Basic Outline Template

Par 1: Main idea/thesis
Background and introductory information

Par 2: Topic
Example / quote
Analysis
Example / quote
Analysis


Par 3: Topic
Example / quote
Analysis
Example / quote
Analysis


Par 4: Topic
Example / quote
Analysis
Example / quote
Analysis

And so on, until...

Conclusion

Final thought

INTD 100:

ANALYSIS ESSAY #1

 Please write an essay that: 

• Analyzes one scene in the novel Dracula, explaining how that scene represents one of the following two critical interpretations of blood discussed in the introduction to the novel. The interpretations are psychoanalytic/sexual, and post-colonial. This essay will require close reading of the text, with specific examples cited from the novel to prove your points. Please note that you may not analyze the novel from the straight literal perspective, as there is nothing to analyze--you would simply be summarizing.

*Your thesis should be composed the two main factors connected above.  Several specific examples of thesis statements will be provided in class.

*While you may analyze one of the scenes you were assigned to analyze in class (such as the blood transfusion scenes or the three vampire women dream sequence), you may not simply rehash what we already discussed about these scenes. In other words, if you choose to analyze one of these particular scenes I will expect serious, thoughtful, original analysis. You may find it is actually easier to analyze a scene that we did not already cover in class.

*You are required to provide plenty of evidence and examples specifically from Dracula and from at least two outside scholarly sources to support your argument. Reference sites, such as Wikipedia, Bookrags, Sparknotes, dictionary. com, or any dictionaries or encyclopedias whatsoever, are not acceptable as “outside sources.”  Instead, consult the library’s research databases and free e-periodicals (available through the library’s website); you may also use the introductions to other editions of Dracula. If you are uncertain about the validity of a source (particularly websites), please email your professor ASAP. Please ask your peer mentors for additional library research help.

*You are required to meet with one of your peer mentors prior to turning in the final draft of your essay. You will receive participation points for fulfilling this requirement.

   

*Since this is an academic analytical essay, only the use of the removed 3rd person perspective is acceptable (no “I,” “we,” “our” “your” or “you,” please). Use academic language throughout; avoid talking about your personal experiences or opinions about the novel. A good “tone” for the writing is to mimic the tone of the introduction to Dracula.

Length: 4-6 pages, double-spaced, Garamond or Times New Roman font

Your essay should include the following components:

A good title that is not too long or too vague. The title should capture the essence of your essay in an interesting and compelling way. It should also include the title Dracula as well as the name of your character—but should also indicate what exactly your essay is focusing on. For example: Blood Transfusions as a Form of Ethnic Cleansing Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a sufficient title.

• An introductory hook that captures the reader’s attention in a strong, but not over-dramatic way. Short and succinct statements go a long way. You may want to open with an image of or quotation from the scene  you are analyzing. You will then want to quickly and naturally move into a clear presentation of your thesis statement.
• A thesis that makes your position on the topic unambiguous (clear), appropriately qualified, and clearly arguable. The thesis should come at the beginning of the essay. Repeat it throughout the essay when the reader might become lost; repeat it as well at the end of the essay, though don’t necessarily repeat it word for word. The thesis is the most important part of your essay, and everything that comes after should exist to prove its validity.
• Clear transitions between paragraphs or topics, and topic sentences (mini-theses) at the beginning of each paragraph.
• An awareness of the historical time period and social context in which the novel was written. This ties into understanding the critical interpretations of blood in the novel. You will likely need to do some further outside research into Victorian England (and possibly Stoker’s Irish background) to understand this aspect of the essay fully. Your outside source(s) will be invaluable in this regard, as “proof” for the validity of your arguments. Always, always, always tie in your observations to the cultural context of the novel.
• Plausible reasons and convincing support for your thesis. You must have at least two or three specific and compelling reasons for your argument. Your support for these reasons should be taken firstly from the novel itself, as well as your outside research (both are crucial). Don’t forget that you will need to provide evidence from the scene itself in order to interpret it critically. In other words, you should use clear examples from the text as often as possible to back-up your arguments.  If, for example, you are writing about Jonathan Harker’s shaving / mirror scene with Dracula in the bedroom through the lens of the pyschoanalytic interpretation, you could utilize the quote: “The whole room behind me was displayed, but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself” (Stoker 36).
• A logical order of organization that will guide the reader through your argument in a clear, convincing way.
• An awareness of your audience. You are speaking to a general academic audience, who may or may not have read Dracula. You need to give context to the quotations you take from the text, and not assume that your reader knows the book as you do. Your audience is also secular, so if you choose to write about Dracula via the religious perspective, do not bring in your personal spiritual beliefs.
• Proper MLA documentation. Your final draft should include a Works Cited page with a list of all sources used in the paper (likely just the one outside source as well as the novel Dracula). In addition, you may use more than one outside source if you so choose. 
• If you have trouble filling up 4 pages with your scene, you may choose to analyze two corresponding or related scenes (for example, two scenes with Renfield, or two blood transfusion scenes, or a scene with Lucy's sleep-walking and another scene where she is getting a blood transfusion).

