Here is the syllabus.
Whitman and Dickinson
3300:646-801 • Spring 2009
Monday 5:20-7:50 • Olin 117B
Jon Miller, Associate Professor of English
(Ph.D., U. of Iowa, 2000)
Find me at 330-972-5717 (office and voice mail), mjon at uakron dot edu (email), or 301b Olin Hall (office). My office hours are Monday through Friday, 9:30pm to 1:30pm, and by appointment. Since I handle all the undergraduate advising and have other responsibilities as assistant chair, I recommend signing up for an appointment if you want to meet for half an hour or more during my regular office hours. I can be booked up or not available some days. Finally, you can find this syllabus and other course-related materials on my website, jonmiller.org.
Course Description
This is a graduate-level seminar in Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and mid-nineteenth century American poetry in general. This is less of an introduction to the poets and more an introduction to reading and writing scholarship that is relevant to the study of the poets and their period.
Texts
Emily Dickinson, The Poems. Ed. R.W. Franklin. Reading edition. Cambridge: Belknap, 1999. ISBN 0674676246. There are multiple published versions of all of her poems, and we will work only with these Franklin versions.
Walt Whitman, “The Child and the Profligate” The Columbian Magazine 1 (May 1844): 149-53, ed. Natalie Williams, Materials of American Literature. Ed. Jon Miller. <http://jonmiller.org>.
Walt Whitman, Franklin Evans, or The Inebriate: A Tale of the Times. Ed. Christopher Castiglia and Glenn Hendler. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. ISBN13 978-0822339427.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1855), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1856), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1860), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1867), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1871-72), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1881-82), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1891-92), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
Other readings as announced.
Note on electronic texts
Class discussions devoted to electronic texts will focus on materials that I reproduce and provide in hard copy for that class meeting. We will generally focus on what the scholarship regards as important and/or novel elements of each reading. But if you are curious about any particular part of the reading, we can work this into class discussion if you email a request to me before 10am on the day of the class meeting.
Class routine
Each class will consist of three parts. We will devote one part to reading Dickinson, one part to reading Whitman, and one part to our reading and writing of scholarship. We can mix it up. We can do these things in different orders. We will take a ten- to fifteen-minute some time in the middle, and we will stay until 7:50pm every time.
Research, writing, and editing assignments
The class will function as a crack team of scholarly researchers, writers, and (this is important) editors. Each assignment will be discussed in meticulous and mind-clearing detail as it approaches. Here is a quick summary of the six stages that each student must complete: (1) Create etext. (2) Edit a peer’s etext. (3) Write short scholarly paper. (4) Write complete draft of paper, etext, endnotes, and annotated bibliography. (5) Edit a peer’s complete draft. (6) Create final revision of paper, etext, endnotes, and annotated bibliography.
On alacrity
Antebellum Americans admired promptness. It’s that winning mixture of cheerful readiness and quickness of decision and action. Promptness is an underrated skill for professionals of all kinds. Because we are working together on a common project, it is unusually imperative that all students complete their assignments on time. Each class should begin with an encomium to alacrity, and students will receive a grade on the promptness with which they submit their assignments.
Each student must meet seven deadlines for our collaborative project to meet with success. If there are fifteen students in the class, then the students are responsible for 105 critical moments in the gradual progress of our scholarly edition. (And I will have another 105 chances to fail you.) These are long odds, but I am confident that we can meet our common goal by adding promptness to our developing competencies.
Your “alacrity grade” will be a number from 1 to 100. Everyone starts with a grade of 100. Every time you submit an assignment late, your alacrity grade will be lowered by 30 points. There will be no excuses for late work, and there will be no extensions on the deadlines. An assignment is only prompt if it is submitted, as directed, by the end of the class period on which it is due. If you have plans to miss a class, you must make arrangements to submit your work electronically with the neccessary promptness.
On plagiarism
Plagiarism is a moral and ethical offense and, more narrowly, a violation of the scholarly and professional ethics to which you, the student, are bound. Students who falsely represent scholarly work as their own, at any stage of an assignment’s possible course of submission and re-submission, will receive, as the minimum punishment, a grade of zero for that assignment. Graduate students who plagiarize work deserve the most severe forms of academic discipline; our focus is much more on becoming a responsible and contributing citizen in a professional, scholarly community. Please note, too, that ignorance of this academic law is no excuse for its violation. All students have a responsibility to study and clearly understand the full range of scurrilous behaviors which constitute plagiarism.
Final Grade
Weightings will be as follows: First etext 5%, edit peer etext 5%, short paper 15%, first complete draft 15%, edit peer draft 5%, final product 30%, edit proofs 5%, alacrity 10%, attendance and participation 10%. Grades will be awarded as follows: 92.5, A; 90, A-; 87.5, B+; 82.5, B; 80, B-; 77.5, C+; 72.5, C; 70.0, C-; 67.5, D+; 62.5, D; 60, D-; below 60, F.
