The Late, Great Jane Austen ENG 4970.01: Capstone Experience Fall 2006 Syllabus TR 12:30-1:45 Arts & Science 104 Professor Devoney Looser Office: 309A Tate Hall Office hours: Fridays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and by appointment Phone: (573) 884-7791 Required texts Austen, Jane. Emma (Bedford/St. Martin’s Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism edition) Austen, Jane. Mansfield Park (W. W. Norton Critical Edition) Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey and Other Works (Oxford UP World’s Classics) Austen, Jane. Persuasion (W. W. Norton Critical Edition) Austen, Jane. Selected Letters (Oxford UP World’s Classics) Booth, Wayne. et al. The Craft of Research (2nd edition, U of Chicago P) All texts should be available through the campus bookstore, with the exception of those articles available in .pdf format, via Blackboard in our Documents folder. Introduction to the Course In this course, we will read the later works of Jane Austen (1775-1817), one of the most celebrated--and perhaps now the most famous--of British novelists. The works we will tackle together include those known as her "mature" novels, as well as some lesser known and unfinished fiction. Some of the questions we will consider include the following: Is Emma Austen's greatest work? For what reasons do we consider Austen to be "great"? Is her mature fiction more conservative than her early work? Is Mansfield Park a colonialist or an abolitionist novel? To what extent has Austen's supposedly uneventful life influenced our sense of her fiction? How (and why) should we study a Jane Austen novel? What is there left to say about an author who has inspired (provoked?) so much critical commentary? Because this is a research-based, writing-intensive course, we will work to formulate additional questions about Austen and to seek provisional answers to the issues raised above. In the end, you will produce and present a research paper that takes into account history and criticism and that is itself a contribution to contemporary conversations about Austen. Course Goals To study Austen’s novels in their historical, literary, gendered, and national contexts. To gauge aesthetic, thematic, and political similarities and differences among these novels. To offer access to contemporary scholarly debates in the field and opportunities to take positions of one’s own. To provide assignments that allow for the improvement of research and writing skills, culminating in the production of a substantial research paper. Expectations 1) Research prospectus (four at two pages each) (4 @ 5 % = 20 percent). You will turn in a one-page research prospectus, accompanied by a one-page annotated bibliography, at four points during the semester. A prospectus is a short document that describes future intended research. An effective prospectus gets to its anticipated topic and argument(s) right away--in the first sentence if possible--and outlines briefly the proposed steps of the argument, as well as its anticipated scope. In this prospectus, you should outline (in paragraph format) a research project of approximately 20 pages that you could potentially produce in the course. Although I do not assign topics, I would be happy to discuss ideas with you during my office hours or via email. You might choose to ask a question about a particular character or relationship, a historical event, a narrative technique, or a critical question or problem that we have considered in class. In order to frame an informed research question, you will need to learn about the resources that are already available and arguments that have already been made on this topic. Therefore, you will also be required to turn in a one-page annotated bibliography with your prospectus, identifying the four most important books, essays, and/or Internet resources you locate that are specitically relevant to the research problem(s) you have outlined. You should first cite the article, book chapter, or book in MLA style and then provide a one-paragraph summary of its contents. The sources you choose must be complete essays or books (not excerpts, such as those found in our textbooks) and must not have been assigned in class. Note that you do not need to read an entire book to describe its contents. You must, however, know enough about its contents to make a reasonable argument about why a particular source will be useful to the project you propose to undertake. Here are some sample questions that may lead to more specific questions for your research prospectus on each novel: • What was the status or reputation of this novel in the years after it was published? How was it received by readers or critics and reviewers, and what issues influenced that reception? • What is the status of this novel in today’s cultural or educational context? What is your assessment of how and why that status remains in force? • How does one of Austen’s novels change, use, or comment on historical events? What is the novel’s political approach to the historical material it presents? • How does one of Austen’s novels address issues of identity (race, class, gender, religion, sexuality, and/or nationality), and what is the impact of its presentation? How does the presentation agree or disagree with other representations or beliefs during this period? Your final paper will follow up on one of your research proposals, turning it into a sustained and well-researched argumentative paper (See #3). 