CRW 5386 CONSCIOUSNESS IN FICTION

crw 5386 Minding Fiction — Fall 2017

“But what, then, am I?

A Thinking thing, it
has been said. but
what is a thinking
thing? It is a thing that
doubts, understands,
conceives, affirms,
wills, refuses; that
imagines also, and
perceives.”
—René Descartes

crw 5386 — 18313 Representations of Consciousness in Fiction

cba 330 — Wednesday 3:00–5:50 pm — Fall 2017 — August 28–December 7, 2017
José de Piérola, Ph.D.
jdepierola@utep.edu — office: Education Building 906 — hours: tuesday 3:00–5:00 pm

Introduction
Consciousness is paradoxically a common experi-
ence to all humans, yet it remains a mystery. Its
study has been tackled by philosophers, psycholo-
gists, and in the past century, embraced by scientists.
Nevertheless, fiction remains the oldest and most
consistent technology for its study.
This course will explore the representation of con-
sciousness in 20th Century fiction by reading ma-
jor works of fiction in the light of the most impor-
tant theories on how the mind works. This dual ap-
proach is intended to show students that the rep-
resentation of the mind at work is influenced by a
writer’s introspection as much as by contemporary
ideas on the mind.
In addition, at the end of this class, students
should have a number of tools to represent con-
sciousness in their work, but, most importantly, a
new set of ideas to engage with the world as a writer.
Students will be required to read analytically an
average of one book of either theory or fiction per
week in order to participate in our class discussions
and complete the course assignments. Students will
also be required to write an analytical essay in which
they explore how consciousness is represented in
one particular work of fiction.
Given that this class is oriented towards writers,
students will also be required to write a fiction piece
in which they will attempt to create a narrative de-
vice to represent fiction. This piece will be discussed
during the workshop block of this class. In addition,
as a hybrid class, students are expected to interact
with Blackboard once a month.

Inside 2 3 4
Course Goals Guidelines Program
Required Texts Course Mechanics Grading Policy
1 Communication Channels Policy Statements
Course Goals

crw 5386 Minding Fiction — Fall 2017

• Give students a historical understanding of the • Give students the opportunity to experiment and
theories of consciousness develop techniques to represent fiction
• Give a solid background of how consciousness • Allow students to develop their own philosophy
was represented in fiction in the 20th century of consciousness as part of their evolving poetics

Required Texts
The following texts are required to complete the class assignments and to participate in our discussions.
Make sure that you have access to the required texts, or make arrangements to buy them in advance.
Theory Fiction
• Reading Packet, available at: • Virginia Woolf: Mrs. Dalloway
Paper Chase (915-541-7072) (Harcourt Books isbn 978-0156030359)
3424 Montana • Manuel Scorza: Drums for Rancas
El Paso, tx 79903 (Harper & Row isbn 978-0060138141)
note: Texts from this Reading Packet are • Joyce Carol Oates: The Tattooed Girl
marked with (rp) in the Program. (Harper Perennial isbn 978-0061136047)
• Susan Blackmore: • John Updike: Terrorist
Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction (Random House isbn 978-0345493910)
(Oxford U.P. isbn 978-0192805850) • Roberto Bolaño: Amulet
• Antonio Damasio: (New Directions isbn 978-0811217460)
Self Comes to Mind
(Vintage Books isbn 978-0307474957) Films
• The Wachowski Brothers: Matrix (1999)
• James Cameron: Avatar (2009)
• Wally Pfister: Transcendence (2014)

Communication Channels
Most our interaction will happen in class. Nevertheless, if you need help outside the classroom, consider
the following options:
• office hours: Tuesday from 3:00 to 5:00 pm
@ Education Building 906. I encourage you to
make an appointment in class or by email. I sched-
ule appointments from 3:00 to 4:00 pm, and take
walk-ins after 4:00 pm. If the posted hours con-
flict with other classes, contact me to arrange a
different time.
• by email: jdepierola@utep.edu. I reply to
emails once a day, starting at 5:00pm, in the or-
der in which they were received. important:
Emails received after 5:00pm will be answered the
next business day.
• If everything fails, call the Creative Writing De-
partment during business hours at (915) 747-5713.

