2o-th-century British Writers, K. Conrad
English 668:  Modern British Novel
T * 7:10-9:50 pm *
Fall 2003
327 RC (edwards campus)

Professor Kathryn Conrad

Office:2035 Wescoe Hall, Lawrence Campus
Office hours: Mondays 12:30-2; other days by appointment
Office phone:785/864-2572 
E-mail (best way to reach me):  kconrad@ku.edu
course homepage:  http://people.ku.edu/~kconrad/668f03.html 
Blackboard page (discussion boards and gradebook): https://courseware.ku.edu/?bbatt=Y

On this page:  [description and required books] [other texts] [requirements and paper topics] [resources and contacts for students; plagiarism statement] [online resources] [reading and assignment schedule]
LAST UPDATED 12/9/03: : final exam, final course evaluation (it's on Blackboard for those unable to attend the last day of class)

DESCRIPTION:
Many Modernist novelists broke away from traditional linear narrative form; others chose to adapt it to their own ends, often to represent an individual subject struggling against oppressive ideological systems. In this course, we will read Modernist novels as well as some more contemporary (post-WWII) novels written by those who have worked with and challenged the Modernist tradition. Our particular focus will be the relationship between narrative, subjectivity, and authority. Among the questions we will consider are the following: how do these writers negotiate their own authority while presenting challenges to accepted cultural and literary narratives? What is the relationship between narrative coherence and the coherence of the subject? How can narrative be put to the service of feminist, queer, postcolonial projects? Texts will include Conrad's The Secret Sharer, Joyce's Ulysses (which will take a large segment of the semester), and Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea; other texts will be chosen by students in consultation with the professor (contact kconrad@ku.edu to suggest texts).

REQUIRED BOOKS:
See reading schedule and the University Bookstore for required and recommended texts. Ulysses should be the Gabler edition, Random House, ISBN: 0394743121, (cover gray, yellow, red, blue, black with a big blue U).

Choices for additional authors (Research and recommend up to three):

The decision has been made; see below for schedule:
Hanif Kureishi--The Buddha of Suburbia.
Graham Greene-The Portable Graham Greene (text TBA).
Irvine Welsh--Trainspotting.
Books will be available shortly from the KU Edwards bookstore.

Online forums:  The following texts and topics are optional.  You may choose to write one of your papers on these texts/topics.  I will not be ordering the books, although I will hopefully be able to provide you with the Rushdie short stories.
FORUM:  Modern British dystopias (inc. G. Orwell, J. G. Ballard, J. Wyndham).
FORUM:  Salman Rushdie, selections from East/West.
FORUM:  British graphic novels (esp. A. Moore and N. Gaiman).

(Archive) The first link is information about the author/text; the second is a link to amazon with information about the specific text (this is not intended as an endorsement of amazon).

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REQUIREMENTS:

Students will be expected to write either two 10-page papers or one 20-page paper, participate in classroom and online discussion, and take a final, take-home examination.

Paper topics, paper #1. Draft due 10/21; final draft due 10/28.
Paper topics, paper #2.  (See schedule below)
Final examination.

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Students with Disabilities:
The staff of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), 135 Strong (Lawrence), 785-864-2620 (v/tty), coordinates accommodations and services for KU courses. If you have a disability for which you may request accommodation in KU classes and have not contacted them, please do as soon as possible. Please also see me privately in regard to this course (Adopted from SSD statement).

Writing Center:
Most colleges and universities have a writing center, a place for students to talk about their writing with trained peer consultants. At KU, we call our writing centers Writer's Roosts.  When you visit, bring your work in progress and an idea of what you would like to work on-organization, support, documentation, editing, etc.  The Roosts are open in several different locations across campus; please check the website at http://www.writing.ku.edu for current locations and hours. The Roosts welcome both drop-ins and appointments, and there is no charge for their services. For more information, please call 864-2399 or send an e-mail to writing@ku.edu (Adopted from Writing Center Statement).

Writing Consultant Onsite Hours begin Tuesday, October 14 at the KU Edwards Campus:
KU Edwards Campus now has a writing consultant of its own! Sarah Ngoh will be available for consultations during the fall semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.  Feel free to contact her syoung@ku.edu <mailto:syoung@ku.edu> or (913) 897 - 8437 for more information.
Appointments and walk-ins are welcome!
 
 

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), 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 (Adopted from FSE statement).

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 and may result in failure of the course. Plagiarism will be reported to the department and college.

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ONLINE RESOURCES:
Woolf Resources: Joyce resources: Rhys Resources: Writing resources:
  • UPenn English Writing Program's TeachWeb, with useful and accessible tips for writers.  Do check this one out--particularly the parts about writing theses.
  • Jack Lynch's guide to grammar and usage--really useful guide.  Jack's "How to get an A on an English paper" is pretty interesting, too.
  • Strunk and White handbook (take with a grain of salt!).

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    SCHEDULE
    This schedule is subject to change!—see this site for updates and more detailed information, such as chapter and story assignments.
    LINKS TO E-TEXT VERSIONS provided below when available.  See above for other e-resources.

    jump to [September] [October] [November] [December]

    T  8/25 Introduction.  Between 8/25 and 9/2, research and recommend books for the
    T 9/2 Conrad, The Secret Sharer.
    T 9/9 Woolf, Short Stories (handout or online):

    Mrs Dalloway in Bond Street (1923)
    The New Dress (1927)
    Lappin and Lappinova (1939)
    The Man who Loved his Kind (1944)
    T 9/16 Joyce, Ulysses.  Chs. 1-3
    T 9/23 Ulysses.  Chs. 4-6
    T 9/30 Ulysses. Chs. 7
    T 10/7 Ulysses. Chs. 8-9.
    T 10/14 Ulysses. Chs. 10-11.
    T 10/21 Ulysses. Chs. 12-13. First paper draft due.
    T 10/28 Ulysses.  Chs. 14-15. First paper due, final draft.
    T 11/4 Finish Ulysses. Chs. 16-17.
    T 11/11 Finish Ulysses, Ch. 18.  Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea.
    T  11/18 Finish WSS. Graham Greene: The Third Man, "The Prison Cell,"  & selected essays.
    T 11/25 Finish Greene. 1st 1/2 of Trainspotting.
    ASSIGNMENT:
    --write 2 discussion questions for Trainspotting
    --write 3 final exam questions that would apply to at least 3 texts (one of the 3 may be one of the optional texts.  Bring in those questions; give me one and make a copy for yourself
    T 12/2 Trainspotting.  Discuss final exam questions. --write 2 discussion questions for Buddha

    T 12/9 Last Day; The Buddha of Suburbia. Class cut short due to weather; questions posted on Blackboard.  Evaluations: available on Blackboard for those who couldn't attend class!--please fill one out.
    Final papers due by midnight or thereabouts, F 12/12.
    Take-home final due by 5 pm,  T 12/16.
     

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