syllabus

Basic Info:

Instructor: Jeff Allred

Class Meetings:Tu 5:30-7:30 in HW 1222

Office Hours: Tu/Fri 10-11a and by appointment in HW 1205.

Contact me: [email protected]

Course Blog: https://engl784spr23.commons.gc.cuny.edu/

Course Group: http://cuny.is/group-engl-784-Spr23

Yoknapedia: http://jallred.net/wordpress/yoknapedia/

Course Code: 40239

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the semester, students who have successfully completed the course will:

  • Have a broad understanding of Faulkner’s life and work, with a special focus on the formal properties of his fiction and the arc of his writerly development from the 1920s to the 40s.
  • Gain a context for the aesthetics and politics of Faulkner’s work, for example, its relationship to other examples of the modernist novel, its engagement with issues of race, gender, and sexuality, and its engagement with the history of the South in the Civil War and Reconstruction.
  • Hone their writing skills and especially close reading/analytic skills in careful engagement with formally difficult prose.
  • Learn to engage an audience of peers as well as a broader public orally and in writing, using web-based platforms such as WordPress and wikis.

Course Description:

This course will examine one of the most seminal novelists of the twentieth century whose influence resonates globally, from US writers like Toni Morrison and Cormac McCarthy to postcolonial writers like Gabriel Garcia Marquez. We will think about Faulkner's place in the long development of the novel genre, but also (and especially) the way his work illuminates crucial social, economic, and political developments of the early 20th century: the long aftermath of slavery in Southern life, the gradual and uneven progress of modernization in US society, and changes in perceptions of space and time in the period. And of course we will engage the famous difficulty of Faulkner's work, discovering (or so I wager) the pleasure of the strenuous mode of reading it demands and especially of reading and discussing it with peers.

Requirements: faithful attendance and vigorous participation, several short informal writing assignments, a longer midterm writing project, and a final research paper of about 15 pp., or equivalent alternative project, in consultation with the instructor.

Grading:

responsibility % of grade
Four blog posts of 400-800 words (note: you may skip one deadline!) 25
Midterm project 20
Final research project 40
Participation (including in-class writing assignments) 15

Writing and Research Help

In addition to course assignments and instruction, the Reading/Writing Center can help you to improve your literacy skills and develop your writing style.

For research help, Hunter College Libraries provide online databases and other remote resources. Hunter librarians can help you leverage these resources for your projects. Here are some ways:

For more ways to get help, consult Academic Support & Tutoring.

Attendance/Participation:

Faculty are required to certify student attendance. You are urged to keep abreast of any attendance requirements that may be set by Hunter, government agencies or others with regards to qualification for financial aid, fulltime status, etc.

Except as stipulated by Hunter policy, your course grades may be based on assignments (which may include presentations and participation in group activities) and interaction with online lectures, but not on attendance per se. I do expect regular, vigorous participation in our discussions and other synchronous activities.

Please do your best to contact me if you cannot take part in the course due to illness or an emergency. Let me know if you will be unable to access the course site or the internet for a week or more. Depending on the circumstances it may be possible to schedule alternatives to activities that you miss. Remember that to be excused, medicals must indicate that you were incapable of working on the assignment while confined.

Statement on Academic Integrity

“Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty (e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the values of intellectual honesty. The College is committed to enforcing the CUNY Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty according to the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.”

ADA Policy

“In compliance with the American Disability Act of 1990 (ADA) and with Section 504 of the rev.2020 3 Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Hunter College is committed to ensuring educational parity and accommodations for all students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. It is recommended that all students with documented disabilities (Emotional, Medical, Physical, and/or Learning) consult the Office of AccessABILITY to secure necessary academic accommodations. For further information and assistance, please call: (212) 772- 4857 or (212) 650-3230.”

Policy on Sexual Misconduct

“In compliance with the CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct, Hunter College reaffirms the prohibition of any sexual misconduct, which includes sexual violence, sexual harassment, and gender-based harassment retaliation against students, employees, or visitors, as well as certain intimate relationships. Students who have experienced any form of sexual violence on or off campus (including CUNY-sponsored trips and events) are entitled to the rights outlined in the Bill of Rights for Hunter College."

  • Sexual Violence: Students are strongly encouraged to immediately report the incident by calling 911, contacting NYPD Special Victims Division Hotline (646-610-7272) or their local police precinct, or contacting the College's Public Safety Office (212-772-4444).
  • All Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct: Students are also encouraged to contact the College's Title IX Campus Coordinator, Dean John Rose ([email protected] or 212-650-3262) or Colleen Barry ([email protected] or 212-772-4534) and seek complimentary services through the Counseling and Wellness Services Office, Hunter East 1123.
  • CUNY Policy on Sexual Misconduct (entire document in .pdf)

Emergency Support and Resources

Hunter College is dedicated to the health, wellness and safety of our student body. The following resources are open and available to all currently enrolled students; if they are relevant to your situation, we urge you to make use of them:

Books:

  • available via Akademos and, really, anywhere (see below for ISBNs if you shop around)

  • all other texts are available via our site + group].
  • Be sure to get the correct editions! I won't penalize you for reading on a Kindle or screen or using a different edition, but these Vintage editions are dirt-cheap, abundant, and have the texts that were painstakingly corrected and annotated by Noel Polk in the 1980s and 90s and remain the "industry standard."

The Sound and the Fury ISBN: 9780679732242

The Unvanquished ISBN: 978-0679736523

Light in August The Corrected Text ISBN 9780679732266

Absalom, Absalom! The Corrected Text ISBN 9780679732181

Go Down, Moses ISBN 9780679732174