IMAGES OF SELF AND OTHER IN LITERATURE AND FILM: FRESHMAN SEMINAR

GNST 1200: FALL (I) 2001

Bob Corbett, instructor

MEETS: 10:00 - 12:00 NOON,

BELOW YOU WILL FIND INFORMATION ON:

Course Objectives
Readings
Syllabus
Course Requirements and Grading

Course Objectives (short version).
Brief course description: Freshman seminar is an attempt to introduce students to life in the university, the spirit of inquiry and some of the skills and expectations they will have placed on them. Professors tend to pick a subject matter that lends itself to discussion, inquiry and expression as well as a grounds for research, writing and formal oral expression. For this particular Freshman seminar I have chosen to look at several plays and short stories and excerpts from novels and at one film all of which are related to images of the self or the self-other relationship.
The Readings and Film
1. We will see the film: Zorba the Greek.
2. We will read:
  - The Zoo Story by Edward Albee.
  - No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre.
  - The Grand Inquisitor scene from Fydor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazo
  - A Happy Death by Albert Camus.
  - Indiduals or groups will do special projects on one of the following novels:
    1. The Stranger by Albert Camus.
    2. The Plague by Albert Camus.
    3. The Fall by Albert Camus.
    4. The Abraham scene from Soren Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling.
    5. Man's Fate by Andre Malraux.
    6. Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre.
    7. The Trial by Franz Kafka.
    8. Other novels by special request and with permission of instructor.
    9. The non-fiction short work of Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus.

The Syllabus

Date	General Class Activity	Class	Assignments and Expectations
Tues Sept 4	General introduction to the course and to the notion of a Freshman Seminar	1	General introduction to the course and to the notion of a Freshman Seminar
Thurs. Sept 6	Viewing of the film, Zorba the Greek	2	Viewing of the Film, Zorba the Greek.
Tues Sept 11	Discussion of the film, Zorba the Greek	3	Turn in written assignment on Zorba the Greek
Thurs. Sept 13	Discussion of the film, Zorba the Greek	4
Tues Sept 18	Beginning of discussion of The Zoo Story by Edward Albee	5	Turn in written assignment on The Zoo Story
Thurs. Sept 20	Conclusion of discussion of The Zoo Story by Edward Albee	6
Tues Sept 25	Beginning of discussion of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre	7	Turn in written assignment on No Exit
Thurs. Sept 27	Conclusion of discussion of No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre	8	First meeting on the oral presentation.
Tues Oct. 2	Beginning of discussion of The Grand Inquisitor scene by Fydor Dostoevsky	9	Read The Grand Inquisitor Scene from The Brothers Karamazov. Also you must Turn in written assignment on The Grand Inquisitor
Thurs. Oct. 4	Conclusion of discussion of The Grand Inquisitor scene	10
Tues Oct. 9	Class day free to allow longer meetings on the oral presentations. 2nd meeting for each student	11	Second meeting on oral presentation.
Thurs. Oct. 11	Beginning discussion of A Happy Death by Albert Camus.	12	Turn in written assignment on A Happy Death
Tues Oct. 16	Conclusion of discussion of A Happy Death.	13
Thurs. Oct. 18	Oral presentations on works read by individuals and groups	14	Oral presentations on works read by individuals and groups
Tues Oct. 23	Oral presentations on works read by individuals and groups	15	Oral presentations on works read by individuals and groups
Thurs. Oct. 25	Final Examination	16	Final Examination

Course Requirements and Grading
Grading: While I will grade each individual assignment, the grade of the course will not be merely the sum of the individual grades. Rather, I will take into account an overall sense of quality in the general tone of one's work. However, the sum of one's individual grades will certainly be a strong indication of where one stands. In a rough sense the assigments will be valued in this fashion:
- Attendance: This will be only a negative possibility. You begin will full credit.
  - If you miss more than 2 class your grade will be lowered one full letter grade.
  - If you miss more than 3 classes your grade will be lowered two full letter grades.
  - If you miss more than 4 classes your grade will be lowered three full letter grades.
  - If you miss 6 classes you will receive a grade of F.
  - Special classes There are two special off-campus meetings: Your initial meeting over your special novel and the second meeting on the novel. To miss either one of those three would count as such a serious absence that it would lower your grade and entire grade notch.
  - Special note on being late: Our class begins at 10 AM, sharp. That doesn't not mean 10:01 or after. I will count everyone present who is in the room at 10:00 AM when we begin. Others will be counted as late. Were a person to be more than 10 minutes late then they are regarded as having missed the entire first hour. Three grades of late (that is, late at all, but less than 10 minutes late) will count as having missed an entire 1/2 class.
  - Special note on breaks.I will give a TEN MINUTE break near mid-class. I have had serious problems in classes in Vienna in starting up again after 10 minutes. At EXACTELY 10 minutes after the break begins I will once again take attendance and the same policy will be used as at the beginning of class. More than three times being at ALL late in return, counts as having missed an entire 1/2 class, and being more than 10 minutes late from break also counts as having missed the entire hour.
- General work required and graded
  - Pre-discussion papers on readings: 30%
  - First meeting on special project: 5%
  - Second meeting on special project: 15%
  - Oral presentation in class: 20%
  - General contribution to class discussion: 15%
  - Final examination: 15%
  - total: .............100%
  Three important additional notes:
  1. I will only give a grade of incomplete in a very unusual circumstance, one in which the student was doing all work in a timely and acceptable fashion and then some major catastrophe strikes, one for which the student can give evidence of and which is seriously debilitating. Even then, an incomplete would be negotiated toward the shortest reasonable time to fulfill the work with no extensions. In only the rarest occasions would a grade for a fulfilled incomplete ever be higher than a C.
  2. Alternative grading procedure is possible: Were any student unhappy with the above grading procedure, the student is welcome to begin discussion with Corbett toward forming an alternative grading procedure. This would take an initial discussion with the Corbett which would be initiated by the student. Were an agreement reached then the student has the responsibility to write up the new grading contract and have it signed by both Corbett and the student. Such a contract would have to be signed and finished, and a copy given to Corbett, before the third week of classes had ended.
  3. A statement on plagiarism. Plag1arism is turning in any written work as one's own which was written by someone else. This is a completely unacceptable behavior in the academic world and is counted as a clear case of cheating. Any student caught plagiarizing in this class will be given an F for the entire course. No second chances will be given. The policy is firm and absolute.

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