English 489: Senior Capstone

Postwar American Counterculture

English 489: Senior Capstone, Spring 2007 (3 credit hours)

University of South Dakota Meeting Time: Wednesdays 4:00-6:45 Class Location: Old Main 305 Instructor: Dr. Christopher Ervin Office Phone: 677-6502 E-mail: Chris.Ervin@usd.edu Office Hours: Wednesdays 1:00-3:00 Office Location: 204 Dakota Hall and by appointment Catalog Description and Prerequisites This course, which meets the Regental exit requirement, is open only to English majors of senior standing and is required of all majors. Instructional Methods Discussion-based seminar with some lecture. Course Goals

• to apply the tools of literary analysis, research, writing, and discussion to a series of texts that emerged out of Postwar America, specifically the American counterculture;

• to explore how Postwar American writers departed from conventional poetics and formal elements that characterized American modernism and carved out a space for avant garde poetics, highly experimental and unconventional in both form and content;

• to assess the English major at USD and to formulate a post-graduate plan of action; • to plan and lead an engaging discussion of a single work of literary criticism.

Required Texts (listed in the order we’ll read them): Allen, Donald, ed. The New American Poetry, 1945-1960. 1960. Berkeley: U of California P,

1999. ISBN 0520209532.

Kerouac, Jack. On the Road. 1957. New York: Penguin, 1991. ISBN 0140042598.

---. Tristessa. 1960. New York, Penguin. 1992. ISBN 0140168117.

Burroughs, William S. Junky. 1953. New York: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0142003166.

---. Naked Lunch: The Restored Text. 1959. New York: Grove/Atlantic, 2004. ISBN 0-8021-4018-1.

Wolfe, Tom. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. New York: Bantam, 1968. ISBN 0553380648.

Kesey, Ken. One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. New York: Signet, 1963. ISBN 0451163966.

Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. 1971. New York: Knopf, 1998. ISBN 0679785892.

Course Activities Writing Assignments (due dates listed in reading/assignment schedule, appendix four)

Assessment of your course of study. You will write a 3-5 page essay in which you evaluate and reflect upon the English major at USD and your own course of study. Assignment details TBA. Post-Graduation Plan: Due during last class period. This will be a short research project that you share with your peers. All students will leave the course with at least 15 other post-graduate plans complete with details. Assignment details TBA. Seminar Paper. Final draft of at least 15 pages (at least 4500 words). This paper will be the culminating project for this course and, in a sense, the culminating project for your English major. To write this essay, you should draw on the tools (theories, methods of analysis,

research tools such as the MLA International Bibliography and the Dictionary of Literary Biography, writing skills, etc.) you’ve acquired as an English major. Assignment details TBA. The seminar paper will include the following components: 1. Paper proposal (300-600 words) 2. Annotated bibliography (8-10 sources) 3. First draft (at least 2500 words, or around 8 MLA pages in correct MLA style) 4. Final draft (at least 4500 words, or at least 15 MLA pages in correct MLA style) Question & Response Papers. 250-350 words (~1-1.5 typed double spaced pages). You will write seven Q&R papers this semester. Q&R papers must be submitted via e-mail attachment by the beginning of each class. You do not have to submit a Q&R paper for the class during which you’ll be leading discussion. Assignment details TBA.

Other Activities

Discussion Leader Each week, one student will lead discussion, pose questions, and help us to understand one of the critical articles or statements of poetics by or about the authors or the poetry/fiction we’re reading for that week. I have assigned the articles each week; students will choose which week they wish to lead discussion. In addition to the assigned articles/statements of poetics, students are encouraged to prepare for their lead discussion class by doing additional research on the writers/texts we’re covering for that particular class. Additionally, each student will meet with me to discuss the student’s “lead discussion” focus and plan. Participation Your participation in each class is essential to the success of this course. Come to class having read the material, speak up and speak intelligently, don’t be shy, ask questions, don’t be late to class, don’t leave early. Fifteen percent of your final course grade will be my assessment of your participation, including the success of your “lead discussion” class.

Course Policies Attendance: It’s simple: come to class. This course is designed as a seminar, and your participation is required. Since we meet only once per week, each absence is equivalent to an entire week’s worth of class. You are allowed one discretionary absence this semester. For each absence after the first, your final course grade will be reduced by 5 percentage points. Late work: Except under extenuating circumstances, I do not accept late work. The definition of “extenuating” is left up to me to determine on a case-by-case basis. If you must miss a class, submit your work early via e-mail. Q&R papers that are not e-mailed by 4:00 each Wednesday will be considered late and will receive no credit. Grading Criteria and Assessment (see Appendix Two for grading criteria for written work) Your final grade will be calculated as follows: Assessment of your course of study 10% Post-graduation plan 5% Q&R papers 15% Annotated bibliography 15% Seminar paper 40% Participation, including discussion leader class 15%

Final Course Grades: 100-90 = A; 89-80 = B; 79-70 = C; 69-60 = D; below 60 = F. Grading Scale for Written Work: Letter % Letter % Letter % Letter % Letter % A+ 100 B+ 88 C+ 78 D+ 68 A 95 B 85 C 75 D 65 F below 60 A- 92 B- 82 C- 72 D- 62 Web CT Course materials and reading assignments will be posted in Web CT. Students are expected to make use of Web CT this semester.