“Human consciousness is
just about the last
surviving mystery.”
—Daniel Dennett
2
crw 5386 Minding Fiction — Fall 2017
“To perceive the world differently, we must
be willing to change our belief system, let
the past slip away, expand our sense of now,
and dissolve the fear in our minds.”
—William James
Guidelines
• blackboard: You will participate on a discus- • mobile devices: You may use a tablet device
sion board in Blackboard once a month. Make
sure you complete the Blackboard tutorial as
soon as possible.
• readings: You are expected to read each week’s
selection in advance. Keep in mind that some
texts, particularly during the first weeks, will re- • attendance: Because most of the learning will
quire more than one reading.
• participation: You are expected to partici-
pate in class as often as possible, either comment-
ing on the text under discussion or posing rele-
vant questions. Personal views without clear re- • important: We will be reading and produc-
lationship to the text under discussion do not
count as participation.
• submissions: Except for in-class exercises,
all assignments will be turned in pdf format by
6:00 pm the day they are due through Blackboard
and according to the guidelines provided in class.
Assignments
• weekly response: Due weekly from Week 1 to
Week 13, each Tuesday at 6:00 pm. This is a two
page (≈600 words) creative or critical response to
the text of the week (Program). It should show
that you have carefully read the text under discus-
sion. Creative responses must address the theory
under discussion, and analytical responses should
focus on one way in which the mind at work is
represented in the novel under consideration.
• in-class exercises: These will be short medi-
tation sessions followed by a writing exercise and
a discussion afterwards. You will turn in your in-
class exercises the same day to me.
• discussion board: Once a month, three Dis-
cussion Questions will be posted on Blackboard.
You should post a concise response to one
of these by 6:00pm on Wednesday, and write a
repost engaging with at least two other posts
3 by 9:00pm. This will be your attendance and par-
ticipation for that particular day (see Program).
or laptop exclusively for the readings of the day.
If you answer a call or text during class, you will
be considered absent for that day. If you use your
mobile devices in class for other purposes, I will
ask you to drop the class.
happen in our class discussions, you are expected
to show up on time and be fully prepared for ev-
ery class. Missing more than four (4) classes will
lower your grade automatically.
ing texts in pdf format, as it is the most widely
available standard for distributing formatted text.
Make sure your computer has Adobe Acrobat
Reader installed and that you know how to cre-
ate a pdf (see Blackboard).
• presentation: Due from Week 2 to Week 13.
This is a 10 to 15 minute presentation on one of
the texts of theory or fiction according to our Pro-
gram. This is a professional-grade presentation,
which uses additional visual-aids if needed.
• fiction piece: Due Week 13. This is an 8 to 10
page (≈2,700 words) fiction piece in which you
use at least one narrative device to represent the
consciousness of characters. It will be discussed
during the workshop Weeks 14 and 15.
• research project proposal: Due Week 12.
This is a two page outline of your Research
Project. It should include: your main argument,
your paper’s outline and your tentative bibliog-
raphy (including at least two external sources).
• research project: Due Week 15. This is an es-
say about 10 pages long (≈3,000 words) in which
you discuss the representation of consciousness
in a work of fiction by one of the authors sug-
gested on Page 2.
Program
Week 1—aug 30
• René Descartes:
Meditations on First Philosophy (rp)
• creative response due
Week 2—sep 6
• William James:
The Principles of Psychology (rp)
• creative response due
Week 3—sep 13
• Maurice Merleau-Ponty:
The World of Perception (rp)
• creative response due
Week 4—sep 20
• Daniel Dennett:
Consciousness Explained (rp)
• creative response due
Week 5—sep 27
• Susan Blackmore:
Consciousness: An Introduction
• creative response due
• blackboard—discussion board
Week 6—oct 4
• Antonio Damasio:
Self Comes to Mind
• creative response due
Week 7—oct 11
• David Lodge:
Consciousness and the Novel (rp)
• Dorrit Cohn:
Transparent Minds (rp)
• creative response due
“The fiction writer is the
ombudsman who argues our
humble, dubious case in
the halls of eternal record.”
crw 5386 Minding Fiction — Fall 2017
Week 8—oct 18
• Woolf: Mrs. Dalloway
• analytical response due
Week 9—oct 25
• Scorza: Drums for Rancas
• analytical response due
• blackboard—discussion board
Week 10—nov 1
• Bolaño: Amulet
• analytical response due
Week 11—nov 8
• Updike: Terrorist
• analytical response due
Week 12—nov 15 “Any kind of creative activity
• Oates: The Tattooed Girl
is likely to be stressful.
• analytical response due
• research project proposal due Easiness, relaxation,
comfort—these are not
Week 13—nov 22
• The Wachowski Brothers: Matrix conditions that usually
• Cameron: Avatar accompany serious work.”
• Pfister: Transcendence
• analytical response due
• fiction piece due
• blackboard—discussion board Grading Policy
• Weekly Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%
Week 14—nov 29
• Workshop • Attendance & Participation . . . . . 30%
• In-Class Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
Week 15—dec 6 • Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5%
• Workshop — Final Review • Fiction Piece & Workshop . . . . . . 10%
• research project due • Research Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%
University Policy Statements
PLAGIARISM & ACADEMIC DISHONESTY STATEMENT: Cheating is unethical and not ac-
ceptable. Plagiarism is using information or original wording in a paper without giving credit to the source
of that information or wording, and it is also not acceptable. Do not submit work under your name that
you did not do yourself. You may not submit work for this class that you did for another class. If you are
found to be cheating or plagiarizing, you will be subject to disciplinary action, per utep catalog policy. Re-
fer to http://www.utep.edu/dos/acadintg.htm for further information.
DISABILITIES STATEMENT: I will make any reasonable accommodations for students with limita-
tions due to disabilities, including learning disabilities. Please, e-mail me during the first two weeks or make
an appointment to discuss any special needs you might have. If you have a documented disability and re-
quire specific accommodations, you will need to contact the Disable Student Services Office in the East
Union Building, Room 106 within the first two weeks of classes. The Disabled Student Services Office can
also be reached in the following ways:
web: http://www.utep.edu/dsso
phone: (915)747-5148 voice or tty
fax: (915)747-8712 4
email: dss@utep.edu