Syllabus

20^TH C. LIT OF THE BRITISH ISLES               MARY M^CGLYNN

SPRING 2023                                                        OFFICE:  VC 7-280

MW 12:50-2:05PM                                     OFFICE HOURS: WTh 2:30-3:30 & by appt.

COURSE STRUCTURE:

“…the ladder is a perfect symbol of the bourgeois idea of society, because, while undoubtedly it offers the opportunity to climb, it is a device which can only be used individually: you go up the ladder alone…. My own view is that the ladder version of society is objectionable in … that it sweetens the poison of hierarchy, in particular by offering the hierarchy of merit as a thing different in kind from the hierarchy of money or birth” (Raymond Williams, Culture and Society 330). 

This semester we will study the literature of Great Britain and Ireland from 1900 to 2020.  As a way of gaining perspective on such a long and eventful period, we will focus on the notion of meritocracy in the texts we read, taking the Williams quote above as a starting point.  Such investigation will require examination of ideas about spaces (particularly homes, countryside, and urban landscapes); about industrialization and modernization; about class, gender, and immigration; and about education, taste, and discrimination. Readings will include fiction by Lawrence, Woolf, Joyce, Wodehouse, Beckett, Ishiguro, Rowling, and Peace, and poetry by Hardy, Eliot, Auden, Larkin, Heaney, and Boland.   

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

• Attendance is mandatory. You do have the chance to make up three absences with asynchronous work. See policy below.
• You should come to class having read all assigned material carefully, which is not possible if you read on a phone!  Discussion is a crucial aspect of the course.  I recommend reading all assignments with a pencil in hand. Discussion is a crucial aspect of the course. Always annotate!
• This is a capstone class, meant to integrate the learning taking place at the earlier levels of the program. As such, it will ask you to extend your ideas beyond the sorts of formal essays that may have been the bread and butter of your literature classes so far, connecting your ability to think critically to your ability to communicate ideas to others to the ways that literature functions in society. Two short responses and one traditional paper of 4-6 pages will be assigned, and you will also develop an annotated bibliography and final research essay.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS TO BE ACQUIRED BY STUDENTS:

• Enhanced understanding of the literary movements of the 20^th and 21^st centuries in the United Kingdom and Ireland and how texts shape and are shaped by cultural movements and historical events including WWI, the Irish Revolution, WWII, modernism, postmodernism, the Windrush migration, Thatcherism, and the 2008 economic crisis
• Increased knowledge and understanding of a variety of works in the major literary genres (narrative, poetry, drama, essay) and increased comprehension of individual works’ themes, formal organization, and stylistic features
• ability to interpret meaning in literary texts by paying close attention to an author’s choice of detail, vocabulary, and style
• Increased confidence in the oral presentation of ideas
• Increased ability to write critical essays employing a strong thesis statement, appropriate textual citations, and contextual and intertextual evidence for their ideas
• Increased facility with research practices within literary studies, including the ability to make cogent comparisons between competing interpretations of texts.

COURSE BLOG: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/20thcenturybritlit/

Please refer to the blog for pdfs, updates to the syllabus, supplementary materials, and links for films. While the class does have a Blackboard site, it is mainly for submission of assignments.

GRADING:

Points will be awarded for each assignment as well as, in the mode(s) the student chooses, for class participation:

CONTACT:

The best way to contact me is via email: [email protected]. Please use a professional tone and format when emailing me. I will give 5 points of extra credit to anyone who emails me to say they read this sentence. I will try to respond to all email within 24 hours. When rough drafts are in progress, I am reachable on weekends.

ABSENCES, LATENESS, AND CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:

I want to work with you to help you succeed in ENG 4420!

• Attendance is mandatory, though of course there will be ways to make up excused absences. According to department policy, more than four unexcused absences will result in failure. Three or more unexcused absences will negatively affect your final grade, as will chronic lateness. Cell phones should be turned off during class time; please do not text.  Do not plan to leave the classroom while class is in session unless you are seriously ill.
• Please plan to be on time and to remain focused on our class. Please come to class having read all materials in advance and prepared to engage in discussion. We will discuss what constitutes good participation in the first two class sessions.
• You will need to be able to log on to your baruchmail, to Blogs@Baruch, and to BlackBoard in order to complete all activities in this class. We will submit assignments via BlackBoard.
• I will return all graded work within two weeks, with a goal of one week.
• Late work will be accepted for one week after the scheduled due date.
• Please communicate with me if there are obstacles to your success in class—I don’t need to know exactly what’s going on, but I can work with you better if I know when there’s an issue. I want to help you pass this class!

DISABILITY AND ACOMMODATION:

I very much want to recognize that students bring a wide variety of experiences, cultures, abilities, skills, and personalities to our class. I view these as assets and want our class to be space where you feel seen, acknowledged, and supported. Should your circumstances mean that you are entitled to accommodation, it works best for you to inform me early. Baruch has a continuing commitment to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who may need some accommodation in order to fully participate in this class should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible at [email protected].

A NOTE ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

I value your intelligence and integrity and am committed to a class that is equitable and fair. Scholastic dishonesty is at odds with these values. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will not be tolerated. You are responsible for knowing what constitutes academic dishonesty and for avoiding any instance of it.  Failure to do so will result in failure of the course and in being reported to the dean of students. Please read the college policy on academic honesty on the website at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html.