Catholic Literature                                                                  Spring 2008

ENG395                                 MWF 11:00-11:50                   Professor Mead

 

                                                Syllabus

 

January

            14        M         Introduction

            16        W         Brideshead Revisited, pp. 3-61

            18        F          Brideshead Revisited, pp. 61-104

            21        M         NO CLASS

            23        W         Brideshead Revisited, pp. 105-200

            25        F          Brideshead Revisited, pp. 200-276

            28        M         Brideshead Revisited, pp. 276-351 Caitlin

            30        W         The Quiet American, pp. 3-59 (Part One)

 

February

             1         F          The Quiet American, pp. 63-125 (Part Two)

             4         M         The Quiet American, pp. 129-155 (Part Three)

             6         W         The Quiet American, pp. 159-180 (Part Four)

             8         F          Catch-up day   Paul

            11        M         A Good Man is Hard to Find          

            13        W         A Good Man is Hard to Find           PAPER #1

            15        F          The Life You Save May Be Your Own

            18        M         NO CLASS

            20        W         Good Country People

            22        F          A Temple of the Holy Ghost

            25        M         The River

            27        W         The Artificial Nigger

            29        F          The Artificial Nigger

March

             3         M         A Stroke of Good Fortune

             5         W         A Late Encounter With the Enemy

             7         F          A Circle in the Fire

            10        M         The Displaced Person         

12        W         The Displaced Person

            14        F          Catch-up Day Kathleen

            17        M         NO CLASS

            19        W         NO CLASS

            21        F          NO CLASS

            24        M         NO CLASS

            26        W         Lying Awake, pp. 3-69 PAPER #2

            28        F          Lying Awake, pp. 70-107

            31        M         Lying Awake, pp. 108-116

April    2         W         Lying Awake, pp. 117-181

             4         F          The Samurai, pp. 7-57

             7         M         The Samurai, pp. 58-109

             9         W         The Samurai, pp. 110-171

            11        F          The Samurai, pp. 172-205        

 

            14        M         The Samurai, pp. 206-267 Jonathan

            16        W         Why I Am A Catholic, pp. 1-52

            18        F          Why I Am A Catholic, pp. 53-121

            21        M         Why I Am A Catholic, pp. 125-221

            23        W         Why I Am A Catholic, pp. 225-291

            25        F          Why I Am A Catholic, pp. 295-342

            28        M         Catch-up

            30        W         Evaluations

May

             5         M         PAPER #3 Due 11:00AM

 

Class Policies

 

 

Attendance is mandatory.  More than three absences will lower your final grade.  Class participation is worth 20% of your final grade.

 

Author presentations are graded on the seriousness with which you pursue the task, the depth to which you integrate the author’s biography with the book’s artistic meaning, your attention to detail (close reading), and the degree to which you engage the other students in fruitful and thoughtful discussion.  You are responsible for all works performed or assigned in your absence.

 

Papers need not be research-oriented (but of course you may use secondary sources).  I am looking for a thoughtful, multiply-drafted THESIS paper that uses close reading of select passages and logic to advance and support the thesis.  Papers should be five to seven pages long, with a clear thesis and methodology in the first paragraph and topic sentences that connect the paragraphs with the thesis.  All papers must be titled and submitted with three earlier drafts that indicate the development of the thesis.  In other words, do not merely make cosmetic or rhetorical changes.

 

All must complete all assignments to receive a passing grade.  Student with special needs should see me early in the semester, and I will make all reasonable accommodations.

 

Grades:                        Author Presentation:   20%

                                    Paper #1                     20%

                                    Paper #2                     20%

                                    Paper #3                     20%

                                    Participation                20%

 

Office:             Old Main 369

                        438-4336

                        smead@stmartin.edu

                        MWF   10-11

                        TR       9:00-9:30, 11:00-12:00*

                        AND BY APPOINTMENT

*I sometimes have meetings these slots.