FF:AJ04001 Intro. to Literary Studies I - Course Information

AJ04001 Introduction to Literary Studies I (seminar)

Extent and Intensity

0/2/0. 1 credit(s) (plus 1 credit for an exam). Type of Completion: zk (examination).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. et Mgr. Jan Beneš, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Martina Bilá, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Dita Hochmanová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Martina Horáková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Eva Juhasová (lecturer)
PhDr. Filip Krajník, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Marcela Sekanina Vavřinová, Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts

Timetable of Seminar Groups

AJ04001/A: each even Monday 7:30–9:05 zruseno C21, M. Sekanina Vavřinová
AJ04001/B: each even Monday 9:10–10:45 G24, J. Beneš
AJ04001/C: each even Monday 12:30–14:05 G32, F. Krajník
AJ04001/D: each even Wednesday 14:10–15:45 G32, E. Juhasová
AJ04001/E: each even Wednesday 15:50–17:25 G32, M. Bilá
AJ04001/F: each even Wednesday 10:50–12:25 G32, D. Hochmanová

Prerequisites (in Czech)

NOW( AJ04000 Literary Studies I Lecture )

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 175 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/175, only registered: 0/175, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/175

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 9 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

Course description: This course consists of alternating lectures and seminars that encourage students to engage in literary research and analysis. The lectures provide students with an introduction to literary histories, movements, contexts and approaches to literary texts. The seminars function as more practical insights into analyzing literary texts and writing critical research papers about them. They are based on discussions and group work.
Course objectives: 1. To learn the methods of conducting library research and working with primary and secondary sources. 2. To acquire the techniques needed for literary analysis and writing academic essays. 3. To refine critical thinking about literature and achieve a deeper understanding of how literature affects us and how it enriches our perception of the world.

Syllabus

• 1. Introduction to the Study of Literature, Doc. Michael M. Kaylor; reading literature and writing about literature; primary and secondary sources; working with library sources (catalogue, databases); evaluating sources Barnet: Chapter 1 (“The Writer as Reader”) and 2 (“The Reader as Writer”); getting to know MLA (basic format of a paper: header, title, layout, …)
• 2. Elizabethan Drama, Dr. Filip Krajník William Shakespeare, Hamlet text analysis; critical vocabulary (character(s), plot); using the literary present; Barnet: Chapter 11 (“Writing about Drama”); Maynard Mack, “The World of Hamlet” (1952); MLA (section 3.6. Titles)
• 3. Romantic Poetry, Doc. Michael M. Kaylor; John Keats, “On First Looking into Chapman's Homer”, “On Seeing the Elgin Marbles for the First Time”, “Ode to Psyche”, “To Autumn”; READING WEEK (Oct 28 and 30): no class; text analysis; critical vocabulary (figures of speech, rhythm and rhyme); Barnet: Chapter 12 (“Writing about Poetry”); MLA (section 3.7. Quotations); Assignment 1: a short (2 double-spaced pages) written analysis of one of Keats’ poems, submit in ELF, deadline Nov 1
• 4. Gothic Novel Dr. Bonita Rhoads, Mary Shelley, Frankenstein text analysis; critical vocabulary (points of view); quoting X paraphrasing, avoiding plagiarism; feedback to Assignment 1 Barnet: Chapter 10 (“Writing about Fiction”)
• 5. Victorian Novel, Dr. Stephen Hardy; (all first chapters only) Charles Dickens, Bleak House; William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair; George Eliot, Middlemarch; Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice; text analysis; critical vocabulary (setting); developing an argument; Barnet: Chapter 8 (“Writing about Literature”)
• 6. American Renaissance, Dr. Jeffrey A. Smith; selections from: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar Allan Poe, Frederick Douglass, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson text analysis; critical vocabulary (overview of narrative categories, historical context); close reading; MLA (sections 5.4, 5.5, 5.6-5.6.5, 5.7-5.7.5., all Documentation of Work Cited); Assignment 2: a 3-4 page analysis of a short story, extract or a chapter included in lecture 5 or 6; integrate quotation(s) from at least two secondary sources as well as their bibliographical details; MLA format; submit in ELF, deadline Jan 3, 2014

Literature

required literature
• Barnet, Sylvan, et al. A short Guide to Writing About Literature

not specified
• MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, ýth Edition

Teaching methods

90-minute seminar once in two weeks; group and class discussion; text analysis, writing short assignments;

Assessment methods

Assessment: Students must prepare for all classes, especially for the seminars. The assigned texts must be read before the class so that students can engage actively in discussions and other continuous assessment. Written assignments must be submitted in the correct format and on time. 1 credit (zápočet) is given at the end of the lecture series, 2 credits for the exam at the end of the seminar series. Final mark: class performance 30%; Ass 1 30%; Ass 2 40%. Points out of 100; 60% pass/fail line. Evaluation scale: A 100-85; B 84-80; C-79-75; D-74-70; E 69-60; F (fail) 59-0.

Language of instruction

English

Follow-Up Courses

• AJ04000 Introduction to Literary Studies I (Lecture)

Further Comments

Study Materials
The course is taught annually.

Teacher's information

http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/course/category.php?id=4

• Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2013, recent)
  
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