The College of Arts and Sciences Policy on Academic Dishonesty The College of Arts and Sciences considers plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty inimical to the objectives of higher education. The College supports the imposition of penalties on students who engage in academic dishonesty, as defined in the “Conduct” section of the University of South Dakota Student Handbook. No credit can be given for a dishonest assignment. At the discretion of the instructor, a student caught engaging in any form of academic dishonesty may be: a. Given a zero for that assignment. b. Allowed to rewrite and resubmit the assignment for credit. c. Assigned a reduced grade for the course. d. Dropped from the course. e. Failed in the course.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Plagiarism occurs when a student submits another person’s writing as his/her own, or has another person dictate what should be written. Academic dishonesty also includes the following, as outlined in the student code of conduct: “Cheating, which is defined as, but not limited to the following: a. use or giving of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; b. use of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; or c. acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic material belonging to a member of the institutional faculty or staff.” Plagiarism or academic dishonesty in any single assignment, including quizzes and drafts, will be referred to the Director of Writing for individual consideration. The default penalty for plagiarism or academic dishonesty in this course is failure for the course. Students who appear to have provided writing or other inappropriate assistance to other students for the purposes of plagiarism or cheating will be referred to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities for punitive action.

Appendix One: Required and Supplemental Materials Required Reading: Articles on E-Reserves or Web CT

Burner, David. “Chapter IV: The Rucksack Revolution.” Making Peace with the 60s. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1996. 113-33. (e-reserves)

Eburne, Jonathan Paul. "Trafficking in the Void: Burroughs, Kerouac, and the Consumption of Otherness." Modern Fiction Studies 43.1 (1997): 53-92. (Web CT)

Charters, Ann. "'Constantly Risking Absurdity': Some San Francisco Renaissance Poets." The Portable Beat Reader. New York: Penguin, 1992. 227-231. (e-reserves)

Dardess, George. "The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's On the Road. American Literature 46.2 (1974): 200-206. (Web CT)

---. "The Logic of Spontaneity: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's 'Spontaneous Prose Method.'" Boundary 2 3 (1975): 729-45. (Web CT)

Fick, "The Hipster, the Hero, and the Psychic Frontier in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature 43.1/2 (1989): 19-34. (Web CT)

George, Paul S., and Jerold M. Starr. "Beat Politics: New Left and Hippie Beginnings in the Postwar Counterculture." Cultural Politics: Radical Movements in Modern History. Ed. Jerold M. Starr. New York: Praeger, 1985. 189-233.

Grace, Nancy McCampbell. "A White Man in Love: A Study of Race, Gender, Class, and Ethnicity in Jack Kerouac's Maggie Cassidy, The Subterraneans, and Tristessa." College Literature 27.1 (Winter 2000): 39-62. (Web CT).

Holton, Robert. "Kerouac Among the Fellahin: On the Road to the Postmodern." Modern Fiction Studies 41.2 (Summer 1995): 265-83. (Web CT)

Kerouac, Jack. “Belief and Technique for Modern Prose.” (e-reserves) ---. “Essentials of Spontaneous Prose.” (e-reserves) ---. Mexico City Blues, "221st Chorus," "239th Chorus," "240th Chorus," and "241st Chorus" (e-

reserves) Loewinsohn, Ron. "'Gentle Reader, I Fain Would Spare You This, but My Pen Hath Its Will like

the Ancient Mariner': Narrator(s) and Audience in William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch." Contemporary Literature 39.4 (1998): 560-85. (Web CT)

Lydenberg, Robin. "Notes from the Orifice: Language and the Body in Naked Lunch." Word Cultures: Radical Theory and Practice in William Burroughs' Fiction. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1987. 19-43. (e-reserves)

Murphy, Timothy S. "No Final Glossary: Fugitive Words in Junky and Queer." Wising Up the Marks: The Amodern William Burroughs. Berkeley: U of California P, 1997. 46-66. (e-reserves)

Quinn, Richard. "Jack Keroauc, Charlie Parker, and the Poetics of Beat Improvisation." Reconstructing the Beats. Ed. Jennie Skerl. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. 151-68. (e-reserves)

