English 4W Critical Reading and Writing Na vet Knowing and the Uncanny in English Literature Instructor Lilly Lu Email LLU71 ucla edu 4W Class Time Mondays and Wednesdays 2 3 50 Location Haines A78 Office Hours Humanities A97 Mondays and Wednesdays 4 5 p m Mailbox Humanities 149 above the name tag that says Lu Course Description English 4W will introduce you to the protocols of literary analysis and scholarship and train you to become confident critical readers writers and researchers In this course we will examine texts from across literary genres and historical periods and learn to analyze these in tandem with developing close reading skills Through our discussions we will learn how to collaborate in a community of scholars interpret the usage of literary devices as well as develop our own critical inquiries about the texts value systems and ideas To read literature critically is to not only pay attention to the what of the plot but to also close read how and why the text structures and communicates its story in a certain way to produce meaning In addition to this type of analysis you will learn to bring your ideas into conversation with the ideas of others peer scholars and senior literary scholars alike Throughout the quarter we will scaffold the various stages of the writing process to prepare you to write clear and effective analytical essays in the field of English literature and to be able to articulate your own process of developing and innovating upon ideas The writing process is always in progress and I look forward to seeing each of you grow as writers who are aware of the development of your own arguments and the choices you make to strategically and effectively support your arguments Elements of the uncanny the eerie and the monstrous have been crucial to stories for centuries having roots in fairytales in which young women unveil some dark secret about their husbands their own families or the new place in which they live thus revealing the systems that govern their sociopolitical world The definition of the uncanny is elusive and slippery but this complexity might be productive for the purposes of the class In addition to your personal interests we can critically interrogate and analyze some of the following questions this quarter How do these texts define monstrosity How do these texts render the uncanny How do these definitions change over time Where does the sense of horror come from In these stories who has knowledge and who has naivet Are knowledge and naivet always opposites and are they gendered Are they racialized Are there different forms of knowledge What systems of logic commentary and language do these texts create Required Texts These four texts have been ordered to the UCLA Bookstore Macbeth by William Shakespeare Folger edition ISBN 978 0743477109 also available for PDF download on Folgerdigitaltexts org Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 1818 edition ISBN 978 0 393 92793 1 Monstress Vol 1 The Awakening by Marjorie Liu ISBN 978 1632157096 Kindred by Octavia E Butler ISBN 978 0807083697 Other assigned texts will be available as scanned PDFs on the CCLE site or online if indicated Assignments and Grading Essay 1 5 6 pages 15 Essay 2 5 6 pages 20 Final Paper or Creative Project Reflection 8 10 pages 25 In class Presentation 10 Smaller Assignments Drafts 10 Participation 20 Participation Attendance is a crucial part of participation Participation can take many forms including any of the following Asking a question clarifying or additive Adding your thoughts to something that has been said Respectfully disagreeing with something that has been said Introducing an alternative perspective Providing textual evidence for an idea Drawing our attention to a strange or interesting passage Posting onto the CCLE forum before class to generate discussion during class Please be professional and respectful so that we may create a welcoming scholarly environment Note If you think any of this will be a challenge for you please speak to me during the first week We can come up with strategies to help you feel comfortable together If you need to miss section due to illness or another valid reason please email me in advance More than two unexcused absences will negatively impact your participation score you cannot participate if you are not present If you have to miss class it is your responsibility to contact your classmates and find out what was covered Communication Please remember that I am here to help you improve your writing and critical thinking skills Don t hesitate to get in touch with me if you feel like you re struggling I highly encourage you to drop in to my office hours or contact me via email to make an appointment Email Policy Allow 24 hours for me to respond to you via email during the week and 48 hours over the weekend Please keep in mind that I won t respond to emails about papers in the 48 hours before or after they are due This is not to punish last minute questions but to encourage you to start thinking about and working on your papers early Technology The use of cell phones and computers and any other technological gadgets is not allowed in class unless you require a specific accommodation Failing to abide by these policies will result in a decreased participation grade Academic Honesty All work that you produce for this course must be 1 entirely comprised of your own writing and ideas and 2 original to this class If you include other people s ideas quoted or paraphrased you must give credit and properly cite the source If you have questions please feel free to ask me or visit the Purdue Online Writing Lab listed below for guidelines Please note that I am required to present all suspected cases of plagiarism UCLA policies are very strict about this http www deanofstudents ucla edu integrity html Recording No listening or recording devices will be allowed in this class and Education Code 78907 prohibits using recording devices without the prior consent of the instructor and or TA Class Contacts Name Email Presentation Every student is required to open one class by giving a brief 10 minute close reading of a piece of the work assigned for that day As a presenter you are being asked to set the thematic tone for that day s discussion and to open it up Presentations should focus on a literary question pointing out textual details and how those details build towards a particular interpretation You don t need to know everything or be perfect you can outline