Recoomended to all with any writing questions -
Alfred Rosa, Paul Eschholtz, THE WRITER'S POCKET HANDBOOK,
Allyn and
Bacon Publ., ISBN# 0-201-78478-5.
Course Objectives
· To acquaint students with the
major milestones in Dostoevsky's fiction
· To discuss and analyze the
works chosen for the course
· To become acquainted with the
political, social and literary milieu in these works appeared
· To explain connections among
Dostoevsky's works
· To clarify connections between
these works and other works of 19я1 and 20 century Russian
Literature
· Through the readings, to allow
you to understand Dostoevsky's world and world view.
Course Grading
Take-home hour exams - at least 2 during the semester
50%
Class preparedness and
participation
20%
Take home or oral final exam (your
choice)
30%
Explanation - Grade for classroom
preparedness and performance
This is a discussion course. In order for the course to be successful
and interesting, it is necessary that you are present, that you are
prepared (having read the assigned reading), and that you are willing
and able
to discuss the literature.A performance grade based on these criteria
will
be assigned to each student.
How do we read through 1450 pages of Dostoevsky in one semester?
Easily! All I have done is divide the number of pages (1457) by
12 (fewer weeks than we actually meet). We need to read 121 pages
per week or 60 pages per class meeting. Yes, I shall set things up so
that
we are reading to chapter and "Part" breaks, but this WILL work with
the
greatest of ease! But your responsibility is to keep up with this
reading.
You will have a choice of written
or
an oral
take-home final .
Many people
normally choose to write the take-home exam. Those who are very
comfortable with discussion from classroom experience, and who have
earned an "A" on both written hour exams, may choose to set a time
to take the final exam orally on a one-to-one basis with the
instructor. Especially those interested in graduate work can
benefit from this format, since MA and Ph.D. comprehensive exams
normally comprise both a written and an oral section.
Undergraduate work often limits the student's opportunity to experience
a serious, intellectually based, oral exam. A basic difference between
my oral exam and one for an advanced degree is that examiners for
advanced degrees do not mind intimidating their candidates. That
is certainly NOT my goal in this format!