Rexroth, Kenneth. "Thou Shalt Not Kill: A Memorial for Dylan Thomas." (e-reserves) Trigilio, Tony. "'Strange Prophecies Anew': Rethinking the Politics of Matter and Spirit in

Ginsbeg's Kaddish." American Literature 71.4 (1999): 773-95. (Web CT) Weinreich, Regina. “Introduction” and “The Road as Transition.” The Spontaneous Poetics of

Jack Kerouac: A Study of the Fiction. Carbondale: Southern Illinois UP, 1987. (e-reserves)

Books on Course Reserves

Allen, Donald. The New American Poetry 1945-1960. Berkeley: U California P, 1960, 1999. Davidson, Michael. San Francisco Renaissance: Poetics and Community at Mid-Century. Harris, Oliver. William Burroughs and the Secret Fascination. Johnson, Ronna C., and Nancy M. Grace. Girls Who Wore Black. Lydenberg, Robin. Word Cultures: Radical Theory and Practice in William S. Burroughs’ Fiction. Murphy, Timothy. Wising Up the Marks: The Amodern William Burroughs.

Nicosia, Gerald. Memory Babe: A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac. Schumacher, Michael. Dharma Lion: A Critical Biography of Allen Ginsberg. Gizzi, Peter. The House that Jack Built. Blaser, Robin, ed. Collected Books of Jack Spicer. Audio/Video Available in I.D. Weeks: Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Poems and Songs [Ginsberg, CD Audio Boxed Set]. 6 September 1994.

Rhino/Wea. Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats. DVD. Goldhil Home Media I. 15 April 2003. Kerouac. Dir. John Antonelli. VHS. Mystic Fire. 4 April 1995. The Coney Island of Ferlinghetti. VHS. Dir. Christopher Felver. Mystic Fire. 12 August 1997. The Jack Kerouac Collection [CD Audio Boxed Set]. 26 June 1990. Rhino/Wea. What Happened to Jack Kerouac? DVD. Dir. Lewis MacAdams and Richard Lerner (II). Sony

Music. 5 August 2003. Supplemental Scholarship (e-reserves or Web CT) Malcolm, Douglas. "'Jazz America': Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's On

the Road." Contemporary Literature 40.1 (1999): 85-110. (Web CT) Herring, Scott. “ ‘Her Brothers Dead in Riverside or Russia’: ‘Kaddish’ and the Holocaust.”

Contemporary Literature 42.3 (2001): 535-56. (Web CT) Hunt, Tim. "The Misreading of Kerouac." Review of Contemporary Fiction 3 (1983): 29-33 AND

Burns, Jim. "Kerouac and Jazz." Review of Contemporary Fiction 3 (1983): 33-41. (both on e-reserves, 1 file).

Johnson, Ronna C. "'You're Putting Me On': Jack Kerouac and the Postmodern Emergence." College Literature 27.1 (Winter 2000): 22-38. (Web CT).

Marler, Regina. "The Gay, the Bi, and the Other." The Gay and Lesbian Review (July-August 2004): 24-27. (Web CT)

Ruppersburg, Hugh. "On the Road and the American Literary Tradition." Postscript 4 (1987): 31-37. (e-reserves)

Audio Provided (CDs): Allen Ginsberg CD: “Howl,” “Kaddish,” “Sunflower Sutra,” and “A Supermarket in California” Kerouac CD: “Jazz of the Beat Generation”; “Visions of Neal: Neal and the Three Stooges, Part I”

and “Visions of Neal: Neal and the Three Stooges, Part II”; “Readings from On the Road and Visions of Cody”; “Poems from Book of Blues”; “221st Chorus” and “239th-241st Chorus”

Credit for Photography Used in this Syllabus 1© copyright 2002-2005 Larry Keenan. All Rights Reserved.

http://www.emptymirrorbooks.com/keenan/ 2Poets.org: From the Academy of American Poets. http://www.poets.org . 3Jacket Magazine. http://jacketmagazine.com .

Appendix Two: Grading Criteria for All Written Work A: Writer responds to the writing prompt. Audience is considered: context provided, terms

defined, opposing viewpoints considered. Thesis statement is clear and specific. Content is both unified and coherent; the writing reads as a single line of thought. Paragraphs have clear topic sentences with transitions that provide direction between ideas/paragraphs. Grammatical/mechanical or documentation errors are minimal, with no patterns of serious error. Writer uses grammatically correct and stylistically appropriate language. Sentence patterns are varied. Diction is tight, fresh, and appropriate to audience and purpose. Evidence from primary texts and secondary scholarly source material is abundant and directly develops thesis statement, which supports a cogent, persuasive argument; MLA style documentation of secondary source material is accurate. “A” writing is thoughtful and avoids the obvious and is imaginative and moves well beyond standard expectations for English majors in the third or fourth year.

