Introduction to English Studies
In this course, we will all be examining our roles as critics who read, think, and write about literary and cultural texts. As literary critics, we will begin by engaging in close textual analyses of the ways that stories are told and the narrative strategies writers use to challenge or transform the material conditions of their lives. We will discuss basic literary terminology, concepts, methods, and practices that illustrate the connections among people who read and write texts and the larger conditions of production and systems of power in which their texts are produced and read. We will be analyzing different genres of writing (poetry, short stories, novels, films, autobiographies, personal essays, inscriptions of mo‘olelo) and how these forms are used in ways that respond to material conditions, including historical events and movements.
We will be focusing in particular on definitions and discussions of ideology and the social relations of power that underpin the ideological functions of literature. With this in mind, we will compare different points of entry into analyzing a range of texts assigned for the course, approaches that foreground the intersectionality of class, gender, sexuality, race/ethnicity, indigeneity, and location, and then we will examine how these multiple and interlocking critical frameworks cannot be separated from each other even as they are often made (problematically) to compete with each other. Some approaches, like literary mapping techniques, go beyond an emplotment of geographical spaces to mapping the social relations between people, their relationship to land, and the epistemological underpinnings of these relationships. We will also map out our own positionality as readers as we engage in a careful examination of the processes by which we “make meaning.”
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) include an awareness of critical approaches to the contemporary field of English Studies, including the purpose, practice, and potential of literary and rhetorical study of texts that include such subfields as American literature, indigenous literatures, ethnic literatures, rhetoric, genre studies and cultural studies; written and oral ability to situate the study of these literatures within broader critical and historical conversations. Students will improve their ability to ask questions of and to read, analyze, and interpret complex literary texts, using relevant literary terminology critically and creatively within the conventions of academic writing. Consideration given to Hawaiian texts in cultural and historical context.
Requirements: One two-page paper, two four-page papers, peer-editing, short assignments, a final exam, attendance and participation.
Required Texts (will be available at UH Bookstore):
- Zamora Linmark,Rolling the R’s(1995)
- Toni Morrison, Beloved (1987)
- Brandy Nālani McDougall, The Salt-Wind / Ka Makani Pa‘akai (2008)
Out of print–available online:
4. Wachowski Brothers. The Matrix: The Shooting Script (2001)
Required course reader available during the second week of school at Professional Image
3520 Waialae Ave. Tel: (808) 973-6599.
Papers:
Drafts must be turned in on due dates listed and peer-edited for a peer-editing grade. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the due date. Late papers will be marked down 1/2 grade per day, including days class does not meet. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, stapled and the pages numbered. For each paper, you will be asked to make two copies: one for me and one for you to keep at home for your records. You will need to turn in all graded papers, peer-editing drafts and peer-editing response sheets in a folder each time a paper is due.
You can always schedule an appointment to see me during my office hours or during a time outside of my office hours if you need help with your papers or assignments. If you would like additional help, you can call the English Department (956-7619) to make an appointment to meet with tutors in the Writing Workshop.
Assignments:
1-2 pages written in paragraph form for each assignment (these assignments will serve as notes for your final exam)
1) Quote one passage from the essay that explains what the main idea of the essay is
2) Write a brief paragraph summarizing the main idea of the essay
3) Provide a literary example, which would be the literary reading paired with the essay on
the syllabus and explain how it illustrates the main idea of the essay.
If you have any questions about the reading, I encourage you to ask these questions
in class as part of your participation grade.
Assignments will be accepted up to one class past due dates without penalty. If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, you will need to turn it in on the day you return to class. All assignments must be completed for a course grade.
Class participation:
Class participation is critical. Since this is a relatively small class, it’s important for you to contribute your ideas to the discussions. In addition to reading the assignments, you must come to class prepared with questions and observations concerning the reading assignment. Asking yourself questions when you are reading the assignments will help you to write papers that interest and engage you. Your participation grade will also depend on the way that you listen and respond to other students’ questions and comments. Each of you already has different skills: while some of you are strong speakers, others are strong listeners. In this course, I would like each of you to work on strengthening your weakness: if you are a strong speaker, please share your ideas with the class, but also try to listen to other students and help to make the classroom an engaging place for others to participate in discussions; if you are a strong listener, work on developing your speaking skills. There is so much that you can teach each other. In addition, you will also be working in peer-editing groups.
As University faculty and students we also have responsibilities to one another to ensure that learning takes place in an intellectually safe and hostility-free environment.
Attendance:
I will be keeping track of attendance for every class. Three absences will be automatically excused; we will need to discuss any unexcused absences thereafter which may lower your final grade by 1/2 grade per absence. Please contact me if you have any family or personal emergencies so that I can be aware of the situation and make suggestions about what you can do to keep up with coursework.
Grades:
All work must be completed to receive a passing grade for the course
Grades will be based on the “plus/minus” system. English majors and minors need a grade of “C” or better to apply this course to the English major or minor.
A+: 101-102 C: 73-76
A: 94-100 C-: 70-72
A-: 90-93 D+: 67-69
B+: 87-89 D: 63-66
B: 83-86 D-: 60-62
B-: 80-82 F: 59 and below
C+: 77-79
A+: 4.0* C: 2.0
A: 4.0 C-: 1.7
A-: 3.7 D+: 1.3
B+: 3.3 D: 1.0
B: 3.0 D-: 0.7
B-: 2.7 F: 0.0
C+: 2.3
*Although you may receive an “A+” for your final grade on your transcript,
the University of Hawai‘i calculates an “A+” into your GPA as a 4.0.
Paper #1 (2 pages): 15%
Paper #2 (4 pages): 20%
Paper #3 (4 pages): 20%
Assignments (5): 20%
Final exam: 15%
Peer-editing: 5%
Participation: 5%
Extra Credit
Extra credit work may help you if you are close to achieving a higher grade. You will be allowed to turn in up to two extra credit assignments. For these assignments, you can attend any literary reading or event or performance, and I have also included extra credit optional readings on the syllabus and the readings for these will be on Laulima. Write a two-page response paper that includes one page summarizing main ideas and one page explaining what you learned. Extra credit assignments must be turned in by the last day of classes.