Syllabus in Literary Criticism, Page 1 of 4

The Fisher Valley College No. 5, M. L. Quezon St., Hagonoy, Taguig City Phase 2, Bgy. Pinagsama, Taguig City Phone: 839-1903/394-6695 Website: www.fishervalleycollege.edu.ph _____________________________________________________________________________

COURSE SYLLABUS
1st Semester, A.Y. 2013-2014 COURSE TITLE : LITERARY CRITICISM COURSE CREDITS : 3 units CLASS SCHEDULE : Wednesday, 10:00-1:00 CLASS WEBSITE : http://tfvc2014.weebly.com COURSE INSTRUCTOR : Marlon B. Raquel CONTACT NUMBER : 394-6695 EMAIL ADDRESS : raquel.marlon@yahoo.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION: An understanding, in theory and practice, of contemporary literary theory, emphasizing to the modes of critical theory underlying the practical criticism most in use today: formalism, semiotics, deconstruction, reader response, psychoanalysis, Marxism, cultural studies, feminism, gender studies, queer theory, postcolonial theory, critical race theory, cognitive literary theory, and issues of the canon. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Understanding of the basic theoretical concepts underlying contemporary approaches to literature and of the major differences between them; 2. Understanding of the aims of literary criticism; knowledge of key forms and terminology of literary criticism; ability to read the writings of literary scholars and critics with understanding and judicious appreciation; 3. Knowledge of the methods and materials of literary research; ability to conduct literary research according to established procedures and to use such research effectively and responsibly; 4. Ability to generate and articulate personal responses to literary and critical texts, and to explain the premises and assumptions underlying such personal responses; and 5. Ability to write a critical essay that states a clear thesis and supports it persuasively, integrating literary research with personal ideas.

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COURSE OUTLINE: 1ST WEEK 2ND WEEK 3RD WEEK 4TH WEEK

INTRODUCTION Course Orientation and Discussion of Course Syllabus TWENTIETH CENTURY FORMALISM I: NEW CRITICISM TWENTIETH CENTURY FORMALISM II: RUSSIAN AND CHICAGO FORMALISM STRUCTURALISM AND SEMIOTICS

5TH WEEK PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION

6TH WEEK 7TH WEEK 8TH WEEK 9TH WEEK STRUCTURALISM AND DECONSTRUCTIONISM READER-RESPONSE THEORY PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY PSYCHOANALYTIC CRITICISM

10TH WEEK
11TH WEEK 12TH WEEK 13TH WEEK

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

MARXIST THEORY NEO-MARXISM NEW HISTORICISM AND CULTURAL STUDIES

14TH WEEK
15TH WEEK 16TH WEEK 17TH WEEK

PRE-FINAL EXAMINATION

FEMINISM GENDER STUDIES AND QUEER THEORY POSTCOLONIALISM AND CRITICAL RACE THEORY

18TH WEEK

FINAL EXAMINATION

Readings in each literary theory will be given in class. Students shall take effort in finding these readings in the library books or in the internet.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING SYSTEM: The College issues two grades for the semester midterm grade and final grade as per Article X, Section B of the College Student Handbook. I will be using the following grading system in the computation of your grades.

Midterm Grade: Critical Essays Midterm Exam Class Participation Online Assignments

30% 30% 20% 20% 100%

Final Grade: Midterm Grade Term Paper Final Exam Class Participation Online Assignments

40% 20% 20% 10% 10% 100%

Major Examinations: Four major examinations will be given throughout the semester. These are prelim, midterm, pre-final, and final exams. A combination of multiple-choice questions (MCQ), essay questions, and other types of tests will be given. The examinations will be conducted during examination weeks. Each exam is equivalent to 100 points. The passing score is 50 points. I will be using the following formula in determining the equivalent percentage for your scores: Grade = (Score /No. of Items) x 50 + 50 for example, (50/100) x 50 + 50 = 75%

Critical Essays: Two formal critical essays (one on a work of prose fiction, the other on a poem) integrating library research with personal interpretation of literary works. In writing your essays, use the following guidelines. 1. Use 8.5 x 11 bond paper. 2. There should be one inch in all margins. 3. It must be double-spaced all throughout the essay EXCEPT for quotations or excerpts which must be single-spaced. 4. Use Times New Roman (12-point font size) only. 5. The critique paper must be printed in black ink ONLY. 6. Each critique essay must have a minimum of 300 words. This is equivalent to 1 page. Submit your portfolio during the midterm examination day. Late submission will not be accepted. Do not copy from websites. It will be you who will analyze issues, not other people. Term Paper: You need to submit one term essay of 15-30 pages, applying THREE modes of literary theory to a single short work of literature (a poem or a short story, say).

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Class Participation: Numerous informal written assignments will be given throughout the course. Attendance and recitation are also integral components of class participation. Online Assignments: An assignment will be given every two weeks. You need to visit our class website at www.tfvc2014.weebly.com for instructions and details. Please be reminded of the deadlines of submission. To avoid the rush, submit your answers BEFORE the deadline, NOT on the due date of submission. I will inform you in class once the questions are posted online. Answers submitted through email or handed down to me in class (printed copy) will not be credited. All answers need to be submitted on the website itself. Familiarize yourself with computers, websites, and other technology-based stuff. You are provided with internet card by the school which is included in your school fees. Visit the Computer Laboratory for available time so that you can do your assignments if you dont have your own computer and internet. Also, you need to have an email account and a Facebook account because you will use them during the submission of your online assignments. Attendance: While attendance is not a component of your grade, your attendance will be checked regularly. You need to affix your signature on the attendance sheet that will be provided to you before the class discussion starts. Please take note that the maximum allowable absences are four (4) sessions only. On your fifth absence, you will be dropped from this course regardless of the reason for absence EXCEPT if you or your family member is sick. In this case, you need to present a medical certificate. REFERENCES: Any book on literary criticism would be helpful in our class discussions. Intensive library and internet research are also advised in this class.