Attendance policy
(1) Missing 20% of class warrants failure. We have 14 meetings, including the first class. If you miss three class meetings, you should expect to fail the course. (2) All reasons to miss class – personal or academic – are equally good. There are no “excused” absences. (3) I do not require an explanation for an absence. If you miss class, I will assume that you missed class for a good reason. I respect your privacy and do not need to know why. On the other hand, I will be concerned and curious. If you care to explain, I will listen. (4) Any lateness to class will be marked as half an absence. (5) Any early departure from class will be marked as half an absence. (6) Habitual tardiness or early departure warrants a failing participation grade. (7) I will keep a careful record of the number of times you are absent, late, or leaving early, but I will not bring this to class. And I will not be able to provide an accurate, up-to-the-minute total of time missed on demand. You are responsible for keeping your own record. (8) Your attendance record cannot be improved by additional writing assignments or other kinds of “extra credit.”
Attendance and participation
All students are expected to respect the worth and contribution of everyone in the classroom. Your attendance grade is the percentage of classes that you attend. Your participation grade reflects your day-to-day contribution to the class. Your attendance and participation grade is the product of these grades.
Reading Schedule
Additional readings will be assigned as we progress through the semester.
January 12, 2009
(class no. 1)
• Dickinson, “Awake ye muses nine” (1850) and “Sic transit gloria mundi” (1852)
• Whitman, “The Child and the Profligate” The Columbian Magazine 1 (May 1844): 149-53, ed. Natalie Williams, Materials of American Literature. Ed. Jon Miller. <http://jonmiller.org>.
January 19, 2009
Martin Luther King Day observance -- University closed
January 26, 2009
(class no. 2)
• Dickinson, fascicle 6: 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129.
• Walt Whitman, Franklin Evans, or The Inebriate: A Tale of the Times. Ed. Christopher Castiglia and Glenn Hendler. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. ISBN13 978-0822339427.
February 2, 2009
(class no. 3)
• Dickinson, fascicle 10: 244, 245, 246, 247, 131, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 135, 132, 205, 206, 248, 249, 124, 250, 251, 252, 253.
• Thomas Wentworth Higginson, "Letter to a Young Contributor" Atlantic Monthly 9.54 (April 1862): 401-11, as reprinted in Dickinson Electronic Archives. Ed. Martha Nell Smith. <http://www.emilydickinson.org/higgyc/yc.html>.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1855), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• Ivan Marki, “Leaves of Grass, 1855 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
February 9, 2009
(class no. 4)
• Dickinson, fascicle 10: 244, 245, 246, 247, 131, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 135, 132, 205, 206, 248, 249, 124, 250, 251, 252, 253.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1856), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• Harold Aspiz, “Leaves of Grass, 1856 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
February 16, 2009
(class no. 5)
• Dickinson, fascicle 15: 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1856), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
February 23, 2009
(class no. 6)
• Dickinson, fascicle 22: 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1860), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• Gregory Eiselein, “Leaves of Grass, 1860 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
March 2, 2009
(class no. 7)
• Dickinson, fascicle 22: 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1860), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
March 9, 2009
(class no. 8)
• Dickinson, fascicle 24: 291, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 375, 521, 522, 523, 524.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1867), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• Luke Mancuso, “Leaves of Grass, 1867 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
March 16, 2009
Spring break - no class
March 23, 2009
(class no. 9)
• Dickinson, fascicle 25: 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 586, 587, 588.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1867), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
March 30, 2009
(class no. 10)
• Dickinson, fascicle 25: 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 586, 587, 588.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1871-72), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• Luke Mancuso, “Leaves of Grass, 1871-72 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
April 6, 2009
(class no. 11)
• Dickinson, fascicle 26: 589, 590, 591, 592, 593, 594, 595, 596, 597, 598, 599, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1871-72), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
April 13, 2009
(class no. 12)
• Dickinson, fascicle 26: 589, 590, 591, 592, 593, 594, 595, 596, 597, 598, 599, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1881-82), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• Dennis K. Renner, “Leaves of Grass, 1881-82 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
April 20, 2009
(class no. 13)
• Dickinson, fascicle 30: 653, 654, 655, 656, 191, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1891-92), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• R.W. French, “Leaves of Grass, 1891-92 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
April 27, 2009
(class no. 14)
Last day of class
• Dickinson, fascicle 30: 653, 654, 655, 656, 191, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672.
• Whitman, Leaves of Grass (1891-92), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
• R.W. French, “Leaves of Grass, 1891-92 edition.” J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings, eds., Walt Whitman: An Encyclopedia (New York: Garland Publishing, 1998), as reprinted in The Walt Whitman Archive. Ed. Ed Folsom and Kenneth M. Price. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.
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This document was originally posted to jonmiller.org. Copyright 2009 by Jon Miller. Some rights reserved. See jonmiller.org for more information.
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