ENG 101 Syllabus - The Many Wests of the United States.pdf ...

ENG 101-6-22 / Spring 2013 Syllabus

Spring 2013 / MWF 2-2:50 PM / Parkes Hall 213 Instructor: Garrett Morrison Office: University Hall 420 Office Hours: M 12-1, W 3-4, or by appointment Email: [email protected]

Our Purposes Our purposes will be to read critically, to listen actively, to speak fluently, and to write with clarity and grace. To quote the official university literature, freshman seminars “are small, writing- and discussion-oriented courses geared to the investigation of a specific theme or issue and intended to hone your abilities as a critical thinker and effective writer.” (Whew. How ironic that the phrase “effective writer” appears in that sentence.) But in a couple of ways, our freshman seminar, “The Many Wests of the United States,” will be distinctive: 1) It is an English course. In fact, it’s “English 101.” So we will spend much of our time analyzing literature, even if we take frequent detours into history and film studies. 2) It is focused, as you know, on the American West. Our Theme

What comes to mind when you think of “the American West”? Cowboys in saloons playing cards and brandishing pistols? Surfboards abandoned on the white sand, framed by the blue ocean? Do you envision plains or mountains? The Gateway Arch or the Golden Gate? In the American imagination, the West comprises an important, powerful set of myths and images. When examined, however, these myths and images, these “many Wests,” are revealed to be heterogeneous, even contradictory—and for precisely this reason they deserve our critical attention. Our Method This course requires three kinds of work: 1) Reading. Readings will include primary (short stories, novels, films) and secondary (historical scholarship, literary criticism, critical theory) texts. Occasionally in class I will hand out instructional readings on writing technique. 2) Discussion. During our class meetings, you will not only talk, but also practice engaged listening. I believe students learn best when they consider unfamiliar points of view. 3) Writing. You will hone your writing skills by completing a variety of assignments, including a description of a keyword, an argumentative article review, a literary-critical essay, and two close-reading examinations.


Required Books ● In order to remain in this course, you must possess these books in hard copy. E-books not allowed. ● I will trust you to purchase the books on your own (online, preferably). Norris is a rip-off. ● You must, however, obtain each book in the edition I’ve indicated below. ● Not having a book, or having the wrong edition, counts against your participation score. ● On most bookselling websites, you can find a specific edition by entering its ISBN into the search box. Fante, John. Ask the Dust. 1939. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. - ISBN-10: 0060822554 Proulx, Annie, Larry McMurtry, and Diana Ossana. Brokeback Mountain: Story to Screenplay. New York: Scribner, 2005. - ISBN-10: 0743294165

Other Required Texts ● I will provide the rest of the readings as PDFs, which you will be responsible for printing. ● Don’t waste your own ink: print at a Northwestern library. Black-and-white, two-sided sheets cost 12 cents each. So to print an average-sized reading, you will spend one to two bucks. ● Yes, printing is a pain and an expense. But it’s better, I’d wager, than paying $150 for a course pack.

Required Videos ● You can acquire these movies in a few different ways: o I have a USB thumb drive containing all of them in QuickTime-playable files. o For about three dollars a pop, rent them from Amazon or iTunes or any streaming service. o Find a classmate who owns or has rented one of the films and organize a viewing party. o The library might have copies, but don’t count on it. Brokeback Mountain. Dir. Ang Lee. Screenplay by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Focus Features, 2006. L.A. Confidential. Dir. Curtis Hanson. Screenplay by Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson. Warner Bros., 1997. “Premiere.” The O.C. Dir. Doug Liman. Teleplay by Josh Schwartz. Warner Bros., 2003. Red River. Dir. Howard Hawks. Screenplay by Borden Chase and Charles Schnee. United Artists, 1948. The Searchers. Dir. John Ford. Screenplay by Frank S. Nugent. Warner Bros., 1956.

Recommended Supplementary Texts ● These books are important and useful, but not required for this course. Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. “They Say / I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. 2 nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7 th ed. New York: MLA of America, 2009. Williams, Raymond. Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society. Rev. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.


Elements of the Course → Keyword Presentation and Essay (10% of your final grade) ● Briefly define, describe, and contextualize a keyword of your choice. ● Presentation: 5 minutes Essay: 400 to 500 words ● Various due dates → Argumentative Article Review (20%) ● Summarize and evaluate a scholarly article, then state your own informed opinion. ● 1,000 to 1,250 words ● First draft: 4/18 Final draft: 4/25 → Two In-Class Close-Reading Exams (Each 10%) ● Demonstrate your knowledge of readings/viewings and display your analytical skills. ● Exam 1: 5/10 Exam 2: 5/31 → Critical Essay (30%) ● Enter a scholarly debate by responding to a piece of cultural criticism and analyzing a work of literature or cinema. ● 1,750 to 2,250 words ● Topic: 6/3 Final draft: 6/10 → Participation and Attendance (20%) Standards for participation: ● Read the texts and watch the videos before class. ● Speak up regularly. Listen intently. ● Bring hard copies of the readings to class. ● Mark up the readings in pencil, pen, or highlighter. ● Put away phones and laptops during class. Rules for attendance: ● You may miss one class—no penalty given, no excuse necessary. Maybe you fall sick. Maybe, God forbid, you get blindsided by a family emergency. Or maybe you just feel lazy. No worries! You have a freebie absence. ● Here’s the catch: each additional absence reduces your participation score by five points (100 to 95). This rule applies even to absences that you may not be able to avoid. o If you miss a class, set up an appointment with me, preferably during office hours. Your initiative and diligence will mitigate any harm done to your grade. ● Five total absences = a failing participation score. ● One tardy = ½ of an absence. ● I believe in rewarding consistency and professionalism. So if you show up on time and prepared for every class, I will boost your participation score by five points (100 to 105).


