Courses

ENG 3353.50

The Twentieth Century English Novel

Spring 2007

Course Name, Number, and Description:  ENG 33533.50.  The Twentieth Century English Novel. The Texas Woman's University General Catalog 2005-2007 describes ENG 3353 in this way: "Analysis of works by the major novelists from 1900 to the present, including such figures as Conrad, Joyce, Waugh, and Greene.  Prerequisite: Nine hours of English.  Three lecture hours a week.  Credit: Three hours."

This course has not been approved to fulfill the requirements of the core curriculum.  In most degree plans (such as the degree plans for the BA in English and some degree plans for degrees in Education), it fulfills the requirement for an upper-level English literature or a novels course.  Often it is taken as an elective.

Please note that this course is taught entirely asynchronously online.  If you have never taken a Blackboard course before or have questions about the format of the class, please contact me at rgreer@mail.twu.edu and arrange for an individual orientation with me during my office hours.  Please note also that there is no in-class final examination for the course, but I do require that you post a capstone final examination project (which includes a ten-page research paper that uses multiple sources) in a forum that I will provide on Blackboard and on the plagiarism-checking website www.turnitin.com.

Faculty Contact Information: Office Location, Phone, Hours:
Russell Greer, Ph.D.  Associate Professor.  Office: CFO 803.  E-mail: rgreer@twu.edu. Fax: (940) 898-2297 (English Department).  Office telephone: (940) 898-2346. Website: www.russellgreer.com

Most students find they can communicate with me quickly through the course itself online or by e-mail (rgreer@twu.edu).  In addition, I will host office hours by appointment in CFO 803 from 9-noon and 1-4 p.m. on Fridays throughout the Spring 2007 semester unless otherwise indicated.  If I cannot hold regular office hours, I will make an announcement on my web site. I am typically not available in my office at other times, but I am available by phone and online.  You may also leave me a voice mail at (940) 898-2346.  I usually check for messages once a day (typically in the evenings) and try to return calls promptly during the semester.

Course Goals

1.  The student will explore key ideas associated with the development of the modern novel, especially as it appears in England. 

2.  The student will study six important English novels in their intercultural and literary contexts, a major recent book on the modern novel, and examine how to engage in the discourse of this subject (by using a textbook that teaches a critical method).

3.  The student will conduct research with primary and secondary sources in the scholarship associated with the modern novel.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1.  In six reading quizzes, students will demonstrate their understanding of six important modern English novels. 

2. In weekly postings to discussion forums and other informal assignments, the student will demonstrate critical and aesthetic understanding of the modern novel. 

3. The student will submit a research paper of at least ten pages as part of a capstone final examination portfolio that uses primary and secondary sources effectively and demonstrates critical understanding of the assigned reading.

List of textbooks and supplies: 

1.  The Secret Agent (1907. Modern Library. ISBN: 0812973054) by Joseph Conrad;

2.  The Rainbow (1915. Oxford World's Classics. ISBN: 0192835246) by D.H. Lawrence;

3.  To the Lighthouse (1927. Harvest Books. ISBN: 0156907399) by Virginia Woolf;

4.  The Quiet American (1955. Penguin.  ISBN: 014024350X) by Graham Greene;

5.  Written on the Body (1992. Vintage.  ISBN: 0679744479) by Jeanette Winterson;

6.  The Inheritance of Loss (2006.  Grove Press.  ISBN: 0802142818) by Kiran Desai.

7.  The Modern Novel: A Short Introduction by Jesse Matz (2004. Blackwell. ISBN 1-4051-0049-4)

8.    They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (W.W. Norton. ISBN: 0393924092).

Suggested: A Guide to MLA Documentation by Joseph Trimmer (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.  ISBN: 0618338055) or an English handbook with MLA style information such as The Bedford Handbook by Diana Hacker (ISBN 0-312-44337-4).

Disability Statement:
”Texas Woman's University seeks to provide appropriate academic adjustments for all individuals with disabilities.  The University will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines, specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with respect to providing appropriate academic adjustments to afford equal educational opportunity.  It is the responsibility of the student to register with and provide medical verification and academic schedules to Disability Support Services (DSS) at the beginning of each semester and no later than the second week of school in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate academic adjustment.  For further information regarding Disability Support Services or to register for assistance, please )contact the office at 898-3835 (voice, 898-3830 (TDD)), or visit CFO 105” (Texas Woman’s University Office of Academic Affairs).

