English 1C Spring 2014

Nineteenth-Century Media Technologies and their Afterlives

Instructor: Anne Sullivan

Email: anne.sullivan@email.ucr.edu
Office: HMNSS 3003
Office Hours: MWF 2:00 P.M. 3:00 P.M., and by appointment

Section: 004
Lecture: MWF 1:10 2:00pm
Classroom: INTS 1134

Required Reading and Viewing Materials

Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack
Solomon. (7th edition, Bedford/St. Martins, 2012).
Dracula by Bram Stoker. Eds. Nina Auerbach and David J. Skal (W.W. Norton & Company,
1997).
The Prestige. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Buena Vista Pictures, 2006.
Hugo. Dir. Martin Scorsese. Paramount Pictures, 2011.
iLearn materials*
You are not required to purchase these films. Please see the Course Materials tab for further directions.
* Please bring digital or hard copies of all iLearn materials to class on relevant days.

Grading Policies

Assignment
Essay 1: Analyzing Advertisements
Essay 2
Essay 3
Essay 4
Participation and Group Discussion Facilitation
In-Class Writing and Quizzes
Final Exam

%
15%
15%
20%
20%
10%
10%
10%

Grade Scale
A
93-100%
A90-92.9%
B+
87-89.9%
B
83-86.9%
B80-82.9%
C+
77-79.9%
C
73-76.9%
C70-72.9%
D+
67-69.9%
D
63-66.9%
D60-62.9%
F
0-59.9%

Note: Students must pass with a grade of C or better (not C-) in order to receive credit for this
course.

Course Description
English 1C, the third in the 1A/B/C series, is a writing intensive course that deals primarily with
literary and cultural analysis as well as the interpretation of signs (semiotics). This course
focuses on writing as a process which includes elements of invention, drafting, revising, and
editing and much of the course is dedicated to the development of these skills. In this course,
students will constructively critique each others writing through in-class workshops and peer
review sessions. Since the development of ones writing skills is inextricably intertwined with
excellent critical reading skills, a significant portion of this course will be dedicated to reading a
variety of texts including literature, advertisements, films, and other media. Students are
expected to actively engage with all reading assignments through careful annotations and
analytical responses outside of class, and by generating a robust discussion in class.
Throughout this course, we will consider nineteenth-century media technologies such as the
photograph, the telegraph, etc. and their afterlives in contemporary popular culture.
Afterlives speaks not only to the legacies of historic media, but also to the primary literary text
we will be reading, Bram Stokers Dracula. We will consider how media is represented in texts
as well as our own lingering fascination with media technologies. As we read and write about our
required texts, we will consider how media technologies continue to alter our ways of perceiving
gender, class, and race.
Writing assignments in 1C emphasize textual analysis utilizing the semiotic method and close
reading. The goals of this class include (1) developing your critical reading skills, (2) cultivating
your ability to analyze a problem, (3) distinguishing between the form of a text and the context
(and how they work together to make meaning), and (4) improving your writing skills. At this
stage, students are expected to be competent with English grammar, syntax, and usage. Students
who are making significant grammatical and syntactical errors will find it difficult to pass this
class.
Expectations
Reading: The main technique that we will practice this quarter is close reading, which requires
an extensive analysis of textual details, diction, and imagery. Make sure you annotate the
readings to help you understand them and to help you collate details to practice close reading on
a daily basis.
Participation: This writing workshop requires active engagement with the assigned materials,
with your peers, and with the instructor. Instead of transcribing notes from a lecture, you must
arrive to class ready to participate in a robust group conversation. Use this participation
requirement as motivation to challenge yourself. Come to class with a few prepared comments,
and try to engage with your peers on the spot. Please come see me in office hours if you would
like to talk about your participation and how to improve it.
Essays: All essays must adhere to MLA formatting per the 2009 updates: 1-inch margins, doublespaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, a Works Cited page, etc. Please consult the MLA
Handbook, the St. Martins Guide, or the Online Writing Lab for questions about MLA
formatting for the document as a whole as well as for in-text citations.

