Literary & Historical Utopias: syllabus details

Date & time: In-class students may write the exam during our Thursday, 25 June class meeting (3-6pm).  Email exams are due to whitec@uhcl.edu by noon Saturday, 27 June.

Midterm Content / Assignment: Write one long essay or 2-3 briefer ones developing the following topics. Don't treat this description as a checklist. All students vary emphases--I read what you write.

• What did you enter the seminar knowing of our subject, what have you learned, and how do you reconcile our attitudes toward utopian literature, thought, and experimentation, which are reflexively dismissed ("They don't work") despite playing a persistent role in Western Civilization and education?
   

• Introduce and describe a working or provisional definition of utopia

  • explore utopia's literary and historical meanings, backgrounds, challenges, and purposes

  • consider the difficulties of definition

  • What are some of the attractions and detractions to this field of study?
     

• Highlight and question or develop a course objective (or part of one, or some combination).

  • Analyze your interest in the objective(s) and review the seminar's discussion.

  • An option for this part of the midterm (and the final) is to revise the current objective or even offer a new one. Relate or compare your new objective to the existing objectives or their organization.

  • Explain and defend your emphasis and relate it back to the seminar's attractions, distractions, etc.

  • The final exam offers an option of continuing this discussion of a selected objective.

Length: 10-12 paragraphs, depending on paragraph lengths. Of course you may write more. If you write much less, try more examples and analysis.

Required textual references: Refer to all four of our major texts: Utopia, Looking Backward, Herland, and Anthem.

Special requirements:

• Refer to at least one passage or insight from the 2007 midterms or the 2005 midterms
   

• Refer to at least one class presentation--web reviews, student-led discussions, even instructor's presentations if something works.

Possible references--not required:

• outside readings and other courses or discussions anywhere.
   

• student-discussion comments relevant to your themes.
   

• your first research posting (or plans for second).

Basic information

Format: In-class or email; open-book and open-notebook

Relative weight: app. 30-40% of final grade

Prep time and writing time: Spend about 3-4 hours writing the exam you will submit, but spend as much time preparing as you like (or can find). Preparations could include the usual review of notes and texts, but you are also permitted to outline and practice drafting. Outlines and previous drafts count as notes, which you may consult as you write your midterm for submission.

In-class materials: Write in blue or black ink in a bluebook or on handy paper. Fronts and backs, single-spacing acceptable.

Email: email a copy of your answers to instructor at whitec@uhcl.edu.

• The mistake students are most likely to make is to send it to “white” rather than “whitec”; if you send it to “white,” it goes to another teacher.

• Attach appropriate word processing file(s) to an email for whitec@uhcl.edu.

• Copy the contents of your word processing file, then paste them into an email message to me at whitec@uhcl.edu

• All submissions will be posted to the Model Assignments.

Spacing: No need to double-space, but OK if you do. I convert all electronic copies to single-space for reading onscreen.

Evaluation standards: As in most Literature courses, quality of reading and writing is the key to judging excellent work from competent work--not just reproducing data but organizing it into a unified, compelling essay.

"Unified": Thematic continuity and transitions are essential. Connect parts to form larger ideas. Pause between paragraphs to review what you've written or to preview what comes next. Summarize. Explain. Review and preview.

"Compelling": see Objective 5d. Exams require comprehension and expression of instructional contents, but excellence is achieved by students extending or refreshing what they learn with new examples, insights, and expression.

Style: At the graduate level, competence with surface issues like spelling, punctuation, and grammar is taken for granted. An occasional careless error won't kill your grade, given the time pressures, but repeated or chronic errors will be remarked and factored.

Audience: Write so someone in our seminar could recognize your terms and explanations and enjoy your personal contributions and style. Future students may read your essays in our "Model Assignments." Keep the instructor in sight--connect with shared terms and texts, and "write up" in terms of organization and ambition of thought.

Returning your midterms

Receipt of your email midterm will be acknowledged by reply email within a few hours.

By about Wednesday 1 July, check for your midterm note and grade emailed from instructor.