Siobhan Craft Brownson
 ENGL300 – Approaches to Literature
Required Texts

And Materials

 Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2007.

Conrad, Joseph. "The Secret Sharer." Ed. Daniel R. Schwarz. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism Series. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1997.

Harmon, William and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. 11th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2008.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009.

"The Correct Use of Borrowed Information."

"Writing/English Rubric."

A Winthrop University e-mail account

1 BLUEBOOK – available at the Bookworm

Harris, Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage
Course Goals 1.Knowledge of Literature – within the literature area students will demonstrate knowledge of various forms of written texts, major periods in the history of English, American, and world literature, and standard terminology of literary analysis (Goals for Department of English 1).

2. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the impact of gender and culture on literature; and its standard terminology (1.2, 1.6).

3. Students will demonstrate knowledge of standard reference tools, methods, and forms of documentation in scholarly research (1.7).43. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the English language and familiarity with the standards of grammar, mechanics, and usage generally accepted in the academic community (2.1, 2.2).

4. To develop advanced communication skills, students will write thoughtful, well-organized essays conforming to standards of grammar, mechanics, and usage, including research papers on appropriate language and literature topics that demonstrate correct use of standard reference tools and methods, and of primary and secondary sources and providing proper documentation of sources. Students will construct persuasive arguments based on careful analysis and deliberation (3).

5. Students will critically analyze and interpret written and non-written texts (e.g. TV, film, and oral presentations) and demonstrate their ability to present coherent, defensible critical positions based on their analyses (4).

6. Students will demonstrate their ability to use technology in the study of language, literature, and communication by demonstrating effective use of existing technologies to research, prepare, and present information (5).
Learning Outcomes I see this course as an introduction to the profession of literary studies and I expect you to participate as young professionals who are dedicated to the study of your discipline. To that end:

1. Students will practice and master the standard research methods and resources particular to the discipline of English Language and Literature Studies.

2. Students will create effective search strategies by employing print and technological library sources, including books, articles, and abstracts retrieved from the Dacus Online Catalogue and the MLA print and electronic formats.

3. Students will identify the major movements and theorists in literary criticism; to evaluate the products of literary criticism and clearly communicate those findings in writing and discussion.

4. Students will discuss and apply theoretical approaches to specific literary texts.

5. Students will construct effective bibliographies and critical analyses.

6. Students will practice and improve the composition of the clear and cogent scholarly prose expected of the discipline.

English Dept.

