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Writing Reality: Dreamers and Dreams from Plato
to the Present
This course is designed especially for people
who love good books and big ideas, who are
serious about growing as writers, and who are
eager to go beyond normal course requirements to
participate in field trips and on-campus
cultural events. It will deal with
literary texts across the centuries that have
embodied different human dreams, while
dramatizing the conflict between those dreams
and the social realities they have had to
confront. We will begin--during First-Year
Orientation--with an analysis of Plato's
"allegory of the cave" (from The Republic,
Book VII), a text which has been called the
ideal introduction to a liberal education, and
which will also introduce the themes we'll
explore throughout the semester. Other texts
will include Samuel Johnson's fable Rasselas
and three terrific novels: Gustave Flaubert's
Madame Bovary, F. Scott Fitzgerald's
Great Gatsby, and Charles Johnson's
Dreamer, a prize-winning fiction based on
the tragic last years of the life of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
These texts will be accompanied by a series of
four week-end field trips that will expose us to
different areas and aspects of Los Angeles, a
city (if there ever was one!) of dreams and
dreamers. First we'll ground our Platonic,
utopian reflections in the soil, architecture,
and social realities of our own city, just as
Prince Rasselas and his sister Nekayah seek the
"choice of life" in the streets of Cairo. Then,
on other week-ends, we'll visit three major Los
Angeles area museums--each representing a
different kind and quality of dream. At the
Huntington Library, we will see Henry
Huntington's dream of European nobility,
grounded on monopolistic American free
enterprise (a theme to be explored as well in
The Great Gatsby). Then, at the J. Paul
Getty Museum, we will both extend the notion of
the aesthetic dream and ponder the idea
of Los Angeles embodied in the Getty's
gleaming architecture and stunning gardens.
Finally, at the Museum of Tolerance, we will
explore King's dream of a united and
interdependent humanity, and of a world free of
prejudice and injustice.
Because of the extra week-end commitments
involved in this section, students choosing to
take it will have the option of receiving four
credits, rather than the usual three.
Required Texts and Supplies:
Frederick Crews. The Random House Handbook,
sixth ed. New York: Random House, 1992.
F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby.
New York: Scribners, 1925.
Gustave Flaubert. Madame Bovary, trans.
Merloyd Lawrence. New York: Houghton Mifflin,
1857; 1969.
Charles Johnson. Dreamer. New York:
Scribers, 1999.
Samuel Johnson. The History of Rasselas,
Prince of Abissinia. Oxford: Oxford UP,
1759;1999.
John Trimble. Writing with Style:
Conversations on the Art of Writing, second
ed. Englewood
Cliffs, N.J., 1999.
A
good college dictionary. (A selection available
in the bookstore.)
A
notebook (loose-leaf or spiral) that you'll feel
comfortable with for class and reading notes, as
well as for an occasional journal entry or
informal essay. (You should bring this
notebook with you to class every day.)
A
folder with pockets to keep your finished and
revised essays in. (This folder must be
handed in at the end of the course as your
"portfolio.")
Required Work:
1. Reading assignments to be completed before
the dates for which they are assigned (i.e. in
time for class discussion). You should also
take notes on each chapter; look up vocabulary
words you don't know and write down their
meanings; and jot down questions for class
discussion. All these notes--along with your
responses to any specific "prompts"--should go
into your notebook, and come with you to class.
If something confuses you, by all means ask
about it! The rule in this class--to be
followed by all: there are no stupid
questions. In fact, if you're
puzzled, probably others are too. So come
prepared--and get involved.
2. Prompt and regular attendance at all class
sessions (including five tutorials and five
peer-review sessions, four field trips, and
several on-campus evening events).
Mark will take attendance at the start of each
class and keep a record of all other meetings as
well. You are allowed three "free absences" to
cover illnesses and other unforeseen problems.
Absences beyond these three will negatively
affect your grade in the course, and six
absences may be regarded as grounds for a
failing grade. Moreover, it is essential
that you arrive on time and stay for the entire
class period. Thus two late arrivals or
early departures will count as one absence.
(It is also exceedingly bad form to wander in
and out of class during a session, and
anyone's doing so will be noted.)
Note:
We will not penalize anyone for absences
incurred because of serious illness or because
of activities undertaken on behalf of Whittier
College (such as games if you play on a school
team, or events with the College Choir).
However, these will count toward your
three free absences; and you must give Mark or
me written confirmation from your doctor, coach,
or other relevant authority concerning the
legitimacy of your absence. If you have more
than three official absences for these
legitimate reasons (although such a situation
should be avoided), you will not be penalized;
but proof is essential, and you must make up any
missed work.
