ENGL 203: 20th
Century Irish
Literature
Prof. Kathryn Conrad
MWF 11-11:50 am, 4023 Wescoe
Office hours: M T W 2-4
pm, 3001L Wescoe Hall
Last updated 12-13-14
COURSE
DESCRIPTION:
Irish
theater critic Stephen Gwynn said of W. B. Yeats's play Cathleen
ni Houlihan,"I went home asking myself if such plays
should be produced unless one was prepared for people to go out to
shoot and be
shot." His comment proved prophetic: many of the
This
will focus on writing in several genres, including the annotated
bibliography
and literary-critical essay genres. Our other goals for the course will
be to
think critically about the relationship among Irish and Northern Irish
literature,
history, politics, and culture; to examine the relationship between
writing and
the wider culture; and to think about the significance of different
forms and
genres.
THIS
COURSE FULFILLS:
This
course fulfills the second KU Core Goal 2.1 (requirement for most of
you; for
those who have already completed Goal 2.1, this course can serve
instead to
fulfill either KU Core Goal 1.1 or KU Core Goal 3 (humanities).
KU CORE
GOALS:
As
a KU Core Goal 1.1 course, this course is intended to help you sharpen
your
critical thinking abilities, which include, as the Core site, puts it,
"the ability to gather and evaluate information, raise relevant
questions,
build sound arguments, weigh alternative evidence and reasoning,
generate and
test hypotheses, compare and interpret texts." The Goal 2.1 outcomes
are
closely related; as a Goal 2.1 course, this course is intended to help
you
develop your writing, from idea and research through revision and final
product, for multiple genres and communication situations.
Writing will be the supermajority of
your grade in the course, in keeping with Goal 2.1 standards.
This
course can also serve as a Goal 3 (humanities) course, because it
introduces you
to methods and concepts used in the humanities. We will use Ireland as
a case
study to develop and apply your understanding of the importance of
representationÑartistic, political, narrative,
historiographical-- and
the ways in which representation affects, and is affected by, politics,
culture, and economics. In so
doing, we will use the methods of literary and rhetorical analysis.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS:
Students
will be expected to write in a variety of genres, including a literary
analysis, a research paper, and annotated bibliography, and blog
postings
focused on several kinds of genres and evaluative tasks (literary
analysis,
rhetorical analysis, etc.).
OTHER
REQUIREMENTS:
--complete
assigned readings
--participate
in classroom discussion and discussion groups
TEXTS:
David Pierce, ed., Irish Writing in the Twentieth Century
RESOURCES,
POLICIES, &
CONTACTS (Adapted
from statements and
policies from the KU Registrar, CLAS, the Writing Center, the KU
Faculty Council,
and the English Department)
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is stealing and passing off someone else's ideas
or words as one's own or using information from another's work without
crediting the source. Any detected cheating offense--including but not
limited
to plagiarism; the unauthorized use of crib sheets, texts, or other
materials
during an examination or quiz; the copying of another student's work
(even with
the permission or aid of that student, who is thereby culpable); the
use of
prewritten essays (the student's own or someone else's); the uncredited
adoption of another writer's interpretation of a work; or the
unauthorized use
of work written for another assignment or class--will be reported to
the
University. A record of each verified offense will be kept throughout
the
student's association with the University.
Plagiarism
is not a game, nor is it simply a
"shortcut" when time presses. It is a very serious form of academic
misconduct and will be treated as such in this class. When you consult
outside
sources for ideas--through published or unpublished essays, interviews,
the
Internet, conversation, etc.--you must cite those sources in your work.
I
understand that academic work can be daunting: if you are struggling
with an
assignment, are unclear about my expectations, or are behind on your
work,
please consult me. There is always a better path than plagiarism; I can
work
with you to help you find your own voice while incorporating others'
ideas
appropriately. If after reading the statement above, you are still
unclear
about what constitutes plagiarism, ask me BEFORE turning in an
assignment.
