English 191: Senior Writing Seminar

Fall 2016

Teacher: Kelsey Brakefield

Course Description:
This course centers on the research, ideation, and writing of the senior literature
thesis, a 20+ page critical investigation of a single text (selected by you prior to the
start of class). Our weekly meetings will consist primarily of discussions and
activities in which we analyze literature and literary criticism. By examining writing-
as-writing -- whether peer reviewed or student written -- we intend to demystify the
world of literary scholarship while helping student writers add their voices to the
conversation.

Course Texts, as Selected by Students:

Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston
Oedipus the King by Sophocles
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Benito Cereno by Herman Melville
The Cleft by Doris Lessing
Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Valiant by Holly Black

All the above texts are on 24-hour reserve at the librarys front desk. Additional
readings will be assigned throughout the semester and can be found on Blackboard.

A note on the reading:

Because of the heavy writing load this course requires, reading eight texts in their
entirety might not be possible. Students are instead required to read a section from
each text, selected by the student writer: reading is due on the day that the text is
presented. Furthermore, students have been divided into two groups to allow more
focused support from fellow students.

Overview of Assignments:
Assignments include readings, short writing assignments, peer feedback, and paper
drafts. The assignment due dates are listed in the schedule section of this syllabus.
Readings must be completed by the day under which they are listed, so come to
class prepared to discuss what is listed for that day. Although you may opt to use
tablet readers in lieu of printed readings, the use of laptops in class is discouraged
unless you have an SSD accommodation and have talked to Ms. Brakefield (or
unless otherwise noted). Electronic submission of assignments will not be accepted
unless youve been given direction to do so or have arranged something in advance.
Please note that all your written work needs to be formatted in a 12-point serif font
with double-spaced text, one-inch margins, and using MLA style. If you will not be in
class the day a written assignment is due, you must email the document(s) to Ms.
Brakefield prior to the start of class.

Policies and Resources:

Plagiarism:
You can find the colleges official policy on plagiarism at the following link:
http://www.mills.edu/handbook.pdf. We define plagiarism as taking credit for work
that is not yours. If you need clarification on how to properly cite sources or refer to
outside material and ideas in your work, please ask.

Resources:
The Writing Center is a great resourcetake advantage of it! It's located at the
Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) (writing_ctr@mills.edu), there you can also
find Multilingual Services (MLS) (cae@mills.edu). Student Access and
Support Services (SASS) is located in Cowell (ssdhelp@mills.edu). Students with
learning and/or physical challenges who believe they may need accommodations in
this class are encouraged to contact SASS as soon as possible to better ensure that
such accommodations are implemented in a timely manner. The Counseling
Center is located in the Cowell Building (counseling@mills.edu). Please do not
hesitate to talk to Dr. Saxton or your TAs about the many helpful learning resources
here at Mills.

Gender Identity:
Please let me know if there is a name other than the one listed on the registration
roster that you wish to be known by or if you wish to be referred to by a particular
set of pronouns. Your fellow students and we will honor your stated preferences in
all official and unofficial communications and in all classroom activities.

Email:
Students can and are encouraged to email me at any time, for any reason, but
please allow 48 hours for me to get your message and respond. If you do not hear
from me after two days have elapsed, feel free to resend your message. Office hour
appointments outside of regular hours can be made via email or after class.

Course Schedule:
Week One, August 26:
Welcome & class overview
What the senior thesis looks like
Sign up for presentations and snacks
Due: Statement of interest (see email for description) & short close reading
Week Two, September 2:
Dissecting a critical article
Research basics
Due: Text background assignment (see email); reading TBA

Week Three, September 9:

Presentations
What is a literature review?
Due: Research assignment; reading for presentations

Week Four, September 16:

Presentations
Joining the conversation
Due: Literature review assignment; reading for presentations, additional
reading TBA
Week Five, September 23:
*MILLS PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION DAY, NO CLASS MEETING*

Week Six, September 30:

Presentations
Abstracts & Arguments
Due: Abstract assignment, Quotation assignment; reading for presentations

Week Seven, October 7:

Presentations
Analyzing a close reading
Due: Close reading assignment #1

Week Eight, October 14:

On the level of the sentence
Workshop: Mini-Draft
Due: 4+ pages

Week Nine, October 21:

Workshop: close readings
Due: Revised works cited page; essay mapping assignment

Week Ten, October 28:

Introductions
One-on-ones
Due: 13+ pages

Week Eleven, November 4:

Feedback & Revision
 Due: Peer editing assignment; Close reading assignment #2

Week Twelve, November 11:

Transitions
Style & voice
Due: 18+ pages

Week Thirteen, November 18:

TBD
Due: Full rough draft

Week Fourteen, November 25: NO CLASS, THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week Fifteen, December 2: LAST CLASS

Final feedback
Due: Revised full draft

Week Sixteen, December 9: NO CLASS

Due: Final paper (more details about the final submission will be
forthcoming)