English 664: The Age of Yeats and Joyce

Professor Kathryn Conrad
Spring 2007
Tuesdays, 7-9:30 pm  *  4019 Wescoe Hall
Office hours:  202 Nunemaker, Tuesdays 1-3 pm; other days & times by appointment

Course Description

The early 20th century witnessed the revival of Irish literature and culture in the midst of social and political revolution.  This course will study some of the highlights of that period, including the poetry of Yeats; the drama of Synge, Gregory, Yeats, and O'Casey; and the short  fiction of Joyce.  The second half of the course will focus on contemporary writers who have both accepted and challenged their inherited tradition, including Heaney, ní Dhomhnaill, Bardwell, Lavin, Devlin, ní Dhuibhne, Barr, and Friel.  The beginning of the course will include background historical reading and short lectures.  Students will be expected to complete an annotated bibliography at the Spencer, write two papers, participate in classroom and Blackboard discussion, and take a final essay examination. This course fulfills the English 314 or equivalent requirement for the English major.

Prerequisites (from University timetable): Admission to English courses numbered 300 and above is limited to students who have completed the freshman-sophomore English requirements or their equivalents. All students are required to enroll in ENGL 101 and to remain continuously enrolled in ENGL 101 or ENGL 102 until ENGL 102 (or ENGL 105) has been completed.   All CLAS students, as well as students from several other schools, are also required to complete a 200-level English class.

Enrollment (from University timetable)

Students may neither add nor change sections in any English course after January 25, 2007, without departmental permission. For courses numbered above 200, instructor's permission is required to add or change sections.

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 or the English Department, 785-864-4520, immediately. Students are expected to submit promptly requests to drop should they decide to disenroll from English classes.

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 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 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. (Adopted from KU Faculty Council statement)

Texts

These books are required and available for purchase at the bookstore:

This book is required and is available for purchase from Prof. Conrad for $5:

• A Green and Mortal Sound, AKA Territories of the Voice, ed. deSalvo et al. 

This book is recommended for those without a background in Irish history:

• ISBN  1589790022    T.M. Moody and F.X. Martin, The Course of Irish History.

Grades (consist of three major components)

20%: Attendance, participation in discussion (online and in class), and group work. Students are expected to attend every class and should contact me by e-mail (kconrad@ku.edu) before your absence if you must miss class. All unexcused absences will negatively impact a student's grade. Three unexcused absences will result in failure of this course. Students are responsible for keeping track of their own absences.
10%: Final examination (essay).
70%: Spencer annotated bibliography assignment, prospectus, research paper (40% of total grade), and blogs. Please see plagiarism policy below. Paper topics and guidelines for papers are also available on the Blackboard website.

Other Resources

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 Wingspan: Center for Learning and Writing Support 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 785-864-2399 or send an e-mail to writing@ku.edu (Adopted from Writing Center Statement).

External links: The Blackboard website contains a list of relevant external links.

Weather cancellations: Call 785-864-SNOW to discover whether classes have been cancelled by the University due to inclement weather.

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; the copying of all or part of websites; 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).

Plagiarism

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 clearly 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.