ENG 2900H Reflections on a Changing World

LITERATURE ACROSS TIME AND (WESTERN) CULTURE: THE PENDULUM SWINGS!

Spring 2022 Professor Jeff Massey

ONLINE synchronous and asynchronous Office: my attic? / email
T 6:35-9:25 jmassey@molloy.edu

“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

--Sir Isaac Newton

Catalog Description: This course traces—in selected literature—major themes and ideas that helped shape
modern western civilization. Honors students only.
My Description: Times change. People change. Tastes change. Modest house frocks transform into obscene
mini-skirts; gentle four-part harmonies give way to pounding punk expletives; war-mongers are swarmed by
flower-power hippies. Although these examples may seem superficial, such outward changes in society—
swings of the cultural pendulum, if you will—often reflect larger changes in political ideologies, religious
beliefs, and philosophical schools. Each generation reacts to the last, and if (as the old adage goes) the apple
rarely falls far from the tree, it seems that the societal apple nonetheless strives to distance itself from its
roots, to declare itself as DIFFERENT (and often better) than its progenitor.

Really: no one—and no culture—wants to be forever known as simply “the child of X.”

And so, in an effort to better understand how the world at large works, this class will read a generous selection of
avant-garde texts reflecting (and reflecting upon) the changing tastes and ideologies of Western culture, from the
Medieval period to the cusp of our Modern Era. The pendulum swings!
Particulars: Zoom-ups, discussion threads, formal essays, final essay, final exam, weirdness, participation.
Required “dead tree” Texts:
Jeff Massey (ed) / The Pendulum Swings! / Ars Omnia / 978-1522708759

Highly recommended “dead tree” Texts:

Dante (Mandelbaum trans) / Inferno / Bantam / 978-0553213393
Mary Shelley / Frankenstein (1818 edition) / Penguin / 978-0143131847
[NB: these, as well as additional readings / viewings, will be made available online.]

Grading: Directed Assignments: 20% (10 @ 2pts ea)

Formal Essays: 20% (2 @ 10pts ea)
Scavenger Hunt: 20% (pix and proofs)
Final Exam: 20% (cumulative)
Participation: 10% (preparedness, volubility, audio/visual)
Final Group “Essay”: 10% (constructed)

Modalities:
Given the difficulty of a three-hour long evening “seminar” English course required of (mostly) non-majors,
Professor McGann and I have agreed to split this course into (roughly) half synchronous IRT Zoom sessions and
(roughly) half asynchronous directed assignments. In other words, we will all meet together—via Zoom—from
6:35-8:00(ish); you will then pursue further readings/viewings and post responses (to our Canvas site) over the
next 48 hours. Some of these directed assignments may be public discussion threads; others may be short essay-
style responses; others may be quick quizlets or pop-culture reflections. Details to follow as each week
approaches. Together, this hybrid synchronous/asynchronous modality (IRT discussion and independent
investigation) should, we trust, cover the requisite learning outcomes for the course.

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Attendance Policy [ZOOM+]:
Although this is a weird hybrid evening online course, we will still maintain academic and attendance standards to the best of
our common abilities. To that end, attendance will be logged at the beginning of each Zoom meeting. If you log in late (not
recommended, really), you will be “docked” a half-attendance for the day. More than two (2) unexcused absences over the
course of the semester will negatively impact your final grade (every absence in excess of two results in the loss of 2 points
from your Participation grade). If you encounter a legitimate reason for missing class, please contact me in advance in order
to make suitable arrangements. I am required to record all absences and to report them to the registrar at the end of term;
should you miss two consecutive weeks of class, or lose digital contact with me for two consecutive weeks, I am required to
report you as “no longer attending” and Admin may drop you from the course. Please note the additional administrative
“boilerplate” verbiage posted on our Canvas site for additional behavioral criteria. Forewarned is forearmed!

Participation [ZOOM]:
I expect active and viso-voluble participation from all y’all, so do show up and speak up. Your participation grade will
be based on your voluntary “classroom” interaction (answer questions; ask questions), your preparedness (do the
readings), and your willingness to contribute (read passages; offer critiques and insights; be a mensch). Simply “tuning
in” to Zoom every day and sitting quietly while your camera pans the ceiling will earn you a “C” for participation…at
best. Because I run a “conversation” course and not a “canned PowerPoint lecture” type of classroom, full participation
is only possible if you have both audio and video running as much as is feasible during our synchronous sessions. It is
simply not enough for you to see/hear me: we must see/hear you. If you find yourself with A/V difficulties for any
reason, please contact me ASAP.

