ENGL 1260W
Murder and Mayhem: Crime and Punishment in Popular Culture
Dr. Dan Fang Office Hours:
Commons 317 TR 10-11am
dan.fang@vanderbilt.edu & By Appointment
Course Description:
Murder is one of the most heinous acts a human can do to another being; it is also a topic that fascinates our society endlessly, appearing in a thousand different iterations throughout history. In this course, we will explore crime and detective stories in various forms: fiction, nonfiction, film, television show, and even board games. Throughout this semester, we will think critically about the structure of narratives about crime, especially murder; about the various thematic implications of making stories about crime; and how those implications extend more broadly to our daily lives and the institutions around us.
With this view in mind, and to achieve the course objective of improving critical thinking and writing, we will study the prose and film that are most concerned with murder and mayhem. Throughout the semester, we will strive to improve critical reading skills via close reading, think critically about the literary work as a whole, and effectively express those critical and analytical skills through writing.
Required Texts:
Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Wildside, ISBN 978-1434404374)
Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon (Vintage, ISBN 978-0679722649)
John Berendt, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (Vintage, ISBN 978-0679751526)
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl (Broadway, 978-0307588371)
These texts are available in the Vanderbilt bookstore and on Amazon.com. I would prefer you purchase the assigned editions so that you can find the right pages more easily in class. You will also be required to watch a number of films for this class. All of the films are on reserve at the Central Library; many are available via streaming services.
Assignments and Grading:
Grading:
Since this is a “W” course, the majority of your grade will come from your writing. The breakdown is as follows:
Paper 1: 15%
Final Paper Abstract: 5%
Final Paper Outline: 10%
Final Paper: 15%
Final Paper Revision: 20%
Crime Story Assignment: 15%
Participation: 20%
Papers:
Throughout the semester we’ll be continually talking about writing—writing is a process and not an end product. Revision is a crucial aspect of all essays assigned in this class. You will write three papers for this course, as well as a revision of your final paper. Your final grade for the paper depends both on improvement and on your ability to incorporate revision suggestions.
Papers must be turned in in class on the day they are due. If you should find yourself unable to come to class on the day papers are due, you need to email me your paper before class begins in order for it not to be counted late. Each day a paper is late, a half grade will be docked (A to A-, B+ to B, etc).
Papers should be word-processed (i.e. not handwritten) in 12 point, Times New Roman font with one inch margins. Please use the MLA guidelines for format, including in-text citations and works cited pages. We will go over citation guidelines in class, but also know the web has many resources such as: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocMLA.html; as well, the Bedford Handbook has an entire section on MLA guidelines.
Class Participation:
Class participation is a mandatory part of this course. Be prepared for class: make sure you have the text we are discussing with you, as well as whatever you need to take good notes. It is your responsibility to have the reading completed and to be ready to discuss it. Remember, reading is not a passive activity. Annotate your text and/or take reading notes. If you are not ready to speak, listen, and discuss when you come to class on any given day, then you are not prepared for class. The success of the class depends on the enthusiastic participation of each and every member.
Final Project:
In conjunction with your final paper, you will be working towards group project consisting of: an annotated work of crime fiction and a presentation of the analysis of your story.
Policies and Procedures:
Attendance:
Because this class depends on the participation of its members, failure to attend undermines the class as a whole. If you have more than THREE unexcused absences, your TOTAL grade will be dropped by half a letter grade (ex. B to B-) for each unexcused absence thereafter. Should you miss a class for any reason, you are responsible for contacting one of your classmates to find out what you missed, including changes to any assignments. If you have a school-sanctioned absence for sickness or special academic/athletic opportunities, please contact me as soon as possible.
Email:
I will be happy to answer questions you might have via email. Try to budget at least 24 hours for my response. If you find yourself having any trouble, whether concerning your papers or the class itself, email me. Open communication is key to success in this class, and—at least in the context of this course—it is always better to ask permission than forgiveness. You should also keep in touch with your classmates; their email can be accessed on our OAK website, under Tools: Email.
The Writing Studio:
For more help with your writing, consider visiting the writing studio in 117 Alumni Hall. The studio can help you improve your work at any stage in the writing process. Call 615–343–2225 or email writing.studio@vanderbilt.edu for an appointment. I encourage everyone to do this at least once during the semester.
Plagiarism:
Just say no. Plagiarism cases will be handed over to the Honor Council and could result in an “F” for the course, suspension, or expulsion from the University. Always acknowledge your source for any idea that is not your own. This includes all material that is summarized, paraphrased, or directly quoted from a source. If you are not sure whether something should be cited or not, it probably should. If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism, ask me or consult your student handbook at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/student_handbook/Honor_System.htm#one.
Special Needs:
Finally, I encourage anyone who feels he or she may have a learning disability to visit the Opportunity Development Center for assessment and, if necessary, to get documentation. Their phone number is 615-322-4705. Come talk to me as soon as you can if you have a special need.
NOTE: The policies, procedures, schedules, and requirements in this syllabus are subject to change, but I will strive to give you as much notice as possible.
Class Schedule:
T 1/12: Introductions; Criminal Anthropology
R 1/14: Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” (Online)
Charles Rzepka, “What is Detective Fiction?” (Online)
T 1/19: Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Ch. 1-4
Sigmund Freud, “The Ego and the Id” (Online)
R 1/21: The Mysterious Affair at Style, Ch. 5-8
Robert Merton, “Social Structure and Anomie” (Online)
T 1/26: The Mysterious Affair at Style, Ch. 9-end
Michel Foucault, “Discipline and Punish” (Online)
R 1/28: Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon, Ch. 1-6
How to do close reading in writing
T 2/2: The Maltese Falcon, Ch. 7-13
R 2/4: The Maltese Falcon, Ch. 14-20
Paper 1 Due Friday, 2/5
T 2/9: John Berendt, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Ch. 1-7
R 2/11: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Ch. 8-14
How to structure a paragraph
T 2/16: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Ch. 15-24
R 2/18: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Ch. 25-end
T 2/23: Michael Arntfield visit
R: 2/25: How to write abstracts and introductions
T 3/1: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – continued discussion
R 3/3: Law and Order: SVU; how to do film analysis
Final paper abstract and introduction due Monday, 3/8
3/8 & 3/10: Spring Break—No Class!
T 3/15: Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl, Part 1; how to structure a paper
R 3/17: Continue discussion on Gone Girl, Part 1; participation self-analysis, unit 2
T 3/22: In-class grading with sample paper
R 3/24: The Godfather
Final paper outline and revised abstract due Monday, 3/28
T 3/29: Gone Girl, Part 2
R 3/31: Gone Girl, Part 3
Crime story assignment due Monday, 4/4
T 4/5: Gone Girl (film)
R 4/7: Crime story 1 & 2
T 4/12: Crime story 3; participation self-evaluation, part 3; course evaluations
Final paper due IN CLASS AND ON BLACKBOARD Thursday, 4/14
R 4/14: Final paper peer review
Final Papers Revision due Tuesday, 5/3
Murder and Mayhem 