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English 4333:001 Allegory Spring 2002 MWF 11:00-11:50 310 Preston Hall
Instructor: Thomas A. Ryan Office: 202 Carlisle Hall Telephone: 273-2692 or 273-2758 Email: ryan@uta.edu Web: http://www.uta.edu/english/TAR/tar.html Office Hours: MWF 10:00
a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Texts: Early Allegory Material via Internet Alan of Lille, Anticlaudianus Dante, Purgatorio William Langland, Piers Plowman Edmund Spenser, Edmund Spenser's Poetry John Bunyan, Pilgrim's Progress William Blake, Poetry and Designs Franz Kafka, The Basic Kafka Alain Robbe-Grillet, The Erasers
Course Description: This
course will introduce students to the study of allegory and allegoresis
(the interpretation of allegory). The works we will read are drawn from
several different historical periods from the Middle Ages to the present
day and reflect several different types and uses of allegory. At the beginning
of the course we will look very briefly at classical, NeoPlatonic, and
Judaeo-Christian allegory and allegorical theories which set the stage
for the medieval allegories we will read. At the end of the course, we
will read two twentieth-century works that tease and challenge the very
idea of allegory. Class lectures and discussions will focus on ways of
understanding and interpreting the works and on locating them in their
historical, cultural, and intellectual milieus. In addition to in-class
discussions on the readings, students will be expected to participate at
least minimally in an on-line, electronic discussion of the works.
Course Goals: There are
three interdependent goals that this course will seek to accomplish this
semester. These goals are to acquaint students with a number of allegorical
works from the spectrum of Western literature, to provide students with
a general understanding of the allegorical tradition, and, more generally,
to help students to further develop their abilities to read, appreciate,
and explicate literature. In order to accomplish these goals, the students
will be asked to read the assigned literary texts, to participate in class
discussions--both oral and electronic--, and to write about allegories.
Attendance and Drop Policy:
Attendance in class and class participation are important. Frequent absences
will have a deleterious effect on your grade. It is extremely important
that you read the assigned material before coming to class. I will give
reading quizzes, if necessary, as an incentive. If for some reason you
cannot continue in the class, remember to officially drop the course. It
is now against University policy for faculty members to drop students.
Course Requirements: In
addition to Midsemester and the Final Exams, four (4) out-of-class essays
(each three to five pages in length) will be required on allegorical topics
generated from the readings. One of the papers must attempt an allegorical
explanation of a twentieth-century work. Another paper must be on The
Faerie Queene or one of Blake's works and include references to at
least two of the critical articles that accompany the works in the Norton
editions. The first paper is due February 15, the second paper is due March
8, the third paper due April 5, and the fourth paper is due April 26. Additionally,
I will expect you to contribute to an ongoing electronic discussion about
the reading assignments and your Internet exploration of resources for
the course.
Course Evaluation and Final
Grade: The four papers will determine 40% of your final grade, the
two tests 50%, and participation in the on-line and oral class discussions
will count ten percent.
Student Evaluation of Teaching:
Toward the end of the semester, I shall ask your opinion on the success
of the course by having you complete the Student Evaluation of Teaching
Survey.
Americans with Disabilities
Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed
to both the spirit and the letter of federal equal opportunity legislation
(Public Law 93112, The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended). With the
passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities
Act [ADA], pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is
renewed focus on providing the disabled population the same opportunities
enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide
"reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to
discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily
rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing
authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.
Academic Dishonesty: It is the philosophy of the University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts" (Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22). Reading Schedule Dates and assignments are tentative. Back to Allegory IndexM JAN 14: Introduction to Course |
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