Instructor:Ruth Spack Email
Instructor:Ruth Spack Email:
Office Hours: Tu& F 10:00-11:00 by appointment “Office”: Starbucks @ Farber Library
Required Text:
The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing About Fiction. Note: Please bring this book to every class.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
This first-semester writing course focuses on developing analytical, interpretive, and argumentative skills that are essential for writing about fiction in clear and compelling prose. In advance of crafting formal essays, you will have numerous opportunities to test out your ideas through informal writing assignments, in and outside class.
By bringing your own history, background, assumptions, and beliefs to international stories, you can deepen your understanding of the historical, political, economic, and social forces that shape people’s lives across cultures.
By making connections between your experiences and the experiences of characters with significantly different backgrounds, you can widen your perspective on the meaning of your own life.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
ATTEND.Unlike most readers and writers, you are fortunate to have a group of people available to meet regularly to share ideas and clarifyconfusion.In class discussions, you will be able to achieve greater insight into the readings than is possible on your own.Note: If you must miss a class, please inform me by emailahead of time and schedule a meetingto catch up.Thank you!
READ AND REREAD.Frequent opportunities to rereada story, diving back in to uncover layers of meaning, will advance your analytical and interpretive skills.
WRITE AND REWRITE. Frequent opportunities to write and revise, with constructive feedback on ways to rethink and reshape what you have written, willstrengthenyour academic writing. Note: Even if you should miss a class, you are responsible for completing all assignments. You need a completeportfolio to pass this course. That is the only way I can accurately trace the trajectory of your writing this semester.
Grading
I will provide written and oral feedback on your writing. However, with the exception of a check system for journal entries (see separate handout), I will not grade individual essays. At midterm and at the end of the semester, I will grade a portfolio of all of your writing. Your grade will thus reflect what you have accomplished over time.
Grades will be based on the quality and completeness of your portfolio and on an established pattern of attendance, punctuality, effort, and classroom participation (verbal contributions and/or respectful attention). There are no quizzes, tests, or exams.
Academic Integrity
You have joined a university community that is committed to the pursuit of academic excellence. As a member of this community, you should feel proud to maintain high standards of honesty and integrity. Here are some basic guidelines:
Never use someone else’s words or ideas without proper acknowledgment. If you borrow words and/or ideas from another writer, give the writer credit and accurately identify the source to show that your work is building on an established base of knowledge and thought. (See “Avoiding Plagiarism: Quoting and Paraphrasing Properly” in The International Story, 330-33)
Never allow anyone else to write or revise any part of your work.
Never hand in a paper written by someone else.
Never hand in a paper you’ve written for another class.
Academic Support Services
- Writing Center.Free tutoring: Goldfarb Library, Mezzanine, Room 232
- Course tutor.Free tutoring with the tutor assigned to our writing course: Nadia Mann.
Other Support Services
- Counseling Center. Confidential counseling sessions provided by a professional staff, with sensitivity to diversity and individuality.Mailman, Mon-Fri, 8-5, x3730.
For emergency consultations after hours, call (781) 736-3785 (24-hour answering service).
- Disability Support. Academic Services. x63495
- Health Center. Confidential health care in Stoneman/Golding.x63677.For emergencies, call Public Safety:(781)736-3333.
SCHEDULE
Week 1
Fri9/1: Introduction to the course
Tom Wayman, “Did I Miss Anything?”
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”
In-class writing
Week 2
due Tu9/5: Skim: Developing Effective Reading Strategies: Understanding and Responding (in The International Story, pages 5-22)
Skim:Quoting and Documenting Sources (316-22)
Read: Kate Chopin, “Two Portraits”USA (58-61)
Read: Keeping a Literary Journal: Writing about Specific Topics (16-21)
Write:Literary Journal Entry #1 on “The Story of an Hour” (6-8)
due Fri9/8:Skim: Developing Effective Reading Strategies: Analyzing and Interpreting (23-37)
Skim: Punctuating Quotations (324-27)
Read: Guy de Maupassant, “The Necklace” France (46-52)
Write: Literary Journal Entry #2 on “Two Portraits”
Week 3
due Tu9/12: Skim: Brainstorming Ideas to Find and Develop a Topic (239-44)
Read:Luisa Valenzuela, “The Verb to Kill” Argentina (147-49)
Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl” Antigua (150-51)
Write:Literary Journal Entry #3 on “The Necklace”
due Fri 9/16:Skim: Selecting Evidence for Critical Analysis of a Story – Character, Setting, Point of View (277-94)
Write: Literary Journal Entry #4 on “The Verb to Kill” and/or “Girl”
Week 4
due Tu9/19: Skim: Organizing the Essay (245-63)
Write: Trial draft of Essay #1 (See: Writing a Trial Draft, 244)
In class: Writing Workshop
due Fri9/22: No class—Rosh Hashanah
Week 5
due Tu 9/26: Read: Observing Conventions for Writing about Literature (339-43)
Read: Manuscript Form for Final Copy (343-44)
Write:Interim draft of Essay #1(See:Writing an Interim Draft, 262-63)
In class: Writing Workshop
Conference #1:Individual conferences on draft of Essay #1 will take place this week.
due Fri 9/29:Read: Anton Chekhov, “A Trifle from Real Life” Russia (53-57)
Bring to class: Your interim draft, with my comments, and laptop.
