Introduction to Literary Theory
ENG502, Spring 2008
Instructor: Dr. Nicholas Laudadio
Office: Morton 135
Office Hours: TBA and by appt.
E-mail: laudadion@uncw.edu
http://people.uncw.edu/laudadion/

Course Description
In this course, we will examine in detail the variety of assumptions that we make as we read (literary) texts. We will tackle psychoanalytic, structuralist, post-structuralist, Marxist, feminist, post-colonial and cultural theory and in particular writers such as Freud, Foucault, Barthes, Saussure, Said, Baudrillard, and Lacan (among others) in an attempt to better understand the key methods and movements in literary study.

Required Texts
• Course reserves available from the library and on the course site.
• Leitch, et al. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism
• Selden, et al. A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory, Fifth Edition. Pearson Longman 2005.
These books are available from the university bookstore as well as the Seahawk bookstore, but feel free to buy them used from amazon.com or bookfinder.com if you would prefer. Just make sure you the right editions and that you have all your books by the time we discuss them.

Supplies
• Folder with pockets for your responses and essays; paper for taking notes; drive/disk for backing up your computer work.
• Save all writing you do this semester in at least two locations (i.e on disk and in hard copy). Keep all work that I hand back to you.
NB: Always save repeatedly and backup regularly as important documents have a tendency to disappear--crashes/losses are not an acceptable excuse for late/missing assignments.

Class Requirements and Assignments
• You will be required to write eight weekly response papers (2 pgs/500 words), a midterm essay (4-5 pgs), a final project (12-15 pgs), participate in class discussions, and attend class regularly (see attendance policy below).
• Each assignment (including responses) should be typed in a standard 10 or 12 point serifed font (Times or Times New Roman) in MLA style (refer to the website for more info). Hand in all versions of the paper with your final drafts.
• Late assignments will be reduced by one-third of a grade per class day. (Absence from class on the date due (as well as computer problems) does not excuse the lateness of your assignment.)

Response Papers
This semester you will be writing weekly two page response papers that discuss/analyze/criticize the subject matter as well as the essay/source text you’ve read. After writing the first three, you will be able to choose the remaining five (this means you can skip two weeks). Generally, I will provide you with a topic, yet sometimes it will be up to you to come up with one —in these instances I won’t be reminding you. These papers will be graded at the end of the semester, though you will sometimes be called on to read them aloud in class.
NB: Your responses should NOT be the sort that begin "This [object of study] was really good/bad..." or "I really love/hate this [thing i'm reading/watching] because..." You need to center your discussion on tangible and specific aspects of the text you are discussing, not on your emotions. When you “run out of things to say,” you’re probably not being specific enough.

Breakdown of Grades
Final project (10-12 pgs) (40%), midterm essay (4-5 pgs) (30%), response papers (20%).
Participation: includes class participation, attendance, and general attitude (10%).
In-Class Grades
A 95; A/A- 93; A- 91; A-/B+ 89; B+ 88; B+/B 87; B 85; B/B- 83; B- 81; B-/C+ 79
C+ 78; C+/C 77; C 75; C/C- 73; C- 71; C-/D+ 69; etc...
Final Reporting Grades
A 94-; A- 90-93; B+ 87-89; B 84-86; B- 80-83; C+ 77-79; C 74-76; C- 70-73

Attendance
You are allowed to miss one class before you are penalized. Use it wisely (i.e. save for when you are really sick). After this missed class, your participation grade drops a level for every class you miss. After three missed classes, you will receive a failing grade. The class depends upon your presence.
• If you miss more than one class, you must contact me in person; otherwise, I will assume you have dropped the class. You will also want to get notes from another student.
• Don’t leave class early without asking me first.

Incompletes
The incomplete grade may be given only to students who have 1) fulfilled the attendance requirement for the course and 2) completed all but one of the written assignments.

Academic Dishonesty
As a reminder: plagiarism is using another person’s words (even just a few words and even if they are from some old website) and/or ideas as if they were your own. To avoid plagiarism, simply put the material you have taken in quotation marks and cite the person’s name and publication information in your paper. Please note that turning in an assignment that you wrote for another class also falls under the heading of academic dishonesty and is prohibited. If you turn in any such assignments, you will receive an “F” for the course and I will notify the Dean.

For more information on the university's Honor Code, see http://www.uncw.edu/policies/documents/03.100_Academic_Honor_Code_final_071905.pdf

Writer’s Block
Feel free to stop in during office hours for any reason; as paper time draws near, you’ll probably want to schedule an appointment if you’re desperate for additional feedback. Please do not wait until the last minute to do so; I cannot (as you can probably imagine) schedule time for very many students two days before the deadline. If you need additional assistance on your paper draft beyond this meeting, please seek out the Writing Place; the staff are there to provide feedback on papers. (Please keep in mind, however, that merely having someone on the staff read your paper does not ensure you a higher grade. http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/writingplace/ 962-7155 (appointments are recommended) Hours: M-Th 10-9; Friday 10-3; Sun 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

Disabilities
If you have a disability and need reasonable accommodation, you should inform me of this fact in writing within the first week of class. If you have not already done so, you must register with the Office of Disability Services in Westside Hall (extension 3746) and obtain a copy of your Accommodation Letter. You should then schedule an appointment with me to make mutually agreeable arrangements based on the recommendations in your letter.