Instructor: Dean Karpowicz             Office:   Comm Arts 251  
Email: dkarpowicz@litspot.net
Phone: 595-2672
Office Hours: TH 6-7 (Online); M/W 2-3 (Campus); By appt.
Web Board: Litspot Forums

Course Description: In English 237, we will focus on the study American Literature dating from 1920 – present. Rather than perusing excerpts of texts written during this period, we will read a collection of shorter, entire works. This method allows for an in-depth analysis of each work that we cover. Minimal time will be spent covering particular literary movements, mainly Modernism and Postmodernism. Within the scope of our study, we will obtain the necessary skills to debate and analyze literary texts.

Online Sessions: EN237 is intended to offer students who cannot make it to campus during the day or night the chance to complete courses for credit. I have designed the course in a way that I hope offers something as close to the classroom experience as possible, discussion included. Therefore attendance at our weekly meetings is mandatory. That said, I will try to provide podcasts of the lecture sessions, in case a student happens to miss a session, and each week there will be “course packs” available with an outline of my lecture.

Tech Talk: Students in this course are not expected to master the intricacies of Second Life and TeamSpeak. You will not be graded on your ability to build houses or create works of art in the virtual environment. However, all students are required to master the skills necessary to study the texts that we are talking about and turn in their homework. In order to help with the technology piece of the semester, I will hold brief “tech talk” sessions during each meeting with lessons on note taking, turning in work, viewing media, etc. I have also found that those students who take time to log in outside of class time and practice these things and explore the environment, tend to have less trouble keeping up with the class. I do as much as I can to make the classes run smoothly, and none my former students have found the technology too difficult to learn (even those with almost no knowledge of computers). Some effort in this area is required, though.

Course Work: We will read seven short novels and a selection of poetry in this course. Students will be graded on two tests, response posts, and a final paper or wiki project. The tests will consist of several identifications and short answer questions; the final paper will be 5-7 pages in length and on the topic of the student’s choice. Final papers will be written in MLA style, with proper citations and a works cited page. If you have questions about a MLA citation, please ask me, as it isn’t something that we are going to cover in class; Also, the UW-Parkside library has more than one MLA Handbook on hand. There will be an option to complete a wiki entry for your final project, and the class will spend some time creating a page during the semester. I will offer a handout and an online set of instructions for the project.

Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam for the class. Both will be open book exams, but your time will be limited. All the materials that we go over in the classroom will be available for you to review online, up to about an hour before the exam begins. The final exam will not be cumulative.

Message Board: During the first week of class, students will register and post on the class message board found at http://www.litspot.net/boards. This message board will be used for class responses to the texts that we read. Your responses should be at least a few paragraphs long, and I may ask you to comment on a specific section of the reading. Each student will be required to complete six of the seven posted responses. Each  response will be worth fifteen points, with the remaining ten points granted for being an active participant on the forums. Litspot is also the easiest way to communicate with me. You can send personal messages and post in the class forums. I check them daily.

Texts: The following texts are required for the class. I have selected the Dover editions of each of them, and they are available at the campus bookstore. All in-class references that I make will be from the editions below. However, students may use any edition they like, and I have included links to electronic versions of these books below. I do ask that you select a format that you can search if you use an electronic version of the texts, so that you can follow along with our discussion.

In Our Time, by Ernest Hemingway
As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner
The  Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouc
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
White Noise, by Don Dellilo
Invisible Monsters, by Chuck Palaniuk
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson

Buy the books from UWP Bookstore

Attendance

• Students are allowed no more than two absences.
• Students missing more than four classes should not expect to pass the class.

Late Work and Make-up Work

• Late posts will not be accepted. Threads are locked at Midnight. No exceptions.
• Exams cannot be made up unless there is a documented emergency.

Plagiarism

• Any student found guilty of plagiarism will receive a zero for the theme, and plagiarism can result in a zero for the course.

Grading Breakdown

10%   Class Participation/Attendance
25%   Responses and Board Activity
20%   Mid-term Exam
25%   Final Paper/Project
20%   Final Exam

Class Schedule

September
8: Orientation.

13: Literary Timeline. Introduction to Modernism.
15: In Our Time, Hemingway

20: In Our Time, Hemingway; Response 1 Due Sunday at Midnight
22: As I Lay Dying, Faulkner

27: As I Lay Dying, Faulkner; Response 2 Due Sunday at Midnight
29: As I Lay Dying, Faulkner

October

4: The Harlem Renaissance
6: The Beat Generation; The Dharma Bums, Kerouac

11: The Dharma Bums, Kerouac: Response 3 Due, Sunday at Midnight
13: The Dharma Bums, Kerouac

18: Exam 1
20: Introduction to Postmodernism

25: Beloved, Morrison
27: Beloved, Morrison

November

1: Beloved, Morrison; Response 4 Due, Sunday at Midnight
3: Beloved, Morrison

8: White Noise, DeLillo
10: White Noise, DeLillo

15: White Noise, DeLillo; Response 5 Due, Sunday at Midnight
17: White Noise, DeLillo

22: Invisible Monsters, Palahniuk
24: Invisible Monsters, Palahniuk

29: Invisible Monsters, Palahniuk; Response 6 Due, Sunday at Midnight

December

1: SF Timeline; Cyberpunk and Technoculture

6: Snow Crash, Stephenson
8: Snow Crash, Stephenson

13: Snow Crash, Stephenson; Response 7 Due, Sunday at Midnight
15: Snow Crash, Stephenson

Exam Date. TBA.