Significant Brit. Writers: Virginia Woolf
Course Guidelines

“In short, every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind
is written large in his works, yet we require critics to explain the one and biographers
to expound the other. That time hangs heavy on people's hands
is the only explanation of the monstrous growth" (209).
Orlando (1928)


the basics / diversity / course goals / materials / assignments / miscellany

THE BASICS

English 439: Significant British Writers (Virginia Woolf)
thematic touchstone: "The Weight of Life"
sections: section 01 (T/R, 9:10-11:00 a.m., 22-210)
instructor: Dr. Paul Marchbanks
email: pmarchba@calpoly.edu
office: 805-756-2159 / building 47 (the "maze"), hallway 35, office A / available hours
home: 805-593-0192 (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)


DIVERSITY, ACCOMODATION, & ACCESSIBILITY

• this course will present an array of challenging ideas for discussion purposes, some of which you may instinctively applaud, and others which you may resent. I encourage you to articulate your own perspective--both in the classroom and on your written work--while respecting dissenting positions. I regularly award the highest scores to those students who bolster their arguments with ample evidence, clarity, and solid reasoning--even when I happen to disagree with their thesis.
• recognizing that every student learns differently, I attempt to employ multiple teaching methodogies throughout the course. If you strongly like or dislike something I do, please let me know.
• convinced that the classroom environment should enable instead of disabling each student learner, whatever their background and abilities, I have adopted various Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. If your own circumstances require additional consideration, please let me know.
• please respect one another's privacy, and refrain from recording any online discussion sessions and activities.

COURSE GOALS

• to promote close reading and analysis
• to deepen comfort with discussion and debate
• to augment student recognition of tone and voice
• to destabilize any essentializing readings of Woolf's life and works
• to identify both thematic consistency and stylistic variation across Woolf's writings
• to illuminate the productive synergy created when mixing an author's fiction with her non-fiction, short fiction, diary entries, and letters.
  

MATERIALS (purchase these editions)

• Woolf, Virginia. The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf. 2nd edition. Ed. Susan Dick. Mariner, 1989. ISBN: 978-0156212502
• Woolf, Virginia. The Voyage Out. 1915. New York: Harvest/HBJ, 2003. ISBN: 978-0156028059
• Woolf, Virginia. Jacob's Room. 1922. New York: Norton Critical Edition, 2006. ISBN: 978-0393926323
• Woolf, Virginia. Mrs Dalloway. 1925. New York: Harvest/HBJ, 1990. ISBN: 0151009988
• Woolf, Virginia. To the Lighthouse. 1927. New York: Harvest/HBJ, 1989. ISBN: 0156907399
• Woolf, Virginia. Orlando: A Biography. 1928. New York: Mariner, 1973. ISBN: 978-0156701600
• Woolf, Virginia. The Waves. 1931. New York: Harvest, 1950. ISBN: 978-0156949606
  

ASSIGNMENTS

• class performance (51%, 17 daily grades of 3% each). Daily performance grades will be determined by quiz grades and participation. These performance grades will take the place of traditional exams, measuring students' familiarity with the assigned texts every step along the way. To prepare to succeed, read closely, refer to the points for reflection as you go, and fill your books with marginalia.
  • quizzes: each quiz (usually ten objective questions) will be worth up to two points, and you will have 5-7 minutes to finish. These quizzes will measure how closely you read, so do not wait till exhausted to crack your book, and definitely do not rely on SparksNotes or other sites that summarize the plot. Quizzes may draw from the current day's readings, as well as the previous day's readings and discussion.
  • participation: on a day governed by class discussion (there will be many), students will actively demonstrate their knowledge of assigned texts by the quality and frequency of their contributions:
    • half a point may be earned by students who show up for class with appropriate texts in hand, stay for the entire class session, and participates minimally.
    • one point may be earned by a student who also shares 1-3 appropriate, specific observations during class, and/or who actively engages in any small group exercises assigned that day.
    • one and a half points may be earned by a student who also points other students to specific passages--accompanied by appropriate page numbers--as s/he elaborates thoughtful observations and complex interconnections. It also helps to respond directly to another student's ideas.
    • two points may be earned by students who also synthesize the material in intelligent ways and/or make creative, non-intuitive observations.
  • please do not control the conversation; grant everyone an opportunity to speak.
  • consider yourself invited to disagree with your peers and instructor.
  • I will assign participation grades immediately after class ends, then grade quizzes the next day. A student who performs well on a particular quiz and also contributes greatly to class discussion will max out at 3.2 points on a given day, though I will make a note if a student theoretically earned more points than this. A few such notations can help curve your final grade by up to one or two points. (Note: accumulating .2 points on each of fifteen class sessions could replace an entire, missed day of class.)
• pre-class essay response (10%): each student will submit one 500-600 word reading response at some point during the quarter (see Path 1 calendar), responding to one of the Points for Reflection found online--linked from the colored bar above each day's assigned reading (for the given novel) on the Path 1 calendar.
  • First, select three possible prompts from those provided for the class day in question--concerning the assigned novel--and email me your list no later than 9 a.m. the preceding morning (a Mon. or Wed.) if you are slated to write a response for a given class session.
  • I will assign you one of the three, and update the Points for Reflection so others can see which questions have already been assigned.
  • paste the prompt to which you're responding at the head of your essay [otherwise, NO CREDIT]
  • write the essay; closely proof your work and ensure your final product falls within the prescripted range of 500-600 words.
  • perform original close readings; do not draw upon secondary sources
  • keep any quoted material to less than a line of text
  • employ MLA appropriate parenthetical citation format
  • send a Word doc (NOT a PDF) of this essay to me via email by 9 p.m. the night before the class day corresponding to the prompt you answered.
  • essay response assigned days to be determined by students' surnames in alpha order starting with "A." See Path 1 calendar.
• the tailored tenth (10%): on Thursday, Feb. 29, student groups of 2-3 will creatively render some section (a single chp., or section no longer than 10 pgs) from one of the novels read thus far.
  • You have free reign as concerns focus (topic, theme, character, scene, etc.) and mode of presentation (acted scene, slideshow, visual art, music, etc.)  
  • Make it fun, memorable, and compelling!  Grades for this assignment will range between a C+ and an A (everyone in your group will receive the same score.)
  • ensure that your presentation falls between 11-13 minutes (no more!)

• term paper conference (5%): students will construct a detailed outline, send this to Dr. M as a single Word doc file, and attend a one-hour paper conference with Dr. M and their tailored tenth group members to discuss these materials. Conferences will take place Mon, Mar. 11 thru Fri, Mar. 15. Students who do not complete this requirement cannot turn in their term paper.
• term paper (24%): the term paper will be submitted electronically as a Word document on Thursday, March 21 of finals week, by midnight. Late assignments will receive a 2-pt reduction per day late.

MISCELLANY

Rubric

Contact

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu