Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 235"
COURSE NAME: "The Literature of Crime and Punishment"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2015

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Andrea Pacor
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 11:30 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: EN 110 with a grade of C or above. In addition, students must have completed one other English literature class or have Junior standing.
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course explores the themes of crime and punishment in modern literature, with particular emphasis on the treatment of guilt (and the attendant concepts of legal and moral responsibility) as it is experienced by the individual consciousness of the perpetrator, of the accused, and in the relation between jailer and prisoner. Students in the course will see how literature, through its unique methods and concerns, is able to alert the reader to different understandings of the social, moral, ethical, and philosophical implications of what is only apparently a simple dichotomy between innocence and guilt, right and wrong, or good and evil. Each text or group of texts will be accompanied by an introductory definitional or theoretical reading from thinkers like Foucault, Benjamin, Arendt, and Nietzsche, that will serve not as an explicatory key, but as a guiding light in an exploration of the texts.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course explores the themes of crime and punishment in modern literature, with particular emphasis on the treatment of guilt as it is experienced by the individual consciousness of the perpetrator Crime and Punishment, Perfume), of the accused (The Trial), and in the relation between jailer and prisoner (The Man in My Basement). Some of the questions we will address are: How does each text define what constitutes a crime? Is there any wiggle-room or are definitions clear-cut (i.e., is crime understood and defined in absolute or in relative terms)? Do any of the texts speak to how responsibility for criminal acts is (or should be) apportioned (divided) between the individual, society, and institutions? What specific form does punishment take in each novel, and how is the form of the punishment related to the structure of the text? Where does the authority to punish come from, in each case? Does it come from Force? Power? Law? Do the texts offer an explanation or a critique of the prevalent system determining crime and punishment? These and other questions will help us analyze the assigned authors and texts and understand their biases and motivations in dealing with problems of crime and punishment in the modern world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Through a comparative analysis of the four assigned texts students will have developed further their ability to find correlations, contrasts and contradictions between different sources to help them form an autonomous and critical understanding of a particular topic, issue, or problem.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Comments
Crime and Punishment	Dostoevsky, Fyodor	Vintage Books	9780679734505)	Textbook available at the Almost Corner Bookshop in Via del Moro
The Trial	Kafka, Franz	Shocken Books	9780805209990	Textbook available at the Almost Corner Bookshop in Via del Moro
The Man in My Basement	Mosley, Walter	Black Bay Books	9780316159319	Textbook available at the Almost Corner Bookshop in Via del Moro
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer	Suskind, Patrick	Vintage	9780375725845	Textbook available at the Almost Corner Bookshop in Via del Moro

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
In-Class Writing	Daily in-class writing (150 words). At the beginning of class, students will take five minutes to briefly answer a simple, content-related question on the assigned reading.	12
4 Sources	For each of the four novels, students must find one academic source (using JSTOR, Project Muse, or Academic Research Premier) which discusses the author, the text, or a related theme or issue.	8
4 Short Essays	Each essay is a 1000-word elaboration of a theme from each of the novels under discussion. The elaboration begins from a set of quotes and questions, provided in the prompt, and continues in the direction chosen by the student. The student should use the text to develop and support claims related to the larger issues raised in the chosen set.	40
Final Paper	The final paper is a 3000-word comparative thematic analysis of three of the four novels examined in the course. The student will select the three titles on which they wish to focus. The goal is to develop a thematic discussion around the concepts of crime, guilt, punishment, and justice, and to relate the literary treatment of these themes to a contemporary, real-life case. The essay is to begin with a brief discussion of the criminal case, and is to return to that case in the conclusion.	40

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Students are required to attend all scheduled class meetings and to participate in all classroom activities. In addition to this weighting of attendance, students are allowed only three absences (no questions asked, no excuse needed). However, each additional absence beyond the three allowed will result in the reduction of the final grade for the course by 5%. Students with more than seven absences will fail the course. Please note that medical certificates have no effect on this computation. Students arriving at class more than 15 minutes late will be counted as half absent; after a first warning, students chatting audibly and persistently during class may be marked absent. Texting and using a laptop for purposes other than note-taking for class will also be weighted as an absence. Please refer to the JCU catalog for the attendance and absence policies.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Week 1 Course Introduction

Week 1 "Punishment." Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (MyJCU)

Week 2 Crime and Punishment, 1-63 (Part One, Ch. 1-5)

Week 2 Crime and Punishment, 63-131 (Part One, Ch. 4 - Part Two, Ch. 3).

Week 3 Crime and Punishment, 131-193 (Part Two, Ch. 3 - Part Two, Ch. 7)

Week 3 Crime and Punishment, 193-278 (Part Three).

Week 4 Crime and Punishment, 350-422 (Part Four, Ch. 6 - Part Five, Ch. 4)

Week 4 Crime and Punishment, 422-498 (Part Five, Ch. 5 - Part Six, Ch. 3).

Week 5 Crime and Punishment, 498-551 (Part Six, Ch. 7 - Epilogue)

Week 5 In-class: Dostoevsky elaboration. Email outline one hour before class.

Week 6 Perparatory readings: Justice.

Week 6 The Trial, 1-79 (Arrest; Conversation; Initial Inquiry; In the Empty Courtroom)

Week 7 The Trial, 80-110 (The Flogger; The Uncle - Leni)

Week 7 The Trial, 111-198 (Lawyer, Manufacturer; Block, The Merchant)

Week 8 The Trial, 199-231 (In the Cathedral; The End)

Week 8 In-class: Kafka elaboration. Email outline one hour before class.

Week 9 Perparatory readings:

Week 9 Perfume, 1-67 (Ch. 1-13)

Week 10 Perfume, 67-111 (Ch. 14-22)

Week 10 Perfume, 111-193 (Ch. 23-39)

Week 11 Perfume, 194-255 (Ch. 40-End)

Week 11 In-class: Suskind elaboration. Email outline one hour before class.

Week 12 Preparatory readings:

Week 12 The Man in My Basement, 1-88 (Ch. 1-10)

Week 13 The Man in My Basement, 88-137 (Ch. 11-15)

Week 13 The Man in My Basement, 138-208 (Ch. 16-24)

Week 14 The Man in My Basement, 208-249 (Ch. 24-End)

Week 14 Wrap-Up

Final Exam Final Paper Due