*Remember when using resources the goal is not to simply plop them into the essay and hope the reader understands their purpose.  It is the job of the writer to smoothly integrate short pieces of information into his/her prose according to proper documentary style, as well as to discuss the research’s significance to your essay.  Also, remember you will not impress a reader by presenting huge chunks of quotes and that there will be a significant grade penalty for using block quotes (quotes longer than five lines).  Finally, don’t forget to introduce your resources!

Fallacy Skits

On Thursday, you will be meeting outside of class with a group in order to put together fallacy skits for presentation on next Tuesday's class.

The purpose of this assignment is to help you to make logical arguments with sound reasoning in your papers.

In your groups, please first read Love is Fallacy together.

Then, put together a 1-3 minute skit that demonstrates the fallacy I have assigned you in class. DO NOT SHARE WITH YOUR OTHER CLASSMATES WHICH FALLACY YOU HAVE. They will be guessing your fallacies in class.

You will want to learn the following fallacies before Tuesday's class, so that you can properly guess which fallacies your classmates are performing.

Office hours

Professor Durbin's office hours are from 2-3 on Wednesdays and Fridays. I am also available by appt Tuesday-Friday, provided we make plans in advance.

I will show you my office (which is on the very top floor of Mendenhall) next week, after the weather cools off.

COURSE SCHEDULE

COURSE SCHEDULE

*The course schedule is subject to change with notice. Always bring your book to class with you on the day on which we are discussing it.

WEEK 1

Thursday, Sept 10
Course Introductions
HW for Tuesday, Sept 15: read Introduction to Dracula and read the novel up to page 25

WEEK 2

Tuesday, Sept 15
Fallacy Skit pairs; Basic Notetaking Skills; Monster Thesis 1-2
HW: read Dracula up to page 100

Th, Sept 17
Meetings for Fallacy Skit *you and your partner will meet outside of class; we will not meet in the classroom this day
HW for Tu: read Dracula up to page 150; complete fallacy skits

WEEK 3

Tu, Sept 22
Essay #1 Introduction in Class & Grading Expectations; Fallacy Skits; Writing an Outline
HW for Th: read Dracula up to page 225; make sure to bring laptops & other devices to class on Thursday

Th, Sept 24
LIBRARY INSTRUCTION DAY
*Bring your laptops to class if you have them (if you do not have them, the next best choice is an iPad, and after that the next best choice is an iPhone)
HW for Tu: read Dracula up to page 300

WEEK 4

Tu, Sept 29, Monster Thesis 3-4
HW: complete outline of Essay #1; bring 2 copies to class typed and printed; read Dracula up to page 350

Th, Oct 1 Workshop #1
HW: read Dracula up to page 400

WEEK 5

Tu, Oct 6 MLA Style Day
HW: finish Dracula; read "Critical Excerpts" in the back of the book; finish final draft of Essay #1

Th Oct 8 Essay #1 Due, Monster Thesis 5-6-7
HW: read "Interview with the Vampire" to page 75

WEEK 6

Tu Oct 13
HW: read "Interview with the Vampire" to page 150

Th Oct 15
HW: read "Interview with the Vampire" to page 225

WEEK 7

Tu Oct 20
HW: read "Interview with the Vampire to page 300

Th Oct 22 In Class Essay introduction
HW: finish Interview with the Vampire; read page 19-50 in "Frankenstein"