B: Writer responds to the writing prompt. Thesis statement is clear and specific. Content is

organized and generally coherent with topic sentences and transitions that provide direction. Writing may contain grammatical/mechanical and documentation errors, but those errors do not detract from the content. Sentence patterns are generally varied but may show some repetition. Diction is generally concise, accurate, and appropriate to audience and purpose. Key ideas are supported with details from primary texts and secondary scholarly source material; MLA style documentation is sufficient with few errors. “B” writing offers substantial information with few distractions and exceeds standard expectations for English majors in the third or fourth year.

C: “C” writing tends to depend upon the self-evident and the cliché. Thesis statement is non-

specific. Content may be ineffectively organized, with weak or missing transitions. Grammatical/mechanical errors may be repeated or frequent. Diction is limited in range, occasionally marred by repetition, redundancy, imprecision. Sentences may be choppy, monotonous. Generalizations are not developed with appropriate details. Source material may be used, but ineffectively; MLA style documentation contains some errors but may still be judged as sufficient. “C” writing meets standard expectations for English majors in the third or fourth year.

D: Thesis statement may be unclear or missing. Content is disorganized. Writing fails to

provide the reader with clear direction and focus, and transitions between ideas are missing. Ideas are left undeveloped. Generalizations are not supported, with source material frequently used inaccurately or ineffectively. Grammatical or sentence structure errors detract from content. Mechanical errors or problems with MLA style documentation are evident. Diction is limited in range and may be inappropriate. Evidence of proofreading is scanty. “D” writing often gives the impression of having been conceived and written in haste and falls below standard expectations for English majors in the third or fourth year.

F: Writing that demonstrates incompetence. Essay lacks thesis statements, unity. Writing is

marginally coherent. Few ideas are developed or supported, and inaccuracies are common. Errors in MLA style documentation are frequent, or documentation is missing. Grammar, spelling, and sentence structure are weak. In short, the ideas, organization and style fall far below what is acceptable for English majors in the third or fourth year.

Appendix Three: Question and Response Papers Each week, prepare at least two meaningful questions that will initiate class discussion about the text(s) we read for that week (either literary texts or critical articles). Respond to one of those questions in a 250-350 word response paper in correct MLA style. Your questions and responses should focus on some topic appropriate to the course theme: literature of postwar American counterculture. Unless you draw on sources that we did not read for class, a works cited page is unnecessary. E-mail Q&R papers to me (cervin@usd.edu) by 4:00 each Wednesday when one is due. Example Q&R paper (reformatted for this syllabus—not in MLA style, but it does meet the 1-1.5 page length requirement; 289 words) follows: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Q&R #1: Howl Questions (1) What is the cultural/personal significance of madness for Ginsberg in Howl? (2) In what ways does Ginsberg’s poetry depart from conventional twentieth century poetics? Response to Question #1 Howl begins and ends with madness. Ginsberg opens the poem, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked” (182). Part III, which we are not reading, is a celebration of Ginsberg’s friendship with Carl Solomon, who spent time in mental hospitals (Ginsberg was no stranger to the psychiatric ward himself), and thus Part III can be read as a celebration of madness. Even Kerouac wrote that “the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved” (On the Road 5).

On a personal level, madness in Howl is a celebration of the unconventional, the personal (everyone is mad in some way), the unique, the extraordinary. But a cultural and political madness pervades the poem, as well. Post World War II prosperity had created a sense of complacency and false confidence in mainstream America that seemed to ignore real world events that Ginsberg and his cohorts noticed with increasing urgency. McCarthyism had a stranglehold on freedom of speech and artistic integrity. The BOMB that had decimated Hiroshima and Nagasaki had hit (figuratively) close to home. The U.S. had engaged itself in yet another war in Asia, and Eisenhower’s industrial military complex prospered. Howl, then, was Ginsberg’s response to the madness he saw in the world, perpetuated by “Moloch,” a god to whom humans are sacrificed. For Ginsberg, Moloch is the government whose vast machine of war, with no conscience and no remorse, plows over soldiers, women, and children in far-off Asian places. Ginsberg’s Moloch created the madness that destroyed “the best minds of [his] generation,” leaving them “dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix” (182). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Appendix Four: Assignment Assessing English Major (Final Length: 3-5 pages) The purpose of this assignment is for you to reflect on the English major at USD and offer an evaluation two facets of that major: (1) the curriculum and (2) your work in that curriculum. The essay, then, should consist of discrete sections. Section 1: As you draft this section, look back at the courses you took, what you learned in those courses, what you did not learn or were not exposed to at all. Then evaluate the curriculum. What classes should be offered that aren’t? What experiences might have made your English major more useful to you? What experiences will you carry forward post-USD? And so on. Be honest, but remember that you’re evaluating the curriculum, not individual faculty. Section 2: As you draft this section, think about those same questions, only apply them to yourself. What should you have done differently as you progressed through the curriculum here at USD? What opportunities did you take that proved useful, and what opportunities should you have taken that you didn’t? What classes do you wish you had taken, and why? What interests did you pursue, what extracurricular activities were useful, and what activities do you wish you had pursued?