3. Attendance at least four evening events
on campus, including at least one poetry or
fiction reading and at least one Whittier
College theater production (schedule pending).
4. Five out-of-class essays (ranging in
length from three to eight pages)--all of which
will involve drafting and consultation with Mark
and me. As John Trimble argues in Writing
with Style, all good writing is rewriting.
In other words, the process is just as important
as the final product, so we'll be focusing on
both. Thus all essays must be turned in--on the
date due and at the end of the course as
part of your portfolio--for a passing grade in
the course. Each essay must also have a
typed cover letter--addressed to Mark and
me, and signed by you--describing your process
(and the approximate time spent on each stage),
as well as an evaluation of your success.
Your portfolio will include a longer
cover letter, in which you describe your
development and evaluate your progress over the
course of the semester.
5. Occasional in- and out-of-class writing
assignments, including the keeping of a class
notebook to be handed in periodically and at the
end of the course.
6. An in-class essay exam.
Grading Factors:
(1) Attendance, preparation and
discussion
15
(2) Five out-of- class essays (one final grade
given
on total portfolio, with some extra
weight on final paper) 65
(3) Notebook (including class notes and brief
assignments)
10
(4) In-class final exam (Dec.
10)
10
100%
Policy on Late Work:
Note:
Late work will be accepted, but will be marked
down one half grade for each day (not
each class session) after the due date.
Under extraordinary circumstances, I will
consider an extension without penalty--provided
that I am consulted in advance and that the
circumstances seem serious enough to warrant
such an extension. Even if a paper becomes
so late as to receive a failing grade, you still
must turn in all written work to receive a
passing grade in the course.
Manuscript Style:
Papers are to be typed, double-space, in a 12-point font
(this syllabus serves as an example), and
printed on a laser-quality printer. They should
be handed in on separate sheets of 8 1/2 X 11
bond paper, stapled in the upper
left-hand corner. Margins should be one
inch; paragraphs are to be indented five
spaces. Spaces should not be skipped between
paragraphs. Any documentation must follow
Alternative MLA style, which is described
in your Random House Handbook (Crews),
207-213.
Always keep hard-copies of all your work.
Documents can get lost--both from my desk and
from your disk, whether hard, floppy, or c.d.
Should this occur, I will expect you to be able
to produce a copy immediately; otherwise, I will
be forced to count the paper as late beginning
with the day of your failure to do so. (See
above for general policy on late papers.)
Note:
Electronically submitted work will not be
accepted. It is your responsibility to
produce and submit a clean hard copy.
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism occurs whenever the true author of a
piece of prose, of an idea, or of a line of
thought is not the person who claims to be the
author.
Plagiarism can occur in varying degrees, and
will be penalized--in this class as in all
others at the College--in proportion to its
severity. Papers in which plagiarism is
sufficiently serious will receive an F, and
student's name will be turned in to the Dean of
Students. A repeated act of plagiarism will
result in an automatic F in the entire course,
in addition to any action taken by the Office of
Student Life (which can include suspension from
the College). A number of such serious
sanctions have been imposed in recent years.
A particularly common and egregious form of plagiarism is
the down-loading of materials from various
websites. Please be aware that faculty have
the tools to identify any work unfairly borrowed
from the web--as well as other sources.
If you are in doubt about the need for documentation of
borrowed material, please feel free to consult
me or any other professor on campus. Also be
sure that you have mastered the material in the
2003-2004 College Catalog, 25-28.
Ignorance of this material will not be regarded
as an excuse.
ADA Policy:
If you have any disabling condition that may require some
special arrangements in order to meet course
requirements, please begin by contacting
Disability Services in Center for Academic
Success (extension 4840, located in Science
105). I will be happy to provide any
accommodations regarded by the Director as
appropriate, but am not in a position to offer
such accommodations independently. Short of
actual accommodations, however, please feel
welcome to talk with me about anything I can do
to help you succeed in the course.
The Final Exam:
The final examination will be given only at the
published time
(Wednesday, December 10, 1:00-3:00), so plan
your departure for winter vacation accordingly.
Plane tickets purchased by students not
consulting the schedule (or not informing their
families of the schedule) will not be accepted
as an excuse for missing (or rescheduling) the
exam. If you should find yourself scheduled for
three final exams on a single day, you are (as
the catalogue notes) entitled to request an
adjustment from your professors.
