Syllabus

Texas Christian University

English 10103.020
Intro to Fiction:
The Rise of Gothic Literature

M-F10:05-12:00; Reed 203

Instructor: Ms. Lynda Davis
Office: 312 Reed Hall
Phone: 817-257-5311 and/or 817-257-5318 (e-mail messages are preferred and are more reliable)
Email: lynda.davis@tcu.edu
Office hours: T 9:00-10:00 a.m.; Wed 8:00-10:00 or by appt.

__________________________________________________________

Course description:
This course will study the rise of Gothic fiction in eighteenth-century England and Scotland, its migration across the Atlantic to America, and then its subsequent transformation into Southern Gothic and then film. We will begin by examining the elements that comprise literature (plot, characterization, point of view, conflict, figurative language, etc.), and then more specifically, gothic literature, the sublime and the beautiful, the natural and the supernatural, the ironic and the terrifying, the ghostly specters and the mad scientist, etc. As a class, we shall explore how these literary and generic elements are used to explore the social issues that drive the narratives. This course will analyze novels, short stories and film.

Learning Outcomes:
Students will demonstrate an understanding of basic literary terminology by posting online reading responses to select prompts and by writing essays, which delve further than just reiterating class discussions. Students will also demonstrate an understanding of how Gothic literature reflects societal trends, political issues, religious beliefs, and psychological fears. In this class students will read and analyze gothic fiction (novels, novellas, short stories, and film) and then examine how these works reflect and influence society on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Students will contemplate how the rise of the gothic novel in Great Britain influenced American literature and contributed to the popular genre of the Southern Gothic. Students will also analyze how the Gothic tradition has evolved over the years into modern film.

Required texts & Materials:
Horace Walpole, Castle of Otranto, 1764 (Longman)
Robert Lewis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1886 (Longman)
Harriet E. Wilson, Our Nig, (Penguin)

Booklet of class readings purchase from TCU print shop in Grand Marc
$$ for photocopying when needed
A Gmail account for blogging
Package of 3X5 index cards (enough for 1 per day)
Blue books for exams

Course and grading components:

Class participation (10%):
To be a full participant in this class, you must:
1) attend class daily, having completed the readings in advance;
2) participate fully in class discussions;
3) complete all informal in-class, and take-home writing assignments
Your participation grade will be based on the above three criteria. Please note that full attendance and completion of writing assignments will earn you a participation grade of C; to achieve a higher grade, you must distinguish yourself in class discussions.

Reading quizzes (10%):

At the beginning of each class (generally the first five minutes), students will take a quick quiz based upon the readings. These writing assignments are designed to indicate whether you are completing the assigned reading. Note: If a student arrives once those quizzes are collected, he/she cannot earn points for the quiz. Make-up quizzes will not be given for any reason, but for University-excused absences, students can choose to take the quiz in advance. Because issues are bound to arise over the course of the semester, the two lowest Reading Quiz grades will be dropped. 3X5 cards are required for the quizzes.

Blogs and Homework (10%):

Each student must set up a blog at Blogger.com for the purposes of this course. You will write responses to the readings (in conjunction with pre-determined prompt(s) by me) and discuss class matters on your blogs. The blog for each class meeting is due by 9:45 a.m. each day we meet in class. Since the purpose of these entries is to prepare you for class discussion, late blog entries will not count for credit (you can, of course, post them early.) Additionally, these blogs should serve to help you focus and formulate your thoughts for class discussion. Remember that this is a graded portion of the class and that a blog is a public forum, so please keep in mind how professionalism impacts your grade and compose your blog entries with your readers in mind (see Classroom Atmosphere and Etiquette below). If you have already created a blog on Blogger for a previous course, you are welcome to continue using the same blog address for this course.

Presentation (10%):

Each student will give a presentation (no less than 5 minutes, no more than 10) on an author, historical subject, or a literary element selected from a list given the first day of class (to be discussed further in class). In addition to the presentation, the student will be responsible for a 1-page handout for the class (26 copies, including mine) that incorporates text, images, and a short bibliography on the subject to be presented.