WEEK 8

Tu Oct 27 In-Class Essay
HW: read "Frankenstein" to page 106

Th Oct 29 Essay #3 Introduction
HW: read "Frankenstein" to page 151

WEEK 9

Tu Nov 3 Rough Drafts Introduction
HW: finish "Frankenstein;" read "A Critical History of Frankenstein" pg. 237-50

Th Nov 5
HW: read "I Am Legend to page 75

WEEK 10

Tu Nov 10
HW: finish "I Am Legend;" complete rough draft of Essay #3 & bring two copies to class for workshop

Th Nov 12 Rough Draft Workshop
HW: read "Introduction to Norton Fairy Tales;" read "Introduction to Hansel and Gretel" in Norton, read "Hansel and Gretel" p. 184 in Norton, read "The Juniper Tree" p. 190 in Norton, read  "Little Thumbling" p. 199 in Norton 

WEEK 11

Tu Nov 17 
HW: Homework: read "Introduction" to Cinderella in Norton, read "Yeh-hsien" p. 107 in Norton, read "Donkeyskin" p. 109 in Norton, read "Cinderella" p. 117 in Norton, read "Catskin" p. 122 in Norton; complete final draft of Essay #3

Th Nov 19 Essay #3 due; Essay #4/Final Project introduction & sign up for presentations; Course Evaluations
HW for Thanksgiving Break: read Jack Zipes "Breaking the Disney Spell" in Norton p. 332, read Donald Haase "Yours, Mine, or Ours?" in Norton p. 353, read "Introduction" to Snow White, read "Snow White" p. 83 in Norton, read "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" p. 96 in Norton, read "Snow White and her Stepmother" in Norton p. 291; work on Final Project  

WEEK 12

Tu Nov 24 
HW: read "Introduction to Bluebeard," read "Bluebird" p. 144 in Norton, read "The Robber Bridegroom" p. 151 in Norton, read "Bluebeard's Egg" p. 156 in Norton, read "The Bloody Chamber" LINK TO FULL TEXT ONLINE HERE

Th Nov 26 Thanksgiving Break

WEEK 13

Tu Dec 1 
HW: prepare final projects

Th Dec 3 NO CLASS - Professor at conference
HW: prepare final projects

WEEK 14
Tu Dec 8 PRESENTATIONS DAY

Th Dec 10 PRESENTATIONS DAY

FINALS WEEK
Your final presentation and paper are your final in this course. We do not meet during finals week. Good luck on all your finals! Congrats on a job well done.

It's In The Syllabus

I N T D   1 0 0:

MONSTERS AND FAIRY TALES

Fall 2015                                                                                                       

Professor: Kate Durbin

Email: katedurbinteacher@gmail.com

“A nightmarish figure dwelling somewhere between genuine terror and high camp, a morbid repository for the psychic projections of diverse cultures, an endless recyclable mass-media icon, the vampire is an enduring object of fascination, fear, ridicule, and reverence.”

-back cover of The Vampire Lectures by Laurence Rickels

“Monsters…serve as the ultimate incorporation of our anxieties—about history, about identity, about our very humanity. As they always will.”–Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Monster Theory

Course Objectives

This course is designed to help you become a successful critical thinker and writer, equipped for the rigors of academic discourse. You will achieve these goals by cultivating active reading skills, developing effective writing habits, and learning to understand and use the many rhetorical techniques available to writers. By the end of the semester, you should be able to:

-       Read texts critically, noting how a text’s style, structure, and context contribute to its meanings and implications.

-       Write well organized, clearly written argumentative essays that are supported by strong evidence and clear explanation, and which employ a rhetoric and tone appropriate to the broader academic audience.

-       Research—and integrate—credible and relevant sources that support the thesis of your essays.

-       Apply effective drafting and revision techniques to your essays, including improved proofreading skills.

-       Format your papers according to Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines.

