Guilty Pleasures
FYSM 146, Fall 2014
T/Th 1:30-2:45, Gallows Hill 105
In a recent manifesto critiquing the term “guilty pleasure,” journalist Jennifer Szalai described it as “a need that’s met, almost despite oneself, rather than a pleasure one freely chooses.” Examples of such cultural consumption vary: one person’s celebrity magazine is another’s romantic comedy. What these examples have in common is their imagined opposition to artifacts of high culture: songs, films, and books that promise elevation and edification. But although the distinction between high and low culture isn’t new, the term “guilty pleasure” didn’t become prevalent until the 1990s. In this seminar we will consume high and low art and introduce ourselves to aesthetic theory in order to investigate what makes certain pleasures seem worthwhile and others guilty, and what they tell us about contemporary American culture.
REQUIRED TEXTS
• Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (Oxford), ISBN 9780199577033
• Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say/I Say (Norton 3rd ed.), ISBN 9780393933611
• John Green, The Fault in Our Stars (Penguin), ISBN 9780525478812
• Jennifer Weiner, Good in Bed (Washington Square), ISBN 9780743418171
• Carl Wilson, Let’s Talk about Love (Bloomsbury), ISBN 9780826427885
• all other readings can be found on the course blog or moodle
COURSE GUIDELINES
accessibility
I assume that all of us learn in different ways, and that the organization of any course will accommodate each student differently. Please talk to me as soon as you can about your individual learning needs and how this course can best accommodate them.
If you have a disability (or think you may have a disability) and, as a result, need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this class and complete course requirements, please contact the Disability Services office as soon as possible.
Lori Clapis
lori.clapis@trincoll.edu
(860) 297-4025
Trinity College Health Center
Remember that other support services, including the Writing Center, are available to all students. Additional information about the Writing Center can be found on the course blog. To reserve an appointment using the online scheduling system, use https://trincoll.mywconline.com. Drop-ins are welcome.
intellectual honesty
In the classroom, plagiarism means deliberately using someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. Ask me if you’re unclear about what constitutes plagiarism or academic dishonesty—it’s much easier to get advice ahead of time.
I will report cases of academic dishonesty to the associate dean of students. Disciplinary action may include a zero on the assignment and censure, suspension, or expulsion.
Please read the Trinity College Student Integrity Contract at: http://www.trincoll.edu/StudentLife/AroundCampus/honor/Pages/IntegrityContract.aspx
and Trinity’s policies on intellectual honesty at: http://www.trincoll.edu/SiteCollectionDocuments/StudentHandbook.pdf (starting at page 19).
ASSIGNMENTS
reading
The readings in this course will sometimes be heady and complex. At others times, the readings may seem lighter, simpler. In either case, read slowly and repeatedly, with a pencil or pen in your hand. When you’re reading an article online, annotate using diigo (which you install as an extension on your web browser). Prepared students are usually those who annotate their readings and write a lot. Bring all the readings to class.
Whenever you encounter something you don’t know (a term; a reference to a person, place or thing; a word that is used in a way you wouldn’t expect; something in a language other than English), it is your responsibility to look it up.
• For unfamiliar words, look in the Oxford English Dictionary. You have free access to this dictionary on any on-campus computer (visit oed.com). Pay close attention to the usage dates on the OED—these dates let you know when a word’s varying definitions came into play, and when they became obsolete.
• For unfamiliar people, places, and things, Wikipedia is usually fine. But remember that it is not an academic source, and cannot be cited as an authority in your written work.
quizzes
Short, unannounced quizzes will test your knowledge of these references, as well as basic plot points and reading comprehension.
participation and attendance
Open exchange is the most important feature of this class. I ask not that your comments be brilliant, only that you vocalize them.
Participation can take many forms:
• Drawing our attention to an interesting or confusing passage
• Disagreeing respectfully with your classmates or me
• Being fully engaged in group work
• Asking questions, big or small, in class
• Sharing thoughts, videos, memes, articles, comics, songs, podcasts, etc., on our blog
• Replying to peers’ posts on our blog
Your participation will be graded at the end of the semester by your peers and your mentor (not by me) according to the rubric on moodle.
Please silence your cell phones and refrain from using them during class.
Each of you is allowed two absences this semester without any effect on your grade. If you will be absent:
• Email me to let me know ahead of time
• Ask a friend to fill you in on what you missed
• Check the blog for handouts and updates
If you have a family or health emergency please be in touch immediately so that we can address your situation together.
blog posts and exercises
Weekly recaps, reading responses, and shorter writing assignments will be graded on a five-point scale.