Appendix Five: The Fine Print Required Departmental, University, and Board of Regents Policies English Department Policy on Fair Evaluation Rights and Responsibilities: The English Department believes that each student is entitled to earn and receive a fair grade in each course for which he or she enrolls. The department believes equally that it is the right and the responsibility of an instructor to establish criteria for evaluation for each course which he or she teaches and to determine the degree to which an individual student has fulfilled the standards set for the course. Resolving Complaints: Students making a complaint about a grade should first attempt to resolve the problem directly with the course instructor. If that attempt is unsuccessful, the Director of Writing will review complaints regarding grades in ENGL 101 and 210. The Chair will consider other student complaints regarding grades as well as complaints from 101 and 210 not resolved by the Director of Writing. However, the burden of proof will lie with the student registering the complaint; he or she must demonstrate that an instructor has made an error in computation or that the instructor has violated the criteria set down in the printed syllabus for the course. Syllabus Policy: To assist the Director and the Chair in determining whether grade changes are needed, individual faculty will be responsible for providing evaluation criteria for each course on the syllabus for that course, and for providing a copy of each syllabus to the Department Secretary by the second week of each semester. Other Factors: Students should be apprised that extraneous factors, such as the eligibility of a student for sorority or fraternity membership, for scholarship and fellowship awards, or for admission to graduate schools, have no bearing on the determination of the fairness of a grade or grades received. The quality of the student’s overall performance with respect to evaluation standards will be the only criterion for judgment. Statement on Freedom in Learning: The following statement is required by the South Dakota Board of Regents: Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first contact the instructor of the course. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation. Assessment Disclaimer: Any written work submitted for this course may be used for purposes of program review and/or faculty development. Disabilities: Any student who feels s/he may need academic accommodations or access accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability should contact and register with Disability Services during the first week of class. Disability Services is the official office to assist students through the process of disability verification and coordination of appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Students currently registered with Disability Services must obtain a new accommodation memo each semester. For information contact: Ernetta L. Fox, Director Disability Services, Room 119 Service Center (605) 677-6389 www.usd.edu/ds dservices@usd.edu

Appendix Six: Reading/Assignment Schedule NOTE: YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DOWNLOAD, PRINT, AND READ ALL MATERIALS ON E-RESERVES (CRITICAL

ARTICLES AND LITERARY TEXTS). BRING THOSE MATERIALS TO CLASS ON THE DAYS WE’LL BE

DISCUSSING THEM. ALL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE VIA E-MAIL ATTACHMENT BY 4:00 P.M. ON THE DAY DUE KEY: = READING ASSIGNMENT = WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE = LISTEN TO SELECTION ON CD

= LINK FOR AUDIO AVAILABLE VIA WEB CT Date Assignments

1/17--Introduction to the course, cultural context for Postwar American Counterculture Literarature

(1) Allen Ginsberg, "Howl," in NAP, pp. 182-190

(2) George, Paul S., and Jerold M. Starr. "Beat Politics: New Left and Hippie Beginnings in the Postwar Counterculture." Cultural Politics: Radical Movements in Modern History. Ed. Jerold M. Starr. New York: Praeger, 1985. 189-233.

1/24--Six Poets at Six Gallery

(1) Burner, David. “Chapter IV: The Rucksack Revolution.” Making Peace with the 60s. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1996. 113-33. (e-reserves)

(2) Kenneth Rexroth, "Thou Shalt Not Kill: A Memorial for Dylan Thomas" (e-reserves)

(3) Allen Ginsberg, "Kaddish," parts I, III, IV, and V in NAP, pp. 194-201 AND part II (photocopy provided), "Sunflower Sutra" and "A Supermarket in California," NAP, pp. 179-182

(4) Gary Snyder, "Praise for Sick Women," "Riprap," and "For a Far Out Friend," NAP, pp. 307-310

(5) Philip Whalen, "Martyrdom of Two Pagans," "2 Variations: All about Love," "Sourdough Mountain Lookout," "Denunciation: Or, Unfrock'd Again," "The Same Old Jazz," in NAP, 280-292.

