Exploring the Gothic
Fall 2010
ENGL 4840 A (CRN 1590) / ENGL 6840 A (CRN 1591)
W 7-8 (5:00-7:35) LATECH 210
Email: wgerard@aum.edu Office phone: 244-3516 Office: LA 358
Office hours: MW 1:30-2:30; W 4:00-5:00, 7:35-8:35, and by appointment as needed
Required Texts
Gothic Readings: The First Wave. Rictor Norton, ed. Leicester UP.
Lewis, Matthew. The Monk. Penguin
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. John Paul Riquelme, ed. Beford/St. Martin’s
Three Gothic Novels. Peter Fairclough, ed. Penguin.
Note: These specific editions are strongly recommended, not only for the integrity of their content and notes, but so students may get the most out of class discussion.
Course Goals
To identify the characteristics of the mode of Gothic literature from its beginning in 1760 to more than a century later and to understand the British historical-cultural context that serves as both the background and inspiration for the Gothic.
Policies
Attendance: ENGL 4840/6840 is highly dependent on productive discussion of the texts and attendance to every class is required. Students are permitted one absence (excused or unexcused) over the course of the semester. (There are only sixteen class meetings this semester outside of exams.) Additional absences as well as persistent latenesses will be detrimental to the final grade.
Note: If you are planning to be absent from class due to personal reasons, it is highly recommended that you avoid missing class on other occasions. If you are absent, plan on getting the notes you missed from a classmate.
Promptness to class is also required. Late arrivals disrupt class. Every two latenesses of more than five minutes will be counted as one absence.
Courtesy: Students must turn off cellular phone ringers, watch alarms, and all other sources of disruptive sounds before entering the classroom. Repeated failure to do so will be counted negatively toward the final grade. IMPORTANT: No phones or electronic text devices will be allowed on the desktop while class is in session and their use is expressly prohibited during class. Use of computers is not permitted except under special circumstances.
Students are expected to eat and drink during their free time, not during class. Restrict bathroom breaks to absolute necessity. The final grades of students who regularly disrupt class meetings will be lowered as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Participation
Students are expected to respond to the instructor’s questions and develop their own questions which can be addressed during the class meeting.
Participation is also expected weekly on the following blog: http://exploringthegothic.blogspot.com . Two questions will be posted Thursday before the Wednesday class meeting.
Satisfactory participation in this class consists of some engagement during in-class discussion as well as one substantial contribution (several lines) per week on the blog.
Students who do not participate cannot get credit for this component of their final grade.
Papers
One formal paper is required. See separate handout for details.
Students will be responsible for three 2-1/2-page (maximum 4-page) papers over the course of the semester. These papers will be based on close readings of the current text and must include a thesis and at least seven quotes from the text as evidence. They may include other texts from the course or be based on one of the approaches listed in the “Devices of the Gothic” handout. These must be uploaded to Turnitin before class and will be the basis of brief presentations (see below). See the specific handout for details including formatting.
All papers must be uploaded to the Turnitin.com on the due dates before the beginning of the class period in addition to submission in hard copy form at the beginning of class. Papers which are not submitted both ways will not be graded. Remember that only one version of each paper can be submitted—make sure it’s the final version.
To submit a paper you must first open an account on Turnitin.com. It is recommended that you do so early for the purpose of class communication. The class account number is 3378665 and the password is Harker. Address any problems with setting up an account to the instructor.
Presentations
Each class session will feature brief presentations (approximately five minutes in length) from students (from their seats if they prefer) based on some aspect of the assigned reading. You may read the paper or discuss the topic conversationally; however, all presentations/papers must have a brief thesis and reference at least seven citations from texts.
Graduate students will offer a conference-length presentation (15 minutes long) based on their research papers toward the end of the semester.
Presentations are an important part of the final grade, and unless arrangements are made in advance, cannot be made up.
