GWU 47448 CAS 2010.11 Humanities
II - Children of Frankenstein (3 cr) - SP 2015
Arts & Humanities, The
Corcoran School of the Arts and Design Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Tues 1:30-4:15
pm Room 14A Prof. Bernard Welt
Blog: http:// http://frankenpeople.blogspot.com/ E-mail: bwelt@gwu.edu
Office
hours: Tues 4:30-6:00;
Weds 11:00-1:00
The Humanities Course at the Corcoran is a required two-semester survey of works
of literature, philosophy,
and social
theory, and of the ideas that give them enduring value. The goal of this course
is to provide thoughtful training in the methods of the humanities that you'll
employ in all college work and in your personal investigation of ideas, books,
and art:
§ close reading and interpretation
of texts
§ independent and collaborative
research
§ exchange of ideas in discussion
§ persuasive critical writing.
As befits a college of art and
design, we emphasize the development of innovative and original ideas and
perspectives as much as rigor in academic research, reasoning, and
presentation.
The two-semester Humanities sequence is intended to enhance students’
skills in:
§ Comparative historical study of
world cultural traditions through examination of defining issues
§ Interpretation of texts according
to genre, cultural context, and solid reasoning
§ Asking critical questions about
texts and about the methods and assumptions of the humanities
§ Dialectical exchange of ideas in a
collaborative learning community, cultivating a healthy practice of self- and
peer-assessment
§ Development of arguments that test
significant ideas and find support in meaningful evidence
§ Research enabled by library and
internet resources
§ Writing with personal integrity
according to the standards of contemporary academic discourse, incorporating a process of prewriting,
self-assessment, and revision
§ Analysis of contemporary media as
historically evolving means for dissemination of ideas
§ The cultivation of personal
values, perspective, and life goals through consideration of outstanding examples
of thought and literature from other times and places
Our topic this semester is: Children of Frankenstein - Myth
and Meme in Modern Culture. The rapid development of new industrial and
post-industrial technologies is the pre-eminent characteristic of the modern
era. It has transformed our essential relation to nature, to work, and to
society and the state. As we are now said to inhabit a technosphere—bounded by our relation to technology rather than to
nature—even our fundamental definitions of humanity have shifted, and we have
re-imagined ourselves as robots, androids, and cyborgs.
Our
central text, written by a young woman the age of most sophomore college
students, embodies in narrative form the crucial idea that new technologies may
one day overwhelm humanity entirely. Frankenstein’s monster, which has long
since escaped from the boundaries of Mary Shelley’s novel to haunt the imagery
and ideologies of modern culture, has proved a lasting and focal means for
expressing concern about the limits of human knowledge and power. It’s in this
sense that we explore the operation of the Frankenstein theme as both a myth—a
powerful, popularly transmitted narrative condensation of a central problem for
a culture—and a meme—a cultural unit that spreads and endures because it seems
to help make some shared sense of our condition. But even this does not exhaust
the possibilities of Frankenstein:
feminist, psychoanalytic, and political readings, along with creative
adaptations in a variety of media, show how enduring works can be refreshed
reinterpreted in the attempt to understand changes in society and culture.
Objectives: Upon completion of this course, you should be prepared to:
§
Analyze
a work of literature or film for both artistic strategies and historical and
social content.
§
Respond
to critical studies with a focused and cogent assessment of ideas and
arguments.
§
Integrate
your own original ideas and creative response into critical analysis based on
sound examination of primary materials and research resources.
§
Use
collaborative discussion, informal writing, essay composition, and oral/visual
presentation to stimulate, refine, and convey your own ideas about artistic
works and issues in the humanities.
§
Comprehend
and explain the Frankenstein theme and the image of the artificial person as
valid popular responses to the modern experience of technology.
Required
texts (available
by order through the GWU Bookstore at http://www.bkstr.com/georgewashingtonstore/shop/textbooks-and-course-materials
under our course number):
Mary Shelley - Frankenstein - the 1831
version (Maurice Hindle, ed.; Penguin, 2003) ISBN: 9780141439471
Please be sure to use this edition. Others may not contain the same text;
and we will all need to have the same edition so that we can quickly cite page
numbers in class discussion.
All other
readings listed on the schedule will be available online at the course Blackboard site, along with
the syllabus, assignments, and other important and useful information. We will
also use Blackboard to submit assignments, share resources, and send notices or
comments to the whole group.
Readings
should always be completed by the
date stated on the syllabus. Because
discussion will depend on specific reference to the text, you should have the
required reading with you at every class session (in whatever format you
choose: print or digital device). Group
work may often depend on in-class analysis of the texts, so come prepared.
Films
on the course schedule will be screened in class, and will be made available
for download for review.
The Gelman library at GWU has
print, video, and database resources that can enlarge your perspective on the
topics discussed in this course. Consult the course bibliography for further
reading.
The class blog at http://childrenoffrankenstein.blogspot.com will be where we post any
supplementary materials (such as questions for discussion, images, websites, or
video), and informal, ungraded but required responses to our topics, readings, and discussions.
We’ll use blog responses to generate questions to pursue in class discussions.
Please use the blog to notify the class of relevant resources you discover
along the way, as I will do. Become an author at the blog by
responding promptly to an invitation, after which you can create your own blog
entries, including images and video.
Assignments:
Class discussion will often depend
on your completion of a preparatory assignment in advance, so please keep
things lively by analyzing assignments, asking questions if anything is
unclear, and making your best effort to offer responses that reflect serious
thought and your own perspective. All work must be submitted on deadline; just communicate with me in
advance if you have a legitimate reason for requesting an extension.
If you must miss a session at
which work is due, you must arrange for its submission by the due date, not after. Please
submit work through Blackboard, and graded writing assignments as Word
documents. Be sure to save your work to disk. Never leave it on a shared
computer, or submit your only copy. If you want to propose alternatives to any
assignments, it’s in your interest to submit them as early as possible.