2) Presentation of Final Paper (10 percent) After being introduced by a classmate (your “chair”), you will give a ten-minute presentation to the class on your research project in progress. The chair will then facilitate a five-minute question-and-answer session about your work. (It is the chair’s responsibility to make sure that you do not stray beyond the time allowed to you.) I will assign dates for these presentations, which will occur during the final weeks of the course. Each of you will also be evaluating your classmates’ presentations. (I will use these evaluations as I consider your grade, though they will not be the final determinant.) The feedback from your peers will be returned to you, along with my own feedback and evaluation. 3) Research Paper (40 percent) Rough draft #1 (10 percent); Rough draft #2 (5 percent); Final paper (25 percent) You will complete a research paper (approx. 20 pages) that follows up on one of your research prospectuses. Your paper must incorporate outside research. You should demonstrate familiarity with recent scholarship on your chosen topic, primarily using information found in scholarly books and periodicals. Your paper should refer to at least a dozen consulted sources that are most appropriate to the topic of your project. We will discuss ways to find and incorporate the best source material as the semester proceeds. Your paper should be a literary analysis that demonstrates knowledge of recent (as well as significant past) debates on Jane Austen. Your paper should make an argument, as well as comment on arguments that previous critics have put forwarrd. This assignment is not a book report that engages primarily in summary. Instead, the assignment requires you to keep your own voice and judgments at the center of the essay, using primary and secondary sources to structure and reflect on your ideas and interpretations. You will circulate for peer review a rough draft of your paper, which I expect will be at least half the length required of the final paper and perhaps longer. You will then turn the draft into me. I will make brief comments and ask questions, which I expect you will address in your revision. The second rough draft version will be commented on by your peers. You will be evaluated for on-time submission and for your level of engagement with peer response. (If you are absent that day, you will obviously not have done passing work as a peer respondent.) 4) Weekly On-Line Discussion (15 percent) You will be assigned one of two groups with whom you will engage in a web-based discussion on Blackboard. You will be responsible for 1) formulating one substantial reading question for the next day’s reading and 2) responding to a classmates’ question (or to another classmates’ response) each week. Your questions may be of any length, but your responses should be at least 200 words in length and should demonstrate that you have read and carefully thought about the assigned reading. Students with last names A-I will be Tuesday respondents. Students with last names J-Z will be Thursday respondents. Your contribution should engage with and respond to ideas and questions of your group members (approximately 200 words). Each group will be assigned a weekly due date with a time due of 9 a.m. prior to a class period. Discussion will begin on Thursday, August 24th and conclude on Thursday, November 2nd. Your response will be due regardless of whether or not we meet as a class. As we proceed, I will point out questions and responses that I think are particularly strong, so that you may consider them as models for your future work. I will also provide additional feedback about your individual progress in this area when you request it. Your comments should be substantive ones that could elicit a variety of responses from your group members. (In other words, steer away from posting yes or no questions or questions that may be easily answered by the text itself.) You should aim to construct responses that demonstrate that you have read and reflected on the assigned text, as well as each other’s postings. In your responses, your focus should not be primarily on what you liked or disliked, although that may be relevant to your larger point. At the end of the term, I will evaluate your responses as excellent (A: 95), good (B: 85), satisfactory (C: 75), and poor (D: 65). At the beginning of the term, I will point out examples of responses that I think are particularly strong. If you would like me to assess your progress in this aspect of the course, please contact me for feedback. Late work (accepted up to one week late) will be considered as C-level work (75). Missed work is automatically an F (0) for that week, and continually late or missed work may result in a grade closer to 0 than 65. 5) Attendance and In-Class Participation (15 percent) The majority of our class time will be spent discussing (in both small and large groups) the reading and writing assignments. Exemplary participation in these activities will demonstrate that you are preparing and thinking about the material and will help your final grade in this category (A-B). Active listening will likely neither help nor hurt your grade (B-C). Inattentiveness, tardiness, or absence will likely lower your grade (D-F). You are allowed a maximum of four absences during the semester--no questions asked. I encourage you to save these absences for emergencies. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. Additional absences over this number will jeopardize your participation grade, resulting in an F (0 to 59) for this area of evaluation. If you earn such a mark, you will find it difficult to pass the course. If you are hospitalized or become seriously ill, contact me (or have someone else contact me) to make alternate arrangements to complete coursework. Grading Scale 94-100 (A) 90-93 (A-) 88-89 (B+)_ 84-87 (B) 80-83 (B-) 78-79 (C+) 74-77 (C) 70-73 (C-) 68-69 (D+) 64-67 (D) 60-63 (D-) 59 and below (F) Other Matters I expect that we will show respect for all individuals and their differences in the classroom. This involves listening well to each other, processing new information and opinions carefully, and treating all class members with respect. If you cannot abide by these rules, you will be asked to make an appointment with me to discuss your continuation in the course. Class Netiquette (From ET@MO) Your instructor and fellow students wish to foster a safe on-line learning environment. All opinions and experiences, no matter how different or controversial they may be perceived, must be respected in the tolerant spirit of academic discourse. You are encouraged to comment, question, or critique an idea, but you are not to attack an individual. Our differences, some of which are outlined in the University's nondiscrimination statement, will add richness to this learning experience. Please consider that sarcasm and humor can be misconstrued in online interactions and generate unintended disruptions. Working as a community of learners, we can build a polite and respectful course ambience. Student Conduct Code (from Dept. of Student Life) All students must make themselves familiar with and abide by the student code, described in the M-book, including adhering to guidelines regarding cheating and plagiarism. Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, please consult your professor. From Disability Services If you have a disability and are requesting accommodation, notify the Office of Disability Services, A048 Brady Commons, 882-4696, immediately. During the first weeks of the course, after establishing contact with that office, you should inform the professor of the special needs you may have so that we can begin to work together on these issues. Week One: Tuesday, August 22nd Introduction to the Course Thursday, August 24th “Biographical Notice of the Author” by Henry Austen (in Backgrounds section of Norton Persuasion) (pp. 191-196) “Introduction: Biographical and Historical Contexts” from Emma (pp. 3-20) The Craft of Research, (pp. xi-xiv; 1-31) Week Two: Tuesday, August 29th Lady Susan (from Northanger Abbey and Other Works) (pp. 191-249) Geneviève Brassard’s “’The Sacred Impulse of Maternal Devotion’: Austen’s Critique of Domesticity and Motherhood in Lady Susan” from Women’s Studies (in Documents File, Blackboard [.pdf format]) Thursday, August 31st Session with Librarian Anne Barker (Meet in Ellis Library 2nd Floor Electronic Classroom) The Craft of Research (pp. 35-107) Selected Letters (pp. 43-81) Week Three: Tuesday, September 5th The Watsons (from Northanger Abbey and Other Works) (pp. 251-291) Kathleen James-Cavan’s “Closure and Disclosure: The Significance of Conversation in Jane Austen’s The Watsons” from Studies in the Novel (in Documents File, Blackboard [.pdf format]) Thursday, September 7th Session in Special Collections (Meet in Ellis Library 4th Floor West) Selected Letters (pp. 81-126) The Craft of Research (pp. 111-181) Week Four: Tuesday, September 12th DRAFT OF RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE Selected Letters (pp. 126-188) Thursday, September 14th Selected Letters (pp. 188-215) Critical Essay TBA Week Five: Tuesday, September 19th FIRST RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE Emma (pp. 23-132) Thursday, September 21st Emma (pp. 133-209) Week Six: Tuesday, September 26th Emma (pp. 210-293) Thursday, September 28th Emma (pp. 293-381) Week Seven: Tuesday, October 3rd Critical Essays in our Bedford Emma edition by Claudia L. Johnson (pp. 441-455) and Beth Fowkes Tobin (pp. 473-487) Thursday, October 5th SECOND RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE Mansfield Park (pp. xi-xxi, 5-38) Week Eight: Tuesday, October 10th Mansfield Park (pp. 38-120) Thursday, October 12th NO CLASS: PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE Mansfield Park (pp. 121-210) Week Nine: Tuesday, October 17th Mansfield Park (pp. 211-321) Thursday, October 19th Mansfield Park Criticism (read in-text excerpts from Fergus, Auerbach, Johnson, Litvak, Said, Southam) Week Ten: Tuesday, October 24th THIRD RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE Persuasion (pp. ix-xiii; 1-79) Thursday, October 26th “Happy English Major Stories” Persuasion (pp. 79-168) Week Eleven: Tuesday, October 31st Persuasion (pp. 168-177) and Criticism (read in-text excerpts from Butler, Hopkins, Astell, Johnson, Weissman) Thursday, November 2nd Sanditon (from Northanger Abbey and Other Works) (pp. 293-347 Lee Erickson, “The Economy of Novel Reading: Jane Austen and the Circulating Library,” from SEL (in Documents File, Blackboard [.pdf format]) Week Twelve: Tuesday, November 7th FOURTH RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE In-Class Peer Workshop (required) Thursday, November 9th PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE The Craft of Research (pp. 185-240) In-Class Peer Workshop (optional) Week Thirteen: Rough Drafts and Presentations Tuesday, November 14th FIRST ROUGH DRAFT DUE (In-class peer evaluations) Thursday, November 16th Sample Research Paper (discussion) THANKSGIVING BREAK Week Fourteen: Rough Drafts and Presentations (cont.) Tuesday, November 28th Student Presentations (First draft returned, with my comments) Craft of Research (pp. 262-282) Thursday, November 30th Student Presentations SECOND ROUGH DRAFT DUE (In-class peer evaluations) Week Fifteen: Final Drafts and Presentations Tuesday, December 5th Student Presentations Course Evaluation Thursday, December 7th Student Presentations FINAL PAPERS DUE FINAL EXAM DATE: Friday, December 15th, 9 a.m. Papers available for return.