Office Hours and Writing Center:
A
huge component of growth in writing is having a
sympathetic and critical audience for our work.
Mark and I are dedicating ourselves to act in
that role for each of you this semester, and
will be able to help you to the extent that you
take advantage of our expertise. Both of us
will hold required tutorial sessions with each
of you, to see drafts of virtually every paper,
and to offer suggestions for revision. Mark
will also lead five peer-review sessions on the
days I offer tutorials. In addition, we both
will be available for consultation outside these
scheduled times.
My office hours
(listed at the top of your syllabus as well as
on my office door) are set aside for the express
purpose of seeing students. So please come by
to talk about your work in the course--or
anything else you'd like to discuss. (I hope
the fact that you're also my mentees will give
you double encouragement to do that.) If you
want to talk to me but can't come by at one of
my scheduled hours, see me after class to make
an appointment. (That's what "and by
appointment" means.)
Mark
will also be available during the week to help
you with every phase of your writing process--or
to talk with you about any problems you may be
having in the course.
Another resource--for this course and for all
your courses--is the Writing Center,
located in the basement of Hoover Hall. Not
only is the center equipped with computers (both
Macs and PCs); it is also staffed with friendly,
skilled, and experienced writing tutors, whose
purpose--like ours--is to help you with every
stage of the writing process. Mark, as this
class's co-instructor, will be able to help you
the most. But if you need additional
assistance--or can't find Mark--Writing Center
tutors are also qualified and ready to help.
You will gain the most from their expertise,
however, (1) if you go to the center well before
an assignment is due; (2) if you take a copy of
the assignment with you to show the tutor what
is expected, as well as relevant texts and
whatever notes or drafts you have made so far;
and (3) if you do not expect him or her to serve
as either a ghostwriter or a proofreader. Like
your instructors, tutors are there to help you;
but ultimately you are responsible for your own
work.
Field Trips:
This course will require four field trips,
around which class members must plan their
schedules:
Saturday, September 20
Los Angeles Dreams and Realities (by bus and on
foot).
Saturday, October 11
Estate Tour, Galleries and Gardens at the
Huntington Library.
Saturday, November 1
The J. Paul Getty Museum,
Brentwood.
Sunday, November 16
The Museum of Tolerance.
Special Presentation:
Monday, November 17
Lecture/Discussion led by Dr. Terrence Roberts,
sharing his fight
against virulent racism as one of the "Little
Rock Nine."
A
final note:
Mark and I hope that being a part of a small
first-year seminar--one on a topic you have
(more or less) chosen--will (1) help you become
part of a small community of fellow learners;
(2) give you many opportunities for reflection,
analysis, and inquiry; and (3) embody and
underline the crucial fact that students
are finally responsible for their own
education. As faculty and peer mentor we can
provide experiences and share our knowledge.
But only you, finally, can free yourself
from "the cave"--can construct a viable reality
or realize your dreams. And that task
can only be accomplished within a community
for which all take responsibility. That
is the simple principle that lies behind every
rule noted above.
The Schedule (subject to change as necessary):
Orientation/ Day 1
Sept. 5 Dreaming Reality: Discussion
of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" (handed out
during Orientation). First
writing assignment (Draft due Sept. 12).
Week 1
8 First Principles (1): Writing
as product--the elements of a successful college
essay. Read Trimble, chapters 1 and 2, pp.
v-24 and Crews, Introduction, pp. 1-6. Make
a brief outline of the two writers' key points
in your notebook. Continue this practice for
all assigned readings.
10 First Principles (2): Writing
as process. Read Crews, pp. 53-91 and Trimble,
chapters 3-5, pp. 25-52. (Outline as above.)
12 Read (and outline)
Trimble, chapters 6-7, pp. 53-81. Paper #1
(on Plato's Allegory) due.
Week 2
15 Dreaming the Choice of
Life: Rasselas.
17 Finding something to say:
Invention. The Pentad and
Rasselas.
19 Rasselas. Last day
of discussion. Final draft of Paper #1 due.
Second assignment
handed out.
Sat. 20 Field Trip: Dreaming Los
Angeles. Meet bus at 9:30 a.m. in
Mendenhall parking lot.
Bring: water, snacks, and $10.00 for lunch and
incidentals.
Week 3
22 The Choice of Life:
Reading Downtown L.A. with Plato and Johnson's
(very different) eyes.
