ENGL 344 W23 Love

We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River.

ENGL 344: Modern American Literature (8163, LEC 001)

Winter 2023 Syllabus

Course Meetings: Tues/Thurs, 10:00-11:20 am, HH 139

Instructor: Dr. Heather Love (she/her/hers)

Email: halove@uwaterloo.ca

Phone: 519 888-4567 extension 42555 (note: I check Teams chat more regularly than my office phone)

Office: Hagey Hall 367

Consulting Time:

• In-Person: Tuesdays, 3:00 – 4:00 pm (HH 367)
• Online: Wednesdays, 12:30 – 1:30 pm (MS Teams)
• By appointment: email/message me to set up an online or in-person meeting at a different time

Calendar Description

A study of American literature from the early twentieth century through the second world war, emphasizing aesthetic innovation in the modernist movement, and its aftermath in the social writings of the 1930s.

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes

In 1944, William Carlos Williams declared that a poem is a “machine made out of words”; his statement showcases literary modernism’s complex relationship to technology. American modernism emerged at an historical moment rife with technological innovations, from the telephone, radio, and phonograph, to automobiles, airplanes, and factory production practices. What connections link these material products to the literary forms that appeared alongside them? Does American modernism push back against or embrace the twentieth century’s discourses of technology? What dimensions of techno-culture does modernism illuminate? And, how do the new forms of thinking, acting, and communicating that technology made possible help us read modernism’s literary experiments?

In this course, we will explore these types of questions as we read American literary modernism through the lens of its multivalent relationships to several specific technologies and their implications for how we understand and navigate space/place. We will engage with texts that cover a range of genres (poetry, drama, short stories, novels), and we will draw from both canonical authors (like T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, and Gertrude Stein) to more marginalized figures and those who have only recently garnered attention from literary critics (such as H.D., Mina Loy, Sophie Treadwell, Sherwood Anderson, Jean Toomer, Richard Wright, and Ralph Ellison). By the end of this course, you will have a strong grasp of the formal and thematic dimensions of modernist American literature, as expressed through the writers we study. In addition, you will have had what I hope are rich and generative opportunities to develop your own critical voice and your appreciation for literary study.

During the semester, you will:

• Learn about how the social, political, and cultural history of early twentieth-century America (especially its technological dimensions) shaped literary production (and vice versa),

• Explore a variety of critical approaches to reading and writing about modernism (e.g. close reading, comparative historicist methods, using sources/theories as lenses for interpretation),

• Conduct primary source research using the University of Waterloo library’s databases and other online document and photograph repositories,

• Collaboratively lead a seminar discussion on the historical and technological contexts of a specific literary text,

• Hone your critical thinking skills by reading, researching, discussing, presenting, and writing.

Required Texts and Materials

• Anderson, Sherwood. Poor White. 1920. Belt Publishing, 2018 (ISBN: 9781948742009)

• Ellison, Ralph. Flying Home and Other Stories. Vintage, 1996 (ISBN: 9780679776611)

• Toomer, Jean. Cane. 1923. Norton, 2011 (ISBN: 9780393931686)

  • NOTE: you are welcome to purchase any edition of this book OR to access the text online. It is available in various places, though I suggest checking out the digital edition available here: https://scalar.lehigh.edu/jean-toomers-cane-1923/cane

• Treadwell, Sophie. Machinal. 1928. Nick Hern Books, 1993 (ISBN: 9781854592118)

• Access to University of Waterloo Course Reserves and Desire to Learn (LEARN) (additional readings)

Note: if circumstances necessitate a shift to remote learning, we will continue with synchronous class sessions over MS Teams, WebEx, or Zoom. Please be prepared for this possibility.

Assignments/Assessment Overview

Assessment for ENGL 344 is based on the submissions outlined below. This course does not have a midterm or a final exam, though the final assignment is due during the exam period.

Assignment/Assessment Details

Short Essay (20%)

Logistics: 800-1000 words, 12-pt font, MLA formatting/citation, due F 27 Jan @ 5pm to LEARN dropbox.

Overview/Objectives: Close reading—the analysis and interpretation of a text by attending to aesthetic elements such as form, syntax, diction, and figurative language—emerged during the modernist period as one of the foundational skills of literary study, and it can be honed by frequent practice and feedback. You will learn and practice some specific close reading skills during the early weeks of the semester as we analyze a selection of modernist poems, and your first assessed submission of the class will be an 800-1000-word close reading-based essay that develops an interpretation of a poem on the syllabus we have not discussed in depth. Since you will engage in close reading practices during many parts of this course (discussions, group seminar, long essay) and throughout your undergraduate coursework in English, this assignment is meant both to offer you a chance to engage independently with modernist poetry and to provide you with feedback that you can implement in future assignments.

