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 23 M 26 *Read pp. 124-169; do the writing assignment on "Setting," p. 169. (1 or 2 pp.) W 28 *Read pp. 2212b-2218t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Historical Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 30 OCT. M 3 *Read pp. 170-211; do the writing assignment on "Tone and Style," p. 211. (2 or 3 pp.) W 5 *Read pp. 2218b-2223t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Psychological Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 7 M 10 Columbus Day W 12 *Read pp. 212-250; do the writing assignment on "Theme," p. 250. (1 or 2 pp.) F 14 M 17 *Read pp. 251-279; do the writing assignment on "Symbol," p. 279. (2 or 3 pp.) W 19 *Read pp. 2223b-2227t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Mythological Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 21 M 24 *Read pp. 701-716; do the writing assignment on "Reading a Poem," p. 716. (1 or 2 pp.) W 26 *Read pp. 2227b-2231t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Sociological Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 28 M 31 *Read pp. 717-744; do the writing assignment on "Listening for a Voice," p. 744. (2 or 3 pp.) NOV. W 2 *Read pp. 2231b-2235t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Gender Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 4 M 7 *Read pp. 749-775; do the writing assignment on "Words," p. 775. (2 pp.) W 9 *Read 2235b-2240t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Reader-Response Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 11 VETERANS' DAY M 14 *Read pp. 776-789; do the writing assignment on "Saying & Suggesting," p. 789. (2 or 3 pp.) W 16 *Read pp. 2240b-2245t; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Deconstructionist Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes. F 18 M 21 *Read pp.790-808; do the writing assignment on "Imagery," p. 809. (2 or 3 pp.) M 28 *Read pp. 814-836; do the writing assignment on "Figures of Speech," p. 836. (2 or 3 pp.) W 30 *Read pp. 2245b-2251; write one paragraph listing three concerns which Cultural Criticism includes and another paragraph listing three concerns which it excludes DEC. F 2 M 5 *Read pp. 837-859; do the writing assignment on "Song," p. 860. (3 or 4 pp.) W 7 CEP *In-class Critique on a work not previously assigned and about which students will not be told beforehand. (Critique from a cold reading.) T and B following page numbers refers to the TOP and BOTTOM portions of the respective pages. Homepage Syllabi