COURSE SYLLABUS

General Information
Title: ENGL 355/4A James Joyce: 3 credits; Winter Semester, 2009
LECTURE : Location : FG-351 Day : Tuesday Thursday Time : 1445 - 1600
 Instructor: Jason King; Department of English/Centre for Canadian Irish Studies
 Contacts: Office – McConnell Building 674-3; Office Hours, W 1-2pm; TH 14-
14:45pm, or by appointment; Email: jkingk@yahoo.com.
Course Description:
The course will serve as an introduction to James Joyce’s Ulysses, and will pay particular
attention to the social, cultural and political forces in Ireland and beyond which shaped
his writing. Because of the limited time available, we will deal with the sections of the
novel in different ways; most will be discussed in detail in class, others will be reported
on by groups. We will examine Ulysses in its literary, cultural, historical and mythical
contexts, and do a close textual analysis of representative sections so that a general
appreciation of the novel can be achieved. Central to the course will be discussion of
Joyce as a modernist whose fiction explores a range of narrative, stylistic and formal
experiments. By the end of the course, you should have a solid sense of Joyce’s
accomplishments in this work, and should feel competent to re-examine his works with
confidence and authority.
FORMAT: Lecture/class reports and discussion/group work

TEXTS:
– Joyce, James. Ulysses (Annotated Student Edition). New York:
Penguin Books, 1992. With an introduction by Declan Kiberd.

EVALUATION:
Class presentations, attendance and participation 30%
Short essay 30%
Term paper 40%

Learning Outcomes for Students

 To introduce students to the literary achievement of James Joyce as evidenced in
his novel, Ulysses.
 To place the novel in the social, cultural and literary context in which it was
created.
 To introduce students to some of the essential literary skills and critical
methodologies which can usefully be applied to the novel
 To guide students in becoming adept in responding sensitively, imaginatively and
creatively to the unique features of this extraordinary literary work, and to refine
their ability to communicate that response effectively in both oral and written
form.
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 To emphasize to students the richness and ambiguity at the heart of literary texts,
and of the consequent need to develop an informed and authoritative voice when
presenting critical arguments based on literary analysis.

Course Content and Tentative Reading Schedule

o The course will begin with a brief introduction to the Ireland of Joyce’s time, a
short summary of the highlights of Joyce’s literary life, and a general introduction
to Ulysses.
o We will then proceed to respond to the various sections of the novel, in the
manner and according to the timetable outlined in “Reading Assignments on
Ulysses.” We will attempt to follow this timetable as closely as possible.
Assignments and Grading
o Students will be expected to work in groups outside of the classroom to prepare
reports on selected selections of the novel.
o In the third week or so of class, a short essay of five pages on will be assigned,
and will be due two weeks later.
o Term papers (approx. 8 to 10 typed pages) will be assigned after this seminar and
will be due the last week of classes.
Group presentations and participation: The portion of the mark assigned for this part
of the evaluation will be decided by the degree to which you have become engaged with
the text in preparation for class, as reflected in your participation in class, and especially
your group presentation. Each group will also be responsible for devising at least five
questions for discussion, which must be e-mailed (jkingk@yahoo.com) to me on the
Saturday (by 6pm at the latest) on the weekend before the class. Overall
improvement from the first short essay to the term paper will also be factored into this
portion of the mark.
Penalty for unexplained absences:
2-3 missed classes: - one letter grade
4-5 missed classes: - two letter grades
6+ missed class: automatic course failure.
Short Essay: This introductory essay will allow you to get to know the rationale for my
grading system. It will also allow me to discover the general needs of the class in
preparation for the special seminar on essay writing. The short essay will therefore serve
as a starting point for me to help you with your essay-writing skills. If you wish, I will
review this the essay in detail with you, and your grade might be raised if there is
evidence of a considerable improvement between the short essay and the term paper.

Term Paper: You will have a selection of topics, some of which will touch on issues we
have discussed, while others will be on more general topics. Your primary goal is to
demonstrate that, within the broad spectrum of issues explored in the course, you can
generate ideas by approaching some aspect of the novel, and then can present those ideas
in an argument that is clearly structured, well developed and authoritatively expressed.
The quality of the ideas and the manner in which the argument is presented will be the
primary factors in grading the term paper.
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General Tips on Evaluation:

In general, those students who are the most successful in a course are those who
o Attend all classes
o Are fully prepared for all classes
o Participate as much as possible in class
o Have a clear understanding of the specific nature of assignments
o Hand in assignments on time
o Learn from comments on previous assignments
o Discuss any questions they may have for the teacher, either after class, during
offices hours, or by email
o Do not allow tasks – readings, assignments, consultation with me – to wait until
the last minute

