ENGL3000 Twentieth Century Anglophone

Fiction
Instructor

Class Meets: every T/ Th 11:15am-12:30 pm

Bomi Jeon

3 credits course, no prerequisite

Phone

Course Overview

612-624-3375

With a Caribbean novel published in 1966 (Jean Rhyss Wide Sargasso

Sea) as an introductory frame, this course will consider a variety of
twentieth-century Anglophone novels through the postcolonial and
transnational lens. This course is geared towards the students need to
delve into specific racial, gender and national issues, and to a certain
degree at the expense of regional representation. We look at novels
from Britain, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean in the twentieth century
that are part of global English literary tradition. Texts include novels by
Charlotte Bronte, Jean Rhys, Arundhati Roy, Kazuo Ishiguro, Jamaica
Kincaid, J.M. Coetzee, E. M. Forster and Zadie Smith. This body of
literature has created a diverse but powerful movement that speaks
about the experience of a common and fractured modern world after the
decolonization. Students will also be guided toward discovering and
distinguishing how the later post-colonial writers participate in the
literary dialogue through adaptation and appropriation of the texts.

Email
Jeonx134@umn.edu
Office Location
Lind Hall, 24-25
Office Hours
T 1:00-2:00 pm
Th 1:00-3:00pm
OR by appointments

Class Room: Lind 215

In general, the Tuesday class will be a lecture, and the Thursday class a
seminar/discussion. Lecture notes for the Tuesday class, if applicable,
will be uploaded to Moodle the evening before class. Reading
assignments for the week must be completed in advance.
The goal of this course is to 1) develop the skills of interpreting novels
in the context of a range of historical possibilities. 2) learn the concepts
of modernism and modernity in the postcolonial context and 3) gain
substantial knowledge of twentieth-century Anglophone fiction through
broad reading.
Required Text
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre
Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea

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Roy, Arundhati. The God of Small Things

Ishiguro, Kazuo. The Unconsoled
Kincaid, Jamaica. A Small Place
Coetzee, J. M. Disgrace
Forster, E. M. Howards End
Smith, Zadie. On Beauty
Requirements
Course requirements include a midterm, final, two short papers (1200-1500 words each), 8
reading responses.
Note: All assignments need to be submitted before the beginning of class on the due date, both
online and in hard copy. Late assignments will be penalized, unless you notify me in advance
of your emergency, so please try not to be late without good reason.
ATTENDANCE (15%):

Attendance and completion of all assignments are mandatory. Participation is very important
for this class, which means excessive absences (or tardiness) will affect your grade negatively
in English 3000. If you are more than 10 minutes late (or leave early) 3 times, you will be
given 1 absence.
If you have an excusable absence that prevents your attending a class, please let me know so
that you can be marked as excused. In most cases you will be expected to provide
documentation (signed doctor notes, proof of academic participation etc) of the reason for
your absence. You must notify me of an excused absence before or within 24 hours after the
absence. For the CLA policy on excused absences, see http://www.cla.umn.edu/cgep/3.html
MIDTERM/FINAL (20% each):

Identification, short essay questions, no open-book.

SHORT PAPER 1 (15%):

Will ask students to do close readings of select texts on an assigned topic.

SHORT PAPER 2 (15%):

Will ask students to write an interpretive essay making an argument about one text by Kincaid,
Coetzee, Forster or Smith. Choice of topics distributed in advance.

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 8 READING RESPONSES (15%):

Single-spaced, 300 word reviews of the novels. They should cover the portion assigned on the
first day we discuss the work. Responses should go beyond mere plot summary and should
foreground key phrases and passages (with page numbers) and advance 2 or 3 arguments
about the work.
Course Schedule
Week

Subject

Week 1 T

Introduction

Week 1 Th

Jane Eyre

Week 2 T

Jane Eyre

Week 2 Th

Jane Eyre

Week 3 T

Wide Sargasso Sea

Week 3 Th

Wide Sargasso Sea

Week 4 T

Wide Sargasso Sea

Week 4 Th

Wide Sargasso Sea

Week 5 T

The God of Small Things

Week 5 Th

The God of Small Things

Week 6 T

The God of Small Things

Week 6 Th

The God of Small Things

Week 7 T

The Unconsoled

Week 7 Th

The Unconsoled

Week 8 T

The Unconsoled

Week 8 Th

Midterm Exam

Week 9 T

A Small Place

Week 9 Th

A Small Place

Week 10 T

A Small Place

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Response #1

Response #2

Response #3

Short Paper 1 due

Response #4

Response #5

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Week 10 Th

A Small Place

Week 11 T

Disgrace

Week 11 Th

Disgrace

Week 12 T

Disgrace

Week 12 Th

Disgrace

Week 13 T

Howards End

Week 13 Th

Howards End

Week 14 T

Howards End

Week 14 Th

On Beauty

Response #8

Week 15 T

On Beauty

Short Paper 2 due

Week 15 Th

On Beauty

Week 16 T

On Beauty

Week 16 Th

Final Exam

Response #6

Response #7

Grades Defined by the University

University legislation prescribes the grades and symbols that will be reported on the students
transcript as Achievement as follows;
A (90-100) outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course requirements.
B (80-89) significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
C (70-79) meeting the basic course requirements in every respect.
D (60-69) worthy of credit even though it does not fully meet the basic course requirements
in every respect.
F (0-59) failing to meet the basic course requirements.
S satisfactory = not less than CN No credit. Performance not meriting S on the S-N grade base.
Technology
Using personal electronic devices in the classroom setting can hinder instruction and learning,
not only for the student using the device but also for other students in the class. In order to
reap maximum benefit of the classroom environment, cell phones will be turned off or on
vibrate (and stored in pockets, purses, backpack not on the desks). If you must answer you cell
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quietly exit the room. Over use of this could result in having cell phone turned off. Laptops
will be closed and/or turned off when class is being conducted unless laptop is being used in
class.
Scholastic Dishonesty
You are expected to do your own academic work and cite sources as necessary. Failing to do
so is scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments
or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring,
or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of
academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to
obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering, forging, or
misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research procedures,
or data analysis. If it is determined that a student has cheated, he or she may be given an "F" or
an "N" for the course, and may face additional sanctions from the University.
Disability
The University provides full support for any student requiring special assistance, and I will be
glad to accommodate such assistance in my classroom, granted that you register with
Disability Services first. According to the official policy, any student with a documented
disability condition (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, systemic, vision, hearing, etc.) who
needs to arrange reasonable accommodations should contact the instructor and Disability
Services at the beginning of the semester (http://ds.umn.edu).
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment means unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or
other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of
unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance or creating an
intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment in any University activity
or program. Such behavior is not acceptable in the University setting. For additional
information, please consult Board of Regents Policy:
http://regents.umn.edu/sites/default/files/policies/SexHarassment.pdf

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