Grading Policy, Major Course Assignments and Examinations and Attendance:

1.  Capstone Final Examination Project: (1) Individual Research Paper; (2) Individual PowerPoint; (3) Bibliography; (4) Self Assessment; and (5) Summary of Dialogues: 45% Due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, 29 April 2007 on the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com.  Please note that I will give you a grade for this project on your final feedback, but I require you to meet with me face to face in my office during office hours after the semester for in-depth feedback if you desire it.  Note: I will be available for these optional conferences with you all summer since I am teaching in June, July, and August 2007.  If you would like this feedback and cannot meet with me during the summer (because, for example, you are graduating), I can try to meet with you during final examination week itself or immediately afterwards.  Please contact me at rgreer@twu.edu to make these arrangements after posting your capstone project.     

2.  Group PowerPoint 1% (Week FOUR)

3.  Group Essay 2% (Week NINE)

4.  Group Annotated Bibliography 1% (Week TWELVE)

5.  Reading Quizzes: 6%.  Six quizzes, one on each novel.  Ten questions each.  Each quiz is worth 1%.

6.  Participation (Online Attendance): 45%. Credit is given for postings to the discussion questions, anything posted in your group’s forum for a particular week, special assignments, and the weekly summary.  Twenty-eight percent of your final grade will depend on your participation online.  You must post a minimum of TEN times a week on the discussion question forums (including the weekly summary) and in your groups, when applicable, and once before Wednesday of each week.  Some of these postings will be responses to the study questions; others will be preparation of group responses; others will be responses to your classmates.  If you do not post at least ten times in the assigned week, do not expect a good participation grade for that week.  I will give you a participation grade weekly, but I will announce them only six times: in Week TWO, Week FIVE, Week EIGHT, Week ELEVEN, Week THIRTEEN, and and for your final grade in final exam week.   Your grade will be determined by (1) the amount of postings and (2)the quality of the postings (equally weighted).  I calculate participation for a week that begins on Monday and ends at midnight on the following Sunday.  Your postings do not need to be long (100-240 words for a primary answer to a discussion question is adequate, and responses can be shorter), but they DO need to advance the discussion helpfully. Postings only count in the week they are due; in other words you cannot “make up” late postings after the week is over.  Postings only count in the following places: (1) the discussion question forums; (2) the weekly summary forum; and (3) your group forum for the week in question (if applicable).  Note: Each week you will be asked to answer three discussion questions, one of which will may occasionally be a group question (after the first week) and/or a question about writing the research paper.  These discussion questions will allow you to earn participation credit and share ideas with your classmates.  At the end of the week you will also post a summary message and attach a Student Summary Form with your best ten postings pasted into the forum.  You may revised these postings for spelling, grammar, style, etc. but they should essentially be the same postings that you made in the forums. Please note that I will grade the postings you submit in your summaries carefully for spelling and grammar beginning in the first week, so proofread them carefully!  I will use your attached form to calculate your participation grade for the week. If you do not attach a summary form, you cannot get participation credit for the week.

Miscellaneous

Midterm Conference: Please note that if you have a failing grade after you receive your feedback in Week FIVE, I would like to meet with you in person in my office to discuss ways to improve your grade

Instruction

Each week (for fifteen weeks), you will find instruction files, assigned online articles, or web page links tied to specific weeks and readings that will help you understand the literature, answer the discussion questions, or prepare for the research paper. Some of these instruction files may be lecture notes written by me.  Others will be assigned articles that you can access through the TWU library (on JSTOR). Others may be web page links.

Student Participation Summary Form

You will post a summary to a forum provided after you have completed all your week's postings and attach a "student participation summary" form.  You can find this form under COURSE INFORMATION.  In this form, you will cut and paste your "top ten" postings from the week.  You may edit your postings for grammar and spelling (in fact you SHOULD edit them for grammar and spelling) but not for content (I will check occasionally to make sure that the they represent your actual work from the week).  I will use this summary form to assign your participation grade.  If you do not submit a summary form, you cannot get credit for the week's work even if you fully participated otherwise.

No Final Examination Required: In lieu of a final examination, you will be required to post a final capstone project by no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, 29 April 2007 on the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com and comment on the projects of your classmates during final examination week.

Academic Dishonesty:

“Honesty in completing assignments is essential to the mission of the university and to the development of the personal integrity of the student. Cheating, plagiarism, or other kinds of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in appropriate sanctions that may include failing an assignment, failing the class, or being suspended or expelled.  Suspected cases in this course may be reported to Student Life. The specific disciplinary process for academic dishonesty is found in the TWU Student Handbook.  Tools to help you avoid plagiarism are available through the TWU Libraries’ “Quick Links” under “Research Help” (http://www.twu.edu/library/literacy/index.htm)” (This statement was authorized and mandated by the TWU Provost.  November 10, 2005).