Teaching Philosophy and Methods

o My principal concern as a teacher is to foster in you an enthusiasm for the
accomplishments of James Joyce in Ulysses.
o Regardless of what level you may be as a reader of, and writer on literature, at the
beginning of term, my goal is to help you to develop so that by the end of semester you
show a distinct progression in your abilities.
o My assumption is that all students wish to do as well as they possibly can in this class. I
will be do my very best to facilitate your development and, in turn, I assume that you
likewise will be committed to reach your maximum potential in the course. To this end, I
assume that you will show up in time for every class, will not only have done the reading
but will have reflected to a significant degree on the text so that you can make a
worthwhile contribution to class discussion.
o After the initial introductory lectures, the course will proceed through a combination of
lectures, group presentations, and other strategies involving individual and group work.
o While my job as a teacher will be, to a certain degree, to introduce you to Joyce’s novel
and demonstrate the different ways it might be approached, ultimately the learning
process is centred in you. For that reason, I expect that most of your learning will take
place outside the classroom, working on your own and in your group. Participation in
groups has many benefits, including developing your ability to articulate and test your
ideas, to discover the perspective of others, and to learn to perform effectively as a
member of a diverse unit.

Responsibilities of Students:
Given the teaching methods of this course and the mark breakdown, attendance at all classes is
considered essential. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. It is your
responsibility to sign the attendance sheet. If you arrive late for class and cannot sign the sheet,
see me after class to do so. However, out of courtesy to other students and the teacher, you are
strongly encouraged to arrive in class on time.
o In short, I expect you to attend every class and to be on time.
o I expect your group to send me your questions for discussion well before the class in
which you will be presenting your chapter.
o If for some extraordinary reason you must miss class, do not compound your loss by
failing to find out what you need to do to prepare for the next class.
o You should know that Concordia takes the issue of plagiarism very seriously. I will refer
suspected cases of plagiarism to the Vice-Dean, Student Affairs, who has a range of
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penalties for those who plagiarise, including expulsion from the university. You can
avoid plagiarism by consulting Concordia’s Library citation and style guides: http:
/library.concordia.ca/citations.html.
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Eng 355 James Joyce Concordia University

Jason King

Bibliography on James Joyce:

These are some general books on Joyce and on Ulysses; many others are available.

Attridge, Derek, ed. Cambridge Companion to James Joyce 2nd ed.

Attridge and Daniel Ferrer, eds. Post-structuralist Joyce: essays from the French
Attridge and Margery Harper, eds. Semi-colonial Joyce
Beja, Morris and David Norris, eds. Joyce in the hibernian metropolis: essays
Blamires, Harry. The Bloomsday Book: a guide through Joyce's Ulysses.
Budgen, Frank. James Joyce and the making of Ulysses
Bowen, Zack. Ulysses as a comic novel.
Bowen Zack. Musical allusions in the works of James Joyce
Chenge, Vincent. Joyce, race and empire
Delaney, Frank. James Joyce’s odyssey: a guide to the Dublin of Ulysses
Ellmann, Richard. James Joyce (The definitive biography)
Ellmann, Richard. Ulysses on the Liffey
Ellmann, Richard. The consciousness of Joyce
Fairhall, James James Joyce and the question of history
Gifford, Don and Robert J. Seidman, Notes for Joyce: an annotation of James Joyce’s
Ulysses.
Gibson, Andrew. Joyce’s Revenge: History, Politics, and Aesthetics in Ulysses
Gilbert, Stuart. James Joyce's Ulysses: a study.
Hart, Clive, ed. James Joyce's Ulysses: critical essays.
Hayman, David. The mechanics of meaning
Henke, Suzette James Joyce and the politics of desire
Kain, Richard M. Fabulous voyager: a study of James Joyce's Ulysses.
Kenner, Hugh. Joyce’s voices
Kenner, Hugh. Ulysses
Lawrence, Karen The odyssey of style in Ulysses
Mahaffey, Vicki. Reauthorizing Joyce
Nolan, Emer. James Joyce and Nationalism
Norris, Margot. A companion to James Joyce’s Ulysses
Pearce, Richard, ed. Molly Blooms: a polylogue on “Penelope”and cultural studies
Reynolds, Mary T. James Joyce: a collection of critical essays
Seidel, Michael. Epic geography: James Joyce’s Ulysses
Sultan, Stanley. The argument of Ulysses.
Thornton, Weldon. Allusions in Ulysses
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JAMES JOYCE

Group Information:

You will be asked to participate in a group and each group will be given the responsibility
of contextualizing one chapter of Ulysses each week for the class. In class, members of
the group will have the responsibility for introducing the chapter in order to generate
discussion and facilitate textual analysis of Ulysses. Each group will have between fifteen
and twenty minutes to deliver its presentation; it is strongly recommended that groups
work together and nominate one or two (no more than three) speakers to address the class
in a focused and interactive manner rather than each member of the group prepare a
separate and disconnected speech. Each group will also be responsible for devising at
least five questions for discussion, which must be e-mailed (jkingk@yahoo.com) to
me at least three days (by 6pm at the latest) before the class. These questions will be
incorporated into a handout that will be e-mailed to the class. All students are
expected to print out the handouts, read them carefully, and bring them to class.