Directed Assignments and Scavenger Hunt [POSTS]:

Following our IRT sessions, you will be complete directed assignments (including a “final” Scavenger Hunt). Some posts
may be guided by very specific prompts, while others may simply offer you a shared forum to ask questions, offer ideas,
share memes, concretize abstractions, or the like. Keep an eye on Canvas for details as the dates approach. And no: I will not
“open up” every asynchronous assignment at the beginning of the term so you can binge-reply everything before Easter. Nor
may you “make-up” past assignments during finals week. Jeepers.

Essays [submitted via CANVAS]:

TWO response essays will cover the “formal writing” element of this English course. MLA format required. Details to follow,
but I generally ask for “well-reasoned creativity” in these essays; they are not research papers and you will be docked for
writing book reports. NB: This class is not the “honors version” of ENG1100; on the contrary, this 2000-level honors course
presupposes your completion of ENG1100 (or equivalent). If you remain concerned or confused regarding the expectations of
a college-level essay as the assignments loom, please contact me—or the Writing Center—for clarification. To ameliorate
anxiety, I will distribute formal essay criteria as deadlines approach; “model essays” are available upon request.

Final Exam [taken via CANVAS]:

The final exam, given synchronously during finals week, is comprehensive and will test character identification,
vocabulary comprehension, and “big picture” understanding. Like everything else in this class, the final exam is not
optional. Please log in on time. Please plan accordingly. Please study.

Plagiarism [NO-NO]:
Don’t. Plagiarism is a breach of academic policy and will result in your receipt of a ZERO for the essay / project in
question, and likely an F for the course as a whole. Naturally, I don’t expect any of us to actively plagiarize another
writer’s work, but we can discuss what qualifies as plagiarism in class just to make sure we don’t accidentally steal
another’s thunder; please refer to the handout on plagiarism attached to this syllabus (if you have ANY question
regarding plagiarism, please contact me ASAP. Ignorance is no excuse after we begin the semester and I expect a certain
collegiate sophistication from honors students). A friendly word of warning: every semester I find myself faced with at
least one case of plagiarism: don’t let that one case be you. If you are found to have plagiarized, you will immediately
receive a ZERO for the assignment in question and I will be forced to report you to The Office of Student Affairs, who
keep track of such academic misconduct and levy additional punishments as Molloy sees fit. And yes: just for the record,
copying/sharing a directed asynchronous assignment is plagiarism (unless assigned as a group project, obvs).

Miscellanea [ETC]:
Students are expected to follow the academic integrity policies outlined in The Molloy Student Handbook. Again, you are
honors students: act accordingly. Please treat others with respect in this class; while I encourage heated debate and
conversation, I will not tolerate abusive arguments, directed profanity, or unwarranted sniping. As a course that traces a
portion of human culture over time, contentious topics such as politics, religion, and gender will come up in
conversation: play nice! Although we may meet during traditional dinner hours, please refrain from eating on screen, as
this will seriously diminish your ability to actively (and politely) engage in class discussion. However, because Professor
Massey is addicted to the damnable coffee bean (thanks a lot, Enlightenment!), drinks—within reason—are okey-dokey.
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 Tentative Reading Schedule
(subject to change according to the whims of god, Nature, and logical positivism)
Modalities and assignments each week are divided by “+++++++++++++++++”

 The Pendulum Swings!

T1.25 Welcome to the course and the major topics in play: gestalt/ideology/zeitgeist
Introductions and a Pop-Quiz!?: The Seven Revolutions (and stuff)
DISCUSS: major thematics—faith, humanism, romanticism, rationalism, (post)modernism
+++++++++++++++++
READ: all the info available on the Canvas site—esp. syllabus and biolerplate
POST 1: Intros and Essays

 Going to/through Hell

T2.1 READ: “Some Thoughts on Dante” (in Pendulum)
READ: Dante Alighieri: Inferno (Cantos I-V)—Mandelbaum translation via Canvas
DISCUSS: The Middle Ages; symbol; metaphor; allegory; evangelism; didacticism;
contrapasso; poetic justice; exile; classicism; ordered universe; Great Chain of Being
+++++++++++++++++
READ: Dante: Inferno (~Cantos VI-XXX)—Mandelbaum translation via Canvas
DISCUSS: major minors
POST 2: Contrapasso Reports

 Nowhere Left But Up?

