English 220: Introduction to Writing about Literature, Fall 2017

Section 29, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:00-8:15 PM

Jane Shmidt, Instructor
Email: jshmidt@gradcenter.cuny.edu
Office Hours: HW 1436, Th 5:45-6:45, by appointment

Course Description:
In the words of Edgar Allan Poe, “A skillful literary artist has constructed a tale. If wise,
he has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with
deliberate care, a certain unique effect or single effect to be wrought out, he then invents such
incidents – he then combines such events as may best aid him in establishing this preconceived
effect.”

In this course, we will attempt to examine the writer’s process, examine how he/she has arranged
the formal elements of the narrative in such a way as to achieve the preconceived effect.
Emphasizing close reading, this course is intended to develop analytical and interpretive skills
necessary for both written and verbal critical responses to literature. We will think carefully
about literature as a form of representation, not only analyzing what works about narrative, but
also how that narrative works. You will be introduced to three major genres of English and
American literature: prose, drama and poetry. The course will help you to develop a critical
vocabulary and a methodology for reading and writing about literature. We will examine genres,
define literary terms, and learn to apply these concepts to the literary texts. The goal of this
course is three-fold – to refine your interpretive skills as you become close readers, to organize
your thoughts in order to write effective scholarly papers, and to develop an appreciation and
understanding of the aesthetic qualities of literature.

Course Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to apply critical literary
vocabulary in discussing fiction, poetry, and Shakespearean drama, and demonstrate some
familiarity with literary criticism. Students will also be able to write persuasive, comparative
and research essays that demonstrate close reading skills, the ability to create a clear thesis
statement, and the ability to develop a well-organized argument based on that thesis through
critical reasoning and evidence from the literary texts.

Texts:
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Stephen Orgel. Penguin Group.
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Ernest. Avon Books.

If you buy the books from Amazon, use this Amazon link – it generates 4% to 8.5% of all
purchases as a donation to the Cuny Library.

Grading:
 Attendance and Participation (15%)
 Homework (15%)
 Persuasive Essay, 3-5 pages (15%)
 Research Essay, 6-7 pages (25%)
 Midterm Exam (15%)
 Final Exam (15%)

Requirements:
All requirements seek to stimulate your active involvement in the course work. Read with
attention and be prepared to talk about what you have read. Show your involvement by
participating in class discussions and presenting high quality written work. I urge you to write
papers that you can be proud of, so put effort into your writing.

Blackboard:
Students must sign up for and access Blackboard. I will post digital copies of course materials
there. You will also use Blackboard to upload digital copies of your papers.

Attendance and Participation:

Full attendance every class meeting is paramount. My experience is that those who are often late
or absent do not do well in the class. A good deal of our work will take place in the classroom
every week, including discussion and in-class activities. Each student is expected to come to
class on time AND to be fully prepared to engage in the day’s activity. Attendance means more
than just showing up; active participation and the text of discussion are required. Please bring the
texts and/or print-outs of the readings with you to class on the day they are scheduled to be
discussed. Failure to bring the texts with you will result in a failing participation grade for the
day.

In accordance with The CUNY Undergraduate Bulletin, "the number of hours absent may not
exceed twice the number of contact hours the course meets per week." That means, you are not
allowed more than four excused absences for the course of the semester. You can miss two
classes without any penalties and no questions asked. No explanations or notes of excusal are
required. Consider this your "sick leave" allowance and use it judiciously as each additional
absence, regardless of reason, will incur a three percent deduction from your final grade for each
absence. If you miss more than four classes(more than 4 excused absences), you will fail the
course no matter what your current class standing is. In other words, you must attend 25/29
classes to pass. Please note that both excused and unexcused absences function the same way.
Two latenesses count as one absence. Early exits or disappearing in the middle of class counts as
an absence, too. You are responsible for keeping count of your absences.

FAQ: If I am sick for more than two weeks, is my participation in the course over?
Unfortunately, yes. Blame it on bad luck, the psychic manipulations of a vengeful deity, or the
indifference of a chaotic universe, and try again next semester. It is nothing personal; it just
signifies that you have not taken enough of the course to have passed it. It happens to the best of
us (I have been there myself).

*If you are absent, it is still your responsibility to turn in assignments that are due and to obtain
the material covered or handed out in class that day.* If you are absent, email a fellow student to
find out what was covered that day and what is assigned for the next. Make arrangements to copy
the student’s notes for the day you missed. I will also post pertinent information, assignments,
and readings on the Blackboard.

Papers and Homework:

Each paper will require you to perform an examination of a specific text (or texts) with reference
to the broad scope of the semester. I will distribute specific directions for each paper, but all
papers must be typed, double-spaced, page-numbered, and reasonably free of typographical and
mechanical errors.

Homework assignments will be posted on Blackboard and should be submitted even in the case
of absence.

Resources:
There are several Support Services available for Hunter students. Here is a link to a complete list
of services: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentservices
The Reading/Writing Center: I strongly encourage you to visit the Writing Center to seek
additional help with your writing assignments. Tutors can work with you at any stage of writing.
Please be aware that the tutors are not proofreaders or editors; they will work with you (and not
for you) to strengthen your writing skills. ESL tutoring is also available through the Writing
Center. Visits to the Writing Center with reports of progress will give you extra credit on each of
the papers that has been worked on there. All papers should be handed in on time. Late papers
will lose 1/2 of a grade for each class meeting that they are late.

Because the tutors are booked fairly quickly throughout the semester, be sure to schedule an
appointment in advance. Visit their website for more information:
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc

Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of anybody else’s material (words or ideas). Any paper
with your name on it signifies that you are the author – that the wording and the ideas are yours
with the exceptions indicated by quotation marks and citations. In academic environments,
where thinking is of primary importance, stealing the thoughts of others and passing them off as
your own is not tolerated and is subject to the highest penalties. Hunter College regards acts of
academic dishonesty (e.g. plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and
falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of
intellectual honesty. The college is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic
Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Integrity
Procedures. Bottom line, don’t do it! Please review the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity
online: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/studentaffairs/student-conduct/academic-integrity/cuny-
policy-on-academic-integrity

Final Notes on Grading:

You are the creator of your grade. Do not recite lists of reasons why you have to get an A, B, or
C; I do know what it is like to be a student and to desire to make an A. However, I evaluate your
coursework, not your life circumstances. I evaluate your assignment, not your worth (great people
struggle with writing). Remember that I do not give out grades; you earn them. I merely write them
down. Do your best work, put effort into your performance in the course, and your grades will
surely reflect that.

I will be happy to answer any questions throughout the semester in regards to the course, but the
rules laid out in the syllabus will remain in effect until the end of the semester.
 WEEK I – Prose
T 8/29 Course Introduction; Diagnostic Essay
TH 8/31 Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown
WEEK II – Plot
T 9/5 Jacobs, The Monkey’s Paw; Worhol, Writing Critical Essays; Young Goodman Brown Homework
TH 9/7 Edgar A. Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart; The Tell-Tale Heart Homework
WEEK III – Narration
T 9/12 Pushkin, The Queen of Spades The Queen of Spades Homework
TH 9/14 Nathan Rosen, “The Magic Cards in The Queen of Spades” (pp. 258 (bottom half) – 267)
WEEK IV – Point of View
T 9/19 Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants; Hills Like White Elephants Homework
TH 9/21 No classes scheduled
WEEK V – Characterization
T 9/26 Nilofer Hashmi, “’Hills Like White Elephants: The Jilting of Jig”; Hashmi Homework
TH 9/28 Chekhov, The Lady with the Pet Dog; The Lady with the Pet Dog Homework
WEEK VI – Poetry
T 10/3 Vladimir Kataev, “’This Is a Great Mystery’: ‘The Lady with a Little Dog’”
TH 10/5 “Reading Poetry”; Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18, 130, 147 Persuasive Essay due
WEEK VII
T 10/10 “Patterns of Rhythm”; William Blake, “The Lamb”, “The Tyger,” “The Sick Rose”
TH 10/12 Keats, “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” “Ode to a Nightingale”
WEEK VIII
T 10/17 Keats, “La Belle Dame Sans Merci”; Wordsworth, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” Keats Homework
TH 10/19 Tennyson, “Ulysses,” “The Lady of Shalott,” “Marianna”; Tennyson Homework
WEEK IX
T 10/24 Midterm
TH 10/26 Browning, “My Last Duchess”; Andrew Marvell, "To his Coy Mistress," Kipling, “If ”; Browning and
Tennyson Homework
WEEK X– Drama
T 10/31 Mathew Arnold, “Dover Beach”; Edna St. Vincent Millay, “I think I should have loved you presently,”
William Buttler Yates, “Leda and the Swan”; Carlos Williams, “The Red Wheel Barrow”
TH 11/2 Macbeth (Beginning - Act III, Scene i); Strategies for Understanding Shakespeare
WEEK XI
T 11/7 Macbeth (to end)
TH 11/9 Carolyn Asp, “'Be Bloody, Bold and Resolute': Tragic Action and Sexual Stereotyping in Macbeth”
WEEK XII
T 11/14 Joshua Cohen, “'That Great Bond Which Keeps Me Pale': Macbeth's Contract with Fate”
TH 11/16 Macbeth Proposal due
WEEK XIII
T 11/21 No Class - Classes follow Friday schedule
TH 11/23 College closed - no classes
WEEK XIV
T 11/28 Macbeth
TH 11/30 Macbeth
WEEK XV
T 12/5 The Importance of Being Earnest (Act I-II)
TH 12/7 The Importance of Being Earnest Research Essay due
WEEK XVI
T 12/12 The Importance of Being Earnest (Act III)
TH 12/14 Final Exam
Note: The lecturer reserves the right to alter the schedule with proper notification .