The Late, Great Jane Austen

ENG 4970.01: Capstone Experience

Fall 2006

Syllabus

TR 12:30-1:45 Arts & Science 104

Professor Devoney Looser

Office: 309A Tate Hall

Office hours: Fridays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and by appointment

Phone: (573) 884-7791

Required texts

Austen, Jane. Emma (Bedford/St. Martin’s Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism edition)

Austen, Jane. Mansfield Park (W. W. Norton Critical Edition)

Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey and Other Works (Oxford UP World’s Classics)

Austen, Jane. Persuasion (W. W. Norton Critical Edition)

Austen, Jane. Selected Letters (Oxford UP World’s Classics)

Booth, Wayne. et al. The Craft of Research (2nd edition, U of Chicago P)

All texts should be available through the campus bookstore, with the exception of those articles available in .pdf format, via Blackboard in our Documents folder.

Introduction to the Course

In this course, we will read the later works of Jane Austen (1775-1817), one of the most celebrated--and perhaps now the most famous--of British novelists. The works we will tackle together include those known as her "mature" novels, as well as some lesser known and unfinished fiction. Some of the questions we will consider include the following: Is Emma Austen's greatest work? For what reasons do we consider Austen to be "great"? Is her mature fiction more conservative than her early work? Is Mansfield Park a colonialist or an abolitionist novel? To what extent has Austen's supposedly uneventful life influenced our sense of her fiction? How (and why) should we study a Jane Austen novel? What is there left to say about an author who has inspired (provoked?) so much critical commentary?

Because this is a research-based, writing-intensive course, we will work to formulate additional questions about Austen and to seek provisional answers to the issues raised above. In the end, you will produce and present a research paper that takes into account history and criticism and that is itself a contribution to contemporary conversations about Austen.

Course Goals

To study Austen’s novels in their historical, literary, gendered, and national contexts.

To gauge aesthetic, thematic, and political similarities and differences among these novels.

To offer access to contemporary scholarly debates in the field and opportunities to take positions of one’s own.

To provide assignments that allow for the improvement of research and writing skills, culminating in the production of a substantial research paper.

Expectations

1)Research prospectus (four at two pages each) (4 @ 5 % = 20 percent).

