English Capstone Course - Project 15 | EN 499 | Study Guides, Projects, Research English Language

EN 499 English Capstone Course Fall 2006

Professor: Kendall Dunkelberg Office: Painter 104

Class: TTh 2:00-3:15 Phone: 329-7169

email: kdunk@muw.edu Hours: TTh 9:30-11:00

WWW: http://www2.muw.edu/~kdunk MW 1:00-2:00

M 3:15-4:15

Required Texts

David Lodge with Nigel Wood, Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader, 2nd Edition

Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition

Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Course Description:

The Capstone Course provides students with a broad overview of literary studies, a chance to

reflect on their work as an English major, and a chance to prepare for further studies in English, a

professional degree, or a career. In order to explore diverse issues and interpretive strategies in

literary studies, we will read and discuss essays on literary criticism and theory, alongside a

novel, fairy tales, detective stories, and Orientalist art. You will also review the literary periods

studied in other English courses and review the mechanics of writing an essay in MLA style.

Goals:

• To review the work you have done in other English courses

• To demonstrate an understanding of literary criticism and theory

• To apply that understanding to literary texts, including Orlando

• To interpret non-print texts: e.g. detective magazine art and Orientalist paintings

• To examine the role of the author in written and oral texts

• To complete a substantial research project using literary scholarship

Requirements:

Students will complete a midterm and a final exam, and write a major research project (15-20

pp), which may involve a thorough revision of an essay that the student completed for another

course, and which will include the use of scholarly sources or literary theory. Students will also

write short precis on 3 articles from the textbook. All written work must be typed, double spaced,

in 12 point Times or a similar font, with page numbers and 1 inch margins. Hard copy only.

Students will also be responsible for two oral presentations: one on a literary period, the other on

their research project.

Attendance:

Attendance is mandatory and will be recorded at the beginning of each class. If you arrive late,

you must inform me after class that you were present, otherwise you will be counted absent. I

will record late arrival (or early departure) as such, and it will be considered along with class

participation in your final grade for the course. I reserve the right to count students absent if they

miss a substantial portion of the class period. Students are required to attend a minimum of 75%

of scheduled classes to receive a passing grade. Excessive absences (more than 4) will be

considered due cause for lowering the final grade. Near perfect attendance and quality class

participation may be considered cause for raising your final grade.

Method of Evaluation:

Precis will be graded on how clearly they summarize the original text. The research project will

be graded on the strength of the argument and the breadth of research. Grammar and style will

also be taken into consideration. Late assignments will be penalized, unless I have approved an

extension prior to the due date of the assignment. The final due date for all late assignments is

the last scheduled class day of the semester. Letter grades have the following numeric values:

A+ / 98 B+/ 88 C+/ 78 D+/ 68 F / 0-59

A / 95 B / 85 C / 75 D / 65

A- / 92 B- / 82 C- / 72 D- / 62

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EN 499 English Capstone Course Fall 2006 Professor: Kendall Dunkelberg Office: Painter 104 Class: TTh 2:00-3:15 Phone: 329- email: kdunk@muw.edu Hours: TTh 9:30-11: WWW: http://www2.muw.edu/~kdunk MW 1:00-2: M 3:15-4: Required Texts David Lodge with Nigel Wood, Modern Criticism and Theory: A Reader, 2nd Edition Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition Virginia Woolf, Orlando Course Description: The Capstone Course provides students with a broad overview of literary studies, a chance to reflect on their work as an English major, and a chance to prepare for further studies in English, a professional degree, or a career. In order to explore diverse issues and interpretive strategies in literary studies, we will read and discuss essays on literary criticism and theory, alongside a novel, fairy tales, detective stories, and Orientalist art. You will also review the literary periods studied in other English courses and review the mechanics of writing an essay in MLA style. Goals:

