English 101W
School and Society in the Novel
Syllabus: Fall 2008

OFFICE HOURS AND CONTACT INFORMATION

• Instructor: Dr. Rick Gay
• In office for drop-ins, Jackson Court #1 (Since I’m frequently in the field, it’s best to call first.)
  • Monday  3:00-4:15
  • Tuesday  2:00-3:00
  • Wednesday  9:00-11:00
  • Thursday  10:00-11:00
• Also available 24/7 by e-mail and phone mail
• E-mail: rigay@davidson.edu
• Phone: 704-894-2685

TEXTS (Assigned readings)

·        The Small Room, May Sarton (1961). Norton Paperback.

·        The Water is Wide, Pat Conroy (1972).  Bantam.

·        The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Muriel Spark (1961).  Perennial.

·        Season of Migration to the North, Taleb Salih (1969). Heinemann.

·        Double Yoke, Buchi Emecheta (1982).  Braziller.

·        The Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992). Vintage.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

• First-year writing-intensive seminar on educational themes in selected novels.  Open only to first-year students.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

• Demonstrate the ability to organize ideas in logical expository prose that is grammatically correct.
• Demonstrate the ability to read and think critically.
• Demonstrate the ability to use research strategies, ethically and responsibly, which will include identifying, locating, and evaluating appropriate materials.  In addition, the student will present this research according to the standards of APA, MLA, or CMS documentation.
• Demonstrate the ability to use computer skills for composition and communication.

GRADING POLICY

Your grade will be determined by the following factors:

• 20%:  Class Participation
• 60%:  Formal Essays
• 20%:  Research Paper

FORMAL PAPERS

You will write six formal papers of 700-1000 words (essays #1 & #6 personal; essays #2, #3, #4, & #5 argumentative).  Please observe the minimum and the maximum—these are firm.  Papers should be sent electronically via email attachment by 8:30 a.m. on the dates indicated on the course calendar.  Essay topics will be generated by class discussion.

THE RESEARCH PAPER

The title of this course, “School and Society in the Novel,” implies that there is a relationship between school and society worthy of exploration.  The six novels and other materials we will consider this semester, in their own particular ways, explore this relationship.  As you read each novel, you will notice certain authorial attitudes and political stances regarding education.  In our class discussions and in our formal essays, we will focus on these attitudes and stances.

Another way to explore the relationship between school and society is through original scholarly inquiry.  Each of the sixteen members of this class will write an original research paper of 8-10 pages on an assigned topic.  We will discuss this assignment in detail on the second day of class, August 28.

LATE PAPERS

Late papers will be penalized one full grade per calendar day (for example, “A” to a “B,” “A-“ to a “B-,” etc.).  I will not accept papers turned in more than five days late.  Note that all papers must be completed in order to receive credit for this course.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance in this class is essential; however, you will be permitted to miss a total of two classes, excused or unexcused, without penalty.  Miss a third, and your final grade will be reduced by one full letter grade (e.g., “A” to a “B,” “A-“ to a “B-,” etc.).   Miss a fourth and your final grade will be reduced by two full letter grades.  Miss a fifth, and you will receive an “F” for the course.  (Those of you who represent the college at events, athletic or otherwise, should keep this policy in mind.  Those of you who hope to get away a day or two earlier for  Fall break should also plan carefully.)

TARDINESS

Tardiness is a major pet peeve for me; it is distracting and shows a lack of respect for your colleagues.  Every tardy after two counts as an absence.  If you’re tardy, check with me after class to ensure I haven’t counted you as absent.

HONOR CODE

All work must be pledged. 

COURSE CALENDAR

The following list includes reading assignments from our six novels and due dates for essays and the research paper.  Note that each class includes a thematic issue for deliberation, accompanied by a question that should be considered before class.

August 26: Course Introduction

August 28: An Issue in Education:  Defining Plagiarism

• Question: Can you define plagiarism?
• Read Handout:
  • Bowden, Darsie.  The English Journal 85:4 (April 1996), 82-84.