(6) Philip Lamantia, "Terror Conduction," "Man Is in Pain," "Morning Light Song," and "Still Poem 9," in NAP, pp. 154-157

(7) Trigilio, Tony. "'Strange Prophecies Anew': Rethinking the Politics of Matter and Spirit in Ginsbeg's Kaddish." American Literature 71.4 (1999): 773-95. (Web CT)

(8) Begin reading On the Road now.

"Kaddish," "Sunflower Sutra," and "A Supermarket in California" (Ginsberg CD)

First draft of essay assessing English major (at least 900 words)

Discussion text: Trigilio; Discussion leader: Chris Ervin.

Supplemental Texts:

(1) Marler, Regina. "The Gay, the Bi, and the Other." The Gay and Lesbian Review (July-August 2004): 24-27. (e-reserves)

(2) Shumacher, Dharma Lion (course reserves)

(3) Charters, Ann. "'Constantly Risking Absurdity': Some San Francisco Renaissance Poets." The Portable Beat Reader. New York: Penguin, 1992. 227-231. (e-reserves)

1/31--On the Road, Jazz, and Spontaneous Prose (or Spontaneous Bop Prosody)

(1) Kerouac, On the Road, parts 1 and 2

(2) Kerouac, "Belief and Technique for Modern Prose" and "The Essentials of Spontaneous Prose" (e-reserves)

(3) Quinn, Richard. "Jack Keroauc, Charlie Parker, and the Poetics of Beat Improvisation." Reconstructing the Beats. Ed. Jennie Skerl. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. 151-68. (e-reserves)

(4) Dardess, George. "The Logic of Spontaneity: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's 'Spontaneous Prose Method.'" Boundary 2 3 (1975): 729-45. (Web CT)

(1) "Readings from On the Road and Visions of Cody" from Steve Allen show (Kerouac CD, track 1)

(2) "Visions of Neal" parts I and II on Kerouac CD, tracks 3 and 4

Q&R #1 on On the Road, focus on spontaneous prose, jazz influence, language, etc. (e-mail as attachment by 4:00 today)

Discussion text 1: Quinn. Discussion leader: Amy White

Discussion text 2: Dardess. Discussion leader: Stacey Gleason

Supplemental texts:

(1) Hunt, Tim. "The Misreading of Kerouac." Review of Contemporary Fiction 3 (1983): 29-33 AND Burns, Jim. "Kerouac and Jazz." Review of Contemporary Fiction 3 (1983): 33-41. (both on e-reserves, 1 file).

(2) Malcolm, Douglas. "'Jazz America': Jazz and African American Culture in Jack Kerouac's On the Road." Contemporary Literature 40.1 (1999): 85-110. (Web CT)

(3) Nicosia, Memory Babe (course reserves)

2/7--On the Road, continued.

(1) Kerouac, On the Road, parts 3 and 4

(2) Weinreich, Regina. "The Road as Transition." The Spontaneous Poetics of Jack Kerouac: A Study of the Fiction. New York: Paragon House, 1990. 34-56. (e-reserves)

(3) Dardess, George. "The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's On the Road. American Literature 46.2 (1974): 200-206. (Web CT)

Excerpt of part 3, chapter 4 of OTR is available on CD; listen to "Jazz of the Beat Generation" on Kerouac CD, track 2

Q&R #2 on On the Road (e-mail as attachment by 4:00 today)

Discussion text 1: Weinreich. Discussion leader: Vanessa Barnes

Supplemental texts:

(1) Nicosia, Memory Babe: A Critical Biography of Jack Kerouac (course reserves)

(2) Hunt, Timothy. "An American Education." (ch. 1 of Kerouac's Crooked Road on course-reserves)

(3) Ruppersburg, Hugh. "On the Road and the American Literary Tradition." Postscript 4 (1987): 31-37. (e-reserves)

2/14--Tristessa and the Emergence of Beat Counterculture

(1) Kerouac, Tristessa

(2) Grace, Nancy McCampbell. "A White Man in Love: A Study of Race, Gender, Class, and Ethnicity in Jack Kerouac's Maggie Cassidy, The Subterraneans, and Tristessa." College Literature 27.1 (Winter 2000): 39-62. (Web CT).

(3) Holton, Robert. "Kerouac Among the Fellahin: On the Road to the Postmodern." Modern Fiction Studies 41.2 (Summer 1995): 265-83. (Web CT)

(4) Kerouac, from Mexico City Blues, "221st Chorus," "239th Chorus," "240th Chorus," and "241st Chorus" (e-reserves)

(1) "221st Chorus," "239th Chorus-241st Chorus" on Kerouac CD, tracks 6-7

(2) Listen to "From Book of Blues" on Kerouac CD, track 5

Final draft of essay assessing English major

Discussion text 1: Grace. Discussion leader: Sabina Mustic

Discussion text 2: Holton. Discussion leader: Dan Kofoed

Supplemental texts: (1) Johnson, Ronna C. "'You're Putting Me On': Jack Kerouac and the Postmodern

Emergence." College Literature 27.1 (Winter 2000): 22-38. (Web CT).