To review the work you have done in other English courses
To demonstrate an understanding of literary criticism and theory
To apply that understanding to literary texts, including Orlando
To interpret non-print texts: e.g. detective magazine art and Orientalist paintings
To examine the role of the author in written and oral texts
To complete a substantial research project using literary scholarship Requirements: Students will complete a midterm and a final exam, and write a major research project (15- pp), which may involve a thorough revision of an essay that the student completed for another course, and which will include the use of scholarly sources or literary theory. Students will also write short precis on 3 articles from the textbook. All written work must be typed, double spaced, in 12 point Times or a similar font, with page numbers and 1 inch margins. Hard copy only. Students will also be responsible for two oral presentations: one on a literary period, the other on their research project. Attendance: Attendance is mandatory and will be recorded at the beginning of each class. If you arrive late, you must inform me after class that you were present, otherwise you will be counted absent. I will record late arrival (or early departure) as such, and it will be considered along with class participation in your final grade for the course. I reserve the right to count students absent if they miss a substantial portion of the class period. Students are required to attend a minimum of 75% of scheduled classes to receive a passing grade. Excessive absences (more than 4) will be considered due cause for lowering the final grade. Near perfect attendance and quality class participation may be considered cause for raising your final grade. Method of Evaluation: Precis will be graded on how clearly they summarize the original text. The research project will be graded on the strength of the argument and the breadth of research. Grammar and style will also be taken into consideration. Late assignments will be penalized, unless I have approved an extension prior to the due date of the assignment. The final due date for all late assignments is the last scheduled class day of the semester. Letter grades have the following numeric values: A+ / 98 B + / 88 C + / 78 D +/ 68 F / 0- A / 95 B / 85 C / 75 D / 65 A- / 92 B- / 82 C- / 72 D- / 62

Final grades will be based on the same system and will be a composite of the following scores: Presentation of a Period 5% Precis and Forum 15% Midterm Exam 20% Final Exam 20% Research Project 40% Students with disabilities: A reasonable attempt will be made to accommodate students with documented disabilities. Students must first obtain an accommodations plan through Academic Support Services and make a request for accommodations prior to the due date of the assignment. When an accommodations plan is presented, it will be tailored to the demands of this course to create a plan that is fair to all. Information regarding a student’s disability will be kept confidential. A final reminder: plagiarism will result in an F (0) on the assignment, and in severe cases is grounds for failure in the course. Plagiarism includes using paraphrased or quoted information from a source without proper documentation. Using quoted information without putting it in quotes (or indenting long quotes) is also considered plagiarism, regardless of whether the source is cited. If you are unsure whether you have used material and cited it appropriately, see me before the assignment is due. Once you have turned in your assignment it is too late to plead ignorance. As senior English majors, it is your responsibility to understand the rules regarding plagiarism. Please refer to the MUW Bulletin for MUW's policies regarding plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Presentation of a Literary Period Each student will be responsible for a fifteen-minute presentation on a literary period. You should name the major authors and briefly describe their work. You should also discuss the most important terms, movements, and genres associated with the period, and may include historical background of the period, the economic conditions or the social issues that affect our interpretation of its literature. Your presentation should be well organized and you should use PowerPoint or other presentation software to list the major names, terms, and dates you discuss. Obviously, there is much more to be said about any period than can be covered in fifteen minutes, so you should concentrate on providing an overview that will help other students review this period when studying for the GRE or Praxis II or for teaching in a high school setting. While the majority of your grade will be based on content, you should have compassion for your listeners and not rush through a list of names or terms. Write out unfamiliar names and provide some content to remember them by. Avoid reading long quoted passages from your notes. Instead it is much more effective to summarize and synthesize the information you have found. After your presentation, you must turn in your notes or outline (everything you take with you when you make your presentation). While I will not comment on these as I would an essay, I am interested in seeing your methods and learning about your sources, and I will factor your notes into the grade you receive on the presentation as a whole. You must also give me a copy of your PowerPoint presentation to post online for other students’ reference. There will be a sign-up sheet with a list of possible periods. You should choose one that already interests you or one that you have taken a course in, so you won't be starting from scratch. You should refer to literary histories and anthologies as you research your presentation: the Norton Anthologies and Oxford Companions to literature are good places to start. Since the main purpose of these presentations is for everyone to review, all students who are familiar with the period should come prepared to join in discussion of it after the presentation.