September 2: The Qualities of a Good Teacher

• Question:  What do you think is meant by the comment that every college is a “secret society”?
• Read in The Small Room (11-85)

September 4: Student-Teacher Relations

• Question: Probably my favorite section of this novel is the visit to Hallie’s class (pp. 111-117).  Why might my reason be?
• Read in The Small Room (86-165)

September 9: College Administration and the Board of Trustees

• Question:  How much “power” do you think student groups should have in determining college policy?
• Read in The Small Room (166-249)

September 11: An Issue in Education:  Desegregation

• Question:  Do you think that school desegregation has been successful?
• Essay #1 Due

September 16: Qualifications for Teaching in a Public School

• Question:  Can people be taught how to teach, or is it better to let them teach by instinct?
• Read in The Water is Wide (1-65)

September 18: Schools as Reflections of Society

• Question:  How could Ida Skimberry’s “dichotomy of attitude” be considered a thematic center in this novel?
• Read in The Water is Wide (66-158)

September 23: Education and Social Change

• Question:  Should schools and teachers function as instruments of social change?  You might want to consider the ritual on page 235.
• Read in The Water is Wide (159-237)

September 25:  The Public School Hierarchy

• Question:  Any comments on Pat’s statement, “In the hierarchy of schools, teachers are the most expendable of creatures” (264)?
• Read in The Water is Wide (238-292) 

September 30: An Issue in Education: Single-Sex Education

• Question:  Are single-sex classrooms and schools better for students?
• Essay #2 Due

October 2: Progressivism and Education

• Question:  As subjects for study and scholarly inquiry, rank the following in importance for you:  art, religion, philosophy, science.
• Read in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Chapters 1-2))

October 7: Feminist Approaches to Education

• Question: Which do you think is more important for students:  developing critical thinking skills or learning concrete information and facts?
• Read in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Chapers 3-4):

October 9: Education and Moral Codes

• Question:  What do you think is meant by “The Transfiguration of the Commonplace”?
• Read in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Chapters 5-6)

October 16: An Issue in Education:  Education and Colonial Expansion

• Question:  Do you think that European colonial expansion in Africa and India during the 19^th century was positive or negative for the indigenous people?
• Essay #3 Due

October 21: What’s School?

• Question:  Do you agree that for the narrator, a doctorate in poetry is less valuable than a doctorate in agriculture, engineering, or medicine?
• Read in Season of Migration to the North (1-60)

October 23: Westernized Natives

• Question:  What do you think the author’s main purpose lies in his description of the narrator’s overland journey to Khartoum?  (105-115)
• Read in Season of Migration to the North (61-115)

October 28: Government-determined Education Policies

• Question: Comment on the list of books found in Mustafa’s library.
• Read in Season of Migration to the North (116-169)

October 30: An Issue in Education:  The African University

• Question: Speculate on what kind of problems developing African universities had to face in the twentieth century.
• Essay #4 Due 

November 4: Sexual Politics

• Question: I don’t know whether to feel pity or disgust for Ete at the end of Chapter 5.  What do you think?
• Read in Double Yoke (1-55)

November 6: Religion and Colonialism

• Question: What do you think of Nko’s ethical dilemma at the end of Chapter 12?  Might she be justified?
• Read in Double Yoke (56-110)

November 11:  Defining “Civilization”

• Question: What seems to be the main point of contention in the argument between Ete and Akpan on pages 129-132.
• Read in Double Yoke (111-163)

November 13:  An Issue in Education:  The Classical Curriculum

• Question: Should the study of literature focus on the classics?
• Essay #5 Due

November 18:  An Idyllic College

• Question: Have you run into any examples of elitism so far this semester?  (I’m thinking of the conversation on page 32.)
• Read in The Secret History (3-135)

November 20:  Justice

• Question: Do you think Plato’s definition of “Justice” applies in twenty-first century America?  (See middle of page 210)
• Read in The Secret History (136-269)

November 25:  Research Paper Due @ 8:30 am (submit digitally via email attachment)

December 2: Every College as a “Secret Society” (See September 2, above)

• Question: What are the words to “Sugar Magnolia”?
• Read in The Secret History (273-420)

December 4: School and Society in the Novel

• Question: Why do you think Donna Tartt chose the quotation from John Ford as the epigraph for her Epilogue?
• Read in The Secret History (421-559):

December 9: Essay #6 Due @ 8:30 AM (Submit electronically via email attachment)