Introduction to Literature University of Northern Iowa Fall 2012 English 1120 Section 07

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1 Time, Place: T/Th, 12:30-1:45, Sabin 23 Instructor: Phone: Office: Kim Groninga , leave a message 215 Baker Hall Office Hrs: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11:00-12:15 Introduction to Literature University of Northern Iowa Fall 2012 English 1120 Section 07 kim@groninga.com --OR-- kimberly.groninga@uni.edu Materials Needed Texts: Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi Persepolis 2, --- Satrapi The Girls on the Roof, Mary Swander Brother s Blood, Scott Cawelti Big Fish, Daniel Wallace North American Review (Nov/Dec 2008 issue, available in Baker 24) Internet Access (bookmark Course Description Without readers, literature is only words on a page (or screen, stage, recording). What makes literature matter is the lives and people surrounding it. This means that much of the journey of this course is yet to be determined... by YOU. Along this journey, we will read/view and discuss a variety of literature (graphic novel, film, theatre, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, video essay, visual art) from a variety of authors/artists (men, women, young, old, American, Iranian, contemporary and from centuries ago.) I assume that you have already been introduced to literature. Chances are you have been immersed in literature since you first laid eyes on a book of ABCs or Hop on Pop (Seuss). This course will introduce you to more, maybe different, literature. This course will introduce you to others (people, ideas, cultures) through literature. This course will introduce you to new ways of talking about literature. Regarding Interpretation: There are many different ways to read a given text and the meaning lies not in the text itself but in the intersection of the text with the reader. Even so, not all interpretations are equally valid. As a college-level student of literature, you must carefully analyze a text, draw conclusions, and provide support for those conclusions directly from the text in question. In this course, it is not enough to simply paraphrase the content of a work. English 1120 / Introduction to Literature Groninga Fall 2012 Syllabus, page 1 of 7

2 Additional Information Attendance: You are required to attend each class meeting and be prepared to work. We will work in groups and do many in-class assignments. You will learn from other students, and they will learn from you. Do not underestimate the knowledge, experience, and skills you bring to the group. If you are not in class, we miss the benefit of your input and you miss the contributions of the rest of us. That said, attendance will be taken at every class period. Work done in class cannot be made up. Each student is allowed two absences. Beyond those two, each absence will result in a 5-point deduction from the student s final grade. Format for Papers: All papers must be typed, double-spaced, and in a normal typeface with an appropriate size (12 point). Use MLA style for headings, margins, page numbering, and all source documentation. No cover sheets, please. No report covers, please. Homework Assignments: TBA Cell Phones: Cell phones are allowed but must be set to silent. Please answer only emergency calls and step into the hallway to do so. No texting in class. Assistance from the Writing Center: You can get friendly (and free!) one-on-one writing assistance from the Writing Center. The Writing Center, located in 007 ITTC, is open Monday - Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or at other arranged times. Call for an appointment. Save all your essays and other work from the course until the end of the semester. Help to create a climate of trust and respect so everyone will share ideas openly. How to be successful in this class: 1) Attend Class. 2) Revise. Good ideas and good writing do not happen spontaneously not even for professional writers. Good writing results when the writer (that s you!) is willing to get ideas down on paper and then think about them later, adding to, deleting, and reorganizing what was said. 3) Proofread. 4) Stay focused and caught up. Follow the syllabus, come to class having completed the homework, and keep your eyes on the prize:. Students Special Needs: Students with disabilities or special needs should feel free to contact the instructor privately if there are adaptations which can be made to accommodate specific needs. Academic Honesty: The assignments in this course ask for your original writing. When you use any ideas or wording borrowed from another writer or speaker, you must clearly identify the source of that material, using standard documentation. If you do not use documentation, it will appear that you are plagiarizing or presenting someone else s work as your own. Evidence of plagiarism will result in immediate loss of credit for that assignment and will be reported to academic affairs. English 1120 / Introduction to Literature Groninga Fall 2012 Syllabus, page 2 of 7

