The Gothic Tradition in Literature
Spring 2009 Syllabus 
Dr. Bridget Marshall, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Class Meetings: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30 to 10:45
Office Hours & Location: Tues/Thurs 11 – 12:15 and by appointment in O’Leary Library 415
Office Phone: 978-934-4179
E-mail: bridget_marshall@uml.edu         Web site: http://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear.” -- H.P. Lovecraft

Our course will explore how texts exploit this oldest and strongest emotion through well-known tropes of terror; haunted houses, monsters, ghosts, ghouls, madmen, madwomen, specters, vampires, werewolves, and a wide variety of other creepy, mysterious, and dark things will fill our semester’s texts.  This course will consider works that fall under the very broad genre known as “The Gothic.”  As this genre is one of highly contested boundaries, we will consider how to define the Gothic, and what exactly constitutes this form.  We will look at texts from both England and America, and spanning from the late 18th century to our own times.  Our study will focus on the form of the novel, and the development and emergence of the gothic novel from its beginnings in England to its contemporary manifestations in the United States.

This is a 300-level English course with an ambitious reading list and several major writing assignments; you will need to keep up with the readings and be prepared for every class meeting.

Course Goals:

• To become familiar with the history of the gothic genre, and its place in literary and cultural history
• To make connections between the historical genre and modern day manifestations of it
• To develop skills of close and careful reading
• To enhance discussion skills by participating in classroom discussion
• To improve reading on one’s own by choosing one book outside of the syllabus
• To improve presentation skills with an end-of semester paper presentation
• To develop writing and research skills through developing a final paper

Course Requirements: 

Attendance is required.  This is not a correspondence course.  You can fail the course for not attending class.  You have two (2) “free” absences to use as you need.   For every class beyond those two that you miss, your final grade for the class will be lowered one grade step.  (I.e., if you have a “B” for the class, but have missed 4 classes, you will receive a “C+” for your final grade.)  Excessive or habitual lateness can also count as an absence.
Good classroom citizenship is required.  Good classroom citizenship goes beyond just “participation” in the sense of raising your hand a lot.  It includes sharing your thoughts and ACTIVELY LISTENING to the thoughts and comments of your peers.  Please be considerate of your classmates and make the classroom a space where everyone can speak their mind.  We will have both full-class discussions and small group work.  If you are not particularly comfortable speaking in the full-class discussion, be sure you are making up for it in the smaller group discussions.  Also, as a courtesy to everyone in the room, please turn off your cell phone before class begins.  If you must eat or drink during class, please be respectful of those around you, and of those who come after you by cleaning up after yourself.

There is a (sometimes quite long) reading assignment due every day. You must keep up with the reading (and writing) assignments.  I reserve the right to give reading quizzes as necessary to prod your reading, though I would rather not resort to such ploys.

Instructional Resources and Disability Accommodations: The Centers for Learning and Academic Support Services provide many resources, including tutoring in writing: http://class.uml.edu/.  In accordance with University policy and the ADA, I will provide accommodation for students with documented disabilities.  If you have a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services: McGauvran 363, phone: (978) 934-4338 as soon as possible. This documentation is confidential.

Major Assignments & Graded Materials:

Four “One-pagers”: One-third of the class will have a one-pager due on most days.  One-pagers include at least one quote from the text and also questions – either for clarification or discussion.  See the handout for more details on the requirements for the one-pagers.
Two short (4 page) papers.  These short papers will be close readings of two different scenes and will rely upon your careful reading of passages from the text; they do not require outside research.  They are, however, formal papers, unlike the one-pagers described above.  More details will appear on an assignment handout.
One in-class essay exam.
Read one gothic novel not included on the syllabus.  More on this later.
Create a presentation for the last week of class on your chosen novel.  Your presentation will be about 5 minutes long, and you must have a handout to share with the rest of the class.  The presentation is a chance to share your ideas for the final paper and teach others in the class about a text outside of the regular reading list.
Write a Final Paper (8 pages) on one gothic novel not on the syllabus. You should read the novel and connect it to the history of the gothic as we have explored it in the course.  This paper is not a plot summary; it should focus on an analysis of the novel, including how it fits into the larger genre of the gothic.

Evaluation and Grading:  Grading is my least favorite aspect of the course; however, grades are necessary, not only to the University, but also in many cases in order to motivate students. 

There are numerous editions of many of these books; I have tried to order the cheapest editions available.  If you already own an alternate edition, or you find another cheap edition, you can continue to use it.  However, please make sure that your edition is UNABRIDGED (there are many shortened, edited, and expurgated versions of these books out there).  

Semester Schedule

If you miss a class, you are still responsible for what was due on the day(s) you missed and on the day you return.  If the University closes, upon return to class, the items for both the missed class and the day of return class are due.  In the case of an exam or paper due on a day the University closes, the exam or paper is due on the day we return to class.  Please e-mail me if you have questions about assignments due for missed classes.
Page numbers listed in brackets indicate the page numbers in the version of the text that I ordered for the class.

General Advice to Students:

Come to class prepared to work.  This means several things:
1) You should have completed the assigned readings, and any associated writing.  You might even have notes in your book, underlining of passages, or page markers for interesting spots in the reading.
2) You should be prepared to listen and talk in discussion.  This means you shouldn’t come to our class and take a nap, or sit sullenly, or complete your calculus homework.
3) You should avoid distractions during class.  Distractions include things like small pets, cell phones and text messaging devices, notes to classmates, i-pods, or any other gadget that will engage your brain in something other than the academic discussion in the classroom.  While you may think I don’t notice, I do, and so do your classmates.  It’s distracting for you, but also for those around you.

When you don’t come to class (for whatever reason) it is your responsibility to find out the work that was missed, including any handouts, in-class activities, or changes to the syllabus.  If you can do this via e-mail before the next class meeting, that’s great.  If you can’t, you should definitely come speak with me before class, after class, or in my office hours.    In any case, don’t try to avoid me, hoping that I didn’t notice you were absent. 

If you need extra time for an assignment, for whatever reason, it is better to ask early.  I do not automatically give extensions; however, I am a reasonable person, and you should ask for help or time if you need it.  Late papers are subject to a grade reduction at my discretion, and I do not provide comments on late papers.

Students are expected to exhibit professional and respectful behavior that is conducive to a mutually beneficial learning environment in the classroom.

Examples of inappropriate behavior include : text messaging, listening to music, cell phone use (other than the campus alert system), late arrivals, early departures, use of laptops for other than class purposes, disrespectful comments or behavior, intentional disruptions, failure to follow faculty directives. 

Students in violation of these standards may be asked to leave class and/or be referred to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.