24 Tutorial # 1 (Group
1): Bring drafts of Paper # 2 to work
individually with me in my
office (Hoover 211). Peer review #1
(Group 2): Bring drafts of your second
paper to work on with
Mark and your fellow group members. Read Crews,
pp. 115-49 (peer
editing and revision).
26 Tutorial # 1 (Group
2): Bring drafts of Paper # 2 to work
individually with me in my
office (Hoover 211). Peer review #1
(Group 1): Bring drafts of your second
paper to work on with
Mark and your fellow group members. Read Crews,
pp. 115-49 (peer editing and
revision).
Week 4
29 Arrangement:
Supporting a Thesis and Dealing with a Text.
Read (and outline) Crews, pp.
92-114. Paper #2 (on Rasselas) due.
Oct. 1 Dreaming Happiness:
Madame Bovary. Read Part I, pp. 1-56.
3 Madame Bovary,
Part II, pp. 57-193.
Week 5
6 Madame Bovary,
Part III, pp. 195-297. Final draft of Paper
#2 due.
8 Tutorial #2 (Group
2); Peer review # 2 (Group 1). Note:
order is reversed from
first tutorial/peer review. Bring drafts of
your third paper as noted above. Read
Crews, pp. 9-32
(Description and Narration). .
10 Tutorial #2 (Group
1); Peer review # 2 (Group 2). Note:
order is reversed from
first tutorial/peer review. Bring drafts of
your third paper as noted above. Read
Crews, pp. 9-32
(Description and Narration).
Sat. 11 Huntington Library Estate
Tour. Gather in Mendenhall parking lot at
9:30 a.m. (Bring water, snacks,
lunch money.)
Week 6
13 Emma's Dream: Discussion
of the Huntington Treasure Hunt. Paper # 3
(on Madame Bovary
and Happiness) due.
15 Dreaming America:
The Great Gatsby.
17 Mid-semester break.
Week 7
20 Gatsby.
22 Gatsby. Final
draft of Paper #3 due.
24 Writing with Style (1):
Diction. Read Trimble, pp. 99-132 and
Crews, pp 333-79.
Week 8
27 Writing with Style (2):
Syntax. Read Crews, 283-328 and Trimble,
133-61.
29 Tutorial # 3 (Group 1);
Peer review #3 (Group 2). Bring drafts of
your fourth paper as noted above.
Read Crews, pp. 33-50 (Analysis and Argument).
31 Tutorial # 3 (Group 2); Peer review
#3 (Group 1). Bring drafts of your fourth
paper as noted above. Read Crews,
pp. 33-50 (Analysis and Argument).
Nov. 1 (Saturday) Field Trip to the
J. Paul Getty Center. Gather in Mendenhall
parking lot at 1:00 p.m.
(Bring water, snacks, dinner money, and a
sweater for evening.)
Week 9
3 Argument and
persuasion. Read King's March on Washington
"Dream"
speech (hand-out). Paper # 4 (on Gatsby)
due.
5 Dreaming Justice:
Dreamer.
7 Dreamer.
Week 10
10 Dreamer. Final
draft of Paper #4 due.
12 Tutorial # 4 (Group 2);
Peer review #4 (Group 1). Bring
bibliography and notes
toward your final paper.
14 Tutorial # 4 (Group 1);
Peer review #4 (Group 2). Bring
bibliography and notes
toward your final paper.
Sun. 16 Visit to the Museum of
Tolerance. Meet in Mendenhall parking lot
at 12:30 p.m. (Bring water and a snack
if you like.)
Week 11
17 Lecture by Dr. Terrence
Roberts (of the Little Rock Nine) on his own
historic role in the
American Civil Rights Movement. Read hand-out
materials on the Little Rock
Nine.
19 Tutorial #5 (Group 1);
Peer review #4 (Group 2). Bring a nearly
completed draft of your
final paper. Read Trimble, pp. 81-98.
21 Tutorial #5 (Group 2);
Peer review #4 (Group 1). Bring a nearly
completed draft of your
final paper. Read Trimble, pp. 81-98.
Week 12
24 Style and purpose--summing up:
Read Trimble, 165-189: "Writers Talking
Shop."
26 Paper # 5 (on
Dreamer) due.
28 Thanksgiving break.
Week 13
Dec. 2 Day for Reflection and
Review.
4 Day for Reflection and
Review.
6 Last day of class.
Portfolio (with papers 1-5--originals and
revisions and further
revisions as desired--and a letter evaluating
your progress over the semester) due.
Any materials not returned at the
final will be returned to you by campus mail.
Final Exam
Dec. 10 In-class final
exam.
The Cartoons:
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