to the schedule of readings and assignments
required texts:
syllabus: This syllabus may be updated as the semester goes on. I may post updated versions that indicate readings, discussion plans, and reference materials. However, every component of your grade is shown here at the beginning. Please refer to the date and time of printing (at the bottom of each page) to see when the version you are holding was printed. For continuous updates look on line at http://www.uta.edu/english/tim/courses/4399s07/4399main.html
course description: 4336 is an advanced upper-division course in the literature of the American Civil War. 4399, running concurrently, is a Senior Seminar in the same subject. The main goal of both courses is to read a substantial selection of the most important and influential fiction written about the War.
student learning outcomes: Students completing either course will be able to comprehend and discuss with authority the tradition of fiction about the American Civil War. Students completing the Seminar will be able to produce a bibliography that assesses the current situation in criticism and scholarship on Civil War literature, as a model for future scholarly work.
Note on outcomes: although the listed outcomes are desirable and achievable, the long-term goals of this course, as in any liberal-arts course, include less-measurable outcomes that we must not lose sight of -- and that are quite real, though not quantifiable. Among these are the habit of reading critically, a lifelong interest in and ability to understand the written word, and the general sense that when we approach life in an intellectual way -- particularly by writing freely (literally, "liberally") about it -- we learn things that are unforeseeable and immeasurable. While I will be measuring your explicit listed outcomes by evaluating your papers, you will only know that you have learned the more important things about the course if the issues we raise are still alive for you decades from now. That life of the mind, not some immediate "learning outcome," is the benefit of a liberal education.
assignments: For 4336: preconceptions paper; two formal essays; essay midterm exam; essay final exam. For 4399: all of the above plus seminar report and participation in seminar meeting. No papers will be accepted late, and no makeup exams will be given. Out-of-class work must be prepared in MLA style, in-class exams will be handwritten and open-book.
grading: All assignments will be graded on a standard 0-100 scale where 60-69 is a D, 70-79 is a C, 80-89 is a B, and 90-100 is an A. These grades will be averaged to produce a final grade using the following scales.
For 4336, the preconceptions paper is 4%, each formal essay is 20%, and each exam is 28%.
For 4399, the preconceptions paper is 3%, each formal essay is 15%, each exam is 21%, the seminar report is 20%, and participation in the seminar meeting is 5%.
I think that a B is a very good grade for an undergraduate course, and that a C grade is quite acceptable. The grade of A indicates excellence rather than mere completion of the course.
academic dishonesty policy: It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." [Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter Vi, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22]
disability policy: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112--The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act - (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.
student success: The University of Texas at Arlington supports a variety of student success programs to help you connect with the University and achieve academic success. They include learning assistance, developmental education, advising and mentoring, admission and transition, and federally funded programs. Students requiring assistance academically, personally, or socially should contact the Office of Student Success Programs at 817-272-6107 for more information and appropriate referrals.
library: Noel Anderson is the Librarian for the English Department. He can be reached at 817 272 3000, ext. 7428, and by email at noel@uta.edu You will find online databases for English among the Arts & Humanities databases at http://www2.uta.edu/library/subjguides/dbEnglish.asp
writing center: located on the fourth floor of the Central Library, and at http://www.uta.edu/owl/ , the Writing Center provides free tutoring for UTA students. Tutors will not write your papers for you, but will help you understand and use strategies for effective writing.
schedule of assignments and readings
snow day changes from initial schedule are in red
17 January: snow day
22 January: syllabus and opening lecture on Civil War history
29 January: preconceptions paper due; opening discussion
31 January: De Forest, Miss Ravenel's Conversion
5 February: lecture
7 February: Harding Davis, Waiting for the Verdict
12 February: first formal essay due : compare (in six pages maximum) Miss Ravenel and Waiting as specifically literary treatments of the War; plus lecture
14 February: Bierce, the ten Soldiers stories in Tales of Soldiers and Civilians
19 February: lecture
21 February: The six older stories in Civil War Women: Alcott, "The Brothers," Cooke, "A Woman," Chopin, "The Locket," Woolson, "Crowder's Cove," King, "Bayou l'Ombre," Phelps Ward, "Comrades"
26 February: lecture
28 February: Crane, The Red Badge of Courage
5 March: midterm exam
7, 12, 14 March: NO CLASS MEETING
19 March: lecture
21 March: Faulkner, The Unvanquished
26 March: lecture
28 March: Walker, Jubilee
2 April: lecture
4 April: work on papers
9 April: lecture
11 April: Shaara, The Killer Angels
16 April: lecture
18 April: Frazier, Cold Mountain; second formal essay due
23 April: lecture
25 April: Gibbons, On the Occasion
30 April: "Dead Week": review for final exam; seminar report due
2 May: "Dead Week": course evaluations; seminar meeting
9 May: Final Exam, 2015-2245, regular classroom