(2) Nicosia, Memory Babe.

(3) Marler, Regina. "The Gay, the Bi, and the Other." The Gay and Lesbian Review (July-August 2004): 24-27.

2/21--William S. Burroughs: Gentleman Junky

(1) Burroughs, Junky

(2) Murphy, Timothy S. "No Final Glossary: Fugitive Words in Junky and Queer." Wising Up the Marks: The Amodern William Burroughs. Berkeley: U of California P, 1997. 46-66. (e-reserves)

Excerpt from Junky at www.ubu.com: http://ubu.wfmu.org/sound/dial_a_poem_poets/giorno_burroughs/Giorno-Burroughs_08_burroughs_junkie.mp3 (also linked from Web CT, Required Readings section)

Q&R #3 on Junky

Discussion text: Murphy. Discussion leader: Mark Messmer

Supplemental texts:

(1) Lydenberg, Robin. Word Cultures: Radical Theory and Practice in William Burroughs' Fiction. (course reserves)

(2) Harris, Oliver. William Burroughs and the Secret of Fascination. (course reserves)

2/28--Naked Lunch

(1) Loewinsohn, Ron. "'Gentle Reader, I Fain Would Spare You This, but My Pen Hath Its Will like the Ancient Mariner': Narrator(s) and Audience in William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch." Contemporary Literature 39.4 (1998): 560-85. (Web CT)

(2) Burroughs, Naked Lunch, beginning through "A.J.'s Annual Party."

Excerpt from Naked Lunch at www.ubu.com: http://ubu.wfmu.org/sound/dial_a_poem_poets/big_ego/Big_Ego_12-burroughs.mp3 (also linked from Web CT, "Required Readings" section)

Q&R #4 on Naked Lunch

Discussion text: Loewinsohn. Discussion leader: Bridget Welch

Supplemental texts:

(1) Lydenberg, Robin. Word Cultures: Radical Theory and Practice in William Burroughs' Fiction. (course reserves)

(2) Harris, Oliver. William Burroughs and the Secret of Fascination. (course reserves)

3/7--No class. Spring break.

3/14--Naked Lunch, continued

(1) Eburne, Jonathan Paul. "Trafficking in the Void: Burroughs, Kerouac, and the Consumption of Otherness." Modern Fiction Studies 43.1 (1997): 53-92. (Web CT)

(2) Lydenberg, Robin. "Notes from the Orifice: Language and the Body in Naked Lunch." Word Cultures: Radical Theory and Practice in William Burroughs' Fiction. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1987. 19-43. (e-reserves)

(3) Burroughs, Naked Lunch, the remainder.

Discussion text 1: Eburne. Discussion leader: Sarah Hoffman

Discussion text 2: Lydenberg. Discussion leader: Laura Jones

Supplemental texts:

(1) Murphy, Timothy. Wising Up the Marks. (course reserves)

3/21--No class. You should be working on your annotated bibliography and reading Acid Test for next week.

English 489: Senior English 489: Senior CapstoneCapstone Postwar American Counterculture LiteraturePostwar American Counterculture Literature

Updated Schedule of Updated Schedule of Assignments: 3/28 Assignments: 3/28 –– 5/7 5/7

Revised Reading/Assignment Schedule, Distributed March 15, 2007 via e-mail 3/21--No class. You should be working on your annotated bibliography and reading Acid Test for next week. Due: Seminar Paper Proposal e-mailed to me by 4:00 for those of you who know what you’re writing about. Last chance to submit seminar paper proposals is April 4.

3/28--The Sixties, New Journalism, Pranksters, and Angels

(1) Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (all)

(2) Wood, John. “Hell’s Angels and the Illusion of Counterculture.” Journal of Popular Culture 37.2 (2003): 336-51. (Web CT)

(3) Jacobson, Kent. “The Freaking New Journalism.” Journal of Popular Culture 9.1 (1975): 183-96. (e-reserves)

Q&R #5 on Acid Test and new journalism

Acid Test audio (Web CT)

Discussion text: “Hell’s Angels and the Illusion of Counterculture.” Discussion leader: Phil Squires

Discussion text: “The Freaking New Journalism.” Discussion leader: Landon Wegner

Supplemental Texts:

(1) Reist, Nancy. “Counting Stars by Candlelight: An Analysis of the Mythic Appeal of the Grateful Dead.” Journal of Popular Culture 39.1 (1997): 183-209. (Web CT)

(2) Novak, Steven J. “LSD before Leary: Sidney Cohen’s Critique of 1950s Psychedelic Drug Research.” Isis 88.1 (1997): 87-110. (Web CT)

4/4—One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

(1) Kesey, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

(2) Fick, "The Hipster, the Hero, and the Psychic Frontier in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Rocky Mountain Review of Language and Literature 43.1/2 (1989): 19-34. (Web CT)

Q&R #6 on Cuckoo's Nest

Seminar Paper Proposal last chance submission.

