General course information

Required Texts

• Austen, Jane. Emma. Oxford World’s Classics. (2008)
• Goldsmith, Oliver. She Stoops to Conquer. Dover Thrift. (1991)
• Hornby, Nick. About a Boy. Riverhead Books.
• Ibsen, Henrick. Hedda Gabler. Dover Thrift. (1990)

Recommended Texts

A writing guide for (Canadian) English students is highly recommended. Two common ones are:

• Hacker, Diana. A Canadian Writer’s Reference. Fourth ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009.
• Messenger et al. The Concise Canadian Writer’s Handbook. Oxford.

Course Objectives

• continue to develop ability to write clear, error-free, university-level prose
• continue to develop ability to write short argumentative essays
• continue to develop ability to identify and correct writing errors and weaknesses
• demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the course texts
• demonstrate a basic critical understanding of the genres of poetry, novel, and drama
• demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of selected literary terms
• continue to develop ability to analyze texts from a detailed perspective (i.e., close reading)

Lectures

The lectures will focus on studying literature, mainly poetry, drama, and long prose fiction. You are expected to attend all lectures. You will receive helpful advice on how to think about literature, how to develop theories about literature, and how to write about literature. Note that the content of the lectures is meant to stimulate your own thinking: the lecturer’s thoughts about a work of literature do not represent the only way to think about that work of literature. You should develop your own opinions and theories and learn how to express and defend them. The skills you learn in reading, thinking, and writing about literature can be transferred to every university discipline. You should prepare for the lectures by reading the assigned material (before the lecture) and by spending some time thinking about the material.

Seminars

Prof. Dean may be replaced by Prof. Dunn at some point during the semester: if this happens, we will do what we can to ensure a smooth transition. The seminar timetables will not change. You must attend the seminar section in which you have enrolled on WebAdvisor; you are not permitted to attend another seminar section, unless you change your enrollment on WebAdvisor or have the seminar instructor’s permission. The seminars will focus both on studying literature and improving your writing. You are expected to attend all seminars. Every week (or almost every week), a Seminar Guide Sheet will be distributed in class and placed on the web site: you should follow the instructions on the Guide Sheet and prepare for seminar properly.

Preparation and Participation

The participation grade is based on your participation in seminar discussions and exercises. Your seminar instructor is solely responsible for the grade. Participation does not consist simply of talking, but of contributing in an informed manner to the seminar. If you have not read the material, chances are your attempts to contribute to the seminar will not be effective or (from a grade perspective) valuable. Attendance alone is not sufficient for a good participation grade: please make an effort to engage with the seminar discussions and participate in the grammar and writing exercises.

Lateness

Essays are due in class, on the date indicated by the assignment. For every day (including weekend days) that an essay is late, the grade on the essay will be reduced by 2%. If an essay is more than ten days late, it will not be accepted and you will receive a grade of 0 for that assignment.