E 350R Scottish Fiction
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E 350R l Scottish Fiction Instructor: Connie Steel, PhD Restrictions: n/a Unique #: 35773 Prerequisites: 9 hours of coursework in English or Semester: Fall 2018 Rhetoric and Writing Class Meetings: M/W 4-5:30pm in Par 206 Office Hours: M/T/W 12:00-1pm at the Littlefield Areas: British Literature, Scottish Literature Patio Café, (or by appointment) Description: Scotland has only a tenth of the population England has, and is often marginalized in representations of Great Britain. Yet Scottish writing has been central to the development of English Literature. This course will provide an introduction to Scottish literature and culture by way of an immersion in Scottish prose fiction, from Henry Mackenzie (The Man of Feeling), James Hogg (Confessions of a Justified Sinner), and Walter Scott (Rob Roy and Chronicles of the Canongate), through Arthur Conan Doyle (A Study in Scarlet) and Robert Louis Stevenson (Kidnapped), to Muriel Spark (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), John Buchan (The Thirty- Nine Steps) and other twentieth century and contemporary authors such as Dorothy Dunnett. The course will also touch on representations of Scotland in contemporary fiction (e.g. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, Alice Munro’s short stories), the rich heritage of Scottish magazine writing (e.g. Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine), and the importance to the development of modern philosophy and poetry of Scottish writers (among them Adam Smith, David Hume, and Robert Burns) working in other forms. This will be an intensive reading course: expect to read and discuss a substantial book each week. Texts: Required and Optional Texts have been ordered at the Coop. Required Texts (with ISBN) Buchan, J. The Thirty-Nine Steps. Oxford World Classics. (9780199537877) Doyle, A. A Study in Scarlet. Oxford World Classics. (9780199554775) Gabaldon. Outlander. (Any edition is fine). Hogg, J. The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner. Oxford World Classics. (9780199217953) Mackenzie. The Man of Feeling. Oxford World Classics. (9780199538621) Munro, Alice. See Canvas for excerpts. Scott, W. Chronicles of the Canongate. Oxford World Classics. (9780140439892) Scott, W. Rob Roy. Oxford World Classics. (9780199549887) Spark M. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Harper Perennial Modern Classics. (9780061711299) Stevenson, R.L. Kidnapped. Oxford World Classics. (9780199674213) Optional Extra Credit Text Dunnett, D. Game of Kings. Any edition. (example: 9780679777434) Requirements & Grading: This course will be graded on the +/- system to the whole number. (No rounding up). The following exams and assignments make up the major grades in the course. 1. Reading Reflection Quizzes (25%): These weekly take home quizzes ask scholars to both answer and construct questions about the texts we read and ways of reading. Due in Canvas. One quiz will be dropped. All quizzes must be on time. 2. Midterm Examination (30%): This will be an in-class exam of mixed short answer and essay questions. BRING BLUEBOOK. 3. Reflection on Reading short essay (15%): This two-page essay asks readers to reflect on their reading practices over the course of the semester. Due in class on the last day of class. Be prepared to share thoughts with others! 4. Final Exam (30%): The final exam will be held in the official final exam period of the course. The short answer questions will cover material from the second half of the course. The essay questions are cumulative. BRING BLUEBOOK. Attendance Bonus: Students with high attendance may earn an attendance bonus card worth .5% towards their final grade. High attendance is defined as missing no more than two classes for any reason. This is insurance in case you are on the border between two letter grades. Grade Scale: A=94-100 A-=90-93 B+=87-89 B=84-86 B-=80-83 C+=77-79 C=74-76 C-=70-73 D+=67-69 D=64-66 D-=60-63 F=0-59 Schedule: The subject matter of each lecture or discussion; dates of exams and assignments that count for 20 percent or more of the class grade; final exam date and time (when available). Date Topic Due in Class W 8/29 Syllabus Review: Introductions n/a M 9/3 Labor Day Holiday W 9/5 The Sentimental Novel: Experiments in QUIZ due in Canvas Human Nature Read: 1) Mackenzie, 1-98 2) Initially, skip intro and appendices for our reading experiment. After reading the story, go back to the Introduction and appendices. M 9/10 The Invention of National Personalities: QUIZ due in Canvas Foils and Dialect 2) Scott, Chronicles, (Main) “Introduction” and “The Highland Widow,” “The Two Drovers” and “The Surgeon’s Daughter” and (with the frametale narrations of Chrystal Croftangry) W 9/12 Authorial Introductions Scott, Rob Roy, Scott’s Introduction, 2-63 M 9/17 The Romantic Novel QUIZ due in Canvas Scott, Rob Roy, Chap. I-XI W 9/19 Nationalism and the Church(es) Scott, Rob Roy, Chap. XII-XX M 9/24 Tropes of the Highlands QUIZ due in Canvas Scott, Rob Roy, Chap. XX-XXVIIII W 9/26 Family Drama Scott, Rob Roy,Chap. XXX-XXXV M 10/1 History and Literature QUIZ due in Canvas 1) Finish Rob Roy 2) Hogg, “Editor’s Narrative” W 10/3 Serial Killers Hogg, “Private Memoirs and Confessions…” pp 74-125 M 10/8 Serial Killers II QUIZ due in Canvas Finish Hogg W 10/10 Detective Stories Doyle, 1-50 M 10/15 The Character-driven Series QUIZ due in Canvas Doyle 51-151 W 10/17 Depictions of Genius Finish Doyle M 10/22 MIDTERM EXAM (NO QUIZ DUE) W 10/24 Scotland and the Sea Stevenson, 1-50 M 10/29 Place in the Historical Romance QUIZ due in Canvas Stevenson, 51-150 W 10/31 Tropes of Abduction and Child Labor Stevenson, 150-200 M 11/5 QUIZ due in Canvas Finish Stevenson W 11/7 WWI and the British Imagination Buchan, Intro, Chp 1-2 M 11/12 WWI and Spy Novels QUIZ due in Canvas Buchan, finish book W 11/14 Scottish Education Spark, First 50 pages M 11/19 Scottish Feminity QUIZ due in Canvas Spark, finish book W 11/21 Thanksgiving Holiday M 11/26 What counts as Scottish Literature? QUIZ due in Canvas Gabaldon, Part I W 11/28 Scottish Masculinity Gabaldon, Chp 19, Warning: this chapter contains graphic violence and sexual situations. M 12/3 Scottish Diasporas QUIZ due in Canvas Munro, (See excerpts) W 12/5 Scottish Diasporas Cont. Read Munro, (See Canvas excerpt) M 12/10 Final Class Day Reading Reflection Essay Due in Canvas by beginning of class TBD FINAL EXAM Policies: Electronic Gadgets: Electronic gadgets but those invented and not yet invented are potential distractions in class. Please put them in your bag in airplane mode at the beginning of class. You will be reminded if you forget. Documented Disability Statement: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone), or visit http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd. Honor Code: The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. Academic Integrity: Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work. For additional information on Academic Integrity, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint.php. Religious Holy Days: By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of a pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence. .