5 = impeccably reasoned and perfectly written
4 = thought-provoking and well written
3 = demonstrates solid thinking, if clunky or clichéd
2 = obvious or hard to follow
1 = summary, little evidence of critical thinking
Since these shorter writing assignments are particularly timely and meant to spur discussion, no late work will be accepted.
Reading responses will be assigned to one of three teams. When it’s your team’s turn, decide who will write about each reading question (everyone on the team must post). Post your response as an original post on the blog by 9PM the night before class. Your post must have a creative title and be 250-300 words long.
As a group, make sure that each question gets addressed on the blog—you can do this before or after class, or over email. You are not required to answer every sub-question I list: they are a launching pad for your own critical thought, not items on a to-do list.
Once during the semester, you will write a 500 word recap of our week’s classes. (For inspiration, you might read a recap of a TV episode you’ve seen, or see the one posted on our blog.) Recaps should be posted to the blog by Sunday at 9PM.
essays and assignments
In order to pass the course you must complete each step of each essay – all the drafts, peer reviews, and final drafts. If you miss any part of peer review, you will need to arrange a make-up on your own time.
All drafts of all essays must be typed, carefully proofread, and formatted according to MLA guidelines. See http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ for details and a sample paper.
I strongly encourage you to make use of me, Maddie, and the Writing Center when contemplating, composing, and revising your essays. If you visit the Writing Center, please ask your tutor to notify me of your appointment. Maddie is our Writing Center liaison, and she can help you navigate the system if you’re having any issues.
Late essays will be penalized 1/3 of a grade for each day they are late, and an essay that is one week late or more will receive an F.
GRADING
grade breakdown
Participation 5 %
Quizzes 15 %
Blogging and writing exercises 20 %
ESSAYS (THREE TOTAL)
Early drafts 15 % (5% for each set of drafts)
Peer reviews 15 % (5% for each peer review)
Final drafts 30 % (10% for each final draft)
extra credit
At the end of the semester, Maddie and I will add one extra point to the final grade of students who win:
•Best recap
•Best overall blogger
•Most helpful peer review (x3)
TENTATIVE READING SCHEDULE
Please complete all readings before the class meeting for which they are listed.
Introduction
F 8/29 Introduction to seminar and syllabus
T 9/2 Carl Wilson, Let’s Talk About Love (chs. 1-3)
Elliott Smith, “Miss Misery” (Oscars)
Elliott Smith, “Miss Misery” (Official video)
Celine Dion, “My Heart Will Go On” (Oscars)
Celine Dion, “My Heart Will Go On” (Official video)
Team A reading questions
Th 9/4 Wilson, Let’s Talk About Love (chs. 6-8)
They Say/I Say (Part I)
Team B reading questions
T 9/9 Wilson, Let’s Talk About Love (chs. 9, 11-12)
Susan Sontag, “Notes on ‘Camp’”
Busby Berkeley, “I only have eyes for you”
RuPaul’s Drag Race Lip Sync Battles
Team C reading questions
Young Adult
Th 9/11 John Green, The Fault in Our Stars (chs. 1-7)
Team A reading questions
T 9/16 Green, The Fault in Our Stars (chs. 8-13)
They Say/I Say (Part II)
Margaret Talbot, “The Teen Whisperer”
Team B reading questions
Th 9/18 Green, The Fault in Our Stars (chs. 14-25)
The Fault in Our Stars book trailer
The Fault in Our Stars movie trailer
Meet in the library for our session with research librarian Katy Hart
Team C reading questions
T 9/23 Ruth Graham, “Against YA”
They Say/I Say (Part III)
Writing exercise 1. Responses must be posted to our blog by 9PM on Monday 9/22.
• Find an article that addresses trends in young adult novels: perhaps one about the genre’s purpose, how has it changed, or what themes are popular. Then, in one paragraph, analyze one of the article’s main points. First, summarize the point by using paraphrase and quotation (complete with MLA-style citations). Then, analyze it by relating it to TFIOS or any other young adult novels you’ve read. Since you are writing a single paragraph, you must be focused – isolate a single point from the article and grapple with it.
Th 9/25 First draft of persuasive essay due.
In class: peer review of drafts. Upload to Google Docs and share the link with your partner before class begins.