You must use your gwu.edu email for all communications relating to the
course, so be sure to check it frequently, or stream it into your personal
email. If I haven’t acknowledged your
emailed communication within 24 hours (including required essays), I haven’t
received it. Do not wait to see me to inquire about work for this course; send
an email to bwelt@gwu.edu
Writing assignments for this
course require you to read carefully and think independently. They should be
thoroughly revised and proofread before submission. You may always opt to revise and
resubmit written work within one week of receiving comments from me. You
may be required to revise any written work that does not come up to a passing
grade, with the consultation of tutors in the GWU Writing Center.
Assignments are not optional; completion of all required
work for the course is the minimum requirement for a passing grade. Aside from raising questions
during class time, in-class writing and blogforum responses are the main way
that you can set the agenda for learning in this course, so in-class writings
and Discussion Board comments, though ungraded, may be mandatory to maintain
good standing in the course.
Grades are based on evaluation of
written and other work done for the course in response to our topics, objects
of study, and discussions.
3
Critical Essays @ 20% each = 60%
2 Shorter Essays @ 10% each = 20%
Criticism
Seminar =
10%
Pass/Fail
Blog Responses =
10%
Required writing is evaluated on the basis of four criteria:
- Observation & Accuracy (Good use of
source: Correct on details, citation of evidence, inferences)
- Critical Thought, Originality & Integrity
(Intellectual distinction, including Logic, Relevance, Significance,
Fairness)
- Coherence & Development (Completeness of
Thought: Adequate development of thesis and points; Adequate transition
showing relation of ideas, sentences, paragraphs)
- Clarity & Precision (Expression of ideas:
Attention to exact meaning; Appropriate diction; Free of distracting
errors of grammar and usage)
A = Excellent:
unified, coherent, well-reasoned, articulate, developed, and original work
B = Very
good: coherent and well-founded presentation, demonstrating critical thought
C =
Competent fulfillment of assignments
D =
Failure to address issues or argue coherently
F =
Failure to complete work for course
You will receive an interim
mid-term grade to indicate your standing in the course. Interim grades are not
part of your academic record.
Course Policies (in accordance
with GWU Policies):
Attendance: This course conforms
to GWU policy on attendance, which holds that failure to attend
class sessions regularly and punctually is grounds for failure in the course. Since participation in
class discussion and
activities is a major part of the course, late
or irregular attendance will lower your grade. Arrangements can always be made
to allow for religious holidays and personal circumstances.
Academic Integrity: The foundation for
your essays for this course should be your own considered responses to our
readings and films.
Essay assignments for this course are intended to direct you to your own
analysis and response to readings, discussions, and activities, and not to external research, or other
people’s ideas. Information found online may be helpful for establishing context
and background, but do not fall into the bad practice of substituting facts for
ideas, or the opinions of others for your own. If you make use of any print or
Internet sources whatsoever in preparing a presentation or writing a paper, you
must cite them accurately and completely. If you inadvertently neglect to cite
a source, your work will not be accepted until the error is corrected.
The GWU Code of Academic Integrity, which is
followed in this class, states that “cheating of any kind, including misrepresenting
one's own work, taking credit for the work of others without crediting them and
without appropriate authorization, and the fabrication of information.” For the
remainder of the code, see: http://www.gwu.edu/~ntegrity/code.html. Be aware
that the Code may require outside evaluation of any instance of plagiarism.
Disability Services: GWU and the Corcoran support students with identified learning disabilities by providing accommodations and assistance. Speak to me early in the
semester so we can discuss how to enhance your experience of the course. The
GWU Disability Services Office can help you establish eligibility and recommend
appropriate accommodations: http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/; Marvin
Center, Suite 242, or 202-994-8250. You may be able to receive assistance at
the Corcoran through internal services.
Counseling Services: The University Counseling Center (UCC) at 202 994-5300 offers 24/7 assistance and
referral to address students' personal, social, career, and study
skills problems. Services for students include crisis and emergency mental
health consultations, confidential assessment, counseling services, and
referrals. See: http://counselingcenter.gwu.edu
Writing Center: Make an appointment online at http://writingprogram.gwu.edu/writing-center.
Consult the Writing Center to talk over the planning of an essay I n advance, or discuss the
process of revision. You
may always opt to revise and resubmit written work within one week of receiving
comments from me, and you may be required to revise any written work
that does not come up to a passing grade, with the consultation of tutors in
the Writing Center.
Cellphones should be
turned off and put away during class sessions.
If you are discovered using a
phone, tablet, or computer in class to do something other than work for this course,
you are counted absent for the session.
Whenever
possible, please leave bags and other impediments at the back of the room so we
can all move around the space safely.
If you
have any difficulty keeping up with reading or writing assignments, please
don't hesitate to bring it up in class, in conference, or by e-mail. I will ask
to see you in conference around mid-term, but you can always meet with me
before and after that, too. My office hours are a good time to talk—by
appointment, since I won’t always be in the office unless we arrange a
meeting—but I’m available by appointment through the week.
I’m making some commitments, too: I commit to reviewing and
evaluating your work for the course with serious and objective attention to the
course’s goals, and to giving you feedback that you can use. I will focus more
on developing meaningful educational experiences than on requiring you to prove
your competence. I will not ask you to undertake work that I wouldn’t myself
find meaningful and interesting. If you are not getting what you need from the
course, I will listen to your suggestions and do my best to act on them. I will
adjust the course work if it helps us meet our goals better, and I’ll keep you
posted on any changes via Blackboard.
Syllabus, schedule and assignments are subject
to revision according to the educational
goals of the course and through consultation with participants.