Exams
The midterm exam will consist of character identification questions and brief essays; the final exams will consist of three thematic essays. Blue books will be necessary for both exams.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Students using another’s work (from a book or article, a web site, a previously submitted paper, or a friend) as their own without attribution will receive in a permanent F for plagiarism on their transcript. There will be no opportunity to redo copied work. You are responsible for knowing the following content from the AUM student handbook, the AUMANAC:
III. Violations of Academic Integrity
Students are expected to maintain academic integrity in all work pursued at AUM. Students should not condone violations of academic integrity and should act in a manner to prevent opportunities for violations of academic integrity to include:
A. Obtaining unauthorized help from another student during examinations or other graded or credit activities;
B. Knowingly giving unauthorized help to another student during examinations or other graded or credit activities;
C. Using notes, books, or other sources of information or assistance during examinations or other graded or credit activities, unless authorized by the examiner or instructor;
D. Obtaining, without authorization, an examination or any part thereof;
E. Plagiarism - submitting for credit, without appropriate acknowledgment, a report, notebook, speech, outline, theme, thesis, dissertation, or other written, visual, or oral material that has been knowingly obtained or copied in whole or in part from another individual’s academic composition, compilation, or other product, or commercially prepared paper;
F. Taking an examination or doing academic work for another student, or providing one’s own work for another student to copy and submit as his/her own.
Grading
The final grade will consist of the following:
Brief presentations 20%
Participation 20%
Midterm 15%
Research paper 20%
Final 25%
Note: The final grade can be reduced substantially due to excessive absences, persistent latenesses, or class disruptions.
General
Allow ample time for the completion of readings and written assignments. All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late assignments will be penalized one grade point and an additional grade point for each day until submission.
Students with Disabilities
It is the policy of AUM to accommodate individuals with disabilities pursuant to federal law and the University’s commitment to equal educational opportunities. Students who need accommodations are asked to arrange a meeting during office hours the first week of classes, or as soon as possible if accommodations are needed immediately. If you have a conflict with my office hours, an alternate time can be arranged. To set up this meeting, please contact me by phone, e-mail, or during class hours. Bring a copy of your Accommodation Memo and a Faculty/Student Accommodation Worksheet to the meeting. If you do not have an Accommodation Memo but need accommodations, contact the Center for Disability Services (CDS) located in the Library Tower Room 706; contact at 244-3631, 244-3754 (TDD), or email at cds@aum.edu.
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Class schedule
GR refers to Gothic Readings; (sel.) refers to selections from a larger text. Scheduled readings and assignments within brackets must be finished before class. Students using other editions than those recommended are responsible for confirming reading assignments in their editions.
Please note that students are expected to attend all classes and are responsible for getting any notes and assignments they might have missed from their classmates.
Aug 18 Introduction; “Secrets of the Castle, Carey (handout/GR 92-95), and “Darkness,” Byron (handout)
25 The Castle of Otranto, Walpole (37-92); “The Haunted Cavern,” Palmer, and “Mysteries Elucidated,” Mackenzie (GR 27-32)
Sept 1 Castle (93-147); “The Old English Baron,” Reeve, and “The Recess,” Lee (GR 10- 17)
8 Vathek, Beckford (151-200); “The Giaour,” Byron (handout)
15 Vathek (201-255); “The Italian” (sel.), Radcliffe (GR 69-76), and “Beckford’s Favourite Propensity,” Piozzi (GR 340)
22 The Monk, Lewis (1-125)
29 The Monk (126-252)
Oct 6 The Monk (253-377)
13 Midterm
20 Frankenstein, Shelley (259-343); “Superstition: An Ode,” “To the Visions of Fancy,” and “Night,” Radcliffe (GR 233-235).
27 Frankenstein (344-417); “Things as They Are . . . ,” Godwin (GR 110-117)
(n.b. last day to drop course)
Nov 3 Frankenstein (418-497); “Invocation to Horror,” Cowley (GR 230-232)
10 Dracula, Bram Stoker (Ch. I-IX, 26-134); The Vampyre (sel.), Polidori (GR 161-165)
17 Dracula (Ch. X-XVIII, pp. 134-251); “The Vampire . . . ” (sel), Planché (GR 216- 223)
24 Class canceled – Thanksgiving holiday
Dec 1 Dracula (Ch. XIX- XXVII, pp. 251-369); “The Vampyre,” Stagg (GR 253-257); Research paper due
15 Final 5:00-7:30