Requirements
Attendance is mandatory.
Complete all reading and writing assignments, formal or informal, by the date they
appear on the syllabus. Additional assignments may be posted on iLearn or sent via
email.
Active participation through in-class discussions, group work, and other activities is vital
for performing well in this course. Note: participation will affect your final grade.
Reading quizzes will be unannounced and administered at the beginning of class. You
cannot makeup quizzes if you are absent or late.
Essay Assignments
Failure to complete any of the essay assignments will result in failure of the course, even
if you have enough points to pass the class.
All four essay assignments must follow the correct MLA format per the 2009 updates: 1inch margins, Times New Roman 12-point font, consistent double-spacing, and accurate
source documentation. The first page must include your name, my name, English 1C, the
date the assignment is due, and an original title.
All out-of-class essays (listed as Essay 1, Essay 2, etc.) must be submitted via Safe
Assignment on iLearn by the start of class on the due date. A hard copy of your final
essay must be submitted in class on the due date stapled to all of your invention work,
drafts, and peer critiques. English 1C focuses on the writing process as a whole, therefore
all writing homework, rough drafts, and peer critiques from workshops must be submitted
with the final draft. If these materials are not included, the papers grade will be reduced
for each missing item. See sections below for policies on late papers and revisions.
Late submissions to SafeAssign will result in the loss of one-third of a letter grade per
day that it is late.
If you arrive late to class on a day an essay assignment is due, your essay will be counted
as late and your grade will be penalized accordingly.
Peer Review: You will be responsible for peer critiques during class, which means that
you will respond to the work of other students and offer meaningful feedback to help
them make their essays as effective as possible. Peer critiques are an integral part of the
writing process. Failure to attend class on Peer Review days will result in the deduction
of one letter grade from your final essay score. Further grade penalties will occur if peer
reviews are incomplete or if the sections fail to offer critical engagement and insight.
Class Policies
Late Work
I do not accept late work, and it should be noted that absence from class does not extend the due
date. The rapid pace of the quarter system means there is not enough time to make up late work.
If an emergency does arise, please email me as soon as possible so that we may discuss possible
options.
Attendance and Participation: Your success in this course depends on regular attendance and
active participation. Please understand that English 1C is not a lecture course where you can get
notes for classes you have missed or easily make up class work. This is a writers workshop that

requires your presence and constructive participation. Bring the required texts to class every day
(including relevant hard copies of iLearn Course Materials).
Attendance will be taken daily, and absences, late arrivals, and early departures will be penalized
and ultimately affect your ability to pass the course. Please note that I generally do not
distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. You are responsible for all class
material, whether or not you are present. I encourage you to exchange phone numbers and/or
email addresses with at least two other students so that if you must miss class, you can be
informed of any information and come prepared to the next class.
Courtesy: It is expected that you will participate appropriately and as adults in class and in any
online discussions. We are a diverse academic community, representing different faiths,
lifestyles, ethnicities, sexualities, and cultures. In addition, we will be discussing controversial
issues issues that typically elicit strong opinions, so it is especially important that you be
tolerant, respectful, and considerate of your fellow classmates during any discussions.
Disruptions to the classroom environment are unwelcome and inconsiderate of others right to
learn. Please turn off all cell phones before entering class and limit discussions during class and
group activities to class-related topics. Laptop computers and tablet devices like iPads are OK to
use in class. However, using electronics in the classroom means that you agree to be called upon
at any time.
iLearn and RMail: This course will make heavy use of the online iLearn system, which is
located at http://ilearn.ucr.edu/. Check the site daily for class announcements and important
instructions for completing assignments. Email is the primary tool I will use to contact you, so I
expect you to check your UCR RMail account at least once a day. This is also the best way to
contact me, and I welcome emailed questions and will try to answer them promptly. Please note,
however, that email can be unreliable. Servers may be down or computers may malfunction. As a
result, I cannot be responsible for any email messages that are lost or addressed incorrectly.
Similarly, if you email me right before class, I probably will not be able to read your message
until after class. All email should be legible and reasonably professional. Please include ENGL
1C in your emails subject line.
Special Needs: If you have a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical, or learning disability that
may affect your ability to carry out assigned course work, I urge you to contact the staff in
Student Special Services (http://specialservices.ucr.edu) who will review your concerns and
determine, with you, what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and
documentation are confidential.
Plagiarism: According to the Academic Integrity Brochure for Students
(http://conduct.ucr.edu/), plagiarism includes the copying of language, structure, or ideas of
another and attributing (explicitly or implicitly) the work to ones own efforts. Plagiarism means
using anothers work without giving credit. Examples include:
reproducing another persons work, with or without that persons knowledge or permission,
whether published or unpublished, including but not limited to, original ideas, strategies, and
research, art, graphics, computer programs, music, and other creative expression. The work