Discussion text: Fick. Discussion leader: Katie Jones

Supplemental text:

Vitkus, Daniel J. “Madness and Misogyny in Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics 14 (1994): 64-90. (Web CT)

4/11--Gonzo Journalism; Guest Lecturer: Ryan Allen

(1) Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

(2) Thompson, “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.” The Great Shark Hunt, Gonzo Papers No. 1, Strange Tales from a Strange Time. New York: Ballantine, 1979. <http://www.derbypost.com/hunter.html> . Link available via Web CT required readings (print, read, and bring to class).

(3) Grassian, Daniel. “The Half-Baked Cultural Detective: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Postmodern Noir.” Popular Culture Review 11.2 (2000): 99-111. (Web CT)

(4) Novoa, Bruce. “Fear and Loathing on the Buffalo Trail.” MELEUS 6.4 (1979): 39-50. (Webt CT)

Annotated bibliography, first draft (at least 4 entries, 75-200 words each) due, e-mailed by 4:00

Outline of paper due in class for peer review and e-mailed to me by 4:00

Discussion text: “The Half-Baked Cultural Detective.” Discussion leader: Aaron Monson

Discussion text: “Fear and Loathing on the Buffalo Trail.” Discussion leader: Jenny Pohlman

4/18--Black Mountain and San Francisco Poets

(1) Robert Duncan, “This Place Rumord to Have Been Sodom,” “The Dance,” and “Food for Fire, Food for Thought” (Donald Allen anthology) and “Often I Am Permitted to Return to a Meadow” (e-reserves)

(2) Denise Levertov, all poems in Allen anthology.

(3) Robert Creeley, all poems in Allen anthology.

(4) Jack Spicer, all poems in Allen anthology.

(5) Robin Blaser, all poems in Allen anthology.

(6) Duncan, Robert. “Towards and Open Universe” and “Ideas of the Meaning of Form.” Robert Duncan: A Selected Prose. Ed. Robert J. Bertholf. New York: New Directions, 1995. 1-12 and 23-37.

(7) Spicer, Jack. “Vancouver Lecture 1: Dictation and ‘A Textbook of Poetry.’” The House that Jack Built: The Collected Lectures of Jack Spicer. Ed. Peter Gizzi. Hannover: UP of New England, 1998. 1-42. (e-reserves). (NOTE: This is a transcription of a lecture, so it looks like more reading than it actually is.)

Listen to poets reading their work (links available via Web CT)

Final draft of annotated bibliography (at least 8 entries, 75-200 words each) due, e-mailed by 4:00

Discussion text: “Towards and Open Universe” and “Ideas of the Meaning of Form.” Discussion leader: Caitlin Dill

Discussion text: “Vancouver Lecture I.” Discussion leader: Lindsey Royal

Supplemental Texts:

(1) Johnson, Mark Andrew. “Chapter Three: Poetics.” Robert Duncan. Boston: Twayne, 1988. 26-41. (e-reserves)

4/25--More Beat Poets and Performance Poetry; Guest Lecturer: Annie Christain

(1) Specific poems from the Donald Allen anthology and on e-reserves to be announced.

(2) Puchek, Peter. “From Revolution to Creation: Beat Desire and Body Poetics in Anne Waldman’s Poetry.” Girls Who Wore Black: Women Writing the Beat Generation. Ed. Ronna C. Johnson and Nancy M. Grace. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2002. 226-50. (e-reserves)

Listen to poets reading their work (links available via Web CT)

First draft (at least 2500 words, or around 8 MLA pages in correct MLA style) plus revised outline due, e-mailed by 4:00 (possible conference on these drafts)

Discussion text: “From Revolution to Creation.” Discussion leader: Georgie Gibbs

5/2—No class. Instead, we will meet Thursday evening (see below).

Thursday, 5/3—7:00-9:00: Roundtable for undergraduate English majors and graduate students in Old Main 106. Topic: Post-graduation directions. Panelists include Brenda Paulson (University of Sioux Falls), Laura Furlan-Szanto (University of South Dakota), Christopher Ervin (University of South Dakota), and Ashley Zellmer (McGraw-Hill textbook publisher). Other panelists to be arranged.

Final papers due Monday, May 7, by 5:30 pm. E-mail to me. No final exam period meeting.