ENG 3401:  LAW THROUGH LITERATURE:  FEELING THE LAW

Dr. Matthew K. Gold                                  M,W 4-5:15PM

Email:  mgold@citytech.cuny.edu                Section 5570

Phone:  (718) 260-4972                              Room: Namm 521

Office:  Namm 520                                    Spring 2009

Office Hours:  M, W 5:15-6:15

and by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

"That's the Law. What mistake could there be?" "I don't know that law," said K. "All the worse for you," said the guard. "It probably exists only in your heads," said K; he wanted to slip into his guards' thoughts somehow and turn them to his own advantage or accustom himself to them. But the guard merely said dimissively, "You'll feel it eventually."

-- Franz Kafka, The Trial

This course attempts to connect the abstract study of the law to the imaginative lives of the people it affects.  We will consider the multiple ways in which the power of the law can impact human imagination, identity, and perception by studying works of literature and theory that dramatize encounters with the law.  Throughout the semester, we will seek to gain a better understanding of how the law works in practice and in ideology; we will consider, in other words, not just what the law is, but what the power of the law does to us:  how it makes us feel, think, act, and live differently than we would were it not to exist.  

Prerequisite:  ENG 1121/EG 121

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

•    Feel the workings of the law through its appearances in fiction and theory

•    Translate feelings into complex, persuasive arguments in various media forms

•    Experiment with nonlinear modes of narrative and argument

•    Research topics that interest you

•    Question authority, power, and the fairness of the law

•    Find spaces in which you can work to improve the workings of the law

REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

•    Marc Falkoff, ed. Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak

•    Michel Foucault, Discipline and Punish (excerpts)

•    Franz Kafka, The Trial

•    Lawrence Lessig, Free Culture

•    Herman Melville, Billy Budd & Other Tales

•    Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins (NORTON CRITICAL ED)

•    Various Handouts and PDF files

•    A reliable computer/internet connection at home or school

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES:

•    Formal essays and projects (40%)

•    Midterm project (15%)

•    Final project (25%)

•    Online assignments (10%)

•    Regular attendance and active classroom participation (10%)

COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES/SITES WE WILL USE:

Blogs (WordPress), Wikis (PBWiki), del.icio.us, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Seesmic, Netvibes and others

COURSE POLICIES:

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory in this discussion-based course.  Students who miss more than three classes for any reason other than a documented emergency will lose one-third of their final grade for each additional absence.  Students who miss more than five classes are likely to fail the course.  

    If you miss class, you must contact your classmates to find out what you’ve missed.  In-class writing assignments cannot be made up.

Please make every effort to arrive on time and to shut off your cell phone before entering the classroom. Arriving after roll has been taken will count as a lateness and one-third of an absence.  Please do not read or write text messages in class unless asked to do so by Professor Gold, as this activity is distracting and disrespectful.

Participation: The success of this course depends upon your regular and active participation in class discussions. To receive full credit for participation, you must make constructive contributions to our classroom discussions.  This includes the completion of all reading and writing assignments.  

Deadlines: You must adhere to your assigned dates and times. All assignments must be prepared prior to the class meeting, according to the due date and time, and fully complete.  Late work will not be graded.  Period.  All assignments are due by the start of class on the due date.  After this time, they will be accepted with a "0" grade and are required to pass the course.  Period.

If you need an extension, you must contact me at least 24 hours before the assignment is due to explain why an extension is necessary.  If the assignment is due in less than 24 hours, do not waste your time or mine by asking for an extension.

You will be responsible for all assignments and deadlines regardless of absences.  Hence, I strongly recommend that you have a contact person in the class from whom you can get assignments and notes in the event of an absence.  

Paper Format:  All papers must be typed and double-spaced.  Use a legible 12-point font such as Times New Roman, and format your papers with 1” margins on all sides.  Give your paper a creative title that sums up your argument.  Citations and title formatting should conform to the MLA guidelines that we will discuss in class.

Revisions:  Revision is an essential part of the writing process.  Real revision involves a re-visioning and re-fashioning of the original paper, not just the completion of superficial corrections.  Hand in revisions with the original essay and the original grading sheet.  On the heading, indicate “Revision of Essay #” and the date on which you are handing it in.

Personal Conferences:  Meeting with me during office hours is one of the most important things you can do to improve your work.  If you cannot make it to my office hours, we can set up an appointment at a mutually convenient time.  Email is the best way to reach me; I will attempt to respond to all messages within 24 hours.

Email Etiquette:  In your email messages to me, please observe the rules of formal letter-writing etiquette:  begin each message with a greeting (“Dear Professor Gold”) and end each message with a closing (“Sincerely, Model Student”).  Avoid texting language (“yo whattup prof. g?  How r u?”).  Use standard punctuation and capitalization.  Messages that that do not comply with this etiquette will be deleted.

Incompletes:  Incomplete grades will not be given except under extraordinary circumstances, and even then, the student must have completed course work at a passing level and must complete a written agreement with me regarding the completion of the work.

New York City College of Technology Policy on Academic Integrity:  Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog.

Plagiarism: DON’T DO IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!!!!  Know that the penalties for plagiarism in this course include failure of the course and additional academic sanctions.  I will report all incidences of plagiarism to City Tech’s Academic Integrity Officer.  If you are confused about what plagiarism is or have questions about how you should avoid it, please contact me before your paper is due.  Do not, under any circumstances, hand in plagiarized work.

Students With Disabilities:  Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. I will work with the Student Support Services Program (Atrium 237 – 718-260-5143) to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.

Syllabus Disclaimer:  Any part of this syllabus may be revised during in the semester at the sole discretion of the instructor.

COURSE RESOURCES:

City Tech Learning Center:  Atrium G-18, (718) 260-5874

The Atrium Learning Center provides a wide range of free academic support services to City Tech students, including computer facilities, tutoring assistance, and workshops.  Tutors in the Learning Center can help you focus and develop your papers; please visit the center as often as possible this semester.  

The Ursula C. Sherwin Library:   Atrium Fourth Floor, (718) 260-5485

It is my hope that you will become intimately familiar with the library this semester.  During the semester, we will meet with a librarian for a session on the effective use of online resources and literary databases.

COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change):

For an up to date listing of our reading schedule, please see the Class Notes section of the wiki