The class readings will act as prompts for critical thinking about and engagement with others’ writing. As a key part of a community of writers, you will actively critique your peers’ work. Lively and regular engagement in the classroom is also necessary to your success in INTD 100. This class, which emphasizes the process of writing, will require a considerable workload, and moves at a rapid pace, so you must be prepared to commit a substantial amount of time to each assignment.

Why Monsters? Why Fairy Tales?

Monsters have been with us since the dawn of civilization, as well as the dawn of literature. From the chupacabra of Latin America to Dracula of Eastern and then Western Europe to the boogeyman of suburban childhood to the globalized threat of the zombies of 28 Days Later to the sexy North American vampires of the Twilight series, monsters have long provided us with clues to better understanding the various cultures from which they spawned—in particular, to understanding cultural fears, taboos, fantasies, and hidden desires. Three persistent cultural fears and desires monsters persistently remind us of—and of which we will talk about at length in this class—are long-standing human feelings toward difference (the Other), sex, and death.

Monsters have stalked us throughout the centuries, mutating with the times and yet still remaining stubbornly socially unacceptable and often undead. In this course, we will explore how the monster’s trajectory through culture, time and space reflects our own. 

Fairy tales are rife with monsters--from the big bad wolf to the witch in Sleeping Beauty. Our exploration of these culture-shaping myths will follow the same vein as our study of horror narratives, but in addition to studying the cultural fears and desires the monsters in fairy tales represent, we will also examine the ways in which the narratives of fairy tales have shaped various social norms and taboos for centuries. We will look at the ways in which these (sometimes archaic) archetypal narratives still pop up in our world today, even where we least expect it. We will also look for the ways in which some of these narratives have shifted with the times. 

Required Texts and Supplies

Dracula by Bram Stoker ISBN-10: 0743477367 *very important that you have this specific edition, for the introduction

Norton Fairy Tales

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Frankenstein (Norton Critical) 

Readings via links on Class Blog (check syllabus)

Note: Always, always bring the book you were assigned to read and A Writer’s Reference to every class meeting unless informed otherwise by your Professor. Please note that even if we do not useA Writer’s Reference in class for several weeks, you are still required to have it on hand. Points will be taken off for failure to purchase and utilize this book.

Note: All books are available in the Whittier College Bookstore, and also can be purchased at Amazon.com (please choose 2-day delivery if you order online, and order immediately).

Note: Make sure you get the same editions of the books your teacher has and the bookstore has. You cannot use different editions, as they do not have the required supplemental texts. You will lose points for having the wrong editions.

NOTE: THE BOOKSTORE RETURNS ALL UNBOUGHT BOOKS AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS INTO THE SEMESTER! DO NOT WAIT TO BUY ANY OF YOUR BOOKS.

Note: Points will be taken off for those who fail to have their books on time. All of the books you are to buy for this class are relatively cheap, and plentiful—I would strongly recommend ordering them new and having them shipped as quickly as possible.

Course Requirements

Students will write four essays, one of which is an in-class essay. The course will also include in-class quizzes, writing process work, Peer Reviews, and other group work. Students will compose first drafts of all their essays, in addition to other pre-writing activities such as outlining and brainstorming. They may also receive the opportunity to share some of their writing aloud with the entire class, as well as with one another in Peer Reviews. Any work done in class cannot be made up if missed. Homework will include reading comprehension questions, and writing process work.

Note: To insure participation and on-time attendance, there will be a daily reading question at the beginning of class which functions both as a critical writing assignment and a reading/participation quiz.  These quizzes are absolutely unrepeatable and impossible to make up. You must do your reading regularly. Anyone who does not regularly do well on reading quizzes will not pass the course.

Written Assignment Standards

Any writing done outside of class must be typed and follow the conventions of MLA style (see A Writer’s Reference 354-412). All outside assignments should be in twelve point Times New Roman or Garamond fonts, with one-inch margins, and black ink only. Do not use title pages or report covers; follow the MLA guidelines for formatting. All copies must be submitted on time. In addition, please think ahead when it comes to printing out, stapling essays, etc. Never turn in faded printing or unstapled documents.  Never turn in any assignment without your name, my name, the date, and the class time, typed in the far left corner. Points will be taken off for failure to follow these basic instructions. I do not provide staples in class, and I do take points off for late work—even if it’s just ten or fifteen minutes late. 