3 Course Schedule (tentative) Week one (August 21 & 23) Tue: What is Literature? Handout Crossword Legos Thu: Crossword Due Syllabus Contract Assign Nametags Assign Persepolis background topics Persepolis (graphic novel, film) Week two (August 28 & 30) Tue: Nametags Due Introduction to the Graphic Novel Introduction to/context of Persepolis Assign Narrative Graphic Essay Thu: Read Persepolis (Introduction and pages 3-71) generate content, graphic essay HOMEWORK: All readings and other underlined items in this schedule must be completed prior to the class period for which they are assigned. When you read pieces online, you must either print the document or take good notes for class discussion. Week three (September 4 & 6) Tue: Read Persepolis (72-end) Thu: Read Persepolis 2 (1-103) Week four (September 11 & 13) Tue: Read Persepolis 2 (103-end) View Film (in class) Thu: Finish Film Discuss Men & Women (fiction, nonfiction, video essay) Week five (September 18 & 20) Tue: Narrative Graphic Essays Due Read Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell (online) Thu: View Zero Station by John Bresland (online) Week six (September 25 & 27) Tue: Read Rape Fantasies by Margaret Atwood (handout) Thu: Read A Worn Path by Eudora Welty (online) The Girls on the Roof (poetry) Week seven (October 2 & 4) Tue: How to talk about poetry Assign Poetry Explication Thu: Read The Girls on the Roof (13-52) Week eight (October 9 & 11) Tue: Read The Girls on the Roof (53-96) Thu: Finish The Girls on the Roof English 1120 / Introduction to Literature Groninga Fall 2012 Syllabus, page 3 of 7

4 Cancer (nonfiction, poetry, lecture) Week nine (October 16 & 18) Tue: Read Cancer Winter by Marilyn Hacker (handout) Thu: Read Mastectomy by Frances Burney (online) View The Letter (in class) Week ten (October 23 & 25) Tue: Poetry Explication Due Read Malignancy of Beginnings by Rafael Torch (NAR) Thu: View The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (in class) Brother s Blood (true crime) Week eleven (October 30 & November 1) Tue: Read Brother s Blood (pages TBA) Assign Writing Prompt Essay Thu: Read Brother s Blood (pages TBA) Week twelve (November 6 & 8) Tue: Read Brother s Blood (pages TBA) Thu: Cawelti Visit North American Review (literary magazine) Week thirteen (November 13 & 15) Tue: Introduction to and History of the North American Review magazine assignment Thu: North American Review presentations due *** Thanksgiving Break November *** Big Fish (fiction, film) Week fourteen (November 27 & 29) Tue: Read Big Fish (part 1) Writing Prompt Essay Due Thu: Read Big Fish (parts 2 and 3) Week fifteen (December 4 & 6) Tue: View Film (in class) Thu: Finish Film Discuss Distribute Final Exam Finals Week (December 10 14) Take-Home Finals due at scheduled exam time English 1120 / Introduction to Literature Groninga Fall 2012 Syllabus, page 4 of 7

5 How You will Earn your Grade Narrative Graphic Essay* Poetry Explication* Writing Prompt Essay* Reading Journal* Two Literary Event Responses* Final/Essay Exam* Pop Quizzes Homework Assignments Participation (50/each) points/each (Quizzes cannot be made up) TBA 50 points Be an active participant in your own education. Contribute your voice as practice for life and for the benefit of this class. Late Papers: For full credit, all papers and assignments must be turned in before or during class on the day they are due. Late papers and assignments will lose 5 points each class day they are late. FINAL GRADES will be based on percentage of points earned and will be assigned letter grades as follows: A 94% and above A % B % B 84-87% B % C % C 74-77% C % D % D 64-67% D % * A student will not receive a passing grade regardless of percentage of points unless he or she completes all major assignments. F 59% and below English 1120 / Introduction to Literature Groninga Fall 2012 Syllabus, page 5 of 7