T2.8 READ: Dante: Inferno (Cantos XXXI-XXXIV)—Mandelbaum translation via Canvas
DISCUSS: incontinence, violence, and fraud; comedy; gross allegory
+++++++++++++++++
VIEW: Thug Notes, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Superbowl XLIV, and “burn people”
POST 3: Neomedieval Appropriation (memes and shitte)

 Have at thee!
T2.15 READ: “Arthur vs. The Giant of Mt St Michel”
DISCUSS: heroism; nation-building; Arthuriana; ethnocentrism; trial-by-combat; Freud; symbols
+++++++++++++++++
READ: Christine de Pizan: “Le Ditie de Jehanne d’Arc”
VIEW: Joan of Arc: God’s Warrior
DISCUSS: gender roles; heroine-ism; martyrdom; Francophone/phile; nationalism
POST 4: Medieval Heroism (then and now)

 Something Rotten
T2.22 READ: “Swing! Medieval to Renaissance”
READ: William Shakespeare: Hamlet—Folger via Canvas (or wherever…it’s Shakespeare!)
DISCUSS: secular humanism; neoplatonism; tragedy; melancholia; doubt; psychomachia
+++++++++++++++++
READ: “Neoplatonism and Humanism”
VIEW: “Crash Course Literature 203 & 204: Hamlet”
POST 5: Hyper-mod Hamlet / Agency

 Fiat lux!
T3.1 READ: “Swing! Renaissance to Enlightenment”
IN-CLASS GROUP READ: René Descartes: Action Philosopher!—PDF via Canvas
DISCUSS: “cogito ergo sum”
*POST: ESSAY ONE: “Damn You To Hell” or “Nintendo 1066”

 It’s Funny ‘cause It’s True

T3.8 READ: Voltaire: Candide
DISCUSS: conte; novella; satire; bildungsroman; irony; picaresque; French Revolution; splatstick
+++++++++++++++++
READ: “Adams: Intellectual Backgrounds”
VIEW: “Coffee!” and “Schadenfreude” (nsfw)
POST 6: Causation vs Correlation
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T3.15 NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK!

 Romantical, Ain’t It?

T3.22 READ: Swing! Enlightenment to Romantic”
READ: Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
READ: Percy Shelley: “Ozymandias” and Horace Smith: “On a Stupendous Leg”
DISCUSS: romanticism; aestheticism; symbolism; metaphor; metacriticism; didacticism; ekphrasis
+++++++++++++++++
VIEW: Romanticism: History of Ideas
READ: William Blake: “The Tyger”; “Marriage of Heaven and Hell”
VIEW/READ: Albatross!; Maiden!; and Albatroaz?
POST 7: Ye Olde Proverbial Swings

 The Modern Prometheus

T3.29 READ: Frankensteinian Cultural Moments
READ: Mary Shelley: Frankenstein—via Canvas if you must, but…jeez.
DISCUSS: industrial revolution; Gothicism; epistolary; feminism; galvanism; “glass ceiling”
+++++++++++++++++
VIEW: “Crash Course Literature 205 & 206: Frankenstein”
POST 8: World’s Most Productive NaNoWriMo

 The Modern Frankenstein

T4.5 DISCUSS: Frankenstein Slideshow
*POST: ESSAY TWO: “Ekphrastastic!” or “Appropriation”

 I see you quiver…with Ratio-cination!

T4.12 READ: “Detective Fiction Notes”
READ: Edgar Allan Poe: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”; “The Purloined Letter”
DISCUSS: detective fiction; ratiocination; profiling; imagination; reason; locked-room mystery
VIEW: “Princess Bride: Iocane Powder”
+++++++++++++++++
READ: “Detective Fiction Notes”
VIEW: The Detective is Born
POST 9: The Ratiocinators


T4.19 NO CLASS: FOUNDERS’ DAY

 Eliminating the Impossible

T4.26 READ: Conan Doyle: “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”; “A Scandal in Bohemia”
DISCUSS: Victorian England; serial fiction; deductive / inductive reasoning; the truth; Ripperology
+++++++++++++++++
VIEW: Sherlock Holmes or “A Study in Pink”
POST 10: Steampunk-ing the Past

 An Object in Motion…
T5.3 *FINAL GROUP “ESSAY”: “Don’t Stop Swingin’ About Tomorrow”
Final Exam Format and Review
+++++++++++++++++
*POST: SCAVENGER HUNT

…An Object at Rest

T5.10 *SYNCHRONOUS FINAL EXAM!

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What is plagiarism?

Plagiarism is undoubtedly the most common form of academic misconduct on college campuses today. According to the
Modern Language Association Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Joseph Gibaldi and Walter S. Achtert, 3rd ed.,
New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1988, p. 21.), "Plagiarism is the act of using another person's
ideas or expressions in your writing without acknowledging the source." This seems plain enough, but sometimes students
who commit plagiarism—particularly first-year students--don't realize it. It's important to know that unintentional plagiarism
is still plagiarism.