Very Important Note: While you will be turning in hard copies of your rough drafts and a few other assignments, you will be required to turn in your final drafts via email only. The same formatting and MLA guidelines apply to these emailed assignments, as does the fact that they are due at the beginning of class. All of your emailed assignments will receive notes and scores electronically only, which is very convenient, organized, and helpful for both you and me. 

Please note that I do not accept hard copy assignments such as rough drafts via email. The only assignments I accept via email are final drafts. This is to ensure I keep my inbox organized.

Also, please note that for every half hour a paper is late, your score goes down one whole letter grade.

Point Breakdown

Quizzes, Homework, Class Participation and Activities: 200

Essay #1—Analysis: 150

Essay #2—In Class Essay (Comparison/Contrast): 200

Essay #3—Argument: 200

Essay #4—Final Essay: 250

Total: 1000

Attendance Policies

As your success depends on regular attendance and active participation, regular attendance is required.  Work done in class—quizzes, group work, Peer Reviews, etc.—cannot be made up and you will not be allowed to make up work completed after you arrive. You will also not receive participation credit if you are not in class to participate! Participation credit is primarily given for sharing your thoughts aloud during class discussions--so please speak up. 

If you have to be absent, please make arrangements with a classmate to turn in assignments for you, or turn in your work to my mailbox in in the English Dept. at least twenty minutes before the start of class (I will pick it up before class begins).  No excuses, barring written, professional proof of illness or extreme emergency, will be accepted without prior notice.

Note: The Professor reserves the right to lower the final grade of any student with more than two unexcused absences or three unexcused tardies. Please do not be tardy. It is very disruptive to the class and to myself, and this class meets for a very short time frame. However, if you do end up arriving late for whatever reason, enter the room quietly. All tardies, whether I appear to notice your late entrance or not, are duly noted. In addition, if you are more than 15 minutes late to class, I will consider you absent.

Lastly, please do not arrive on time and then ask to be excused to the restroom or to get a drink of water. Do these things before class, or you will be considered tardy. Please don't leave in the middle of class to do these things either, except on rare occasions (and in those cases do them quickly and return to class). I require that you ask me permission before leaving, only because students have exploited this option in the past. 

If you have a medical condition, let me know.

Missing/Late Assignments

All homework assignments and essays are due at the beginning of class. Late papers will not be accepted under any but the most extreme circumstances, and written proof will always be required (notes from parents do not count).  Computer or printer problems, procrastination, and the complications of your academic and social lives are not extreme circumstances. This class has a heavy workload, and if I accept your late assignments, not only do you create more work for me, but you hinder yourself as well.  If you know you will be gone, hand in or have a peer turn in your work for you. If it is an email assignment, obviously you should simply email it early.

Class Conduct

Cell phones should be quiet and out of sight.  Absolutely no texting and no taking phone calls during class. If I see you looking at your phone once class has started (even just pulling it out of your pocket), it will be mine until the end of class. Please be respectful and do not talk while others are sharing. Raise your hand before speaking. As mentioned prior, be on time, and if you are late, enter the room very quietly. Stay in the room during class unless absolutely necessary (and abuse of this privilege will result in loss of the privilege). Please use the restroom and get water before class begins, not right after it does. You are welcome to bring food and drinks into class provided they don’t become a distraction.

Note: If you prefer to take notes on a laptop or iPad please discuss this with me. In general, I prefer for you to take notes on paper, so as not to disrupt the focus of our attentions in class.

Final Thoughts

A composition class requires hard work and is time consuming.  Double check your schedule to be sure you have allotted enough time for this class.  The rule of thumb is to expect to work two hours out of class for every hour in class. 

This will be one of the most important classes you take—one that will affect how you do in your other classes as well as your job performance after graduation.  Work hard.  Do well.  Your hard work will pay rich dividends beyond your academic career.

*A syllabus is a contract. Your continued attendance in this class means that you have read, understand, and agree to all of the expectations, policies and guidelines in this syllabus. I strongly recommend reviewing the syllabus several times throughout the semester, paying close attention to the attendance and class work policies.