Teaching HQ

English 1B Fall 1995 UC Berkeley co-taught with Kim Magowan DEAD BODIES

Mark Phillipson CV

This course will be preoccupied by narratives animated by DEAD BODIES. The corpses in the books we'll read don't rest in peace: they haunt survivors and make claims on them, for love or vengeance. These dead set these stories in motion, whether they stalk around as ghosts, like Hamlet's father, or whether their inert bodies push their families on bizarre funereal odysseys, like Faulkner's Addie Bundren. Note that the theme of our class is not "death" but dead bodies. Most of these texts are obsessed with putrefaction, and its effects on the surrounding people and countryside. They also concentrate on the physical fate of survivors, stuck "being" when it seems so much sexier to be dead. "Would you like to live with your soul in the grave?"

For English 1B, you will write thirty three pages: an initial 3 page paper, then four 5 page papers. Throughout the semester we'll also assign ten "one-pagers," concise responses to the literature and criticism you'll be reading. You will break into groups on a regular basis to engage in the peer editing of each other's drafts. By peer editing, we mean reading each other's work with an eye not towards disparaging but rather improving it. We'll provide specific topics and parameters for all the paper assignments. We strongly advise that you not simply regurgitate our ideas back to us; we already know them, we already love them. We want to know what you think. Papers are due at the beginning of class. Late papers sink 1/2 a grade (5 points) for every class that occurs after they are due. You may write on topics of your own devising, but you must clear them with one of us first. Extensions may be arranged up to a week before the due date.

To pass the course, you must complete all assigned work and maintain at least a C- average. You must attend class regularly-- more than six absences result in your failure. Class participation counts heavily towards your grade. We'll be measuring the dependability of your punctual attendance, as well as your effort to keep the discussion interesting and coherent. If you've proven yourself steady and honorable and cheerful in keeping up with all demands of this class, you'll be rewarded. Papers should be typed, double spaced, and have approximately one inch margins. We suggest keeping Xerox or disc copies of your papers. Please hand in all your work, drafts, papers, revisions, in a manila envelope with your name on the front. Keep track of all your papers, as we will review them at the end of the semester. Our mailboxes are located in the English undergraduate office, 320 Wheeler.

Tues., Aug. 28: Introduction/ bureaucracy
Thurs., Aug. 31: Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart." The Elements of Style, Rules 1-3

Tues., Sept 5: Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher." Style, 4-6.
Thurs., Sept. 7: William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act I. Style, 7-9.

Tues., Sept. 12: Hamlet, Act II. Style, 10-12. 3 page PAPER DUE.
Thurs., Sept. 14: Hamlet, Act III. Style, 13-15.

Tues., Sept. 19: Hamlet, Act IV. Style, 16-18.
Thurs., Sept. 21: Hamlet, Act V. Style, 19-22.

Tues., Sept. 26: Hamlet, literary criticism tba. Style, pp. 34-38. Bring in copies of 4-5 page draft of Hamlet paper.
Thurs., Sept. 28: QUIZ on Style. Peer Editing.

Tues., Oct. 3: Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, I-VII. Style, pp. 39-41. PAPER #2 DUE.
Thurs., Oct. 5: Wuthering Heights, VIII-XII. Style, pp. 42-44.

Tues., Oct. 10: Wuthering Heights, XIII-XX. Style, pp. 45-47.
Thurs., Oct. 12: Wuthering Heights, XXI-XXVIII. Style, pp. 48-50.

Tues., Oct. 17: Wuthering Heights, XXIX-XXXIV. Style, pp. 51-53. Bring 4-5 page draft of Wuthering Heights paper.
Thurs., Oct. 19: Peer Editing. Style, pp. 54-56.

Tues., Oct. 24: William Faulkner, As I Lay Dying, pp. 3-52. Style, pp. 57-59. PAPER #3 DUE.
Thurs., Oct. 26: As I Lay Dying, pp. 53-102. Style, pp. 60-62.

Tues., Oct. 31 : As I Lay Dying, 103-176. Style, pp. 63-65.
Thurs., Nov. 2: As I Lay Dying, 177-217. Style, pp. 66-69.

Tues., Nov. 7 : As I Lay Dying, pp. 218-261. Style, pp. 70-72. Bring 4-5 page drafts of As I Lay Dying paper.
Thurs., Nov. 9: Peer Editing. Style, pp. 73-75.

Tues., Nov. 14: Toni Morrison, Beloved, pp. 3-49. Style, pp. 76-78. PAPER #4 DUE.
Thurs., Nov. 16: Beloved, pp. 50-105. Style, pp. 79-81.

Tues., Nov. 21: Beloved, pp. 106-165. Style, pp. 82-85.

Tues., Nov. 28: Beloved, pp. 169-235.
Thurs., Nov. 30: Beloved, pp. 239-275. Bring 4-5 page drafts of Beloved paper.

Tues., Dec. 5: Peer Editing.
Thurs., Dec 7: Party. PAPER #5 DUE.