ENGL3550 (Fall 2009) is part of a 2-course series (see the University
Catalog
under “Summit Program”) with PHYS3550: Physics for War, Physics for
Peace; the two courses together fulfill the upper-division
GE requirements F1, F2, & G. Students must enroll in and pass both
courses to gain this GE credit. However, in the event of passing the
first and not the second, students will retain the 3 degree units
earned.
PLEASE NOTE: if you have not already done so, you will
need to
take a course in "F3" to completely satisfy the upper-division GE
requirements. Please
see either Professor Davis or Littlewood for a recommendation.
In this cluster, both courses across the year-long cluster will be
team-taught by
Profs. Littlewood and Davis. We will make every effort to provide as
much
coherence across the two-term cluster as possible. Books and films for
BOTH terms (English component only) are listed below. The
assignments for the Physics component will be distributed separately.
Most documents for the course may also be accessed here or at
the Physics site.
The English component will introduce students to the techniques of
literary representation through close examination of different kinds of
texts and films dealing with war and conflict. Fall term will
focus on the
trauma of nuclear conflict and the literature of speculation under the
shroud of the nuclear threat. Winter term will focus on
realism, memory, and memorial reconstruction: the techniques of
witness,
testimony, and remembrance, from the post-WWII era to the
present.
Prerequisites:
Upper division status; commitment to the year-log Summit Program
cluster.
NB: If you will not have 60 units at the end of this term, you will NOT
receive GE credit for the course (and hence, the cluster).
As a result of our study of the literature of conflict, its memory and
its possibilities, students should be able to:
* distinguish between realism—and other literary
techniques—and reality;
* use both speculative and testimonial (memorial)
texts to discuss
possible ramifications of the uses of nuclear technology;
* situate texts and their significances within the
historical moment of
their production;
* articulate the above in both casual discussion and
sustained academic
writing.
English Component Requirements (FALL
TERM ONLY):
Demonstrated mastery of the course material in the form of your
performance in
class
discussion
and quizzes (20%), reading responses (50%), and two formal
assignments (30%). Prompts for both
assignments will be
distributed and discussed. Both assignments are mandatory for the
course; failing—or failing to submit—either, will result in failure of
the component (and hence, the cluster). Expect some form of writing
each week of the component.
Assignments may be found by clicking here.
Please note these requirements and percentages are for the English
component only, not for the entire course mark. Your Fall course mark
will be a composite of the the Physics and English components (50%
each), and you must pass both
components to pass each course.
There will be an assignment over the break to get us started in Spring
term.
All assignments are due at the start of class on the date indicated.
Late assignments will not be accepted without prior permission; if you
experience some difficulty, please make every effort to contact the
instructor as early as possible. Attendance is a mandatory element of
the course; unexcused absences may result in a diminution of your
course mark.
General
course policies may
be found by clicking
here.
Please keep all submitted work in a single folder, and maintain your
folder throughout the Cluster; you will need course materials from Fall
for the Spring term.
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Required Texts for Fall (available at
Kiva)
NOTE:
please refer to Schedule of
activities for specific dates
Hamid, Mohsin. The
Reluctant Fundamentalist, Harcourt, 739488263
Karlin,
et
al,
eds.
The Other Side of Heaven, Curbstone, 1880684314
Oe,
Kenzaburo, ed. The Crazy Iris, and Other Stories, Grove, 0802151841 Snow,
Charles P., Two Cultures, Cambridge UP, 9780521457309
Required Films (most films are available through Vasche Library; or
check rentals)
NOTE: We may not view any film in class; you are
still responsible for it.
Black Rain (Imamura, 1988) VHS
PN1997 .B663x 1991 The Three Seasons (Bui, 1999)
PVHS N1997 .T475x The Three Kings (Russell,
1999) NOT OWNED BY CSUSTAN
Spring Films (planned): The Day After Trinity (Else,
1981) NOT OWNED BY CSUSTAN
Atomic Café (Rafferty,
Loader, 1982) VHS PN1997 .A86x 1993 The China Syndrome (Brooks,
1979) DVD PN1997 .C464466x Dr. Strangelove (Kubrick 1964)
DVD PN1997 .D7x 2001 Fail-Safe (Lumet 1964) DVD
PN1997 .F35x 2000