Plagiarism:
The following definition of plagiarism appears in Joseph F. Trimmer’s A Guide to MLA Documentation (Sixth Edition), published by Houghton Mifflin Company (2004): “Plagiarism is theft.  It is using someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit—or without giving any credit at all—to the writer of the original.  Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it is a serious offense…You can avoid plagiarism by taking notes carefully, by formulating and developing your own ideas and by using quotes responsibly to support, rather than replace, your own work” (25).  Note that I have used this quotation from a source and have given it full attribution.  You should do the same with your sources.  I strongly urge you to read the discussion of academic dishonesty that appears in Section Four of The Student Handbook and Planner 2005-2006 (pages 133-135).  I intend to follow TWU policy as outlined in this handbook exactly.  It defines plagiarism in this way: “Plagiarism occurs when a student obtains portions or elements of someone else's work, including materials prepared by another person or agency, and presents those ideas or words as her or his own academic work.  The intentional or unintentional use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement shall constitute plagiarism.  Students are responsible for following guidelines of the appropriate course or discipline (ie; MLA, APA)" (133).  In this course, we will use the Modern Language Association (MLA) format.  Penalties for first-time offenses include, at the instructor’s discretion, any of the following: (1) “Written reprimand”; (2) “Assignment of a lower grade on the test/paper/project in question, with an explanation from the instructor”; (3) “Assignment of a 0 on an assignment"; (4) “Assignment of a grade of F in the course" (134). A discussion of the more severe penalties for second offenses appears on pages 134-135.  If you have any questions about whether or not a practice constitutes plagiarism, please contact me before you turn in the assignment.  To have the ability to teach courses online, we must protect the integrity of the course.  I am able to teach the course and not require an in-class final examination because I check student work on a plagiarism-checking website.  When you submit your group and individual essays to digital dropbox, you will also need to post it to www.turnitin.com; that website, in turn, will generate a report for me.  I will give you instructions about how to do this on Blackboard.  If you have any questions as to whether or not you have used another person's work and not given proper credit, please see me before you submit the work or use www.turnitin.com to check your work BEFORE submitting it to me. You have that option with this program.  If you would prefer not to have your work checked by this plagiarism website, that is your right.  You would, however, need to make arrangements with me to write your capstone project under my supervision in my office during office hours.  If I cannot check your work with the plagiarism-checking website, you must do the work in my presence.

Tentative calendar of classes, assignments.

Please check here for the Academic Calendar for Spring 2007. Also, please note that this daily syllabus is for planning purposes only and is subject to change. Page numbers for assigned reading (when applicable) are provided.

Week ONE (16-21 January 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad.

2.  Instruction: Lecture Notes on Joseph Conrad and The Secret Agent.

3.  They Say/I Say: Preface (x-xviii), Introduction (1-14).

4.  The Modern Novel: "Introduction: Modern How?" (1-14)

Assignments:

1.           Post your autobiography.

2.           Form learning teams by the end of Week ONE (if you have no preference, I will assign you to a group at the beginning of Week TWO).

3.           Answer three discussion questions, post weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week TWO (22-28 January 2007):

Reading:

1.  The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad.

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter One: "They Say" (17-27).

3.  Instruction: TBD

4.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 1: When and Why: The Rise of the Modern Novel" (15-31)

Assignments:

1.  Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return Week ONE feedback this week.

Week THREE (29 January - 4 February 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter TWO: "'Her Point Is' The Art of Summarizing" (28-38).

3.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 2: What is Reality?: The New Questions" (32-44)

Assignments:

1.  Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Quiz on The Secret Agent.

Week FOUR (5-11 February 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter THREE: "As He Himself Puts It" (39-47).

3.  Instruction: "D.H. Lawrence" in the Gale Virtual Reference Library:  

"Major 21st-Century Writers. Ed. Tracey Matthews. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2005. 5 vols."

4.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 3: New Forms: Reshaping the Novel" (45-60)

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Group PowerPoint due: 1%.  For this assignment, you will offer a critical perspective (as a group) on how to read and understand some aspect of either The Secret Agent or The Rainbow.  You may use outside sources, but they are not required.  Your PowerPoint must have ten slides and a clear, strong thesis.  I will grade it primarily on the basis of its thesis (i.e. does it create an argument about how to read and understand some aspect of either work?).

Week FIVE (12-18 February 2007)

Reading:

1.    The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter FOUR: "Yes/No/Okay, But" (51-63).

3.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 4: New Difficulties" (61-77)

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for weeks TWO, THREE, and FOUR this week.

Week SIX (19-25 February 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter FIVE: "And Yet" (64-73).

3.  Instruction: "The Loss of History in the Modern Novel: The Case of 'The Rainbow'" by George Otte (Pacific Coast Philology.  Volume 16, No. 1 (June 1981), pp. 67-76.

4.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 5: Regarding the Real World: Politics" (78-97)     

Assignments:

1.  Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Quiz on The Rainbow.