You will turn in a one-page research prospectus, accompanied by a one-page annotated bibliography, at four points during the semester. A prospectus is a short document that describes future intended research. An effective prospectus gets to its anticipated topic and argument(s) right away--in the first sentence if possible--and outlines briefly the proposed steps of the argument, as well as its anticipated scope. In this prospectus, you should outline (in paragraph format) a research project of approximately 20 pages that you could potentially produce in the course. Although I do not assign topics, I would be happy to discuss ideas with you during my office hours or via email. You might choose to ask a question about a particular character or relationship, a historical event, a narrative technique, or a critical question or problem that we have considered in class.

In order to frame an informed research question, you will need to learn about the resources that are already available and arguments that have already been made on this topic. Therefore, you will also be required to turn in a one-page annotated bibliography with your prospectus, identifying the four most important books, essays, and/or Internet resources you locate that are specitically relevant to the research problem(s) you have outlined. You should first cite the article, book chapter, or book in MLA style and then provide a one-paragraph summary of its contents. The sources you choose must be complete essays or books (not excerpts, such as those found in our textbooks) and must not have been assigned in class. Note that you do not need to read an entire book to describe its contents. You must, however, know enough about its contents to make a reasonable argument about why a particular source will be useful to the project you propose to undertake.

Here are some sample questions that may lead to more specific questions for your research prospectus on each novel:

•What was the status or reputation of this novel in the years after it was published? How was it received by readers or critics and reviewers, and what issues influenced that reception?

•What is the status of this novel in today’s cultural or educational context? What is your assessment of how and why that status remains in force?

•How does one of Austen’s novels change, use, or comment on historical events? What is the novel’s political approach to the historical material it presents?

•How does one of Austen’s novels address issues of identity (race, class, gender, religion, sexuality, and/or nationality), and what is the impact of its presentation? How does the presentation agree or disagree with other representations or beliefs during this period?

Your final paper will follow up on one of your research proposals, turning it into a sustained and well-researched argumentative paper (See #3).

2) Presentation of Final Paper (10 percent)

After being introduced by a classmate (your “chair”), you will give a ten-minute presentation to the class on your research project in progress. The chair will then facilitate a five-minute question-and-answer session about your work. (It is the chair’s responsibility to make sure that you do not stray beyond the time allowed to you.) I will assign dates for these presentations, which will occur during the final weeks of the course.

Each of you will also be evaluating your classmates’ presentations. (I will use these evaluations as I consider your grade, though they will not be the final determinant.) The feedback from your peers will be returned to you, along with my own feedback and evaluation.

3) Research Paper (40 percent)

Rough draft #1 (10 percent); Rough draft #2 (5 percent); Final paper (25 percent)

You will complete a research paper (approx. 20 pages) that follows up on one of your research prospectuses. Your paper must incorporate outside research. You should demonstrate familiarity with recent scholarship on your chosen topic, primarily using information found in scholarly books and periodicals. Your paper should refer to at least a dozen consulted sources that are most appropriate to the topic of your project. We will discuss ways to find and incorporate the best source material as the semester proceeds.

Your paper should be a literary analysis that demonstrates knowledge of recent (as well as significant past) debates on Jane Austen. Your paper should make an argument, as well as comment on arguments that previous critics have put forwarrd. This assignment is not a book report that engages primarily in summary. Instead, the assignment requires you to keep your own voice and judgments at the center of the essay, using primary and secondary sources to structure and reflect on your ideas and interpretations.

You will circulate for peer review a rough draft of your paper, which I expect will be at least half the length required of the final paper and perhaps longer. You will then turn the draft into me. I will make brief comments and ask questions, which I expect you will address in your revision. The second rough draft version will be commented on by your peers. You will be evaluated for on-time submission and for your level of engagement with peer response. (If you are absent that day, you will obviously not have done passing work as a peer respondent.)

4)Weekly On-Line Discussion (15 percent)

You will be assigned one of two groups with whom you will engage in a web-based discussion on Blackboard. You will be responsible for 1) formulating one substantial reading question for the next day’s reading and 2) responding to a classmates’ question (or to another classmates’ response) each week. Your questions may be of any length, but your responses should be at least 200 words in length and should demonstrate that you have read and carefully thought about the assigned reading.

