English 382: Literary Theory

Spring, 2005

Course Purpose: This course is intended to provide you with an overview of the schools of literary theory that are currently used to analyze literary and cultural texts, ranging from post-structuralism to Gender Theory and Cultural Studies.

Course Requirements: Course grades will be based on a midterm (30%), a final exam (40%), and three two page response papers (30%).

The Response Papers: Should consist of a two page typed analysis of an essay from the course reading assignments. These should not summarize the reading but should engage it intellectually. In other words, a response to a particular essay should do one or more of the following: critique the essay, apply it to a literary or cultural text, or relate it to previous reading in the course. Also, if an essay proves exceptionally difficult, your response paper on that essay could present some focused, specific questions on points that you did not understand.

Attendance: You are allowed three absences. If you miss class a fourth time, you will fail the course.

Text:   Rivkin, Julie and Michael Ryan, eds. Literary Theory: An Anthology, Second Edition (Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2004)

Assignments:

Tues., January 11: Course Introduction
Thursday, Jan. 13: Introductory Lecture: Structuralism and Semiotics

Poststructuralism and Deconstruction:

Tues., Jan. 18: Introductory Lecture
Thurs., Jan. 20: Jacques Derrida, "Semiology and Grammatology," pp. 332-339

Tues., Jan. 25: Jean-Francois Lyotard, "The Postmodern Condition,"  pp.355-364
                       Response 1 Due
Thurs., Jan 27: Application Day

Psychoanalysis:

Tues., Feb. 1: Jacques Lacan, "The Instance of the Letter..." pp. 447-454
Thurs., Feb. 3: Lacan, "The Instance of the Letter..." pp. 454-461

Tues., Feb. 8: Luce Irigaray, "Women on the Market," pp. 799-811
                      Response 2 Due
Thurs., Feb. 10: Application Day 

Marxism:

Tues., Feb. 15:  Karl Marx, "Wage Labor and Capital," and "Capital," pp. 659-672   
Thurs., Feb. 17:  John Fiske, "Culture, Ideology, Interpellation," pp. 1268-1273

Tues., Feb. 22: Application Day
Thurs. Feb. 24: Day Off

New Historicism:

Tues., March 1: Stephen Greenblatt, "Shakespeare and the Exorcists," pp. 592-605
Thurs., March 3: Greenblatt, pp. 605-620

Tues., March 8: Application Day
Thurs., March 10:   Midterm

Spring Break

Feminism, Gender Studies, and Queer Theory:

Tues., March 22: Michel Foucault, "The History of Sexuality," pp. 892-899
Thurs., March 24: Judith Butler, "Imitation and Gender Insubordination" (Handout)  

Tues., March 29:  Mark Simpson, "Big Tits! Masochism and Transformation in Bodybuilding" (Handout)
Thurs. March 31: Application Day

Ethnic Studies/Postcolonial Theory:

Tues., April 5:  Toni Morrison, "Playing in the Dark," pp. 1005-1016   
Thurs. April 7: Anne McClintock, "The Angel of Progress," pp. 1185-1196 
                     Response 3 Due

Tues., April 12: Alan Lawson, "The Anxious Proximities..." pp. 1210-1223
Thurs., April 14: Application Day

Cultural Studies:

Tues., April 19: Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art...," pp. 1235-1241
Thurs., April 21: Michel de Certeau, "The Practice of Everyday Life," pp. 1247-1257

Tues., April 26: Application Day
Thurs., April 28: Review Day 

Final: Friday, May 6, 3-5 PM