Matthew Schratz
UWS Syllabus
Meeting Times: MW, 12:00-12:50, Olin-Sang 12
Office: Rabb 228
Office Hours: Thursdays, 10:00-12:00
The University Writing Seminar
What is the purpose of a university? In this course, we will develop writing skills by thinking about that purpose by looking at some fiction from the second half of the twentieth century, a time of transformation in conceptions of the university and of American fiction. In fact, these transformations had a great deal to do with one another, as the rise of creative writing programs altered the dynamics of both how we write fiction and how we think about the university. You will learn the basic techniques of constructing an academic essay by focusing on different works of fiction that conceive of the role of a university in contemporary life. First, we will read short stories by various writers, and a section from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Pnin, and focus on close reading his depiction of academic life. Then, we will read Nell Zink’s novel Mislaid and John Guillory’s article “Canon, Syllabus, List” to further explore the meaning of life at the university and develop the skills of reading one text in conversation with another. Lastly, we will examine some films that conceptualize life at a university, and you will do develop a research project around one of them to explore your own conceptualizations.
The goals of this class are to help you learn to write in the way that is expected at the college level. We will build up a set of skills that will serve you well throughout your career at Brandeis, and beyond, as you learn both to form arguments that engage with texts and to present those arguments through your writing.
Required Materials
Writing in Response, Matthew Parfitt
Write Now, publication of Brandeis student essays
Mislaid, Nell Zink
(other readings available on LATTE)
Evaluation
10% Attendance, conferences, participation
75%Assignments:
20% Close Reading Essay
25% Lens Essay
30% Research Essay
10%Peer reviews, workshops, exercises
5%Portfolio
Overview of Assignments
Close reading
In this essay of five to seven pages, you will close read a passage from one of three assigned short stories, or from Nabokov’s novel Pnin.
Lens Analysis
Now that you’ve begun to develop the skills for constructing an argument based on textual details, you will now begin to develop an argument based on both textual detail and other, theoretical material. For this essay, of seven to nine pages, you will close read some elements of Nell Zink’s novelMislaidin the light of John Guillory’s essay “Canon, Syllabus, List.”
Research Essay
For the final essay, as you have now developed a skill set to write argumentatively and incorporate more than one text and have also begun to be familiar with some of the themes concerning American fiction and its location in the university, you will research some film on your own, and make an argument that makes use of both your close reading skill and your ability, honed during the writing of the lens assignment, to present an argument about a university or college film of your choosing (I will help you find an appropriate text). This essay will be between ten and twelve pages.
Portfolio Review
Finally, at the end of the semester, you will collect the work you’ve completed during the course and reflect on the ways in which you’ve developed as a writer. In a review of at least four pages, you will evaluate your own work, and the changes you’ve seen in your own writing style and new relationship to the course material.
Policies
Absences
Please come to class on time, and please come to class. If either coming to class on time, or coming to class at all are going to be an issue, please e-mail me before the class in question. After your third absence, your final grade will be decreased by one-third of a letter grade per absence; more than six absences will result in failure for the course.
Late Work
Please hand your work in when it is due. Because I will be giving you your assignments well in advance of their due dates, there should not be circumstances that lead to your needing an extension. If, in extremis, such circumstances do arise, please inform me of them as soon as possible – that is to say, not the night before an assignment is due. Late work will be marked down a third of a letter grade for each day that it is late.
Accommodations
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately and we will work it out.
Academic Integrity
Do not plagiarize or cheat. You are expected to be familiar with the university’s policies on academic integrity. If any instance should arise in which you are unsure whether something would constitute cheating or plagiarism, please come talk to me before handing something in.
Conferences
You must meet with me at my office for three twenty minute conferences, one session for each paper this term. Come with drafts, ideas, notes, outlines and questions, so that we can make good use of this time to work together to create your best work.
Peer Review
As a means of receiving more feedback on the writing that you will do in this course, you will conduct peer reviews. On the days marked in the syllabus, you will work in groups to read and revise one another’s drafts. We will talk more about the specific mechanics of the peer review later, but do bear in mind that the most important thing you should be reading for is content and structure of your peers’ arguments, rather than the diction or style of their writing. It is essential that you bring in paper copies of your drafts for peer review, so that your colleagues can mark your papers up successfully. (You can submit your final drafts to me electronically, but you need to bring hard copies for your peer reviewing).
Writing Center
Feel free – and even encouraged! – to make use of the Writing Center. The Writing Center is located in the library, where Brandeis graduate students will look over your work to help you structure your argument within your paper. You will receive a one-day extension on the final draft of any paper if you visit the Writing Center for an appointment and bring me a form from your writing tutor attesting to your visit.