Students with last names A-I will be Tuesday respondents. Students with last names J-Z will be Thursday respondents. Your contribution should engage with and respond to ideas and questions of your group members (approximately 200 words). Each group will be assigned a weekly due date with a time due of 9 a.m. prior to a class period. Discussion will begin on Thursday, August 24th and conclude on Thursday, November 2nd. Your response will be due regardless of whether or not we meet as a class.

As we proceed, I will point out questions and responses that I think are particularly strong, so that you may consider them as models for your future work. I will also provide additional feedback about your individual progress in this area when you request it. Your comments should be substantive ones that could elicit a variety of responses from your group members. (In other words, steer away from posting yes or no questions or questions that may be easily answered by the text itself.) You should aim to construct responses that demonstrate that you have read and reflected on the assigned text, as well as each other’s postings. In your responses, your focus should not be primarily on what you liked or disliked, although that may be relevant to your larger point.

At the end of the term, I will evaluate your responses as excellent (A: 95), good (B: 85), satisfactory (C: 75), and poor (D: 65). At the beginning of the term, I will point out examples of responses that I think are particularly strong. If you would like me to assess your progress in this aspect of the course, please contact me for feedback. Late work (accepted up to one week late) will be considered as C-level work (75). Missed work is automatically an F (0) for that week, and continually late or missed work may result in a grade closer to 0 than 65.

5) Attendance and In-Class Participation (15 percent)

The majority of our class time will be spent discussing (in both small and large groups) the reading and writing assignments. Exemplary participation in these activities will demonstrate that you are preparing and thinking about the material and will help your final grade in this category (A-B). Active listening will likely neither help nor hurt your grade (B-C). Inattentiveness, tardiness, or absence will likely lower your grade (D-F).

You are allowed a maximum of four absences during the semester--no questions asked. I encourage you to save these absences for emergencies. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. Additional absences over this number will jeopardize your participation grade, resulting in an F (0 to 59) for this area of evaluation. If you earn such a mark, you will find it difficult to pass the course.

If you are hospitalized or become seriously ill, contact me (or have someone else contact me) to make alternate arrangements to complete coursework.

Grading Scale

94-100 (A)

90-93 (A-)

88-89 (B+)_

84-87 (B)

80-83 (B-)

78-79 (C+)

74-77 (C)

70-73 (C-)

68-69 (D+)

64-67 (D)

60-63 (D-)

59 and below (F)

Other Matters

I expect that we will show respect for all individuals and their differences in the classroom. This involves listening well to each other, processing new information and opinions carefully, and treating all class members with respect. If you cannot abide by these rules, you will be asked to make an appointment with me to discuss your continuation in the course.

Class Netiquette (From ET@MO)

Your instructor and fellow students wish to foster a safe on-line learning environment. All opinions and experiences, no matter how different or controversial they may be perceived, must be respected in the tolerant spirit of academic discourse. You are encouraged to comment, question, or critique an idea, but you are not to attack an individual.

Our differences, some of which are outlined in the University's nondiscrimination statement, will add richness to this learning experience. Please consider that sarcasm and humor can be misconstrued in online interactions and generate unintended disruptions. Working as a community of learners, we can build a polite and respectful course ambience.

Student Conduct Code (from Dept. of Student Life)

All students must make themselves familiar with and abide by the student code, described in the M-book, including adhering to guidelines regarding cheating and plagiarism. Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, please consult your professor.

From Disability Services

If you have a disability and are requesting accommodation, notify the Office of Disability Services, A048 Brady Commons, 882-4696, immediately. During the first weeks of the course, after establishing contact with that office, you should inform the professor of the special needs you may have so that we can begin to work together on these issues.