T 9/30 Draft 2 of persuasive essay due at the beginning of class. Upload to Google Docs; Team A should also bring one hardcopy.
In class: workshop the opening paragraphs of Team A essays.
Serials
Th 10/2 Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (ch. 1)
Robin Goodfellow no. 1 (p. 1-32)
Team A reading questions
**Last draft of persuasive essay due at 9PM on Friday, 10/3. Upload to my dropbox and include links to previous two drafts.
T 10/7 Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (p. 17-107)
Team B reading questions
Th 10/9 Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (p. 107-204)
Margaret Oliphant, “Sensation Novels” (moodle)
Team C reading questions
Trinity Days
Th 10/16 Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (p. 204-305)
H. L. Mansel, “Sensation Novels” (moodle)
Meet at the Watkinson (in the library) for our session with special collections director Richard Ring
Team A reading questions
T 10/21 Braddon, Lady Audley’s Secret (p. 305-end)
Team B reading questions
Th 10/23 The Wire, “The Target” (streaming on TrinFlix)
Selections from Film Art and worksheet on analyzing film
Writing exercise 2. Responses must be posted to our blog by 5PM on Friday 10/24.
• In one paragraph, use your close reading skills to analyze one paragraph from Lady Audley’s Secret, relating the form of the passage to its content. Choose your paragraph wisely: your paragraph should feature several formal devices that you (a) notice, (b) identify accurately and precisely, and (c) relate convincingly to the content of the paragraph. Use the handout on close-reading from class to guide your analysis. If your paragraph is long, focus on a portion of it.
T 10/28 Sean O’Sullivan, “Serials and Satisfaction”
Watch one season (or at least 10 episodes) of an hour-long drama. The show you choose should have a narrative arc rather than stand-alone episodes (think “House of Cards,” not “Law and Order”). This is a lot of TV. Plan ahead.
Th 10/30 First draft of close-reading essay due.
In class: peer review of drafts. Upload to Google Docs and share the link with your partner before class begins.
T 11/4 Draft 2 of close-reading essay due at the beginning of class. Upload to Google Docs; Team B should also bring one hardcopy.
In class: workshop the opening paragraphs of Team B essays.
Chick Lit and its Discontents; or, Airport Novels
Th 11/6 Jennifer Weiner, Good in Bed (ch. 1)
Jennifer Weiner, “I Like Likable Characters”
Rebecca Mead, “The Scourge of ‘Relatability’”
Team C reading questions
**Last draft of close-reading essay due at 9PM on Friday, 11/7. Upload to my dropbox and include links to previous two drafts.
T 11/11 Weiner, Good in Bed (ch. 2-7)
Introduction to Good in Bed
Rebecca Mead, “Written Off”
Laura Miller, “Close-reading Jennifer Weiner”
Team A reading questions
Th 11/13 Weiner, Good in Bed (ch. 8-13)
Sample of James Patterson, Invisible (click “look inside” to access kindle sample)
Invisible print advertisement (moodle)
Read everyone’s writing exercises on the blog
Writing exercise 3. Responses must be posted to our blog by 9PM on Wednesday 11/12.
• Reflect on a text (I mean ‘text’ in the loosest way possible) that you’re ashamed to like or proud to like. In one paragraph, articulate what makes it a guilty pleasure for you. Share detailed and specific examples from the text that reveal why it’s a pleasure to consume. On the other hand, what about the text and its cultural capital makes you feel guilty or proud?
T 11/18 Weiner, Good in Bed (ch. 14-end)
Jonathan Franzen, “What’s Wrong with the Modern World”
Weiner, “What Jonathan Franzen Misunderstands About Me”
Type up and bring to class quotations and bibliographic information from 3 sources
Team B reading questions
Th 11/20 Three pages of final essay due
In class: peer review of drafts. Upload to Google Docs and share the link with your partner before class begins.
Thanksgiving Break
T 12/2 Draft 2 of final essay due at the beginning of class. Upload to Google Docs; Team C should also bring one hardcopy.
In class: workshop the opening paragraphs of Team C essays.
Th 12/4 WWE
David Shoemaker, Introduction to The Squared Circle (+glossary)
Shoemaker, “The Junkyard Dog” in The Squared Circle
Roland Barthes, “The World of Wrestling”
William Finnegan, “The Man Without a Mask”
Team C reading questions
In class: guest lecture and discussion, Daniel Mrozowski
**Last draft of final essay due at 9PM on Monday, 12/15. Upload to my dropbox and include links to previous two drafts.