Assessment: A strong close-reading essay demonstrates thoughtful engagement with the text, is cogently written, properly implements MLA style, and is free of grammatical and typographical errors. It advances a focused and non-obvious central thesis/claim and, above all, includes in-depth analysis of specific textual details to illuminate their significance. It may also consider and address secondary readings, though this is not essential to success. Any submission that has not been run through spellcheck and carefully proofread may receive a 1/3 letter-grade deduction.

Group Seminar (20%)

Logistics: full-class-period seminar with 4-5 classmates (presenting + leading discussion); pre-circulated and follow-up submissions to LEARN; Weeks 5, 6, 7, 10, or 11.

Overview/Objectives: With a group of 4-5 classmates, you will lead a class focused on exploring how knowledge of a literary text’s technological and historical contexts can illuminate and enrich our understanding of the text and of author’s goals (artistic, rhetorical, political, etc.). Seminar sign-up will take place in Week 2. Ahead of the seminar, you will circulate some materials to the class via LEARN. During class, your group should spend 20-30 minutes presenting and then facilitate discussion for the remainder of the class session. After class, you will submit a group-authored Annotated Works Cited and individual Peer-evaluations.

In preparing for the seminar, you should consult both:

• Primary (historical) sources that help illuminate the technological and historical context(s) relevant to your assigned literary text. Our library research day on Thurs, 26 Jan will introduce you to primary/historical databases and other online resources available to you at the University of Waterloo, and you will be able to get started on this task then; and

• Secondary (scholarly) sources by scholars of literature, history, and/or culture that engage with your assigned literary text and/or its technological/historical context(s). Your group is expected to orally cite (e.g. “Jill Professor argues that…”) at least FOUR scholarly sources during the presentation; this number does not include general reference works, biographical works, or encyclopedia entries.

  You may divide tasks any way you wish, but all group members should contribute equally to the project. Any difficulties within the group should be brought to your instructor’s attention early in the process.

  By 10am on the TUESDAY of your seminar week (i.e. 2 days before your seminar), your team must make a SINGLE post to the appropriate LEARN Discussion Forum that includes:

  • A 200-300-word abstract of your group’s seminar. An abstract is a one-paragraph summary of the main argument or major content to be covered in your seminar.
  • A set of links (or citation details) for accessing 3-5 PRIMARY sources that you would like your classmates to check out before your seminar. These sources should require approx. 20-30 minutes of time to view/read/etc. Feel free to include instructions directing us to specific portions of the sources (e.g. a few pages of a longer report, a few minutes of a recording/video)

By 10am on the TUESDAY AFTER your seminar (i.e. 5 days after your seminar), your team must submit to the appropriate LEARN Dropboxes:

• A TEAM-authored Annotated Works Cited that includes (a) a correct MLA citation for each source you cited in the presentation, and (b) an annotation after each citation that briefly summarizes the source’s content and explains how you integrated it into your seminar.

• An INDIVDIUALLY authored Peer Evaluation that uses the template provided in the LEARN dropbox to offer a brief, constructive assessment/critique of each team member’s contributions to the project. This will help me arrive at your group’s participation marks.

Assessment: You will receive both a GROUP and an INDIVIDUAL mark for this assignment; each is weighted equally.

• The group mark will be based on the material you submit before/after class as well as the class session itself; it will consider the quality and intellectual ambition of the content, the research preparation you have done and how well it has been integration, the clarity and organization of your group’s delivery of ideas, and the follow-up discussion facilitation.

• The individual mark will be based on your and your group’s peer-evaluation submissions; it will consider your intellectual contribution, contribution to workload, cooperation with others, leadership abilities, and availability for group meetings and/or electronic-based work.

Long Essay Proposal (10%)

Logistics: 250-300-word Abstract + 2-item Annotated Bibliography, MLA style, due F 10 March @ 5pm to LEARN Dropbox.

Overview/Objectives: By the end of Week 8, you need to have developed a preliminary plan for your Long Essay. Please submit a single document that includes:

• A 250-300-word Abstract outlining your topic, texts, approach, and provisional thesis;

• A 2-item Annotated Bibliography of scholarly sources you have used to prepare the proposal (which you anticipate citing in your project). For each source, include a correct MLA citation, a short summary the source’s content (100-150 words), and notes on 2-3 specific quotations that you see as most generative for your thinking (type out the quotations and include page number references); these notes will ideally serve as a "pre-draft" for your project.