Laptops and Technology
You can bring your laptops to class, but you should not use them to talk to your friends, shop for shoes, read other work, or any such thing. During class, you should only use your laptops for things pertinent to our class discussions. You should never use your cell phone during class; if you are on your cell phone, I will consider you absent for that class.
Week 1
Jan. 13: In class: Introduction to writing and the topic of the seminar; diagnostic writing
Week 2
Jan. 18:No class, Martin Luther King day
Jan. 20:Reading Assignment: Course Syllabus; “What is College For?” and “Great Books” from Excellent Sheep by William Deresiewicz (LATTE)
Writing Assignment: None
In class: Discussion of high school writing versus collegewriting, and what
good writing is
Week 3
Jan. 25:Reading Assignment: Chapter Three from Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov and “Beautiful Grade” by Lorrie Moore (LATTE); Parfitt, Introduction and Chapter One
Writing Assignment: none
In class: how to do a close reading
Jan. 27:Reading Assignment:“Midnight in Dostoevsky” by Don DeLillo, “Porcupines at the University” by Donald Barthelme, and “Reverse Bug” by Lore Segal (LATTE)
Writing Assignment: Pre-draft 1 (mini close-reading)
In class: more on how to do a close reading; discussion of introductions
Week 4
Feb. 1:Reading Assignment: Parfitt, Chapter 6 (to page 190)
Writing Assignment: Predraft 2 (introductory paragraph)
In class: Peer reviewing introductory paragraphs
Feb. 3:Reading Assignment: close reading sections from Write Now
Writing Assignment: Essay #1 Draft Due
In class: workshopping a close-reading essay from Write Now
Week 5
Feb. 8:Reading Assignment: Parfitt, Chapter 7
Writing Assignment: Draft responses to draft writer(s)
In class: Peer review
Feb. 10:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Essay #1 Final Draft Due
In class: Discussion of what we learned in our close reading; introduction of
concept of the lens text
Feb. 15-20:No class (February Break)
Week 6
Feb. 22:Reading Assignment: “Canon, Syllabus, List” by John Guillory (LATTE)
Writing Assignment: none
In class: exercises to work on incorporating quotations
Feb. 24:Reading Assignment: Mislaidby Nell Zink, ch. 1-4
Writing Assignment: Predraft 2.1 (quotation exercise)
In class: Beginning to apply the lens text to a specific moment in Zink
Week 7
Feb. 29:Reading Assignment: Mislaidby Nell Zink, ch. 4-11
Writing Assignment: LATTE post on Zink
In class: Motive and thesis in the lens essay
Mar. 2:Reading Assignment: Lens essay from Write Now
Writing Assignment: Predraft 2.2 (supplying a motive)
In class: Reviewing the Write Now! Essay
Week 8
Mar. 7:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Essay #2 Draft Due
In class: Style workshop – looking for weak sentences and vapid verbs
Mar. 9:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Draft responses to draft writer(s)
In class: Peer review
Week 9
Mar. 14:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Essay #2 Due
In class: Introducing the research essay; discussing what we learned in the
lens unit and how to apply it to the next paper
Mar. 16:Reading Assignment: “The Program Era” by Mark McGurl (LATTE)
Writing Assignment: LATTE Response to McGurl
In class: developing a research question
Week 10
Mar. 21:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: none
In class: Skimming scholarly books and articles
Mar. 23:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Predraft 3.1 (research proposal)
In class: workshopping/discussing research proposals; looking forward to
the library session
Week 11
Mar. 28:No class
Mar. 30:Reading Assignment: Research essays from Write Now!
Writing Assignment: none
In class: going over the Write Now! essays
Week 12
Apr. 4:FLIP Session – meet in the library
Reading Assignment: Parfitt, Chapter 9
Writing Assignment: none
In class: Library session on available resources
Apr. 6:Reading Assignment: Research essays from Write Now!
Writing Assignment: Predraft 3.2 (annotated bibliography)
In class: discussion of the sources found for the annotated bibliographies;
plagiarism and the logic of citation
Week 12
Apr. 11:FLIP Session – meet in the library
Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: none
In class: More focused work with library resources
Apr. 13:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Essay #3 Draft Due
In class: Essay structure and stitching; working out titles
Week 13
Apr. 18:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Draft responses to draft writer(s)
In class: Peer review
Apr. 20:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Predraft 3.3 (Reverse Outline)
In class: more on structure and stitching; conclusions
Week 14
May 2:Reading Assignment: none
Writing Assignment: Essay #3 due
In class: review of course; discussion of portfolio requirements
May 9:Portfolio Letter Due