In class: Writing Workshop
Week 6
due Tu 10/3: No class—Thursday @ Brandeis
due Fri10/6: Skim: Selecting Evidence for Critical Analysis of a Story – Imagery, Symbolism, Tone, Abstract Idea (294-315)
Read: James Joyce, “Araby” Ireland (69-73)
Write: Literary Journal Entry on “A Trifle from Real Life” (extra credit)
Write: Revision of Essay #1, with cover letter (See: Revising the Essay, 268-72)
Week 7
Conference #2: Brief individual conferenceson your progress midterm grade will be held in lieu of class on Tu 10/10. Bring all of the writing you have done for the class, in the order in which you wrote it. (Line up outside of class. First come, first served!)
due Fri 10/13: Read: Richard Wright, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” USA (103-12)
In class: “’Almos a Man” (film)
Write: Literary Journal Entry #5 on “Araby”
Week 8
due Tu10/17: Read: Tayeb Salih, “A Handful of Dates” Sudan (137-40)
Write: Literary Journal Entry #6 on “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”
due Fri 10/20: Read:Bruno Lessing, “The Americanization of Shadrach Cohen” USA (62-8)
Write: Literary Journal Entry #7 on “A Handful of Dates”
Week 9
due Tu10/24: Write: Complete draft of Essay #2
In class: Writing Workshop
Conference #3: Individual conferences on draft of Essay #2 will be held this week.
due Fri 10/27:Read: Ernest Hemingway, “Hills Like White Elephants” USA (handout)
In class: Midterm course evaluation discussion
Week 10
due Tu 10/31: Read: F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Babylon Revisited” USA, Parts I-III (86-97)
Write: Literary Journal Entry #8 on “Hills Like White Elephants”
due Fri 11/3: Read: F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Babylon Revisited” Parts IV-V (97-102)
Write: Revision of Essay #2, with cover letter
Week 11
due Tu11/7:Write: Literary Journal Entry #9 on “Babylon Revisited”
In class: Writing Workshop
due Fri 11/10:Read: Heinrich Böll, “Like a Bad Dream” Germany (126-31)
Write: Second Revision of Essay #2, with cover letter
Week 12
due Tu11/14:Read: Xi Xi, “A Woman Like Me” Hong Kong (152-62)
Write: Literary Journal Entry #10 on “Like a Bad Dream”
due Fri 11/17: Read: Cristina Garcia, “Tito’s Goodbye” Cuba/USA (handout)
Write:Reading log entry on “Tito’s Goodbye” (See p. 12.)
In class: Writing Workshop: Notetaking
Week 13
due Mon 11/20 or 11/21: Write: Interim draft of Essay #3
Conference #4: Individual conferences on interim draft of Essay #3 will be held on 11/20 11/21. Bring your draft to the conference.
due Fri 11/24: No class—Thanksgiving
Week 14
due Tu 11/28: Read: Krishnan Varma, “The Grass-Eaters,” India (167-70)
Write: Reading log entry on “The Grass-Eaters” (See Guidelines on page 12.)
Bring to class: All journal entries & essays (with my comments) and laptop.
In class: Writing Workshop: Revising and Editing
due Fri 12/1: Write: Revision (final) of Essay #3, with cover letter
Bring to class: All journal entries & essays (with my comments) and laptop.
In class: Writing Workshop: Revising and Editing
Week 15
due Tu 12/5: Write: Portfolio Self-evaluation and Reflection
Bring to class: Your entire writing portfolio in a 3-ring notebook (all of the writing you’ve done for the class, including in-class writing).
In class: Letter writing
Conference #5: Individual conferences to discuss your writing portfolio and final grade will be held on Wednesday, 12/6 & Thursday, 12/7.
due Fri 12/8: Write: Final Literary Journal Entry: A Retrospective Look at the Readings
In class: Celebration!
LITERARY JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT
Check system for individual journal entries
√+
Fulfills the assignment with serious and thoughtful engagement, showing significant familiarity with the reading, and includesspecific, relevant details from the story to illustrate points, and includes supporting quotation(s) from the story, with page number(s)
√
Addresses the assignment seriously, but lacks sufficient details toillustrate points or lacks supporting quotations
√-
Addresses the assignment superficially, showing unfamiliarity with the reading and/or disregard of the instructions.
0
No journal entry submitted
Note: Late journals will be marked down one level unless there is a valid reason for the lateness.
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