General Guidelines for Writing Assignments Good writers do far more than simply write. In this course, you will: 1) Plan, draft, and revise three essays. For each essay, I will provide an assignment sheet. This sheet will describe a specific process of brainstorming, planning, drafting, and revising. Sometimes I will require you to meet me in person before producing a final draft. Other times I will give you written feedback and ask you to revise and resubmit. After every final draft, you will turn in a “Postmortem Checklist and Self-Assessment,” the template for which will be available on Blackboard. Your grade will be based not only on the quality of your final draft, but also on the effort you put into the entire writing process. 2) Submit your work on time. Email your writing assignments to my university address, [email protected], as .doc, .docx, or .pdf attachments. No extensions. Late papers will be penalized one third of a letter grade (“A” to “A-”). If a paper is more than 24 hours late, it will be docked two thirds of a letter grade (“A” to “B+”);; if more than 48 hours late, a full letter grade;; if more than 72 hours late… you get the idea. 3) Format your papers professionally. Use 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, one-inch margins, and page numbers. Come up with a title that communicates a sense of your essay’s topic and argument. When citing evidence, follow the rules of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 4) Be honest. The work you hand in must be your own. Any plagiarism will be handled according to the Weinberg College Honor Code. Course Website I have set up a Blackboard site, where I will post announcements, scheduling details, PDFs of readings, assignment sheets, and other important stuff. Check Blackboard regularly. Everyday Communication When we are not in class, email will be our official mode of communication, so keep track of everything I send to your “u.northwestern.edu” address. Feel free to email me anytime, but expect up to a 24-hour delay before I reply. Don’t try to get in touch the night before a deadline. Writing and Exam Schedule 4/18 4/25

Review: First Draft Review: Final Draft

5/10 5/31

Exam 1 Exam 2

6/3 6/10

Critical Essay: Topic Critical Essay: Final Draft

Grading Breakdown Keyword Presentation & Essay 10% Argumentative Article Review 20% Critical Essay 30%

Close-Reading Exam 1 Close-Reading Exam 2 Participation & Attendance

10% 10% 20%


COURSE SCHEDULE UNIT 1: THE ACADEMIC WEST;; OR, HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS Week 1 Tu 4/2 W 4/3 F 4/5 Week 2 M 4/8 W 4/10 F 4/12

Introductions Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” Alan Trachtenberg, “The Westward Route” Patricia Nelson Limerick, “Closing the Frontier and Opening Western History” Richard White, Introduction to “The Origins of the West” Richard Slotkin, “The Significance of the Frontier Myth in American History” Susan Johnson, “On the Eve of Emigration” Reading Quiz: Weeks 1-2 UNIT 2: THE GOLD RUSH WEST;; OR, STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE

Week 3 M 4/15 W 4/17 Th 4/18 F 4/19

Michael Kowalewski, “Imagining the California Gold Rush” Bayard Taylor, “San Francisco by Day and Night” Louise Clappe, “A Trip to the Mines” Bret Harte, “The Luck of Roaring Camp” Draft Due: First draft of article review NO CLASS

Week 4 M 4/22 W 4/24 Th 4/25 F 4/26

Mark Twain, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” Twain, excerpts from Roughing It Paper Due: Final draft of article review Twain, excerpts from Roughing It UNIT 3: THE WILD WEST;; OR, IT’S RAINING MEN

Week 5 M 4/29 W 5/1 F 5/3

Jane Tompkins, “Introduction” to West of Everything Owen Wister, excerpt from The Virginian Jack Schaefer, excerpt from Shane Howard Hawks, dir., Red River John Ford, dir., The Searchers

Week 6 M 5/6 W 5/8 F 5/10

Annie Proulx, “Brokeback Mountain” Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain Close-Reading Exam 1: Weeks 3-6


UNIT 4: THE UTOPIAN/DYSTOPIAN WEST: OR, LOS ANGELES IS THE WORST Week 7 M 5/13 W 5/15 F 5/17 Week 8 M 5/20 W 5/22 F 5/24 Week 9 M 5/27 W 5/29 F 5/31

Mike Davis, “Sunshine or Noir?,” pp. 15-30 Excerpts from The Land of Sunshine Songs by The Beach Boys, The Mamas and the Papas, and The Best Coast John Fante, Ask the Dust, pp. 11-59 David Fine, “Nathanael West, Raymond Chandler, and the Los Angeles Novel” Fante, pp. 60-90 Davis, pp. 30-46 Fante, pp. 91-165 Curtis Hanson, dir., L.A. Confidential NO CLASS NO CLASS (Memorial Day) Joan Didion, “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream” and “The White Album” Thomas Pynchon, excerpt from The Crying of Lot 49 Close-Reading Exam 2: Weeks 7-9

Reading Week M 6/3 Doug Liman, dir., “Premiere,” The O.C. Topic Due: Description of topic for critical essay Finals Week M 6/10 Paper Due: Final draft of critical essay