Week SEVEN (26 February-4 March 2007)

Reading:

1.  To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter SIX: "Skeptics May Object" (74-87).

3.  Instruction: Lecture Notes on Virginia Woolf and To the Lighthouse.

4.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 6: Questioning the Modern: Mid-Century Revisions" (98-126)

Assignments:

Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.

Week EIGHT (5-11 March 2007)

Reading:

1.  To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter SEVEN: "So What?  Who Cares?" (88-97).

3.  Instruction: This week's chapter in THEY SAY/I SAY Chapter Seven: "So What? Who Cares?"

After reading it, please answer Exercise #1, which I quote here:

"Read several articles and essays to see whether they address the "so what" and "who cares" questions. Probably you'll find some do, some don't. The question to consider then is whether it makes a difference to you as a reader. Are those texts that say why it matters more interesting? More persuasive?"

Let me narrow this for you. Find just one article on TO THE LIGHTHOUSE and examine it in light of this question. Be sure to give the title, author, date, and site of publication so that we can all read the article too to see if we agree or disagree with you.

4.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 7: Postmodern Replenishments?" (127-145)

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post the weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks FIVE, SIX, and SEVEN this week.

Week NINE (12-18 March 2007)

Reading:

1. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter EIGHT: "As A Result" (101-114).

3.  Instruction: TBD.

4.  The Modern Novel: "Chapter 8: Postcolonial Modernity" (146-162)

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Quiz on To the Lighthouse.

3. Group Essay due: 2%. Your group will be required to write one critical essay of 3-5 pages on To the Lighthouse. The essay should be typed, double-spaced, and conform to MLA guidelines.  For a topic, you may choose your own or expand one of the assigned discussion questions. I will also provide some possible additional topics.  Your primary purpose in this essay is to suggest a strong thesis, an argument about how to understand the novel or stories.  I will grade the essay in terms of content, organization, style, diction, and grammar.  You must write complete sentences, and four or more of these major errors will cause you to receive a “20” (F) on the essay portion of the examination: comma splices, fused sentences, apostrophe errors, sentence fragments, or agreement errors.  Therefore, you should make sure during the semester that you understand and can avoid these errors.  If you have questions, please see me during my office hours.  I would prefer that you work with your group for this project.  If you find that you cannot, however, you are welcome to write your own individual essay, but it will need to be at least five pages long.

19-25 March Spring Holiday.  No classes.

Week TEN (26 March - 1 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Quiet American by Graham Greene

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter NINE: "Ain't So/Is Not" (115-122).

3.  Instruction: Lecture Notes on Graham Greene and The Quiet American.

4.  The Modern Novel: "Conclusions" (163-181)

Assignments:

Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week ELEVEN (2-8 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Quiet American by Graham Greene

2.  Instruction: TBD.

3.  They Say/I Say: Chapter TEN: "In Other Words" (123-132).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Quiz on The Quiet American.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks EIGHT, NINE, and TEN this week.

Week TWELVE (9-15 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter ELEVEN: "Entering Class Discussions: A Brief Appendix" (133-135).

3.  Instruction: Lecture Notes on Jeanette Winterson and Written on the Body.

Assignments:

1.  Group Annotated Bibliography due: 1%.  

2.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week THIRTEEN (16-22 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson

2.  Instruction: TBD.

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Quiz on Written on the Body.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks ELEVEN and TWELVE this week.

Week FOURTEEN (23-29 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

2.  Instruction: Lecture Notes on Kiran Desai and The Inheritance of Loss.

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Please post your capstone project to the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, 29 April 2007.

Week FIFTEEN (30 April-4 May.  Please note that this final week ends on Friday, 4 May.  It is a short week.  Friday, 4 May is the last official day of classes for the university.)

Reading

1.  The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

2.  Instruction: TBD.

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

3.  Quiz on The Inheritance of Loss.

Final Examination Week (7-11 May)

1.  Please comment on at least FIVE of your classmates' projects before the end of final examination week on 11 May.  Failure to comment on five projects will result in a deduction of five points from your own final grade.  When you have finished posting your comments, gather your best five and post them in the "Final Examination Week Summary" Forum.  Participation on this final examination forum functions in lieu of required attendance at an in-class final examination.

Note: I will return final grades and final feedback (Weeks THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, and FIFTEEN) by the end of Final Examination Week.  Your final feedback will just contain your final grade.  If you wish comments on the the capstone project, you must meet with me in my office so that we can go over your work face to face.  Please note that I will be available for these meetings summer 2007 since I am teaching in June, July, and August.  If you are graduating or cannot meet in the summer, I may be able to meet with you during final examination week individually (if absolutely necessary) or the week immediately following.

Last updated: 12 March 2007