Claudia Doroholschi – Literary analysis 1

1st year, 1st semester 2010-2011 Course 1: Course presentation and requirements

COURSE 1: COURSE PRESENTATION

AND REQUIREMENTS

OUTLINE OF THE LITERATURE COURSE OVER THE 3 YEARS OF STUDY

1st year, 1st year, 2nd year, 2nd year, 3rd year, 3rd year,
1st semester 2nd semester 1st semester 2nd semester 1st semester 2nd semester
Literary Chronological Modernist British Postmodern Shakespeare American
analysis overview of literature British literature
British literature literature

GENERAL INFORMATION
This course is conceived as an introduction to analysing literary texts and is meant
to help you with your further study of literature at the university, but also to
develop your understanding and your appetite as readers of literature.
The course consists of a lecture (every two weeks) and a seminar (weekly).

The first and most important thing to remember about this course is that it is
SKILL-BASED, not information-based. This means you will NOT be asked to learn
anything by heart and reproduce it in the final exam, but you will have to develop
your skills in analysing texts and thinking about literature. The course and the
seminars will prepare you for that, and this is what you will be assessed on in the
examination. To some of you this will seem easier than mere reproductive learning,
to some of you it will seem more difficult – but it is worthwhile: it is not important
for you to just learn information that is available in any literary history, it is
important to develop your ability to think, read, and write on your own.

Read the following details carefully and keep them for further reference – they will
tell you everything you need to know about reading lists, course requirements,
assessment etc.

RESOURCES
1. Course presentation and requirements sheet (you are looking at it).
2. Course notes (a handout of about 3-4 pages that will be posted on my website
before each course, and which you should download/print and bring to class
with you)
3. Website (http://www.timword.ro/claudiadoroholschi) containing all the course
information, seminar and course handouts.
4. The main University library and the English Department library (room 324)

COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, you will:

have acquired and internalised a "toolkit" for analysing literary texts

be able to use the tools to analyse literary texts at first sight or formulate your
own views

have developed your critical thinking, your understanding of literature, and your
independent study skills

COURSE THEMES
The course will focus on the following: narrative strategies (characterisation, point
of view, story vs. plot etc); genre; style. A full summary of course and seminar
themes will be provided at the end.
Claudia Doroholschi – Literary analysis 2
1st year, 1st semester 2010-2011 Course 1: Course presentation and requirements

REQUIREMENTS
1. Doing all the homework during the semester. You will not have homework every
week, it will be easy and brief, and it doesn't have to be the work of a genius – all
we want is an honest attempt. But you MUST do the homework on your own, not
download it off the internet/copy it etc. We also reserve the right of asking
questions about it if we have any doubts that you did it yourself.
Your homework will amount to 20% of your final mark. You get all the marks if you
bring the homework on time, and only half the marks if you are late.
2. Reading of the texts (those discussed during seminars must be read before the
date of the seminar!), preferably in English
3. 70% attendance, i.e. 10 seminars out of 14 (if you cannot attend, you can
compensate missing a class by writing a 500-word essay on a question out of those
discussed during that particular seminar). If your attendance is insufficient, you
will still be able to sit the exam, but it will affect your mark slightly (see below
section on Assessment)

READING LIST
You will be asked to read two novels and several short stories. The two novels are:
1. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (available at the main university library, at
bookshops, and as e-text free on the internet) - to be read until 15 November
2. Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange (bookshops; English department) - to
be read until 1 January
If you have read the novels already, it is advisable to re-read them (in English).
The 8-10 short stories will be indicated as we go along.
Both the novels and the stories will be used as examination texts (see below the
section on Assessment)

ASSESSMENT
Your mark will be a 10 if you accumulate 100 points. 30 points are allocated to
the semestrial activity and 60 to the final exam (there are 10 base points – the
equivalent of “nota 1 din oficiu”). The marks are allocated as follows:

1. semestrial activity 30 p, out of which

- attendance 10 p (1 p/seminar for the 10 compulsory seminars)
- portfolio 20 p (divided to the number of pieces of homework; each piece receives
the full marks if it is brought on time and half the marks if it isn't)
2. final exam 60 p, for two subjects: one based on the texts studied during the
semester, one based on a text at first sight.

You will be required to write short responses to these questions, and the word limit
will be clearly specified in the task. Models of questions and advice on how to
answer them will be provided later in the semester.

The questions will test your use of the "toolkit" - how you can apply the principles
and techniques taught during the course to your own analyses of texts. They will
require independent thinking and formulating opinions, and will be impossible to
answer by merely learning the course by heart. You will need to be familiar with a
certain background (terminology, principles etc.), yet the questions will ask you not
to reproduce it, but to use it.
Claudia Doroholschi – Literary analysis 3
1st year, 1st semester 2010-2011 Course 1: Course presentation and requirements

General criteria for marking the final examination - to be detailed later in the
semester
- task achievement (you MUST do what the question asks you to do, otherwise,
brilliant though it may be, your answer will have no value)
- the answer expresses judgements which are sustained by arguments
- clarity and coherence
- background and/or text knowledge as required by the task
- appropriate use of terminology, concepts etc.

What if I say something the teacher disagrees with?

Don’t worry about guessing what your teacher wants you to say. There are no
right or wrong opinions about literature – just opinions you can sustain with
arguments, and opinions you can’t. As long as you demonstrate it, any opinion will
be appreciated.
What if I make English language mistakes?
You will not lose marks for bad English as such, but if the English is so bad that it
affects clarity and coherence, then you will lose marks for that criterion.
What if I think I deserve a better mark than the one I got in the exam?
You are more than welcome to come to see your paper and receive detailed
feedback as to why you got a certain mark, so you can improve in the future. We’ll
be more than happy to help, or to mend any mathematical errors. However,
remember that the mark is NOT NEGOTIABLE – a lot of work goes into preparing
criteria and marking papers, so that the marks will be as fair as they can get.
Can I download the homework off the Internet?
It is very unlikely that you can find homework to meet the exact requirements.
Also, it is very easy to recognise homework that has been stolen, and VERY easy to
find the source. We’ve been on the Internet a couple of years longer than you have.
Remember that homework that is not brilliant, but written in honesty and brought
on time will get you the marks, while cheating can have serious administrative
consequences.

ETHICS
We disapprove of any type of cheating, because a mark obtained by cheating
affects negatively the students who did not cheat. To ensure fair treatment of all
students, the following will be considered breaches of professional ethics and
will trigger serious repercussions.

plagiarism in all forms; plagiarism is theft - attempts to hand in homework

which is not your own work (downloaded off the Internet; compiled
paragraphs copied from criticism; work done by somebody else); also, taking
over ideas/sentences from a source without mentioning it clearly in the
text of the essay is professionally unacceptable.

any attempts to cheat in the examination (talking to one another during the
exam; exchanging drafts - any two identical papers will be disqualified; copying;
use of handsfree or other electronic devices);

impersonation of somebody else during the examination (you MUST have on

you an ID with a picture and be prepared to show it to the examiners);

attempts to put pressure on the teachers, such as trying to obtain a pass in the
exam through interventions by parents and acquaintances, offering bribes
etc.

If you have heard that these things work everywhere, you have been
misinformed. THEY DON'T WORK HERE!