A
plagiarized assignment will result in failure of the
assignment (no credit given); it also impacts your larger course grade
more
than a paper that merely receives an F, and will usually result in
failure of
the course. The Department of English has a zero-tolerance policy on
plagiarism. Formal records are currently kept by the Department of
English and
the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I may also send a copy of the
plagiarism form to the home department or school of any student who is
found to
have plagiarized.
KU
Statement on Diversity and Inclusion:
As
a premier international research university, the University of Kansas
is committed to an open, diverse and inclusive learning and working
environment that nurtures the growth and development of all. KU holds
steadfast in the belief that an array of values, interests,
experiences, and intellectual and cultural viewpoints enrich learning
and our workplace. The promotion of and support for a diverse and
inclusive community of mutual respect require the engagement of the
entire university.
Recording
of Classes: At KU, course materials prepared by the
instructor, together
with the content of lectures, are the property of the instructor. Video
and
audio recording of lectures and review sessions without the consent of
the instructor
is prohibited. On request, the instructor will usually grant permission
for
students to audio tape lectures, on the condition that these audio
tapes are
only used as a study aid by the individual making the recording. Unless
explicit permission is obtained from the instructor, recordings of
lectures and
review sessions may not be modified and must not be transferred or
transmitted
to any other person, whether or not that individual is enrolled in the
course.
Attendance
and
Termination of Enrollment: Students may neither
add nor change sections in any English
course after Friday, August
29
without departmental permission. For courses numbered above 200,
instructor's
permission is required to add or change sections. The last
day to
petition to add classes is Monday,
September 22. The
Department of English reserves the right to terminate administratively
the
enrollment of any student who misses two consecutive class meetings
during the
first two weeks of the semester.* Should an emergency situation cause
the
student to miss two consecutive class meetings, the student should
contact the
instructor(s) or the English Department, 864-4520, immediately.
Students who decide to
drop
English classes should do so promptly so that other students may enroll
in the
class. The last day to withdraw from classes under any
circumstances is Wednesday,
November 19.
Students
with Disabilities:
The
Academic Achievement & Access Center
(AAAC) coordinates accommodations and services for all KU students who
are
eligible. If you have a disability for which you wish to request
accommodations
and have not contacted the AAAC, please do so as soon as possible.
Their office
is located in 22 Strong Hall; their phone number is 785-864-2620.
Information
about their services can be found at http://disability.ku.edu.
I
also encourage you to contact me privately
in regard to your needs in this course.
Drop
policy: If you
are having trouble
succeeding in the course, it is especially important that you consult
with me
so that we can develop a plan of action that may enable you to complete
the
course. If you decide to drop this class, please refer to the
Website below:
http://www.registrar.ku.edu/current/schedule.shtml
Policy on Student
Academic Creations: Since one
of the aims of this course is to teach
students to write for specific audiences, ungraded student-authored
work may be
shared with other class members during the semester in which you are
enrolled
in the class. Please do not submit materials on sensitive
subjects that
you would not want your classmates to see or read, unless you inform
the
instructor in advance that you do not want your work shared with
others.
Other
uses of
student-authored work are subject to the UniversityÍs Policy on
Intellectual
Property and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. If
your
instructor desires to use your work outside of this class (e.g. as a
sample for
another class or future classes), you will be asked to fill out and
sign a
written form authorizing such use.
Writing
Resources: For help
with your writing, I strongly encourage you to contact
the KU Writing Center. At the Writing Center you can talk about
your
writing with trained tutors or consult reference materials in a
comfortable
working environment. You may ask for feedback on your papers,
advice and
tips on writing (for all your courses), or for guidance on special
writing
tasks. Please check the website at http://www.writing.ku.edu/students/ for
current locations and hours. The Writing Center welcomes
both drop-ins and appointments, and there is no charge for their
services. For
more information, please call (785) 864-2399 or send an e-mail to <writing@ku.edu>. The
website is loaded with helpful information about writing
of all sorts, so even if you consider yourself a good writer, I
encourage you
to visit.
Weather cancellations: Call
864-SNOW to discover whether
classes have been cancelled by the University due to inclement weather.
Cancelled classes will be held online; see this website for details. Be sure that Blackboard has your
correct contact information, since I will use it to send e-mail in case
of a
cancellation.
