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University of Alberta

ENGLISH 122-S1: Texts and Contexts
Winter 2011 | Section S1 | Room: HC 1-7| Tuesdays 6:30-9:30pm

Instructor: Marco Katz Office: HC 4-32
Email: marcokatz@ualberta.ca Website: http://marcokatz.com/english122s1

Office Hours: Tuesdays 2:00-4:00pm or by appointment. Your academic success means as much to me as it should to you. Please arrange to meet me whenever you have any individual questions or concerns about this course.

Objectives: This class will offer an opportunity to learn how scholars function in the field of literary studies. In connection with these studies, assignments will help students develop critical reading and listening skills that they will be expected to demonstrate during class discussions and in critical essays. The class participation and writing skills that students develop in this class will help them excel in other disciplines they study.

Format: This course combines lecture, discussion, and workshop sessions. Lecture time will provide the critical and historical contexts of authors and their works, as well as the fundamental skills necessary for writing successful essays. Discussions will allow you the opportunity to explore your interpretations of the literature being studied, and to compare and contrast your opinions to those of your classmates and your instructor. Class conference sessions will give you the chance to interact with your peers while you apply the writing and reading skills discussed throughout the course.

Class Theme: Politicizing Canadian Culture: Replying “to Joseph Goebbels’s infamous dictum ‘When I hear the word culture, I reach for my gun,’” Slavoj Žižek writes, "When I hear guns I reach for my culture” (In Defense of Lost Causes 489). Even so, in “Tolerance as an Ideological Category” Žižek calls for a “politicization of culture” in response to “the liberal multiculturalist’s basic ideological operation: the culturalization of politics” (660). What place does culture have in Canadian politics? Should we politicize culture? Or culturalize politics? And do these operations in Canada differ from those in other parts of the world? This class will explore these issues with assigned readings and active student participation, a requirement that makes up a large portion of the work in this course. With an emphasis on literary critical theory and an open exchange of ideas, this class will provide an introduction to English literature studies for students contemplating this major and practice in close reading and analysis, group discussion, and academic writing useful in the pursuit of all disciplines.

Required Texts:

Cooper, Afua. The Hanging of Angélique: the Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montréal. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2007.

Hacker, Diana. A Canadian Writer’s Reference with 2009 MLA Update. Boston: Bedford, 2009.

Highway, Tomson. Kiss of the Fur Queen. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1999.

Clarke, George Elliott. Trudeau: Long March, Shining Path. Kentville, N.S.: Gaspereau Press, 2007.

Articles from the University of Alberta library databases, open websites, and class handouts.

Disabilities

Students with disabilities can receive support from Specialized Support and Disability Services 2 - 800 Students' Union Building (SUB) or http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/SSDS/index.cfm

Academic Conduct

GFC Mandated Statements

Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar (GFC 29 SEP 2003). The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at <http://www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm>) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University. (GFC 29 SEP 2003

Students should consult the attached “Regulations Pertaining to First-Year Courses” for information about appeals, reassessments, plagiarism, and external help with assignments

Read the “Grading Rubric for Essays” linked to the class website in order to understand my expectations for your writing. Direct link: http://marcokatz.com/pagefile/rubric.htm

Pay particular attention to the following: All information in an essay must be credited. Essays containing unsupported or uncredited information—whether as direct quotes, paraphrases, or what seems like common sense—will, at a minimum, be rejected as not meeting the minimum requirements of the assignment. In those cases, the essay will receive a zero. The Faculty of Arts requires instructors to send cases of plagiarism to the Dean's Office.

Absences: If you become ill and cannot come to class, I hope that you take good care of yourself and get better soon. In cases of illness or injuries, you will have my sympathy as well as my understanding. Once you recover, I expect you to speak with me about making up any work you missed. This not only establishes sound academic practice, but also maintains an equitable class situation; everyone in the class should complete the same requirements. If the work missed was something that cannot be made up, you can speak with me about an alternative assignment.

Grades

A Note about Grades: Students who earn an A make it impossible—by the level of their engagement with the course, the quality of their writing, and their mastery of the material—for the instructor to consider any other grade. The quickest way to slide to a C, D, or F is to miss in-class writing, quizzes, or collaborative work or to show up without assignments. Work turned in late puts an extra burden on the instructor and the other students and, in many cases, no longer serves its original purpose.

The university will compute your final grade as 70% of your Term Grade and 30% of your Final Examination Grade

Assignment Guidelines

Essays—As much as 50% of each essay grade depends on the students’ participation in the peer review and revision processes. All essays should follow the MLA style manual. Students may arrange in advance with the instructor to use an alternative citation style, such as APA or the Chicago Manual, if appropriate to their intended field of study. Students must hand in double-spaced essays typed or word processed in the format outlined in class. One or more essays may require electronic submission on a disk or by email.

Deadlines—Late assignments will be penalized by up to one-third of a grade per day (i.e., B+ to B). When notified in advance, the instructor may grant extensions for verifiable cases of death, doom, or destruction. The English Department office will not accept assignments for this course. I will not accept faxed or any other electronic submissions in lieu of papers handed in during regular class times. Assignments will not be accepted at the general office or in departmental mailboxes, and must be submitted to the instructor personally. Students must keep backup copies of their work; do not hand in your only copy of any assignment.

Participation—Successful academic performance here depends, as it does in most fields of study, on active participation in course workshops and verbal interaction in class. Students will best serve their interests and those of their classmates by regular attendance, participation, and completion of assignments.

In-class quizzes—Students may miss one with no penalty. I will not offer makeup quizzes.

In-class writing assignments—Students may miss one with no penalty. I will not offer makeup in-class writing assignments.

Conference—Conference grades will depend on the intellectual quality of the presentation and the student’s participation, i.e. asking questions, and offering comments after other presentations.

Final Exam – According to University policy, the Final Exam lasts for two hours, without take-home or open-book privileges. Over half the exam material will consist of essay writing, and it will not contain any multiple-choice questions. The exam will include materials covering the entire duration of the course.

Please note:

I cannot reschedule the Final Examinations nor provide alternate sittings for any student.

I must receive all coursework before the final class session.

Students can use their CCIDs and passwords to consult previous exams at the exam registry website: http://www.su.ualberta.ca/services_and_businesses/services/infolink/exams

Important Dates

Final Examination: TBA
Essay One (4 pages) complete draft due Jan 25, Peer Review Report due Feb 8, and final due Feb 15
Annotated Bibliography: Mar 1
Conference Paper (2 ½ pages) Abstract due Feb 25, complete draft due Mar 1, and final draft due Mar 8
Essay Two: (5 pages) complete draft due Mar 22, second draft due Mar 29, and final due Apr 5

Note about the Tentative Class Schedule: Students should read each assignment before the class in which it appears. Wherever a poem, story, novel, or essay follows the word “Read,” the students should come to that class prepared to discuss, write about, or take a short quiz on that material. Changes to the schedule may occur as I will not cut off useful student participation merely to adhere to this schedule. Also, guest speakers, special events, and other worthwhile causes may impel change. Students remain responsible for knowing about any changes announced in class or on the website.

Tentative Class Schedule

Final Exam Date: TBA

Print a copy of the syllabus

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