{"id":825,"date":"2021-09-07T22:02:37","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T05:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abjohnson.net\/teaching\/?page_id=825"},"modified":"2026-01-01T09:12:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T17:12:31","slug":"el449w","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/abjohnson.net\/teaching\/courses\/el449w\/","title":{"rendered":"EL 449W"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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EL 449 | Postmodern Literature and Culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2023<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Useful Links<\/strong>: Course Wiki<\/a>, Blackboard<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Week 1<\/a> – Week 2<\/a> – Week 3<\/a> – Week 4<\/a> – Week 5<\/a> – Week 6<\/a> – Week 7<\/a> – Week 8<\/a> – Week 9<\/a> – Week 10<\/a> – Week 11<\/a> – Week 12<\/a> – Week 13<\/a> – Week 14<\/a> – Week 15 & Final<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am Lit eTexts and Helpful Sites<\/strong>: Here<\/a>
Overview of Authors<\/strong>: Here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Postmodern Literature and Culture<\/strong><\/em> is a writing intensive (and reading intensive) course that looks at postmodernism as a literary and cultural phenomenon, addressing trends in fiction after World War II and tracking cultural dilemmas to which the writers we call postmodern are responding. We will investigate literary postmodernism as a historically grounded set of literary, aesthetic, and philosophical tendencies, arising in response to aesthetic Modernism, frustrated Romanticism, and the events of the mid-20th century. Along the way you will read some of the major theorists of postmodernism, and you will develop critical vocabulary helpful for understanding and commenting on those theorists, the postmodern culture they theorize, and the postmodern texts we read together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Assignments\/Scores to Anticipate<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Daily Quizzes (If There’s Reading, There Might Be a Quiz)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Two Short Close Readings<\/span> of Literary Texts (2 pages each)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. An Author Inquiry Project<\/strong><\/span> (6-12 pages) (Research Project)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Seminar Paper\/Long Critical Analysis<\/strong><\/span> (8-12 pages)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. A <\/span>Reflection<\/span><\/strong> on Writing for the Course (2-5 pages)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. That’s between 20 and ~30+ pages of formal writing for the course–a right-sized challenge for an upper division literature seminar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Two Exams<\/strong>: Midterm and Final <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. A Course Participation Score<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You Should Always Have the Readings in Front of You in Class<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Right in front of you, even if on a (bigger-than-a-phone!) screen. We’re here to read together. Let the text take its right place in the room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Frequent Small Deadlines, Rather Than Sudden Huge Deadlines<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    This course breaks composition projects into small pieces and asks you to hit small, developmental deadlines, rather than just a few big, big, big deadlines. The idea here is to help you think about writing as a process and make small adjustments along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Are You In?<\/strong> Are You Here to Play, or Not?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Gracious. If you’re not going to do the reading, why are you here? If the writing looks too challenging to even contemplate completing, please find a different course. This course is road-tested; it works. But it won’t work for you if you aren’t willing to manage deadlines, risk turning in writing on time, and bring your heart and mind to the game. I hope you’ll come to play, but only if you want to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This Course Has a Playlist<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n