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Prof. Jim Garrett
Office: E & T A608
Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs. 9-9:45am, Thurs. 3:30-6pm and by appt
Phone: (323) 343-4163
Email: jgarret@calstatela.edu
Course web site: http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/jgarret/441/
Course
Description: English 441 introduces students to the scholarly and critical
discourses of literary studies. This course is intended to serve as an
intensive and focused introduction to the historical development of
literary and critical theory.
Learning
Outcomes:
Students in English 441 will learn to
□
Consider the philosophical and theoretical foundations of
literary study;
□
Identify major critical and theoretical questions and
debates that have shaped the history of critical theory and literary
criticism;
□
Recognize and explain the relevance of historical and
contemporary theories;
□
Develop cogent, incisive, and well-written arguments that
analyze and compare the claims, assumptions, strengths, and weaknesses
of critical and theoretical arguments;
□
Become producers of critical, textual, and theoretical
knowledge.
Textbooks: The
following texts are required for this class:
Richter,
David. The Critical Tradition:
Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. Third Edition.
Other
texts when necessary will be made available online.
Course Requirements: While the amount of reading in this class is not particularly great, much of it is difficult and will require not merely reading but re-reading. You will need to be diligent about planning ahead and completing your tasks on time. Listed below are the required assignments for this course. Please note that students must complete all assignments to pass this class.
- Three response papers (approx. 2 pages each) (10 points each, 30 points total-15% of total)
- One argumentative essay (approx. 4-5 pages) (50 points-25% of total)
- A take-home midterm exam (short answers and identifications, and essay questions) (50 points-25% of total)
- A final exam (short answers, short answer identification questions, and one essay question). (50 points-25% of total)
- Attendance and in-class activities (quizzes, in class writing, etc.). (20 points-10% of total)
Policies
Grading
Policy: Course grades are based on standard percentages (i.e.
90% and greater is some version of an A, 80%-89% is some version of a B
and so on). Plus and minus grades are used in the class.
Cell
Phones and Other Electronic Devices: Please turn off all cell
phones, pagers, portable radios, televisions, computers,
MP3/CD/Disc/Mini-disc players, and any other electronic communication
and/or entertainment devices before coming to class.
Contacting
the Instructor: Email is the most effective way of contacting
the instructor.
Attendance:
Be there or miss out on the fun.
Please
read the assigned texts before class. Often I will offer some guidelines
about future reading assignments in class. For example, I might tell you
to focus on a particular character or scene for the next class meeting.
If you are absent, you are responsible for getting the assignment from a
classmate.
Written
Assignments: Please note the following carefully when preparing
your written assignments for this class:
¨
Written assignments must be typed following standard
formatting practices for college writing—use a readable type style (12
point type), indent paragraphs, double space between lines, and use one
inch margins. Any style guide will contain information on formatting
your written assignments for submission.
¨
Edit and proofread your work carefully before handing in
written assignments
¨
Do not use plastic covers or report folders or title pages
on your written assignments. Each assignment, though, should have your
name, the course number, the date, and my name on separate lines
(double-spaced) in the upper left corner of the first page. If the paper
has a title, center it on the first page, after the above information.
¨
Use page numbers and place them in the upper right corner
of the page. If you are uncertain how to have word processing software
generate the correct page number in the header of your document, ask
someone in one of the labs.
¨
MLA format and style conventions should be followed for
all written assignments (essays and responses). For more information on
MLA format and style conventions, see The MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers, the appropriate section of a recent (published
after 2000) writer’s handbook, or one of the many reputable online
sources.
¨
Late papers are not accepted. The assignment due dates are
distributed on the first day of class, and the assignments are made
available often weeks before they are due.
Academic
Dishonesty/Cheating: Collaborating with others is encouraged
when you are planning your papers, reviewing each other’s work,
preparing for presentations or for exams. Study or reading groups can be
effective ways to study and learn. However, when you write your papers,
the text needs to be your own.
¨
You must carefully observe the standard rules for
acknowledging the sources of words and ideas. If you make use of a
phrase or a quote or if you paraphrase another writer’s words or
ideas, you must acknowledge the source of these words or ideas telling
us the source of these materials. APA and MLA style differ on the exact
format of this attribution, but the simple version is the name of the
author and the page number (if appropriate) in parentheses at the end of
the sentence containing the use of the source material. If you fail to
acknowledge properly the source of your text, you will receive a zero on
the assignment and be reported to the Student Disciplinary Officer.
¨
If you plagiarize or otherwise misrepresent the source of
your work, you will receive a zero on the assignment and be reported to
the Student Disciplinary Officer.