Looking at Animals
English Composition II: Seminar in Expository Writing
English 2, section TR5B, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:05-6:20, Boylan 3407
Professor Nicola Masciandaro, 3149 Boylan, 718-951-5784,
Office Hours: T and TH 2:30-3:30.
Are not the perfection of an animal and the supremacy of the thinking being measured by the penetration and power of synthesis of their glance? To try to see more and to see better is not, therefore, just a fantasy, curiosity, or a luxury. See or perish. This is the situation imposed on every element of the universe by the mysterious gift of existence. And thus, to a higher degree, this is the human condition.—Teilhard de Chardin
Overview: This course focuses on mastering the skills of expository writing: analyzing and evaluating sources, developing theses and arguments, researching topics in different disciplines, using evidence and citation, developing and navigating bibliographic materials, drafting and revising, and structuring a paper. The readings reflect several genres and disciplines, but focus on academic writing and will thus provide a space for textual analysis and dialogue as well as models for composition and bibliography. Coursework consists of a series of research and writing assignments, through which you will develop and perfect an original 10-page (4500 words) research paper. Conceiving, imagining, and designing original projects is one of the most challenging and creative aspects of academic study, and the assignments for this course are designed to give you valuable practice in this area. The only restriction on topics is that they must be related to the broad theme of the course: the animal/human boundary. You are encouraged to develop a topic within a discipline you are particularly interested in. Overall this course aims to provide the student with: theoretical and practical understanding of writing and research; appreciation and sense of wonder about its topic. Some important resources: H-Animal (http://www.h-net.org/~animal/), Animal Studies Bibliography (http://ecoculturalgroup.msu.edu/bibliography.htm), Institute for Critical Animal Studies (http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/).
Course Texts: Unless otherwise noted, all course materials are available online, either through the BC Library or on the Web. You must locate, print out, and bring your own copy to class. Not doing so will be counted as poor participation.
Requirements: 3 Exploratory Essays (5% each), Research Bibliography (10%), Annotated Bibliography (10%), Project Description (10%), Research Paper-1st Version (15%), Research Paper-2nd Version (25%), Final Exam (15%). Because these assignments form a sequence, each building on the next towards the Research Paper, not doing an assignment will count double its value against your final grade. At the end of the term I will also rate your participation as poor, good, or excellent according to how frequently you attend class (one absence is acceptable, more is bad), how frequently you participate in class discussion, and how well your participation contributes to the ongoing dialogue of the class. If your participation is poor or excellent it may affect your final grade by as much as one letter down or up, respectively.
Exploratory Essays: Each Exploratory Essay is a 2-page paper investigating a specific subject related to the theme of the course. It does not have to contain a sustained argument, make use of evidence, or make use of bibliographic research. Rather, the short essay should articulate in the freest way your developing thoughts and curiosity about its topic and provide a sense of what is compelling, important about it.
Research Bibliography: The Research Bibliography is a twenty-item list of secondary sources relevant to your paper topic. It should indicate the working title of your final paper and must include only articles, essay collections, and monographs published by refereed journals and publishing houses. General internet sources, however useful, are not acceptable for the bibliography. You do not have to read all of your sources in their entirety, only know enough about them to determine their relevance to your topic. The idea is to produce the best possible list of sources that you would read for a more in-depth study of your topic.
Annotated Bibliography: In the Annotated Bibliography, you will provide brief and precise summaries of the central points of the five secondary sources most relevant to your topic. This will help to synthesize your understanding of the scholarly sources on your topic, as well as help you situate your own argument in relation to them in your paper.
Project Description: The project description is a 2-page description of your research project. It should clearly define your working thesis and argument, specify what texts and sources your paper will discuss, and articulate overall what questions your paper will attempt to answer and how it will go about answering them.
Research Paper: 10-12 pages. Each version of your research paper must: 1) demonstrate a well-defined, original, and interesting thesis on the basis of textual and contextual evidence using reasoning, imagination, logic, and speculation; 2) situate its argument with respect to at least two secondary sources; 3) not summarize, quote, or paraphrase texts or sources unnecessarily, i.e. in a manner that does not develop your argument or analysis; 4) not rely on vague generalizations about its subject; 5) use either the Chicago or MLA style of citation and bibliography. We will be discussing all aspects of the research paper in class, including practical strategies for developing research topics, navigating sources, and revision (see schedule).
Final Exam: The Final Exam will test your knowledge of the reading material for the course. It will require you to identify passages from the readings and to answer basic questions about their contents and arguments. Multiple-choice format.
Miscellaneous: I do not accept non-assigned revisions or drafts, BUT I will meet with you in person to read through and discuss any work in progress. Late work is subject to penalty, one letter grade per each day late. All work must be submitted in hardcopy form, either to me in person or to my department mailbox in Boylan 2308. At the end of the term, graded copies of all coursework must be resubmitted, in a single manila folder. All work must follow MLA or Chicago guidelines. All incidents of plagiarism will be handled according to the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity, as required by the college. See http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies.
Schedule:
T Sept 1 Introduction. Animal, Human, Whatever. In-class writing.
Th Sept 3 Why look at animals? Discussion of in-class writing.
T Sept 8 Edgar Allan Poe, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
Th Sept 10 Christopher Smart, “For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry,” from Jubilate Agno.
T Sept 15 Essay #1 Due. Research Basics, Finding Sources
Th Sept 17 Pico della Mirandola, On the Dignity of Man, sections 1-10 (available at The Pico Project,
http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/pico/)
T Sept 22 Ranier Maria Rilke, “The Eighth Elegy,” Duino Elegies (provided by email)
Th Sept 24 Essay #2 Due. Using Sources
T Sept 29 No Class
Th Oct 1 Ralph Acampora, “Zoos and Eyes: Contesting Captivity and Seeking Successor Practices,” Society
and Animals 13 (2005): 69-88.
T Oct 6 Essay #3 Due. Having an Idea, Planning a Project
Th Oct 8 Akira Mizuta Lippit, “The Death of An Animal,” Film Quarterly 56 (2002): 9-22.
T Oct 13 Film: Grizzly Man (Herzog, 2005), meet in Library Room 242
Th Oct 15 Film: Grizzly Man (Herzog, 2005), meet in Library Room 242. Short response assignment.
T Oct 20 Discussion of Grizzly Man.
Th Oct 22 Ellen Brinks, “Uncovering the Child in Timothy Treadwell’s Feral Tale,” The Lion and the
Unicorn 32 (2008): 304-323.
T Oct 27 In-class revision of Research Bibliography, bring drafts.
Th Oct 29 Research Bibliography Due
T Nov 3 In-class revision of Annotated Bibliography, bring drafts.
Th Nov 5 Annotated Bibliography Due
T Nov 10 In-class revision of Project Description, bring drafts.
Th Nov 12 Project Description Due. Discussion of Projects, Theses
T Nov 17 In-class writing/revision, bring draft of pages 1-3.
Th Nov 19 In-class writing/revision, bring draft of pages 4-6.
T Nov 24 In-class writing/revision, bring draft of pages 7-9.
Th Nov 26 No Class.
T Dec 1 First Draft Due.
Th Dec 3 In-class work, discussion.
T Dec 8 Presentation and Discussion of Topics.
Th Dec 10 Review for Final Exam.
T Dec 15 Final Exam. 3:30 am-5:30 pm. Final Draft Due.