| Course Description |
| Requirements |
| Calendar of Readings |
| Web Links |
| Course Policies |
At the start of the
20th century, modern fiction writers in the U.S. found
themselves facing a number of emerging mass-cultural media
forms that competed for their audiences: the
tabloid newspaper, with its headlines and picture stories;
the pulp magazine, with its sob-story confessionals and heroic
noir detectives; the crime, adventure, or gangster films that
dominated an emerging Hollywood complex. These forms often
were integral to a restructuring, in particular, of urban life,
as mass media forms became "technologies of seeing," or ways of
coming to terms with a changing metropolitan experience: with
the new allure of celebrity and the lives of the powerful; with
the attractions of nightlife; with changes in the relations between
genders and classes. This course will examine the experimental
narrative forms early 20th century American writers designed
to meet these social changes, and in particular the challenge
from new media. Topics included here:
the rise of modern American "nightlife" (as in the stories of
Stephen Crane, Scott Fitzgerald, or Dorothy Parker); the changing
forms of newspaper reading; the "elite" appropriation of popular
forms, like the "true confession" and the gangster narrative
(Nathanael West, Mike Gold); the precursors to American "noir"
detective fiction (Raymond Chandler); radical attempts to incorporate
new media forms like Newsreels, cinematic action, or cross-cutting
into written texts (Crane, West, Fitzgerald, Gold, John Dos Passos,
and others).
This is, therefore, a very appropriate course for American Studies minors. In addition to this historical work, a series of theoretical questions will be addressed. What does it mean to "read" popular forms critically, and to understand the social stratification of amusements, of "going out?" How do we understand the power of these new media and urban habitats over audiences, particularly working class audiences? How did American writers try to represent these new technologies of narrative, or even to emulate them in literary forms?
The course will be intentionally
eclectic and wide-ranging; our approach will be interdisciplinary.
You will be asked to read some background historical
texts, and some stories from popular magazines, as well as
our primary literary texts. We will also view three
films: "Safety Last"; "Citizen Kane"; and "Little Caesar."
SPRING VACATION
Mon. 9 Farewell, My
Lovely (3)
1. Class attendance is required. For this course, you are allowed three cuts (hereby defined as an "unexcused absence") without penalty. But excessive absence can lower your overall course grade--and, in some cases, be grounds for failing the course altogether. If there is a good reason why you have had to miss a class, please don't hesitate to tell me, and for illness, just bring me a signed medical slip and your absence won't be counted. After the first weeks, we'll be using an attendance sheet sign-in to save time.
2. Class participation will account for about 20% of your grade. Generally, I try to use your class participation as a measure of how well you have read and understood the assignments, and you will sometimes be asked to write short, ungraded responses to readings that help "kick off" class discussions. But only in cases of excessive absence can your class participation grade "pull down" your final average. That is, if your participation reflects strong reading skills, consideration for others' viewpoints, and consistent contributions to the flow of discussion, your class "average" from your papers can easily be boosted at the close of the semester--indeed, well beyond the weight of this 20% guideline. Again, days on which you "kick off" class or guide discussion will not be graded on the spot, but added into your overall in-class performance.
3. When you submit a paper, it should be neatly typed or word- processed and double-spaced, preferably on both sides of the paper so that we can save a few trees. In addition, you are required to keep either a xerox or carbon copy. That way, if your paper is lost, you can simply re-submit your copy. I'm sorry to say that I cannot accept email submissions.
4. Papers are due on the assigned dates. My rule is that I allow 24 hours leeway without penalty; after that, you will be penalized about 1/3 grade for every part of 24 hours the paper is late. The idea of this "leeway" period is that you should never miss a class in order to type a paper; come to class, and turn the paper in later. Any paper submitted after 6 days will automatically be assigned an "F," but it must be completed in order to complete the requirements of the course.
5. Everyone should feel that office hours
are for "hashing out" class discussions, lectures,
and the progress of the course generally.
If you feel confused, bored, unchallenged, or otherwise distressed,
please come see me. If my office hours don't fit
your schedule, just talk to me in class about setting up another
time. Small groups are welcome, and most welcome are discussions
about the ideas of the course. I'm also open
to conversations on email, but please don't use this or my voicemail
as a substitute for a conference, particularly about planning
your papers. Given the sheer volume of messages
and the differences between your schedule and mine, I can't
also respond to messages that request an urgent "call back."
And "But I left a message on your voice mail" isn't an excuse
for anything, in your social life or mine (except for class
absences you anticipate, which I appreciate).
6. As the university regulations on Academic Integrity state, "Students at Boston College are expected to have high standards of integrity. Any student who cheats or plagiarizes on examinations or assignments is subject to dismissal from the College. Cases involving academic integrity shall be adjudicated according to the policies and procedures of the appropriate school or college." It should go without saying, simply as a matter of fairness to everyone who participates in this class, that I take such matters quite seriously. All students are required to read the university guidelines on integrity at the start of the course. To see those guidelines, click here.
7. This course emphasizes improving your writing. To that end, I use a "correction guide" adapted from a handbook by Diana Hacker--a sheet which I will also hand out (though see the link below). If you're confusedby some of the symbols I use in the margins to correct your papers, you can also consult Hacker (which can also be bought in the Bookstore). It goes without saying I would also be happy to discuss your writing with you in conference.
Conventions It's Good to Know for College Papers [Download the PDF]
A Few Tips on Effective
Quotation [Download the PDF]
The
Simplified MLA Citation System You Should Use for
Documenting Your Paper [Download the PDF]
Alas, My own Pet Peeves:
Ten Tips for a Successful Start to Your Paper [Download
the PDF]
If you have any comments on this page, please send them to: wilsonc@bc.edu .