ENG 5903.50
Special Topics: Classic Twentieth Century American "Hard Boiled" Detective Fiction
Summer III 2007
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Dashiell Hammett |
Raymond Chandler |
Erle Stanley Gardner |
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Mickey Spillane |
Ross MacDonald |
Course Name, Number, and Description: ENG 5903.50. Special Topics: Classic Twentieth Century American "Hard Boiled" Detective Fiction. The Texas Woman's University General Catalog 2005-2007 describes ENG 5903 in this way: "ENG 5903. Special Topics. Investigation in traditional lecture format of a specific literary or linguistic topic. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and an undergraduate concentration in English. Three lecture hours per week. Credit: Three hours. May be repeated for credit when the specific topic of investigation varies."
In this course we will read works of classic American detective fiction by authors who helped establish the genre and discuss their significance to the genre and to American literature and culture. Typically I prefer to teach equal numbers of male and female authors, but for this special topic, men clearly dominated the genre in the "Classic" or "Golden Age"; since then, however, more women in contemporary writing are successfully publishing in this genre. But to understand its roots, we will need to focus on it earliest days, which were dominated by the men who wrote pulp fiction for the Black Mask magazine. Next summer, if I am allowed to continue this series of courses, I would like to read women's reaction to this tradition of the hard-boiled American detective novel in a systematic way, using a book like Detective Agency: Women Rewriting the Hard-Boiled Tradition as our guide. I will mention that reaction this summer and allow you to explore it a little as part of the course, but full study would only occur after this course.
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 the final examination week forum that I will provide on Blackboard.
As an option, please note that I am showing films based on three of the novels at my home on three Wednesday evenings in June (June 13th, 20th, and 27th).
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 noon to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays throughout the Summer III semester unless otherwise indicated. If I cannot hold regular office hours on a particular day or time, 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 (often in the evenings) and try to return calls promptly.
Course Goals
1. To read, examine, and discuss important or representative works of classic American "hard boiled" detective fiction and explore their significance to the genre and to American literature.
2. To create products that contribute to critical understanding of the genre at a professional level.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. The student will assemble and present an annotated bibliography of secondary sources that provide insight into the American mystery genre;
2. The student will write a short paper on the American mystery genre, demonstrating an ability to synthesize research;
3. The student will write short and long papers on subjects of the student's choice related to the subject of the course and appropriate for either presentation at a professional conference or publication in a peer-reviewed journal;
List of textbooks and supplies:
1. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1930. 224 pages. Vintage. ISBN: 0679722645);
2. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (1934. 208 pages. Vintage. ISBN: 0679722637);
3. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler (1954. 384 pages. Vintage. ISBN: 0394758277;
4. Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler (1940. 304 pages. Vintage. ISBN: 0394757688);
5. The Case of the One-Eyed Witness by Eric Stanley Gardner (1946. 229 pages. Ballantine Books. ISBN: 0-345-39225-6);
6. I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane (Originally published in 1947. Mike Hammer Collection Book Volume 1. NAL Trade. ISBN: 0451203526);
7. The Goodbye Look by Ross McDonald (1969. 256 pages. Vintage. ISBN: 0375708650)
Please note that I will provide additional materials as scanned documents and video files within the course itself. If necessary, I may mail materials to you directly, but I will try to avoid that if possible.
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: 50% Due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 9th on the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com. I will be giving you more specific information about this assignment frequently throughout the semester. Please note that I will give you a grade for this project on your final feedback, but I ask 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. If you would like this feedback and cannot meet with me during the fall (because, for example, you are graduating), I can try to meet with you between summer and fall semesters. Please contact me at rgreer@twu.edu to make these arrangements after posting your capstone project.
2. Annotated Bibliography (5%) (Week FOUR)
3. Short Paper (10%). 3-5 pages on a topic of your choice. (Week SIX)
4. PowerPoint (5%) on one work from this period (from a list I will provide) by a woman or a more recent reaction to the "hard boiled" tradition by a woman. (Week EIGHT)
5. Participation (Online Attendance): 30%. 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. Almost half of your grade will depend on your regular 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 FOUR, Week SEVEN, Week TEN, and for your final grade after August 10th. 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. If you do not attach a summary form, you cannot get participation credit for the week.
