The Romantic Movement (Fall 2010)

• Applebaum, S., ed. Great German Poems of the Romantic Era (dual-language anthology), Dover: 0-486-28497-2
• Applebaum, S., ed. Introduction to French Poetry (dual-language anthology), Dover: 0-486-26711-3
  
• J. W. v. Goethe, Faust, Part I and sel. from Part II (1808/32), Trans. W. Arndt, Norton: 978-0-393-97282-5
• J. W. v. Goethe, The Sufferings of Young Werther (1773/4), Trans. H. Steinhauer, Norton: 0-393-09880-X
• J.-J. Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality (Second Discourse), Trans. D. A. Cress, Hackett: 978-0-87220-150-7
• J.-J. Rousseau, Confessions (1770/71-1782), Trans. A. Scholar, Oxford: 978-0-19-282275-8
• Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1817), Norton 0-393-96458-2

Additional texts available online and on Blackboard:

• Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (1789)
• E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Sandman (1818)
• Olympe de Gouges, Rights of Woman and Citizen (1790)
• T. Jefferson, Declaration of Independence (1776)

#2: Participation (10%): Incl. regular attendance, contribution to class discussion, discussion questions, peer review, in-class and online writing assignments that occur in a timely manner.

#3: Final Position Paper Portfolio (40%): After reading the assigned material, you need to arrive to seminars with a position in mind. In French called a précis, in German a Referat, the position paper is an academic tradition whereby seminar participants share their thoughts in writing (ca. 1-2 pages/250-400 words). At the very least, a position paper summarizes the salient critical points of a scholarly debate and connects these to the reader’s own thoughts on the primary text, but ideally, a position paper points towards the reader’s critique-in-process, or a mature critical perspective on both primary and critical text, opening the way for the seminar to discuss and debate themes that may call secondary authors' perspectives into question. Another way to think about a position paper is as a provocation: it should provoke readers to new ways about thinking about a complex issue. You should use position papers as opportunities to hone your critical perspective, as well as your academic writing persona. The ability to say something intelligent about texts in a short amount of time is a skill that English graduate students are expected to demonstrate in several different forums: in seminars, in theses defenses, in oral presentations at conferences, and ultimately, in front of the classroom as professors. If you are struggling for an approach to take for your paper, consider beginning with a critical question; closely analyzing a specific passage in detail (examining issues such as subtext, language, symbolism, etc.); or arguing against a critical author's assumptions.

Nota Bene: All primary and secondary sources should be cited according to MLA. Sometimes we will be reading more than one critical text. Please choose your own focus: you do not have to write about every single text we read, but should form a critical perspective that might apply to one or more texts. Every seminar participant will write a position paper on assigned days and submit it to the instructor (hard copy, typed, stapled, 12 pt. font in Times New Roman, with 1" margins). Once a semester every student will present his or her position paper to the class. On these occasions, students should provide enough copies of the position paper for the entire class and the instructor, and should come prepared to read the paper aloud and to contribute in a significant way to the class discussion. In order to make these works in progress pedagogically effective for all seminar participants, please post your Position Papers on Blackboard/Discussion Board in addition to handing in a hard copy to the instructor.

Evaluation: I will read your position papers (hard copy only), comment on them, and provide check, check plus, or check minuses as pre-evaluative criteria. At the end of the semester, a portfolio of your position papers will be evaluated for a letter grade (see below). The presentation of your position paper is not graded, but you must do it in order to receive a satisfactory Participation grade. Owing to scheduling difficulties, I am afraid I am NOT able to read late position papers, although you may include them as part of your Final Position Paper Portfolio. I will NOT accept emailed Position Papers. If you cannot attend class, I suggest you ask a fellow participant to bring your hard copy to class. If you are unable to turn in your Position Paper on time, I suggest you ask a fellow student to read and evaluate the work-in-progress.