This assignment is designed to give you a head start on the Long Essay project. It provides you with an opportunity to (a) practice your research, summary, and brainstorming skills, and (b) receive feedback on your ideas early in the writing process. You are welcome to meet with Dr. Love in advance of the Proposal deadline to discuss your ideas!

Assessment: Strong abstracts will clearly identify the texts and ideas you’ll work with, and they will include a provisional thesis and argument (though these elements may still be tentative or speculative at this point). Strong annotated bibliographies will include correctly formatted citations and they will draw from relevant, credible scholarly sources; annotations will offer clear and succinct summaries and they will focus on judiciously selected quotations; accompanying notes will indicate that the author has given thoughtful consideration to the ways existing scholarship will bolster their project. Aim to articulate a coherent and cohesive project direction, knowing that your plans may change over the coming weeks based on the research you conduct and the feedback you receive.

Long Essay (30%)

Long Essay Logistics: 2500-3000 words (excluding Notes and/or Works Cited), MLA style, due F 7 April @ 5pm to LEARN Dropbox.

Overview/Objectives: This assignment brings together several core literary-studies skills, namely the ability to advance an argumentative thesis that is sustained by close readings of literary (and possibly other primary/historical) texts and includes careful engagement with (at least THREE) secondary sources. The paper should focus on one of the themes, concepts, or problems discussed in class lectures and presentations; your essay should develop a more nuanced thesis about/in-depth analysis of that topic.

You may write on any literary texts discussed in class, though you may ONLY focus on the same text as your Group Seminar if you choose to develop a comparative analysis and to present an argument substantially different from what your group covered in the presentation.

Assessment: Strong essays will articulate a clear and non-obvious thesis related to one of the themes covered in class; be structured so as to clearly, logically, and persuasively develop their argument; and incorporate in-depth analysis of specific textual details as well as relevant ideas from at least three scholarly sources. They will demonstrate the author’s ability to synthesize existing ideas as well as add new insights to the critical conversation. They will be cogently written, properly implement MLA style, and be free of grammatical and typographical errors. Any submission that has not been run through spellcheck and carefully proofread may receive a 1/3 letter-grade deduction.

Participation (20%)

Logistics: ongoing engagement with course materials/activities; assessed twice via reflection submissions due F 17 Feb and T 11 Apr @ 5 pm to LEARN Dropbox.

Overview/Objectives: I hope that you will engage in active ways with the texts, ideas, and activities that are part of ENGL 344, and that you will take full advantage of the opportunities that collaborative, discussion-based learning offers. Participation in this class can take many forms, several of which are outlined below. Because—particularly in the context of pandemic learning, but also in light of emerging understanding of access and inclusion—individual needs and circumstances can affect student participation in idiosyncratic and unpredictable ways, you will have the opportunity twice this semester to submit a reflection on your engagement with the course and to propose (and provide a rationale for) the grade that reflects that engagement. Guidelines and templates for these reflections will be provided in the LEARN Dropboxes, and we will discuss expectations during class.

The following is a set of baseline expectations for participation:*

• Reading: you will prepare for class by reading all assigned material ahead of time with a level of engagement that leaves you able and ready to contribute productively to our discussions; note: I will help guide your preparation by posting discussion prompts on LEARN each week.

• Attendance** & Attentiveness: you will attend all classes (barring illness or emergencies), arriving on-time, staying for the full class, and being attentive to the content we are covering (i.e. not texting, scrolling social media, browsing the web, or doing work for other classes); you will remember to silence your phone before coming to class.

• In-Class Discussion: you will contribute questions/comments during class discussions on a regular basis, ideally at each class session but at least once per week; this is particularly important during Group Seminar days, as your classmates will be relying on your engagement!

• Online Discussion: you will contribute to the LEARN discussion boards on a regular basis, ideally at least once per week; your posts will indicate your awareness of what has already been posted (i.e. that you have read what is already there and contextualized your post accordingly) and show evidence of having read the assigned text (i.e. through specific, thoughtful commentary).

• Respectful Interactions: you will interact with me and your peers in civil, thoughtful, respectful ways that prioritize making our classroom a safe space for learning and sharing ideas.

*In your Participation Reflection submissions, you will have a chance to discuss activities you have undertaken and/or contributions you have made to the class that fall outside these categories.