Each group will also be responsible for submitting a report (approximately one and a half
to two pages in length) on the night of the presentation that will detail the group’s
preparations, division of labour, and summarize how individual group members perceived
and responded to the assigned readings. The quality of the group presentation, questions
for discussion, and the report will all be equally weighted in determining the grade.
Group presentation grades will be given to students when they receive back their short
essay or term paper. Students who would like more detailed feedback about their group
presentations are welcome to consult with me about them during office hours.

Note: It is important that individuals work successfully together. If there are obstacles to
the successful functioning of your group (conflicts in time, etc.), inform me so that you
can be assigned to an alternate group.

You may wish to note the names and coordinates of your group members here:
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Lecture and Discussion Schedule:
Introduction: Ireland; Joyce; Ulysses (Jan 6, Jan 8) Film Screening: The Telemachiad section of
Joseph Strick’s film version of Ulysses (1967).Reading: Declan Kiberd, “Introduction”.
Part I: THE TELMACHIAD

1. Telemachus (Jan. 13); Recommended Reading: Vincent Cheng, “Imagining Selves”,

Joyce, Race and Empire, 151-184.
2. Nestor (Jan. 15) Recommended Reading:; E.L. Epstein, “Nestor” in Hart & Hayman,
17-24.
3. Proteus (Jan. 20) Recommended Reading: J. Mitchell Morse, “Proteus,” in Hart &
Hayman, 29-49.
Part II: THE WANDERING OF ULYSSES

4. Calypso (Jan. 22). Recommended Reading: Cormac Ó Gráda, “Lost in Little Jerusalem:
Leopold Bloom and Irish Jewry”, Journal of Modern Literature, 27, 4 (Summer 2004):
17-26; Andrew Gibson, “Only a Foreigner Would Do: Leopold Bloom, Ireland, and
Jews”, Joyce’s Revenge, 42-59.
5. Lotus-Eaters (Jan. 26);
6. Hades (Jan. 28) Reading: R.M. Adams, “Hades,” in Hart & Hayman, 91-114
7. Aeolus (Feb. 2) Reading: Declan Kiberd, “Ulysses, Newspapers, and Modernism”,
Irish Classics, 463-481; Matthew Spangler, “The Parable of the Plums”, Theatre
Journal vol. 57 n. 1 (2005): 100-103.
8. Lestrygonians (Feb. 4)
9. Scylla and Charybdis (Feb. 9, Feb. 11) Reading: Andrew Gibson, “Gentle Will is Being
Roughly Handled: Scylla and Charybdis, Joyce’s Revenge, 60-80; Robert Kellogg,
“Scylla and Charybdis”, Hart & Hayman, 147-179, Goldberg, The Classical Temper.
10. Wandering Rocks (Feb. 16); Reading: Hugh Kenner, “The Arranger”, Ulysses, 61-71.
11. Sirens (Feb. 18); Reading: Jackson Cope, “Sirens”, in Hart & Hayman, 217-242.
Short Essay Dues
12. Cyclops (March. 3, March 5); Reading: Emer Nolan, “Talking About Injustice': Parody,
satire and invective in Ulysses”, James Joyce and Nationalism, 85-118; Seamus Deane,
“Joyce and Nationalism”, Celtic Revivals, 92-107; Vincent Cheng, “Imagining Nations”,
Joyce, Race and Empire, 185-218.
13. Nausicaa (March. 10) Reading: Andrew Gibson, “Waking Up in Ireland: Nausicaa”,
Joyce’s Revenge, 127-149; Jennifer Wicke, “Joyce and Consumer Culture”, Cambridge
Companion to James Joyce, 234-253; Jennifer Levine, “Nausicaa,” 128-34; Patrick
McGee, When is a Man not a Man,” 122-27; and Richard Pearse, “Nausicaa” 106-14 all
in Beja and Norris
14. Oxen of the Sun (March. 12) Reading: Andrew Gibson, “An Irish Bull in an English
China Shop: Oxen of the Sun”, Joyce’s Revenge, 150-182; Hugh Kenner,
“Metempsychoses”, Ulysses, 107-117; Karen Lawrence, Odyssey of Style; Mark Osteen,
“Cribs in the Countinghouse,” in Beja and Norris, 237-49.
15. Circe (March. 17, March. 19). Film screening: The Circe section of Joseph Strick’s film
version of Ulysses (1967). Reading: Suzette Henke, “Uncoupling Ulysses: Joyce’s New
Womanly Man”, James Joyce and the Politics of Desire, 106-125.
Part III: THE HOMECOMING
16. Eumaeus (March 24) Reading: Gerard Bruns, “Eumaeus,” in Hart & Hayman, 368-83
17. Ithaca (March. 26)
18. Penelope; (March. 31, April. 2); Suzette Henke, “Molly Bloom: The Woman’s Story”,
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James Joyce and the Politics of Desire, 126-165.
Concluding class (Final Essay due): (April 9)