Ethics - Papers

Howard Sklar, PhD

Department of Modern Languages (English Philology)

University of Helsinki

Howard Sklar, PhD

Paper and Journal Assignments:

Fiction, Ethics and the Significance of Reading

Spring 2011

Howard Sklar

Instructions for Paper and Journal Assignments

Please print your papers and hand them in on the assigned due dates. Except in unusual circumstances, papers sent by e-mail will not be accepted.

Late papers will result in a reduction of the grade.

Papers should be the required length, i.e., not less than 5 pages or more than 6 pages, excluding a title page (not required) and a list of works cited (very required).

You should format your papers according to MLA, Chicago or Harvard guidelines. Instructions for these styles can be found at the following websites:

MLA: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

Chicago: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/

OR http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocChicago.html

Harvard: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

Paper #1: Theoretical Views of Fiction and Ethics

Due: 4 March

Length: 5-6 pages (1.5-spaced)

For this paper, you will analyze one of the articles that are on the syllabus or the supplementary reading list for sessions 2, 3, or 4. I would like you to take a clear position on the view that is expressed in the article. I welcome a variety of viewpoints and approaches, but your analysis must be based, largely, on a close reading of the text. In other words, give clear examples from the text and then give detailed reasons why the position expressed by the author is convincing, unconvincing, or only partly convincing. You may refer to other articles in defending your position.

Paper #2: Ethical Analysis of a Fictional Text

Due: 25 March

Length: 5-6 pages (1.5-spaced)

For this paper, you will analyze in terms of its ethical content or approach one of the stories we will read for class, or one of several other stories that will be available in a separate folder (“Stories for Ethical Analysis”) in my pigeonholes. I would like you to apply one of the theoretical articles on fiction and ethics generally in developing your approach to analyzing the story. Again, I welcome a variety of viewpoints and approaches, but your analysis must be based, largely, on a close reading of the fictional text. In other words, give clear examples from the text to defend your point of view.

Stories Available for Analysis in Paper #2:

Sherman Alexie, “The Toughest Indian in the World”

Sherwood Anderson, “Hands”

James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues”

Toni Cade Bambara, “The Hammer Man”

Raymond Carver, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”

Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery”

James Joyce, “Eveline”

Daniel Keyes, “Flowers for Algernon”

Maxine Hong Kingston, “White Tigers”

Jhumpa Lahiri, “A Temporary Matter”

Ursula K. Le Guin, “Betrayals”

Toni Morrison, “Recitatif”

Flannery O’Connor, “Good Country People”

Annie Proulx, “Brokeback Mountain”

Philip Roth, “Eli, the Fanatic”

Amy Tan, “Rules of the Game”

(More story titles will be added later.)

Journals

Due: Most weeks (see syllabus for topics, which will be explained in class)

Length: Up to you! You may write as much or as little as you like.

Submission: Please submit your journal entries on the course weblog:

http://fictionethics.wordpress.com

These should be completed each week by Wednesday at 23:59, so that we’ll have time to look at them.

Writing: Even though you are submitting your journal entries on the blog, I still expect you to follow the conventions of “proper English.” In other words, I do not expect to receive any journals containing “u no” or (within reason) text messaging symbols. I believe you understand, right? ;-)

The purpose of the journals is to record your own responses to ethical content in the fiction that we will read, your own experiences with works of fiction that have affected you, etc. This is a very informal assignment and is meant mainly to get you thinking about your own attitudes and beliefs about the subject. You may want to print out your journal for the week, so that you can refer to it during our class sessions, since it is possible/likely that we will discuss these in class.

Please be aware that it is not likely that I will respond to the journals that you send me. It is more likely that I will respond during our class discussions.

A Few Tips for Writing Your Papers

On Quotation

Try to avoid excessive quotation. Use quotes to emphasize particular points; otherwise, try to paraphrase. I want to hear your voice!

Try to avoid ending paragraphs with quotations. When you cite someone else’s words, explain what those words say in the context of your argument.

On Developing a Clear Thesis

Try to narrow the focus of your essay. In a short essay, don’t try to say too much or deal with all possible issues. Decide what’s most important and then write a clear opening paragraph or two, in which you clearly state what you will be trying to prove.

On Simplifying Your Sentence Structure

As their material gets more complex, writers sometimes write overly complex sentences. Try to avoid sentences that are so long, or so parenthetical, that they distract from your point. Write sentences that clearly and directly state the point you are trying to make.

General Grading Rubric for Papers

· Clear presentation of the author’s argument (or the story’s ethical content)

· Clear development of your own position

· Originality of your own position

(This doesn’t mean that you have said something no one else has said before, but that you don’t state the obvious. In other words, I’m looking for evidence that you have tried to explore or “discover” the material in your own way.)