Syllabus

Professor John E. Lane

Spring 2005

Office: 326 Main Building

E-mail: laneje@wofford.edu

Office Phone: 4518

Office Hours: MW 3:30-4:30

English 102: River Narratives

(Mon Wed 1:00-2:20/ 2:30-3:50)

Course Description:

This course is designed as a freshman-level introduction to basic print and web research, and critical writing. The course will serve in a general sense as a further introduction to the way literary people experience, think, and work in the world.

The course material consists of works of fiction. In each work our common concern will be with the way the authors choose to write about the landscape, their style, what we will come to call “the narrative voice.” In this way we will learn to appreciate these works far beyond the level of plot and character.

The particular critical approach known as the “ecocritical” will be of interest to us in this class. We will read articles that define ecocriticism’s terms, and then move into the texts from there.

As a way of establishing involvement in the course material each student will develop two paper assignments, complete an in-class midterm. The essays will be concerned with your reading of the novels and short stories. In these essays you will be asked to explore and develop your encounters with course material. You will be expected to develop a thesis and carry out research around your topic and document your work.

A brief note on the Honor Code & the World Wide Web-- Please make yourself familiar with the honor code. All your work will be signed and pledged. As for Google, please do not use this search engine to look up poems we write about or study. I want your own thoughts and work in this class. All papers from this class will be uploaded to the academic website “Plagerism.com,” so be aware of this.

Required Texts:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Deliverance By James Dickey

A River Runs Through it by Norman Maclean

Death of a River Guide by Thomas Flannagan

The Last Girls by Lee Smith

Your grade will be determined by:

Reading responses on provided questions (250 words before each class) 20%

1^st papers 20%

2^nd paper 40%

Final Exam 20%

The River Narratives Schedule:

Week One

Intro to course

Week Two

Huckleberry Finn Chapter 1-24 (through page 151)

Week Three

Huckleberry Finn (through to end—page 281)

Week Four

Heart of Darkness

Week Five

“The Enchanted Bluff by Willa Cather

“Big Two-Hearted River” by Enest Hemingway (photocopy)

“The Bear” by William Faulkner First Paper Due on Thursday (3-4 pages)

Week Six

Deliverance

The Middle of the Term

Week Seven

Deliverance

Week Eight

A River Runs Through it

Week Nine

Spring Break

Week Ten

Death of a River Guide

Week Eleven

Death of a River Guide

Week Twelve

Death of a River Guide

Week Thirteen

The Last Girls Second Paper Due (5-8 pages)

Week Fourteen

The Last Girls

Final Exam

Note: Syllabi subject to change upon notice.