In this course, we will return to the theme of psychology in Dostoyevsky's writing.
August 24th, 2010
Watch my video lecture on Prison Life in Siberia.
Here are some critical thinking questions:
Watch some videos on youtube about prison life in different countries. What insights do you have about the prison system? Do you feel that Dostoyevsky's novel relates to the present day psychology of prisoners in different countries? Do you agree with the statement that prisons are designed for social control of the masses? Is punishment an effective means of social control, or does life in prison generate deviant behavior?
Assignment (due next week) : Readthe last chapter in Dostoyevsky's novel. How does he describe the struggle of the main character, Alexander Petrovich, as he leaves the prison? What type of psychological attachment does the main character feel concerning prison life? Write a three to five page essay on the last chapter and incorporate quotes. Use MLA format.
On Thursday, choose one passage from the novel and write about Dostoyevsky's psychological portrait of inmates in Siberia. What insights does Dostoyevsky make on the psychology of prisoners? Also, download The Idiot by Dostoyevsky and begin reading the book. It is also available on google books. The lecture on Thursday will be on the first sections of The Idiot.
August 19th, 2010
Today, we discussed our goals for this class. You should begin reading Prison Life in Siberia by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This book is available through google at google books. Here is a link: Siberia
gulag The gulag is the Soviet penal system, which was known as very repressive and was derived from the earlier Russian prison system in Dostoyevsky's novel.
Katorga The Katorga is the Russian penal system that existed during the time Dostoyevsky wrote the novel, Prison Life in Siberia.
Assignment: Bring in a passage from Prison Life in Siberia and be prepared to discuss the issue of human suffering. Be prepared to write about the passage you bring in. Please download the text from google books.
Saint Paul's Department of Humanities & Behavioral Sciences
The Novel
Course Information: Instructor:
English 431-1 Dr. Comprone
Fall Semester 2010
Class Time: Office:
11-11:50 a.m. RH 136
Classroom: Office Hours:
RH 210 TBA
Office Phone: Credit Hours:
contact by email only 3
Email: raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com
Website: www.comprone.info
Pre-requisite: This course is an upper level course primarily designed for English majors.
Required Texts:
You should select two works from the list below for your five page essays and presentations:
Aravind, Adiga. The White Tiger.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice.
Allende, Isabel.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre.
Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights.
Dickens, Charles. Bleak House.
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. The Idiot.
---. Prison Life in Siberia.
Eliot, George. Middlemarch.
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man.
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw.
Kipling, Rudyard. Kim.
McCarthy, Cormac. No Country For Old Men.
Muyumba, Walter M. The Shadow and The Act: Black Intellectual Practice, Jazz Improvisation, and Philosophical Pragmatism.
Ngugi, Wa Thiong'o. Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance.
---. Wizard of the Crow.
Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina.
---. War and Peace.
Wright, Richard. Native Son.
Selection of Texts:
We will also discuss the theory of the novel as a genre by studying the works of Lukacs and Bakhtin as well as others.
Course Description:
This course is designed for upper level English students who are interested in developing a comprehensive understanding of the novel. You will learn how to write an effective essay in this course, and you will learn about the theory of the novel as a genre. We will discuss different novels and their historical, cultural, and even political significance.
Course Rationale:
The purpose of this course is to prepare students to write effectively on the graduate level.
Course Goals, Objectives, and Corresponding Program Outcomes:
1 Students will complete two 5 page essays on selected novels of their choice, as well as two Powerpoint presentations
2 Students will develop the ability to write at the graduate level
3 Students will develop critical thinking skills
4 Students will be able to use the tools of contemporary critical theory
Expectations for Student Behavior as Related to Course Objectives and Their Corresponding Program Outcomes:
Please arrange for meeting with me during office hours. Students must behave appropriately by: 1) avoiding talking when the professor is speaking, 2) being punctual (students will lose points for tardiness and excessive absences), 3) ALWAYS bringing their textbooks to class, 4) actively participating in class, 5) not plagiarizing, 6) avoiding the use of foul language and abusive behavior, 8) adhere to the dress code, 9) do not use any slang or inappropriate language in your speeches, 10) being polite to other students, and 11) send all revisions of your assignments with an email to raphaeljohncomprone@gmail.com (you must CLEARLY label your assignment and the attachment when you send it to my email. In the text of your email, put your name, the course you are taking, and the assignment that you are attaching. If you send an assignment to the wrong email, you are responsible for the missing assignment).
The attendance policy is as follows:
Students missing more than 6 times (EXCUSED or UNEXCUSED) must WITHDRAW or receive a
failing grade of F.
This policy will be strictly enforced.
Students with 2 or less absences will receive an additional 10% for their final grade. Excused absences will not be factored into this calculation, e.g. a student who has three excused absences and no unexcused absences will not receive an additional 10% added to his or her final grade.
Students cannot obtain excuses for absences after the semester is over.
Class Format, Process, and Methods of Instruction:
Students can only receive incompletes upon permission by the instructor (an incomplete can only be filed for during the semester) and only if they are experiencing financial difficulties or a grave personal matter (I must be notified in person by the student or by a relative before the end of the semester). Excuses will only be accepted from the Provost's office. I will only accept assignments in person (do not slip any assignments under my office door--I am not responsible if any of these assignments should end up missing). It is the student's responsibility to make up any missing work and to check on his or her grade during the semester. Absolutely no excuses for absences can be issued after the semester is completed (if you do not show me the excuse during the semester--you have to show me the excuse in person, do not put it under my door--I will not give you an excuse--this applies to athletes as well). Athletes must personally give me a copy of their game schedule and indicate to me the days they will be absent. They must also make up any work and or missed instruction the day after their absence. ABSOLUTELY no grade changes are possible after the semester. Please check with me before the end of the semester to see if you have any outstanding work to complete.
In Class Exams and coursework: 50%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%
Participation, classwork, and attendance 10%
Grading Scale:
90-100% A
80-89% B
70-79% C
60-69% D
59% and below F
Course Outline and Assignment Due Dates:
TBA
Tentative List of Assigned Readings and Assignments:
TBA
FINAL EXAM
Recommended Internet Sites: www.comprone.info for updates on assignments, syllabi, poetry club submissions (extra credit)