Bucknell's Academic Responsibility policy lists the following examples of plagiarism:

o To use a specific idea, detail, illustration drawn from a particular source without reference in a footnote and
bibliography.
o To use general background for an assignment from a book, article, or other source which is not
acknowledged.
o To submit another person's paper, project, or homework as one's own.
o To paraphrase without citing the sources.
o To use even a brief phrase exactly quoted from a source without putting it in quotation marks or indenting
it, and citing it.
o To use material from residence or fraternity files and turn it in as one's own work.
o To use information or material from the Internet without citing the sources.

What's wrong with paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is a dangerous practice that students often think is harmless or even necessary; the original author said it better
than you can, so you're afraid to stray too far from that person's ideas or language. But if you paraphrase, it's still the original
author's idea and a good bit of the original author's language or sentence structure, so you need to cite your source with a
footnote, an endnote, or a parenthetical reference; it's not enough just to list the source in your bibliography. Another
unacceptable practice is patch writing, which is piecing together ideas and parts of sentences from many different sources
without citing your sources. Remember that even if you do cite all your sources, a paper that is composed mostly of other
people's words and ideas with no attempt on your part to synthesize the information or relate it to your own ideas is not a
good paper.

Why do students plagiarize?

Students who know the rules often resort to plagiarism when they haven't managed their time well and they run up against
deadlines. They think that copying or paraphrasing material is preferable to turning in a paper late or turning in a hastily-
written paper because they don't want to get a poor grade. But the effects of being found guilty of plagiarism or any other
form of academic misconduct are much worse than just getting a poor grade. Plan ahead so you will have plenty of time to
research your topic, write and edit the paper, and get help from the Writing Center, a research librarian, or your professor. If
you find yourself crunched for time, ask your professor for an extension on the due date. If you can't have more time, do the
best job you can in the time you have and then accept the consequences to your grade.

The above information on plagiarism was “taken” from the Bucknell University Academic Resource Page:
Avoiding Plagiarism:
Accessed 1.9.9—Professor Jeff Massey.
NB: I, and Molloy College, follow these basic parameters—so must you.

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 Molloy College English Department / Boilerplate Syllabus Info

Semester: Spring 2022

Faculty: Massey
Course Number & Section(s): ENG 2900.01/02
Title: Modern Minds
Catalogue Description: see syllabus Credit: 3

Communicating Across the Curriculum Program: Percentage of Grade Involving Evaluation of Writing,
Speaking, Critical Thinking Skills: 100%

Academic Integrity: The Academic Integrity Policy in the Student Handbook governs students. Work may be
checked through turnitin.com.

Disabilities: Students with documented disabilities who need accommodations in this class should contact the
Disabilities Support Service Office, Casey Building Room 11, telephone number Oriole 8 5000, Extension 6381,
for appropriate accommodations.

MAJOR GOALS OF THIS COURSE

1. Students WILL demonstrate the ability to locate and evaluate the place of one or more Western texts
within the literary heritage of contemporary American readers. Students WILL ascertain what they as readers
prize in a text and how their evaluations concur and differ with those of critics. Students WILL formulate their
personal values as a result of discussion of character, incident, and underlying philosophies in literature.
2. Students WILL IN PART demonstrate the ability to identify and correct basic problems and formulate
approaches to the structure, rhetoric, and styles of English in order to heighten perception and communication.
Students WILL exercise opportunities for creative expression.
3. Students WILL IN PART be able to achieve a satisfactory basis for graduate study in English and
selected pre professional programs.

GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS OF THIS COURSE:

1. Students WILL demonstrate effective oral and written communication
2. Students WILL demonstrate the ability to discuss issues rationally, to analyze critically, and to evaluate
effectively.

ASSESSMENT: Included in the Course Outline

ATTENDANCE:
It is the accepted practice at Molloy College that faculty take attendance in all courses. Students should notify
faculty if an absence if necessary as the result of a serious situation. Failure to attend class for two (2) consecutive
weeks at any point in the semester, without notification of extenuating circumstances, will result in an
administrative withdrawal from the course. Administrative withdrawal results in removal from the course with a
grade of "WA" or "WF" determined by the point in the term and the academic performance. Students should
consult the College catalog for complete details regarding withdrawals and the potential financial implications of
a withdrawal.

NOTE: All information, except the grading criteria, on this outline is subject to change.