Research Project (15-20 pp) Purpose: To present a well researched essay which makes use of the available literary criticism and theory related to the topic. The project should also demonstrate knowledge of bibliographic tools and stylistic conventions used in the field of English. You may choose any topic as long as it involves at least one primary literary source. You might choose to consider one or more texts in terms of their period, genre, historical context, philosophical underpinnings, psychological imagery, etc. Students in the Creative Writing concentration may write on aesthetic theory as an introduction to their senior portfolios. Secondary Education majors may focus on approaches to teaching a text. You may choose a text which you have previously explored in a response paper for another class and which you will now expand by applying literary theory where appropriate and responding to the extant literary criticism on your topic. Students in the Honors College may write on a topic related to their thesis; however, they may not duplicate their thesis. They might explore a related author in the same period or choose another work by the same author. Procedure:

Abstract and Preliminary Bibliography: You will submit a formal abstract of your essay, which should consist of 250-500 words in which you summarize your proposal. You should have done enough preliminary research that you can present a clear focus for the work you intend to do, and you should indicate what your argument will be. As you continue your research and the actual writing of your essay, you may alter this argument somewhat; however, you should be able to commit to the main focus of your project by the time you write the abstract. Along with the abstract you should present a preliminary bibliography of at least ten sources. You don't need to have read them all yet, but you should know that they are available. If you plan to revise a paper you wrote for another course, you must include a graded copy of the original paper and discuss how you will address the instructor’s comments in your project. (10%, due Sept. 14)
Annotated Bibliography and Research Summary: You will submit an annotated bibliography of at least 8 sources, which you have examined and determined will be useful for your work. Follow MLA format for your Works Cited list, arranging your sources in alphabetical order and using hanging indents for each new entry. Immediately after each bibliographic entry, include two to four sentences summarizing the main argument of the source and describing how it will be useful to your essay. At the end, submit a one page summary of your research to date, including a list of the most fruitful sources of bibliographic information and a discussion of how your thinking on your topic has evolved as a result of your research. (10%, due Oct. 24)
Article Review: You will submit a critical review of one of the articles you plan to use in your essay. This should include an in-depth summary of the article (or chapter in a book), an objective look at the bias of the author, an analysis of the article's strengths and weaknesses, and a discussion of how you will use it in your essay. The review should be 3-4 pages in length. Don’t forget to use MLA in-text citations and to give a Work Cited reference for your source. You must turn in a copy of the article or chapter with your review. (10%, due Nov. 9)
Oral Presentation: You will present your research in the form of an oral presentation to the class. This presentation should run about fifteen minutes. You should present the basic argument for your essay in the oral presentation. Consider your presentation a very good rough draft, which you will expand and revise in response to comments and questions from the class, English faculty, and other students who will be invited to attend. (10%, due Nov. 7-21)
Final Draft: Your final draft should include proper documentation in MLA style, including a works cited page with an adequate number of references depending on your topic. You should refer to most important criticism on the texts you use, and you may also refer to other related criticism or theory. While the amount of criticism will vary from topic to topic, you should include at least 8 scholarly journal articles (or the equivalent from books) in your List of Works Cited. Internet sources may be used, but do not count toward the minimum number of sources unless they are reprinted journal articles or are from juried online journals. (60%, due Nov. 30)

Thurs Introduction and Survey

EN 499 English Capstone Fall
Week 1—August
Week 2—August 22-
Tues Research Project and Methods: MLA Chapter 1.1-1.4.
Thurs Ferdinand de Saussure “The Object of Study” 1-
Week 3—August 29-
Tues Roman Jakobsen “Linguistics and Poetics” 30-
Thurs Mikhail Bakhtin “From the Prehistory of Novelistic Discourse” 104-
Week 4 — September 5-
Tues Tsvetan Todorov “The Typology of Detective Fiction” 137-
Thurs Working Bibliography: MLA Chapter1.5-1.
- Works Cited: MLA, Chapter
- Internet Detective Fiction (see my homepage for links) Precis #
Week 5—September 12-
Tues Harold Bloom “Poetic Origins and Final Phases” 217-
Week 6—September 19- Thurs Hélène Cixous “Sorties” 263-270 Abstract
Tues Elaine Showalter “Feminist Criticism in the Wilderness” 307-
Thurs Plagiarism and Format: MLA Chapters 2 & 4 Precis #
Week 7—September 26- Internet Fairy Tales (see my homepage for links)
Tues Roland Barthes “The Death of the Author” 145-
Thurs Michel Foucault “What is an Author?” 173-
Week 8—October 3-
Thurs Jacques Derrida “Structure Sign and Play in the Human Sciences” 88- Tues Midterm Exam
Week 9—October 10-
Thurs Edward Said “Crisis [in orientalism]” 271- Tues Fall Break
Week 10—October 17- Images of the Orient (See my homepage for links)
Tues Orlando Chapter 1. Precis #
Thurs Orlando Chapter

English Capstone Course - Project 15 | EN 499, Study Guides, Projects, Research of English Language

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Thurs Introduction and Survey