Week One:

Tuesday, August 22nd

Introduction to the Course

Thursday, August 24th

“Biographical Notice of the Author” by Henry Austen (in Backgrounds section of Norton Persuasion) (pp. 191-196)

“Introduction: Biographical and Historical Contexts” from Emma (pp. 3-20)

The Craft of Research, (pp. xi-xiv; 1-31)

Week Two:

Tuesday, August 29th

Lady Susan (from Northanger Abbey and Other Works) (pp. 191-249)

Geneviève Brassard’s “’The Sacred Impulse of Maternal Devotion’: Austen’s Critique of Domesticity and Motherhood in Lady Susan” from Women’s Studies (in Documents File, Blackboard [.pdf format])

Thursday, August 31st

Session with Librarian Anne Barker (Meet in Ellis Library 2nd Floor Electronic Classroom)

The Craft of Research (pp. 35-107)

Selected Letters (pp. 43-81)

Week Three:

Tuesday, September 5th

The Watsons (from Northanger Abbey and Other Works) (pp. 251-291)

Kathleen James-Cavan’s “Closure and Disclosure: The Significance of Conversation in Jane Austen’s The Watsons” from Studies in the Novel (in Documents File, Blackboard [.pdf format])

Thursday, September 7th

Session in Special Collections (Meet in Ellis Library 4th Floor West)

Selected Letters (pp. 81-126)

The Craft of Research (pp. 111-181)

Week Four:

Tuesday, September 12th

DRAFT OF RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE

Selected Letters (pp. 126-188)

Thursday, September 14th

Selected Letters (pp. 188-215)

Critical Essay TBA

Week Five:

Tuesday, September 19th

FIRST RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE

Emma (pp. 23-132)

Thursday, September 21st

Emma (pp. 133-209)

Week Six:

Tuesday, September 26th

Emma (pp. 210-293)

Thursday, September 28th

Emma (pp. 293-381)

Week Seven:

Tuesday, October 3rd

Critical Essays in our Bedford Emma edition by Claudia L. Johnson (pp. 441-455) and Beth Fowkes Tobin (pp. 473-487)

Thursday, October 5th

SECOND RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE

Mansfield Park (pp. xi-xxi, 5-38)

Week Eight:

Tuesday, October 10th

Mansfield Park (pp. 38-120)

Thursday, October 12th

NO CLASS: PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE

Mansfield Park (pp. 121-210)

Week Nine:

Tuesday, October 17th

Mansfield Park (pp. 211-321)

Thursday, October 19th

Mansfield Park Criticism (read in-text excerpts from Fergus, Auerbach, Johnson, Litvak, Said, Southam)

Week Ten:

Tuesday, October 24th

THIRD RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE

Persuasion (pp. ix-xiii; 1-79)

Thursday, October 26th

“Happy English Major Stories”

Persuasion (pp. 79-168)

Week Eleven:

Tuesday, October 31st

Persuasion (pp. 168-177) and Criticism (read in-text excerpts from Butler, Hopkins, Astell, Johnson, Weissman)

Thursday, November 2nd

Sanditon (from Northanger Abbey and Other Works) (pp. 293-347

Lee Erickson, “The Economy of Novel Reading: Jane Austen and the Circulating Library,” from SEL (in Documents File, Blackboard [.pdf format])

Week Twelve:

Tuesday, November 7th

FOURTH RESEARCH PROSPECTUS DUE

In-Class Peer Workshop (required)

Thursday, November 9th

PROFESSOR AT CONFERENCE

The Craft of Research (pp. 185-240)

In-Class Peer Workshop (optional)

Week Thirteen: Rough Drafts and Presentations

Tuesday, November 14th

FIRST ROUGH DRAFT DUE (In-class peer evaluations)

Thursday, November 16th

Sample Research Paper (discussion)

THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week Fourteen: Rough Drafts and Presentations (cont.)

Tuesday, November 28th

Student Presentations

(First draft returned, with my comments)

Craft of Research (pp. 262-282)

Thursday, November 30th

Student Presentations

SECOND ROUGH DRAFT DUE (In-class peer evaluations)

Week Fifteen: Final Drafts and Presentations

Tuesday, December 5th

Student Presentations

Course Evaluation

Thursday, December 7th

Student Presentations

FINAL PAPERS DUE

FINAL EXAM DATE: Friday, December 15th, 9 a.m. Papers available for return.