**Unexcused absences over TWO will incur a full letter-grade deduction on your Participation score. Please make use of the Faculty of Arts guidelines regarding “Accommodations for illness or extenuating circumstances” to ensure required documentation for excused absences.

Assessment: Participation reflection assessment criteria will be detailed in the templates and rubrics provided in the LEARN dropboxes. Note that thoughtful engagement with the reflection prompts can result in a grade “bump” (from your self-assessed participation score); a lack of engagement and/or clear dishonesty in responses can result in a fully instructor-assessed participation score.

Grading Scale

Letter grades in this class correspond to the following percentages.

A “General Grading Rubric” will be available on LEARN with additional details regarding each category.

Course Policies & Related Information

Submission Content, Deadlines, and Extensions:

All work in this course must be original work of the student or students submitting the assignments. All use of sources must be documented correctly using MLA citation format.

As a general rule, late submissions will be penalized at 2% per day. To request an extension on an assignment, contact your instructor at least 48 hours prior to the assignment deadline; requests must include a (reasonable) proposed alternate submission date. Note that extensions are NOT available for the Group Seminar components.

Kindness is a Policy. Kindness will be our default policy when it comes to instruction, late assignments, the inability to participate on an activity, and other aspects of the course. If an unforeseen circumstance prevents you from completing work on time, please contact your instructor as soon as you are safely able so that you can make arrangements to make up missed work.

Additional Policies

Emergencies. In the event of a campus emergency or closure, deadlines and course requirements will be delayed. Your instructor will communicate details with you on LEARN.

Syllabus Changes. Additionally, assignments, grading percentages, and deadlines are themselves subject to change during the semester if necessitated by changing circumstances. A revised calendar and syllabus will be posted to LEARN, if needed. Please read all LEARN “Announcement” posts and regularly check your uwaterloo.ca email so that you will be aware of changes.

Student Emergencies. Circumstances affecting your ability to complete course work should be communicated to your instructor as soon as you are safely able to do so. Please understand that in most circumstances you do not need to provide private or personal details. For problems with an extended duration, you may be asked to work with your university adviser.

Instructor Emergencies. Please note that your instructor may also encounter health or family emergencies, and will always communicate any changes or issues to you as soon as possible. Refer to LEARN announcements or contact your instructor if you have questions.

Academic Integrity.In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Faculty of Arts Ethical Behaviour webpage for more information on policies, procedures, and student responsibilities, including consequences for deliberate or accidental plagiarism.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievance. A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals.A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

Note for students with disabilities.The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (1401), collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

Turnitin.com and alternatives. Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented.

Students' submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students will be given an alternative, if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.

It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit an alternate assignment.

Basic Needs. Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of Students in their faculty for support. Furthermore, please notify your professor if you feel comfortable doing so.

Writing and Communication Centre (WCC). The Writing and Communication Centre works with students in all faculties to help you consider your audience, clarify your ideas, develop your voice, and write in the style appropriate to your discipline. WCC staff offer one-on-one support for writing papers, delivering presentations, citing research, and revising for clarity and coherence. Group appointments for team-based projects, presentations, and papers are also available.

For information about booking an appointment and to see drop-in hours, visit www.uwaterloo.ca/wcc. Please note that communication specialists guide you to see your work as readers would. They can teach you revising skills and strategies, but will not change or correct your work for you.

Mental Health Support. All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health supports if they are needed.

On Campus

• Counselling Services: counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext. 32655

• MATES: one-to-one peer support program offered by Federation of Students (FEDS) and Counselling Services

• Health Services Emergency service: located across the creek form Student Life Centre Off campus, 24/7

• Good2Talk: Free confidential helpline for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454

• Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-4300 ext. 6880

• Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247

• OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213

Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website 

Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)

Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support information.

Academic freedom at the University of Waterloo. Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour states, as one of its general principles (Section 1), “The University supports academic freedom for all members of the University community. Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a manner consistent with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest and ethical quest for knowledge. In the context of this policy, 'academic freedom' refers to academic activities, including teaching and scholarship, as is articulated in the principles set out in the Memorandum of Agreement between the FAUW and the University of Waterloo, 1998 (Article 6). The academic environment which fosters free debate may from time to time include the presentation or discussion of unpopular opinions or controversial material. Such material shall be dealt with as openly, respectfully and sensitively as possible.” This definition is repeated in Policies 70 and 71, and in the Memorandum of Agreement, Section 6.

Territorial Acknowledgement. We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.

For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory (PDF).

ENGL 344 Course Schedule (W23)

The following schedule is tentative and may change depending on class needs.