ENG 271 - The Act of Interpretation - Fall 2012 - Dr. Steve Evans

Basic Course Information
ENG 271-0001 is a three-credit class that meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00-12:15 in Barrows Hall 119. The class number for the course is 1709. Only students who have successfully completed English 170, The Foundations of Literary Analysis (or its transfer equivalent) are eligible to enroll for English 271. The class fulfills one of the three core requirements of the English major and is also appropriate for some students training to teach English in high schools. In addition, it satisfies the General Education Western Cultural Tradition and Writing Intensive Requirements. Students with an interest in literary theory may follow up their work in 170 and 271 in English 470, Literary Theory and Criticism, and in other 400-level classes.

My office hours for fall 2012 will be on Tuesday afternoons from 2:00-3:15pm, and by appointment. My office is in Neville 313. My office phone number is 207-581-3818.

Course Description
The catalog description of this course reads simply: "An introduction to critical theory. Study of individual critics or schools of literary theory. Application of these interpretative strategies to literary texts."

In this particular section of the class, we will read, discuss, and write about a variety of consequential texts from the history of literary semiotics, hermeneutics, poetics, and cultural studies, starting with Plato and Aristotle and extending to our own day. The central questions we will explore are: What is representation? What is language? What makes an interpretation valid? Who is authorized to speak? What is ideology and how does it work to confer identity on subjects? In the process of forming provisional answers to these multifaceted questions, students will advance their ability to offer artful and persuasive interpretations of a wide range of texts.

Required Texts

• Leitch, et al. | Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism | Norton 2010 | ISBN 9780393932928
• Lentricchia and McLaughlin, eds. | Critical Terms for Literary Study, 2nd ed. | U of Chicago 1995 | 978-0-226-47203-4
• Sigmund Freud | Interpretation of Dreams | Avon 1980 | ISBN 0380010003
• Marcel Proust | Swann's Way | Penguin 2004 | ISBN 0142437964

All four books are available at the UMaine Bookstore, but used editions of both the Freud and Proust titles are widely available.

The Fogler Library recently acquired a subscription to an excellent on-line resource, The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism, which students will be expected to consult as the semester unfolds.

Recommended Texts
It is assumed that students in this class have access to the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, edited by Joseph Gibaldi.

Required Reading - click here for syllabus
You can expect to read approximately one hundred pages per class meeting (and sometimes more). Much of this reading will be of an advanced nature, involving concepts and references unfamiliar to you: you will want to allow ample time for re-reading.

Assignments & Evaluation

• Frequent brief written assignments: In-class reading checks and "warm ups," reading and class notes, text "mark ups," library assignments, brief in-class presentations, and short position papers (40%)
• Two formal papers (15% each)
• Proust assessment (10%)
• Cumulative final exam (20%)
• Attendance & participation: Please note that attendance of this course is mandatory. If you miss more than two sessions (the equivalent of one week of class time) without a valid excuse, your semester grade may be lowered one full grade. Students missing more than four sessions will not pass the class.

As this is a writing-intensive course, written work may be revised and resubmitted.

Health-Related Contingency Plan
In the event of disruption of normal classroom activities due to the outbreak of contagious illness, the format for this course may be modified to enable completion of the course. In that event, you will be provided an addendum to this syllabus that will supersede this version.

Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty
Academic honesty is very important. It is dishonest to cheat on exams, to copy term papers, to submit papers written by another person, to fake experimental results, or to copy or reword parts of books or articles into your own papers without appropriately citing the source. Students committing or aiding in any of these violations may be given failing grades for an assignment or for an entire course, at the discretion of the instructor. In addition to any academic action taken by an instructor, these violations are also subject to action under the University of Maine Student Conduct Code. The maximum possible sanction under the student conduct code is dismissal from the University.

Disability Notice
If you wish to request an accommodation for a disability, please speak with me or with Ann Smith, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities (Onward Building, 1-2319) as early as possible in the semester.

A Note on Communicating with Me
A note on First Class: We will be using a First Class Course Conference for some of the business of the seminar, including submission of written work. Class members are also encouraged to be in touch with me by e-mail using the First Class system. Because I have my FC mail forwarded to a program I prefer, the “history” function is often deceptive. If you have any doubt about whether I’ve received a communication from you, please simply write again or leave a message on my office phone.

Cell phones and other portable electronic devices should be off and out of reach for the duration of class meetings. Talk to me if you have reason to request an exception to this policy on a given day.