BLOGGING
FAQ:
* How many
blog postings are required?
You
should post 5 times, including the two required posts listed
on the syllabus. These must be completed before class time on
the date
on which we discuss the text.
If you
miss a class for any reason, you should post on the text or
topic for which you missed discussion (AKA, an 'absence post'). This will help mitigate the loss of
participation. Any 'absence posts'
do not count toward the 5 required posts, although you may post on a
text as a
required post and then post again on the same text as an 'absence
post.' 'Absence posts' may
be completed after the date on which the text or topic was
discussed; required posts may not. (Last day for absence posts: Dec.
10, 11:59:59 pm).
* Why a blog?
We'll be
using a course blog much the same way other
courses use discussion boards. The benefit of the blog format is that
it is
easy to follow the thread of the discussion visually. Blogging allows
you to
share your ideas on the material, starting from a prompt provided by
the
instructor. Unlike classroom discussion, which is spontaneous and
sometimes
fast-paced, blogging offers an opportunity for you to provide a
thoughtful,
articulate response.
* What's a "substantial blog
posting"?
A
substantial blog posting is a short paragraph
response either to the instructor prompt or to another student's
posting on the
topic. A substantial posting also takes into consideration the entire
conversation, even if it is directed primarily toward one comment. In
other
words, read other people's posts before posting.
Blog discussions, like any
discussions, can get off
topic; that's fine, but the blog postings that count toward your
requirement
are those that are on-topic.
* Do all of my postings
have to be "substantial"?
Not at
all. You are welcome to use the blog
informally, just as in any discussion. When postings are required,
however, you
must offer at least one substantial post.
* Can I start a new thread?
Yes, you
can start a new thread. Please do so only if
you feel it is a significantly different issue than that raised by the
initial
thread(s), just to ensure you get a good audience that isn't divided
between
threads. There may be days where
there is no prompt; you are welcome to start a thread on those days as
well.
No. You are
responsible for keeping track of your required and absence posts over
the
course of the semester. I will
tally them all at the end of the semester.
SCHEDULE (subject to
change; changes will eventually be reflected here):
M
8/25
Introduction.
W
8/27
Lady Gregory, *Manifesto
of the Irish literary theatre
F
8/25
[Slideshow]
M
9/1
Labor Day: class does not meet.
W
9/3
*Yeats,
Cathleen ni Houlihan (play, IW).
F
9/5
Cathleen ni Houlihan cont;
WB
Yeats, 'Red Hanrahan's Song About Ireland' (online)
Daniel
Corkery, 'The Aisling' (essay, IW 289)
Recommended
background essays about the Irish literary renaissance:
D.
P. Moran, 'The Battle of Two Civilizations' (IW 32)
Yeats, 'The Literary Movement in
Ireland' (IW 38)
George
Russell (AE), 'Nationality or Cosmopolitanism?' (IW 44)
Anon., 'Lecture by Mr. W. B.
Yeats' (IW 49)
John
Eglinton, 'The De-Davisization of Irish Literature' (IW 70)
M
9/8
Spencer Research Library visit.
Meet in Spencer lobby (behind Strong
Hall).
W
9/10
Watson Library visit: Aeon. Meet
in Watson lobby.
F
9/12
Riots and representations.
*Synge,
The Playboy of the Western World (play,
IW)
M
9/15
Playboy cont. Hone,
'Yeats, Synge, and The Playboy' (essay, IW 213)
W
9/17
Political revolutions. *Pearse,
The Singer (play, online, CELT, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/pearsefic.html;
also on Bb);
F
9/19
Pearse, 'Why do ye torture me?', *'Renunciation,' 'Christ's
Coming,' 'Christmas 1915,' 'Mise ƒire' (poems, online, CELT,
http://www.ucc.ie/celt/pearsefic.html);
*Graveside panegyric for O'Donovan Rossa
(speech, online, CELT, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/pearsenf.html)
M
9/22
[The
Easter Rising: in-class lecture]
Recommended: BBC Easter Rising
website
(last
day to add or swap a class/last day petition for late enrollment/last
day 50%
refund)
W
9/24
Political revolutions: the aftermath
Shaw,
'The Easter Week Executions' (essay, IW
239)
Sean
O'Casey, 'High Road and Low Road' (essay, IW 548)
James Stephens, from The Insurrection in Dublin (essay, IW 235)
Pearse, *"The Mother" (poem, online, http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/E950004-022/text001.html)
W.