may consist of writing, charts, pictures, graphs, diagrams, data, websites, or other
communication or recording media, and may include sentences, phrases, innovative
terminology, formatting, or other representations
submitting as your own any academic exercise prepared totally or in part by another
copying information from computer-based sources, i.e., the Internet
allowing another person to substantially alter or revise your work and submitting it entirely
as your own
using anothers written ideas or words without properly acknowledging the source. The term
source includes published works (books, magazines, newspapers, websites, plays, movies,
photos, paintings, and textbooks) and unpublished sources (class lectures or notes, handouts,
speeches, casual conversation, other students papers, or material from a research service)
failure to acknowledge study aids such as Cliffs Notes or common reference sources
unauthorized use of another persons data in completing a computer exercise or other class
work

Helpful resources which offer guidelines for avoiding plagiarism and illustrations of correct and
incorrect citation follow. Please note that specific requirements for citation may vary by
discipline or course.
Avoiding Plagiarism. Purdue University, Online Writing Lab.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html
Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It. Indiana University. Writing Tutorial
Services. http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html
Using Sources. Lisa Trivedi and Sharon Williams, Hamilton College, Writing Center.
http://www.hamilton.edu/academics/resource/wc/usingsources.html
If you are found to have plagiarized, you may receive a zero on the assignment and an F for
the course. Further disciplinary action may also be taken by the Student Conduct & Academic
Integrity Program (SCAIP). If you ever have a question about plagiarism or about whether or not
you might be plagiarizing in a particular essay, please ask me before the essay is due.

Tentative Course Schedule

Note: It is the instructors prerogative to adjust the course schedule as needed.
Key: (*) indicates readings available on iLearn under Course Materials, DB Post = iLearn Discussion Board Post,
and SOL = Signs of Life.
How to Read the Course Schedule: Complete all reading and writing assignments from the syllabus before class
begins. For example, when you see Popular Signs (SOL 1-22), that means that you must read and annotate those
pages BEFORE class begins on January 7th.

Week 1
Monday, January 5:
Overview of Syllabus and Course Expectations
Introductory Lecture
Diagnostic writing
Wednesday, January 7:
Popular Signs (SOL 1-22)
Writing about Popular Culture (SOL 23-36)
Brought to You B(u)y (SOL 171-180)
Friday, January 9:
Consuming Passions: The Culture of American Consumption (SOL 81-88)
Steve Craig Mens Men and Womens Women (SOL 187-198)
Week 2
Monday, January 12:
Jack Solomon Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising (SOL 542-552)
Jennifer L. Pozner Doves Real Beauty Backlash (SOL 219-221)
Select an advertisement to write about
In-class: Workshop Thesis Statements and Essay Outlines
Wednesday, January 14:
James Twitchell What We Are to Advertisers (SOL 182-186)
Eric Schlosser Kid Kustomers (SOL 222-225)
In-class: Pre-Peer Review of 1 Body Paragraph
Friday, January 16:
Peer Review Day
Week 3
Monday, January 19:
No Class: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Wednesday, January 21:
Essay 1 Due
In-Class: Introduce Dracula

Readings TBA
Friday, January 23:
Readings TBA