Many of our readings will be available as PDFs or links on our Canvas page.
Others are available in the The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Shorter Fourth Edition, Volumes 1 and 2. ISBN: 978-0-393-54402-2.
You should also acquire a copy of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I'm flexible on the edition you get, but if you want to be on the same page as I am, I'll be using the following edition:
Modern Library Paperback Edition, ISBN 0-375-75341-9
Although you may wish to acquire hardcopies of texts I'll make available on Canvas, the only other "text" you must acquire is the film, Local Hero, which is available to stream on various sites (for free, and up to $3.99).
For this course, most of the “work” you’ll be doing—reading and preparing for discussion—is ungraded; however, rigorous engagement with the texts is the goal of this class and will enable you to succeed in the graded written assignments and the RAQs. If you are not prepared for our discussion, you will not be able to practice the analytical skills that this course aims to teach (and which will be assessed in the graded assignments). Please see the “Reading Tips,” posted on our Canvas page, for how to read in preparation for our course meetings. In practical terms, students should expect to spend two to three hours of studying for every hour of class time; therefore, you should expect to spend on average 4-6 hours a week preparing for this class.
Every week (on Fridays) I will send a reminder email with tasks and assignments for the following week through Canvas. The Canvas page is the best place to look for up-to-date information about class activities, readings (which are subject to change), special events, and announcements. I will send out important updates via the announcements feature, so you should have your settings set up so that announcements will go directly to your Florida Tech email account. You should consider the information and dates on the Canvas site to be the definitive version of class activities and expectations.
During class time, I aim to foster as much interaction between students and between myself and students, as possible. You are free to use computers or other devices in order to take notes and complete group work, but please keep in mind that computers can be distracting, and it is easy to lose focus by checking email or responding to texts. I recommend turning off notifications for the duration of the class, putting away your phone, and being mindful of where you put your focus during class. If it becomes clear that computers are inhibiting our ability to have an open discussion, I may ask students to put away their devices for the remainder of class time.
The texts in this class are complex. You should set aside a considerable amount of time to read each text not just once, but twice. Careful re-reading will help you move beyond comprehension of the text’s content toward a meaningful understanding of how and what each text is doing. The more work you have put into your reading, the more you will be able to make meaningful and substantial contributions to discussion.
Read with a pen in your hand—be an active reader. Mark points in the text (or in a notebook) that confuse you or intrigue you; make note of keywords; make notes if you think of an idea or if you make connections between this text and other aspects of our course material.
Always bring your notes and the texts currently under discussion to class and be prepared to use them. We are striving toward making arguments with evidence.