• Check = Fine/Good (79-89 range): Shows fine understanding of the issues and debates. Provides a summary that may need some revision, such as articulating the reader’s position and argument, providing support for assertions, and writing in an academic style.
• Check plus = Excellent/Great (90-100 range): Shows excellent understanding of the issues. Provides a clear argument that articulates the reader’s position about an academic debate and needs very little or no revision.
• Check minus = Unsatisfactory/Okay (0-78 range): Shows poor understanding of the issues. Provides an unclear summary and points to no argument or position on the part of the reader. Needs a lot of revision in terms of clarity and/or style.

#4: Annotated Bibliography (10%): Annotate 3 recent (less than 10 years old) peer-reviewed sources for your Final Essay. Put the full citation of the article, book, or book chapter first, and then answer the following questions, in about 5 to 10 sentences: 1) What is the author’s argument? 2) How does the author support this argument? What kinds of evidence does she use? 3) What does the author hope to accomplish by writing this piece? What kinds of biases might the author have? 4) Who is the author’s audience? To what kind of scholarly debate is she contributing? 5) In what ways is this piece relevant for your own research question? You should carefully distinguish (in each and every sentence) which ideas can be attributed to one of these three authors, and which ideas are the product of your own thinking. You must cite every time you report an author's ideas, not only by citing page numbers, but also by indicating through words and phrasing ("According to Smith's book Literature . . . "; "The author of this article argues . . . ") that you are reporting second-hand information. Failure to do so will result in a point being taken off every sentence that does not properly cite and attribute the source of ideas (a core tenet of academic writing).

#5: Final Essay--Close Analysis of Two Romantic-Era Texts, 12-20 pages (40%): The final essay should represent new, innovative, and provocative research, reading, and thinking on at least one piece read in this course (or two, or a combination of one piece from this course material, and another work we did not read in this course). As with any seminar paper, you should begin with a research question that is the product of critical thinking, close reading of the primary text, and extensive outside reading of scholarly sources, all of which should be carefully documented in your paper (I will not put a number on the required number of secondary articles, but excellent scholars try to be thorough; in any case, I will examine the quality of your research).  Please be sure to distinguish your ideas from those of other scholars and thinkers (failure to do so will result in a point being taken off every sentence that does not properly cite and attribute the source of ideas). Perhaps the idea for your Final Essay will emerge because you wish to argue against another author, scholar, or interpretive tradition. It could be that the Final Essay starts with one of your Position Papers. In evaluating your essay, I will award a maximum of 50 points for style (syntax, grammar, punctuation), and up to 50 points for content (originality, introduction, thesis/argument, paragraphs with main idea, logical structure, supporting evidence, sophistication/clarity, and conclusion). You may submit a self-addressed stamped envelope with your final essay if you would like it back before next year.

• Turn off and put away cell phones, blackberries, and related electronics. Absolutely NO TEXTING or talking on handheld devices ANYTIME in class, including breaks and before class. Laptops should be used to write lecture notes only (not IM'ing, poker playing, etc.). If these policies cannot be followed, you will be asked to leave.
  
• Papers should be no longer or shorter than the length assigned and should be submitted on time as stapled hard copies (no cover pages, loose pages, or folders please; please number pages/paginate). 2 points are deducted from formal writing projects for every class day they are late. With the exception of journals and discussion questions, double space and use twelve-point type, in Times New Roman or CG Times (or 10 pt. in Veranda, etc.).
• To teach students to avoid plagiarism, lectures will also include instruction in MLA documentation of all work. This course engages in questions of authorship, including web authorship (http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/web.html). Submitting work and words that are not your own will result in failing this course and disciplinary action by the Dean of Students. You can see my entire FAQ on plagiarism here: http://chss.montclair.edu/~nielsenw/citation.html
  
• Accommodations are always arranged for students with documented disabilities. Please call, email, or see the instructor personally, as well as Services for Students with Disabilities (Linda A. Smith in Morehead Hall 305, X5431).
• Please note that I do not discuss grades via email.

Batley, Edward. “Werther's Final Act of Alienation: Goethe, Lessing, and Jerusalem on the Poetry and Truth of Suicide.” The Modern Language Review 87.4 (Oct. 1992): 868-78.