B. Yeats, *'Easter 1916' (poem, IW)
F 9/26
W.B.
Yeats, 'Sixteen Dead Men,' *'The Rose Tree' (poems, online, http://www.theotherpages.org/poems/yeats02.html#sixteen) . Dora Sigerson Shorter, "Sixteen Dead Men,"(
poem, online, http://www.bartleby.com/291/158.html
)
Annotated
bibliography due. (note date
change)
M
9/29
[Writing
a literary essay.]
W
10/1
Visions and revisions
James
Joyce, Dubliners. *'The Sisters'
Different
views of Joyce: Stanislaus Joyce & Brian O'Nolan (Flann O'Brien),
(IW
609-618)
F
10/3
*'An
Encounter'
M
10/6
*'Araby'
W
10/8
*'Eveline'
F
10/10
*'The
Boarding House' Literary essay draft due.
M
10/13
Fall break: class does not meet.
W
10/15
*'A
Mother'
F
10/17
*'A
Little Cloud'
M
10/20
'Counterparts'
W
10/22
'Ivy Day
in the Committee Room'
F
10/24
[Writing
a research paper.]
M
10/27
[Writing a research paper, day 2]
W
10/29
Joyce, *'The Dead.'
F 10/30 Research proposal due. Joyce, Finish.
M
11/3
Visit from Dr Mairin Kenny: Irish Travellers.
W
11/5
Gender and Irishness.
Ailbhe
Smyth, 'Declining Identities (lit. and fig.)' (essay, IW 1118)
Nuala ni Dhomhnaill, Caitlin/*Cathleen (poem, IW 1174)
F
11/7
Research day: class does not meet.
M
11/10
Language and representation.
Douglas
Hyde, 'The Necessity for De-Anglicizing Ireland'
Nuala n’ Dhomhnaill, *'Ceist an Teangan/The Language Issue' (poem, IW 1164)
W
11/12
Ian Duhig, *'From the Irish' (poem, IW 1174).
Brian Friel, from *Translations
(play excerpt, IW).
F
11/14
Research draft due. Northern Ireland. [Background lecture in class.]
Recommended: CAIN (Conflict Archive on the Internet)
website, http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/
M
11/17
Background
to Bloody Sunday. Movie, Bloody
Sunday.
W
11/19
Bloody Sunday
F
11/21
Bloody Sunday
M
11/24
discussion
of Bloody Sunday
W
11/26
Thanksgiving break
F
11/27
Thanksgiving break
M
12/1
U2,
*"Sunday Bloody Sunday," http://www.u2.com/discography/lyrics/lyric/song/127
Seamus
Heaney, *'Punishment'; Linda Anderson, *'Gang-Bang, Ulster Style'
(poems,
online,
Bb)
W
12/3
Ciaran Carson, "O" (poem, IW, 1235); Paul Muldoon, *"Sightseers"
(poems, online, Bb)
F
12/5
Muldoon, *'Anseo' (poem, online, Bb)
M
12/8
Northern Ireland: popular visions
*"Alternative Ulster," Stiff Little Fingers (http://www.slf.com/lyrics1.htm,
or, to print out, probably
http://www.lyricsstyle.com/s/stifflittlefingers/alternativeulster.html)
Discussion of final, part 1.
W
12/10
Last day of classes. Discussion
of final: essay questions.
Evaluations. All absence blogs must by
completed by midnight on this day.
Final
exam as scheduled: Friday, 12/19, 10:30-1 pm (scheduled; I do not
anticipate students needing more than 1 1/2 hours).
Portfolio
due at final exam (first drafts with comments + final drafts of
annotated bibliography, literary essay, and research paper.)