6 Assignment Details Narrative Graphic Essay () A narrative graphic essay is a true story about something significant in the writer s life presented in graphic novel/comic format. Students should pay close attention to figures and faces, captions and speech balloons, layout choices (panels, frames, gutters, background, shading) and story development. This assignment may be created by hand or computer, or a combination of both. Stick figures are acceptable. Successful essays will likely begin with early sketches and story boards. Please do not turn in your only copy. If you create this assignment by hand, please make photocopies before turning in. Poetry Explication () A poetry explication is an essay offering a close reading of a single poem. This essay should begin with an overall interpretation of the poem and should, throughout the essay, support that interpretation by discussing the poem s details. Students should consider implications of specific word choices, historical context, tone, symbolism, author biography, themes, and/or poetic devices. Students should NOT refer to outside sources for others interpretations of the poem but may use sources to discover how the poet s biography might provide further support for their interpretations. Students may use nearly any poem for this assignment. (No Chicken Soup for the Soul; no Hallmark verse; no Footprints in the Sand. See me if uncertain.) Include a works cited page and an appendix with a copy of the poem. MLA style. Writing Prompt Essay () Topics for this essay will be presented in class as scheduled and will be related to the course readings which have been covered up to that point. Students might begin by combining the writing prompt with an idea expressed in either their journal or in class. Students might begin by locating an academic article related to a chosen text and freewrite a response playing devil s advocate with the article s author. Regardless of approach, this essay must go beyond a retelling of the narrative or summary of the work s main points. Students should explore, articulate, and support their ideas using close examination of the text as well as additional academic sources such as journal articles and interviews. An A essay is well-developed and well-supported, clear and specific, lively and engaging, keenly edited, and carefully proofread. MLA style. Include a works cited page. Reading Journal () Students are required to write thoughtful responses (in the format of a typed journal) over the assigned material. The purpose of this exercise is to give students an opportunity to discover, explore, and express, in their own words, their understanding of the narratives, themes, imagery, symbolism, and historical and social contexts present in the readings. Journals are due at the beginning of the final exam and should contain the following clearly marked entries: 1. Persepolis (the novel) 2. Persepolis (the film) 3. Shooting an Elephant 4. Zero Station 5. Rape Fantasies 6. A Worn Path 7. Girls on the Roof 8. Cancer Winter 9. Mastectomy 10. Malignancy of Beginnings 11. The Last Lecture 12. Brother s Blood 13. Big Fish (the novel) 14. Big Fish (the film) English 1120 / Introduction to Literature Groninga Fall 2012 Syllabus, page 6 of 7

7 Two Literary Event Responses (50 points/each) Students must attend and report on two literary events throughout the semester. These reports should be simple summary/response reports and must be typed, double-spaced, and in MLA style. Watch your UNI newsfeed as well as class announcements for qualifying events. Here are some of the possible events you might attend (which include readings from two of our authors!) Final Thursday Reading Series: (Hearst Center for the Arts; 304 West Seerley) Larry Baker Thursday, August 30 Larry Baker is the author of novels including The Flamingo Rising and A Good Man. His most recent work is Love and Other Delusions. Dave Gibson Thursday, September 27 Dave Gibson is the author of the new essay collection, Pallet King and Tales from the File. Mary Swander Thursday, October 25 **6:00 p.m. start time** Mary Swander is the Poet Laureate of Iowa and author of Farmscape: The Changing Rural Environment. Tonight's event features a 6 p.m. Farmscape release party prior to the regular open mic at 7:15. Mary Swander will be the featured reader at 8 p.m. Scott Cawelti Thursday, November 29 Scott Cawelti is the author of Brother's Blood: A Heartland Cain and Abel. He is also a longtime editorial columnist for The Courier. Now in its 12th season, the Final Thursday Reading Series features guest regional authors and provides a forum where local writers can share their own work. FREE to the public. Open mic signup is at 7:00. You are invited to share your best five minutes of original poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. The open mic begins at 7:15 and the featured author takes the stage at 8:00. There will be a short question-andanswer period as time allows. Sponsored by Final Thursday Press; The Hearst Center for the Arts; The University of Northern Iowa College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences; and Cup of Joe. English 1120 / Introduction to Literature Groninga Fall 2012 Syllabus, page 7 of 7

Anthony Donaldson, Jr Office Hours- Keene-Flint Hall 213- W 12:00-1:50 P.M. and by appointment History Department

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