English 7790: Literary Theory
Issues & Approaches, Or Knowing Where You Came From

"Theory" is a strange signifier in literary studies, inspiring apprehension, giddiness, or crankiness when invoked.  More neutrally considered, the purpose of "theory" is try to ask (and answer) different questions about literature, language, representation culture, identity, and history.  Thus, this course is designed to give students a wide exposure to the variety of approaches available in contemporary literary and cultural theory.  We call these critical "lenses," a possible "toolkit" to better understand one's own work in conversation.  Participants will come away with an understanding on the historical context in which these ideas emerged, and hopefully a sense of which theoretical approaches best fit their work.  Students will be responsible for weekly written responses on Canvas (absolutely central to success in this course), engaged and lively participation (especially when confused!), at least one presentation, and a book review, and a final portfolio.

Schedule of Readings & Assignments

Texts

The following required texts are available at the University Bookstore:

‣ Rapaport, The Literary Theory Toolkit (Wiley-Blackwell)
‣ Birns, Theory After Theory (Broadview)
‣ Rivkin and Ryan, Literary Theory: An Anthology (Blackwell)
‣ Austen, Mansfield Park (Norton Critical Edition)

These books are also available on Amazon, but if you go that route, make sure you will receive your books in time for class. When I provide electronic readings, I expect that you bring some form of the reading to class to annotate and make reference to.

General Class Policies

Course-specific Guidelines

Grade Breakdown

70%

Final Project
10% - "Conference Paper" presentation (8-10 pages)
60% - Final Portfolio (20-25 pages, see below)

10%

Weekly Responses/Canvas Participation
10% In-Class Discussion Leading
10% Class Attendance, Discussion, and Participation

General Expectations
As is customary in a graduate-level literature course, a great deal of reading will be assigned– sometimes hundreds of pages a week. It is expected that you will come to class ready to discuss this material in detail. Other course requirements will include online responses to assigned literature and criticism; in-class discussion and presentation, and a final portfolio.

Informal Weekly Writing
On weeks where we meet as a group, you will write once a week in response to each other and to our assigned readings, using Blackboard. Your responses should be at least 250 words in length and should demonstrate that you have read and carefully thought about the assigned reading.

Responses are due at 9 PM the night before our class. You should use this forum to:

‣ ask substantive questions about the text assigned for the next class
‣ to make connections among texts
‣ to identify the central arguments of a given piece
‣ to identify what you see as important themes and issues

I am less interested in what you liked or disliked about the reading than in what issues you found central and why. You might also think of these pieces as useful practice for your formal writing, and note-taking skills that will serve you well beyond this course.

As we proceed, I will point out questions and responses that I think are particularly strong, so that you may consider them as models for your future work. I will also provide additional feedback about your individual progress in this area when you request it. At the end of the semester, I will grade your online contributions as excellent (A/90-100), good (B/80-90), satisfactory (C/70-79), poor (D/60-69), and not adequate (F/below 60). You may miss one week in the semester, but responses posted after I prep for class will not be accepted. Missed work (beyond the one "grace" week) will lower your semester grade. Multiple weeks of missing questions and responses will jeopardize your ability to pass the course.

In-Class Discussion Leading
At the beginning of the second week, I will pass around a signup sheet listing days for in-class presentations, which will occur at the beginning of class. You will be responsible for a 10-20 minute presentation on a text related to the day's class (in consultation with me). Your presentation should aim to explain the work, situate it in its author’s larger body of work and in its moment, and evaluate it in some way (see my rubric here). You should prepare typed notes for your presentation; these should not be in essay or script form but rather should be an outline that allows you to structure your remarks, refer to particular passages (if necessary), etc. These notes will be collected, along with an annotated works cited sheet. As our classroom is "smart," you may choose to take advantage of our ability to show DVD clips, pages of text, and the like.

Final Portfolio
Your final portfolio can take several forms, pending my approval.  All portfolios will be at least 20 pages, including:

Option 3. A collection of teaching assignments or materials.

            Best Option for: Students who learn best by teaching, or who wish to begin assembling teaching plans for later.

In this option, you will create usable syllabi, lesson plans, and/or appropriate assignments.  Your initial proposal will outline what tasks you intend to take on, and the future use of these materials.
           
Final Presentation Component: A teaching demonstration of 15 minutes.

Proposal. Most conference organizers require their prospective presenters to send proposals in response to a CFP (Call for Papers/Proposals). Your proposal will outline the paper you intend to produce for this course in approximately 500 words. You will describe a piece of research you plan to undertake. Proposals must have titles and should summarize your anticipated project. It is important that you get to your point(s) right away—in the first sentence if possible—and that you outline briefly the steps of your argument and the expected scope of your work. It also helps to indicate your knowledge of recent work in the field and to differentiate your project from what has come before it. You will revise the proposal, based on instructor comments and those of your peers. (language adopted from Devoney Looser)

Conference Presentation. After your proposals have been submitted, I will be assigning you to “panels” in which you will present your work-in-progress to the class, as well as invited faculty members from across the College of Liberal Arts (in other words, an educated, nurturing, but non-expert audience). This "mini-conference" will take place at the end of the semester, about a week or so before your final paper is due. You will be given 10 minutes to present your work, followed by questions. This exercise is a performance. You should practice your presentation in order to deliver it in a well-modulated voice. You will want to get rid of any constructions that are more easily read than spoken and be careful to stay within the time limit.

For the panels of Option 1 & 2 speakers, one of your classmates will be assigned as the chair or moderator of the panel. It is the moderator’s job to introduce each participant and paper and to make sure that participants do not go over time. The chair also facilitates our question-and-answer session after the papers are given. Finally, the chair is responsible for generating questions for each participant in case the audience gets off to a slow start. (language adopted from Devoney Looser)

Paper Format. Formal writing in this discipline must conform to a consistent citation format (MLA, Chicago, etc.), in 12 point clear font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins. Work is due by 5 PM on the specified due date, via the Canvas site's "Paper Assignments" turn-in. We will run a test prior to the first submission. Extensions on formal paper assignments (including drafts and proposals) will only be granted with more than 48 hours' notice. Late work without a prior extension will not be accepted.

A complete grading rubric is included on my website. Remember: I grade you on the work I see, not on your good intentions. I expect that you will have personally proofread (and ideally, had someone else read over) your formal writing prior to handing it in. Egregious grammar errors, typos, improper citation, formatting errors, etc. are unacceptable on formal writing assignments, as they imply sloppy thought and hasty writing. Papers with such errors will be marked down a letter grade.