Miscellaneous
Instruction
I will provide you a study guide for each author and each novel with some suggestions for critical approaches, plot summaries, recommendations for further reading, etc.
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 and comment on the projects of your classmates during final examination week. You must post your capstone essay to www.turnitin.com and the assigned forum no later than 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 9th. I will be giving you more specific information about this assignment frequently throughout the semester. 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 (in fall 2007) for in-depth feedback.
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 essays to the assigned forum, 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 or in some other closely monitored arrangement. If I cannot check your work with the plagiarism-checking website, I must certify your work in another way.
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 (4-10 June 2007)
Reading:
1. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
2. Study Guide: The Maltese Falcon
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 (11-17 June 2007):
Reading:
1. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Assignments:
1. Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.
2. Optional Film Viewing (Popcorn Night) of The Maltese Falcon at Dr. Greer's home on Wednesday evening (7 p.m.), 13 June.
Week THREE (18-24 June 2007)
Reading:
1. The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (note: we will only have one week to read this work)
2. Popcorn Night at Dr. Greer's home: Wednesday, 20 June: Film of The Thin Man. 6:30 p.m.
Assignments:
Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.
Week FOUR (25 June-1 July 2007)
Reading:
1. Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
2. Study Guide Farewell, My Lovely
Assignments:
1. Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.
2. Popcorn Night at Dr. Greer's home: Murder, My Sweet (American title; released in Britain in 1944 as Farewell My Lovely). Wednesday. 27 June (6:30 p.m.)
4. Annotated Bibliography due by the end of the week. For this assignment, please read and discuss five articles or book chapters that are linked in some way that address one of the assigned authors or the genre. You should briefly (1) summarize the article or chapter and (2) evaluate it. I will provide a format, but you are free to create your own format. (5%)
Note: I will return feedback for Weeks ONE, TWO, and THREE this week.
Week FIVE (2-8 July 2007)
Reading:
1. Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
Assignments:
1. Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.
Week SIX (9-15 July 2007)
Reading:
1. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
Assignments:
1. Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.
2. Short Paper Due. 3-5 pages on a topic of your choice. You may use this paper to explore a topic that you may want to expand on for your final paper, or you can explore a completely unrelated topic. Your key purpose is to establish a critical perspective. I will provide more guidance in the course itself. (10%)
Week SEVEN (16-22 July 2007)
Reading:
1. The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
Assignments:
1. Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.
Note: I will return feedback for Weeks FOUR, FIVE, and SIX this week.
Week EIGHT (23-29 July 2007)
Reading:
1. The Case of the One-Eyed Witness by Eric Stanley Gardner (one week)
Assignments:
1. Answer three discussion questions, post the weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.
Week NINE (30 July - 5 August 2007)
Reading:
1. I, The Jury by Mickey Spillane (one week)
Assignments:
1. Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.
Week TEN (6-9 August 2007)
Reading:
1. The Goodbye Look by Ross McDonald (one week)
Assignments:
1. Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.
2. Capstone Final Examination Project: (1) Individual Research Paper; (2) Individual PowerPoint; (3) Bibliography; (4) Self Assessment; and (5) Summary of Dialogues: 50% Due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 9th on the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com. I will be giving you more specific information about this assignment frequently throughout the semester. Please note that I will give you a grade for this project on your final feedback, but I ask 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. If you would like this feedback and cannot meet with me during the fall (because, for example, you are graduating), I can try to meet with you between summer and fall semesters. Please contact me at rgreer@twu.edu to make these arrangements after posting your capstone project.
Final Examination Assignment (10 August 2007)
1. Please comment on at least FIVE of your classmates' projects before midnight on Friday, August 10. Failure to comment on five projects will result in a deduction 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.
Last updated: 26 June 2007