Paper (25%): You will write one paper for this class that focuses on gothic element(s) in the readings. More explanation about the paper will be forthcoming in a class handout.

Exams (35%): You will take two exams in this course. The first will be a midterm covering the first two weeks of works we have read, but the emphasis of the exam will focus on defining literary elements (15%). The second will cover the remaining works and will have an essay question covering the course as a whole (20%).

Attendance policy:
You are allowed to have a total of two absences, excused or unexcused, during the semester without affecting your grade. Absences beyond this will result in a lowered grade; more than 4 absences will result in failure of the course. Persistent tardiness will also affect your grade. Tardies: Please be on time for class. Students who are tardy (five minutes late or more) are a distraction to the whole class. Three tardies will equal one absence for the course.
In a literature course, much of the course work is demonstrated through in-class discussions and activities. Regular attendance is necessary to success in this course. It is a department policy to only excuse official university absences. Those representing TCU in a university-mandated activity that requires missing class should provide official documentation of schedules and turn in work in advance. Absences due to illness, sleeping-in, and long weekends are unexcused and all count toward the four-absence limit. Since illness is likely at some point during the course, you are encouraged to reserve your unexcused absences for times when you are too sick to come to class. This means that, even with a doctor's note, the absence is not automatically excused. Students whose absences are due to circumstances beyond their control may appeal this policy by scheduling a meeting with me. To do well in this course, you must come to class.

Late Work:

If you know you will miss a class in which your assignment is due, you will need to submit the assignment ahead of time. Late papers will be penalized one letter grade for each day beyond the due date unless the instructor has agreed to late submission in advance of the due date.

Classroom Atmosphere & Etiquette:

I envision our classroom as a place where all of us can share our ideas, thoughts, and questions without fear of being made fun of or embarrassed. Our classroom interaction will be based on respect for all of the writers and readers we encounter this semester. The university classroom should be considered a professional milieu. Therefore, please conduct yourselves as you would in a professional and/or business setting. While we may discuss issues that generate strong emotion, please engage in debate—not name-calling, denigration, or disparagement. Moreover, class discussions that degenerate into venues for opinion not backed by research are generally non-productive and are discouraged.

Out of respect for a professional environment, please refrain from using any mobile technology—regardless of whether or not it is silenced—including but not limited to MP3 players, cell phones, text messaging, etc. Each student may have a computer in our classroom, but please limit your computer activities during class time to those related to this course. Other usage will negatively impact your grade and may serve as dismissal from the class for the day. Also, please turn mobile phones to silent mode during class. In cases where a student is experiencing special circumstances, professionalism dictates that he/she inform the instructor (me) in advance.

Policy on plagiarism:

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of others’ ideas, words, or sentences in your writing. Passing off words, sentences or paragraphs from a book or article as your own, submitting another person’s paper, copying another’s answers on a quiz or exam, or using a prepared paper from a website are absolutely unacceptable actions. As a form of cheating, plagiarism is a serious form of academic misconduct and carries heavy consequences. If I discover plagiarism in your writing or your tests, I will give you a grade of zero on the assignment and recommend that you be failed from the course. Please consult the student handbook’s policy on academic misconduct (3.4) for further information.

Policies and Procedures for Students with Disabilities:
Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities in the Center for Academic Services, located in Sadler Hall, 11. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX 76129, or at 817-257-7486. Adequate time must be allowed to arrange accommodations and accommodations are not retroactive; therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as soon as possible in the academic term for which they are seeking accommodations. Each eligible student is responsible for presenting relevant, verifiable, professional documentation and/or assessment reports to the Coordinator. Guidelines for documentation may be found at http://www.acs.tcu.edu/DISABILITY.HTM. Students with emergency medical information or needing special arrangements in case a building must be evacuated should discuss this information with their instructor/professor as soon as possible.

Note: This syllabus is subject to change.
Course calendar: Readings should be completed before class on the day reading is listed.