100A F22 Rowland

English 100A: Fiction – Fall 2022

Mondays and Wednesdays 2:30pm - 3:50pm, HH 138

Instructor: Sam Rowland

Office Hours: PAS 1061, Mondays and Wednesdays 4:00pm - 6:00 pm

E-mail: srowland@uwaterloo.ca

Required Texts:

Martel, Yann.  Beatrice and Virgil.

Palahniuk, Chuck.  Fight Club.

Toews, Miriam.  Women Talking.

Twain, Mark.  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Vonnegut, Kurt.  Slaughter-House Five.

Other readings will be posted on Learn, which include all short stories and short texts covered in the first half of the course, as well as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, covered on October 31^st.  You must have access to Learn for this course.

Course Objectives:

This is an introductory course on literary fiction.  The first half of the course looks at short stories.  The second half of the course, which begins after reading week, focuses on novels. 

The texts in this course have a common theme: ‘reality is not what it seems.’  The fictional works we will look at follow unreliable narrators, plot twists, or unconventional points of view.  Looking at fiction that experiments with how characters communicate a text’s plot and themes will encourage students to analyse texts from a variety of critical approaches.

Throughout the course, students will develop critical and analytical skills for evaluating short and long fiction.  Students will learn how the narrative and technical nuances of short stories and novels differ from drama, poetry, film, and other narratives modes.

This course also assists students with their writing.  There are several mandatory workshops throughout the course that will guide students in developing methods and strategies for writing clear and concise theses and essays.

Assessment:

Assignment Guidelines:

Attendance and Participation (25%):

Students are expected to attend every class and be prepared to participate.  Most classes will begin with a short lecture on the assigned text.  The majority of each class will focus on a discussion of the assigned reading where you are required to participate.  Some classes, indicated in the course schedule, are mandatory writing workshops.  Bring all assigned readings to every class.  Participation is graded on a class-by-class basis.  I will drop the lowest one-day participation grade you receive.

Draft Workshops:

Several classes throughout the term (September 28^th, November 2^nd, November 28^th) are draft workshops where you will peer review your thesis or essay draft in small groups.  Your group will provide constructive feedback to help you organize and revise your draft.  These workshops are mandatory, and failure to bring a draft or attend one of these workshops will result in a permanent 10% deduction from your essay or thesis grade.

Reading Notes (5% x 2 = 10%):

You should be keeping clear and concise notes on each text you read and the classes you attend.  Submit your Reading Notes from at least two classes by Monday, November 2^nd.  You are welcome to submit notes from every class, and I will grade your two best efforts.  Additionally, I will give you a 10% bonus on your best submitted notes if you submit at least one notes on or before Monday, September 26^th on Learn.  You can also write your notes freehand and upload a scanned copy to Learn. 

Quizzes (5% x 2 = 10%):

There will be two quizzes that will demonstrate your knowledge of the texts as well as help me track your progress in the course.  These quizzes will be administered at the beginning of class on Wednesday, September 21^st and Wednesday, November 9^th.

Comparison Essay (20%):

Write a 1200-word essay that compares two of the short stories from the first half of the course.  Short texts on how to write an effective essay will be studied and discussed on Monday, September 26^th.  You will bring the first page of your essay to class to be workshopped on September 28^th.  Submit the revised and polished version of your Comparison Essay on or before Wednesday, October 5^th on Learn.

Thesis Statement (5%):

Write a short, two-sentence Thesis Statement that outlines the topic and thesis of your Final Essay.  Your Final Essay will make an argument about one or two of the novels studied in the second half of the course.  Bring your Thesis Statement to class on Wednesday, November 2^nd to be workshopped.  Submit your revised Thesis Statement on or before Wednesday, November 16^th on Learn.  

I will accept one resubmission of your Thesis Statement, which either incorporates the feedback you received in the workshop or re-evaluates your topic and texts, for a 10% bonus on the assignment.  I will not accept any resubmissions of your Thesis Statement after Monday, November 28^th. 

Final Essay (30%):

Write a literary analysis of one of the novels studied in the second half of the course.  Your analysis needs to make an argument about the text and requires an original argument and thesis statement.  Bring the first page of your Final Essay to class on Monday, November 28^th to be workshopped.  Submit your Final Essay on or before Wednesday, December 7^th on Learn. 

You may also analyze a novel, film, etc. not studied in the course for this particular essay.  If you propose an alternate text for your essay, I need to have read that text, and you also must focus on at least one novel from the course.  Send me an e-mail to discuss such a direction by Monday, October 31^st. 

Bonus Assignment – Final Essay extension request:

If you e-mail me to request an extension on or before Monday, December 5^th, I will grant you a one-week extension on the Final Essay, and you can submit the assignment without penalty up to or before Wednesday, December 14^th.

Reading Schedule:

Course Policies:

Late Work:

Late assignments will be docked 5% per day and will only receive marginal commentary.  Late assignments will not be accepted after 1 week.

E-mail:

I will normally reply to e-mail messages within 24 hours.  In the case of e-mails requiring lengthy replies, I may indicate to you that you should see me in person or we meet on Zoom.  There is also an “Ask the Instructor” discussion board on Learn where you can ask more general questions.

Feedback and Returned Assignments:

I am happy to answer any questions about feedback on returned assignments, either in person or via e-mail.  After an assignment is returned, you should read over the feedback carefully, and if you have any questions about the assignment or my commentary, you need to consider the feedback for at least 24 hours before contacting me.  I will not address concerns about feedback until at least 24 hours after an assignment has been returned.

Extensions:

If you require an extension on an assignment, please ask.  I can grant at least a 2-day extension on most assignments if an extension is requested at least 48-hours before the assignment is due.  As stated above, requesting an extension on the Final Essay will grant you a 7-day extension on that assignment only.

University Policies:

The Faculty of Arts requires the following statements on all Arts course outlines:

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.

Discipline

A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions.  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.

Policy 71 – Student Discipline

For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline.  See https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-71 for more information.

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, which you will find at https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-70.

Appeals

A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established.  Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals at https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-72. 

Cross-listed course

Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which rubric it has been taken.  For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric.

Other sources of information for students:

Academic Integrity website (Arts):

https://uwaterloo.ca/arts/current-undergraduates/student-support/ethical-behaviour

Academic Integrity Office (uWaterloo): https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/

Note for students with disabilities

The AccessAbility Services office, located in Needles Hall Room 1132, 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.  This is the office website: https://uwaterloo.ca/disability-services/