Goals

 Goals for courses in the Department of English can be found at www.winthrop.edu/english/goals/htm. My goals for ENGL300 specifically focus on and are derived from the sections on Knowledge of Literature, Knowledge of Language, Composing and Communication Skills, Critical Analysis, Diversity, Attitudes and Practices, and Opportunities.
Teacher Licensure Students in the English teaching licensure track can find links to the National Council of Accreditation of Teachers of English (NCATE) and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) standards on the English Department’s web page at www.winthrop.edu/english.
Work Standards Assignments should be computer generated using ONLY Times New Roman Font, 12 point font size, 1 inch margins, double spaced. Please give your assignments titles, but do not use a title page nor use report covers. Please do not hand in a diskette or e-mail me a copy of your paper. Assignments must be submitted to me in hard copy on the due date as well as electronically to turnitin.com. COPY YOUR ASSIGNMENTS TO YOUR SYSTEM’S HARD DRIVE.
Attendance Because class discussion is crucial to the success of this course and because your class participation is an aspect of your final grade, your alert and prepared presence is wanted and needed in this class and I expect you to attend every class meeting. Students who miss more than four classes will receive a failing grade for the course. No distinction is made between "excused" and "unexcused" absences. Students who are tardy must notify me after class that they are present. Two tardies in excess of five minutes will equal one absence. I will discuss student emergencies and special situations with individuals on a case-by-case basis. Refer to the 2009-2010 Winthrop University Undergraduate Catalog for university attendance policies. Students are responsible for finding out what they missed during their absence.
Class Participation Perhaps the most challenging aspect of this course is the amount of juggling of various tasks you will be required to undertake. While it is difficult to complete a writing assignment and reading assignment for the same class period, you are responsible for both on a significant number of days throughout the semester. You are expected to complete reading assignments whether or not you also have a writing assignment due that day. Should I find that students are not preparing to participate in a discussion of the readings, I reserve the right to begin giving reading quizzes in lieu of the participation grade.
Final Exam Your final exam is an in-class cumulative exam. You will be asked to identify the critical approach an author takes in a selection of passages as well as to justify and explain your reasons for choosing that approach. You will also be asked to choose a critical stance toward either a short poem or short fiction piece and to write an essay in which you adopt that stance. To help you prepare for the final, I suggest you begin to keep a notebook or a set of note cards in which you list the major features and practitioners of each approach. This preparation will provide you with a useful study guide for the final exam.
Due Dates Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late assignments will be penalized one letter grade for every day they are late, beginning with the due date. Assignments over one week late will not be accepted. I will discuss student emergencies or special situations with individuals on a case-by-case basis. Refer to the 2009-2010 Winthrop University Undergraduate Catalog for university policies on late and make-up work.
Communication I check my e-mail, M-F, twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the afternoon. Restrict e-mail communications to brief questions that I can easily address through a reply OR for emergencies to which you must alert me immediately. Other queries are best handled over the phone. Please leave a detailed message on my voice mail if I am out of the office or on another call. I return phone messages promptly; they have priority over e-mail.
Academic honesty The entire Winthrop University community takes plagiarism very seriously and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Penalties for plagiarism can range between, but are not limited to, a failing grade on the plagiarized paper or exam to a failing grade in the course. ALL WORK FOR THIS COURSE IS TO BE ORIGINAL AND PREPARED ONLY FOR THIS COURSE. Please familiarize yourselves with the university’s policies on academic honesty in the 2009-2010 Winthrop University Undergraduate Catalogue and the English department’s statement concerning plagiarism at www.winthrop.edu/english/plagiarism; the latter has a link to the Student Code of Conduct.
Turnitin.com We will be using turnitin.com this semester. Please make sure you go to the Dacus Library home page to access turnitin.com so that you can register for the class. ID number and password are as follows:

ID – 2825206 Password – Bressler

You are required to submit your out of class essays to turnitin.com by 5:00 on the day following the due date of the essay. Essays not submitted to turnitin.com will not be graded.

Students with disabilities Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education.  If you have a disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290.  Once you have your official notice of accommodations from Services for Students with Disabilities, please inform me as early as possible in the semester.
Requirements Your assignments are weighted as follows:
*a. Annotated Bibliography of secondary sources for your chosen text- 10%
b. Three short essays on different critical approaches – 5% each=15%
*c. Review of literature available for your chosen text - 10%

*d. Casebook – to include four published articles on your chosen text, each preceded by short critical essays written by you – 20%
*e. Critical essay on your chosen text - 20%
f. Class participation on assigned readings OR Reading quizzes – 5%
g. Final exam – 20%
All course requirements MUST be met in order for a student to be eligible for passing the course.


* You will choose a text with which to work for the entire semester. You will base the four starred assignments on that text. You may choose a favorite work or one that you have always wanted to study, keeping in mind that you will be writing extensively about this work and from several critical approaches. Your goal will be to select four excellent critical articles representing four different theoretical approaches that might be included in a casebook of your chosen text. Your own critical essay will be the fifth article and should represent a fifth critical approach that differs from the other four.
Grading scale 94-100=A, 91-93=A-, 87-90=B+, 81-86=B, 77-80=C+, 71-76=C, 67-70=D+, 61-66=D, 0-59=F, 71-100=S, 0-70=U. I adapt the English/Writing Rubric for this course, keeping in mind the general standards used for 300-level courses. The rubric may be found at http://www.winthrop.edu/english/rubric/htm.
Student listservs Please make sure you have an active Winthrop email account. Periodically I may find it necessary to communicate with the class as a whole and I use the course listserv for that purpose rather than individual email accounts.
Classroom Etiquette Please make sure all electronic devices are turned off and PUT AWAY before class begins.
Department

Web Sites

 The home page is at http://www.winthrop.edu/english. The site for core courses is at http://www.winthrop.edu/english/core. All links mentioned above can be found on the home page.