Course Syllabus

Professor Gillian Harkins  

Class Meetings: M/W 3:30 – 5:20 PM in Lowe (LOW) 202                                          

Drop-In Office Hours: M/W 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM in A-504 Padeldford Hall or this Zoom Link 

Additional Office Hours: Use Canvas Message to set up an appointment (held at link above)

Introduction to Graduate Studies in English

So my attitude to theory is that theory is absolutely essential, absolutely essential, because appearances are wrong, largely wrong. We need theory to break up appearances so that you can begin to understand how things work. What theory will never do is to tell you either what you ought to have done or act as a guarantee that the choices that you’ve made are right  … Theory informs practice, but it never stands outside it and says, "You were right, and if only you understood me you could have been righter for longer." 

— Stuart Hall, "Politics, Contingency, Strategy: Interview with David Scott" (1997), 250, 259.

This is the University of Washington Course Catalog description of English 506: Engages disciplinary genealogies. Offers a grounding in key theories of language, power, circulation, and representation at the root of contemporary scholarship in literary, cultural, writing, language, and rhetorical studies. Addresses some important ways objects of study, methodologies, practices, and terms of value have been constituted, challenged, and re-envisioned.

Our Fall 2024 version of this course is designed as an exploration, not a way to bank or accumulate knowledge as certainty.  Our goal is to acclimate everyone who arrives in the classroom to graduate study in English and its interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral conversations.  To meet this goal, this course centers work published by faculty in the University of Washington English Department.  We will read these works to introduce ourselves to the various fields/debates/archives of this specific Department as well as the broader conversations and contexts in which these works are situated.  The course will be discussion focused, with a series of shorter writing assignments designed to support future research projects.  Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Required Texts

All readings will be provided on the Canvas website for the course.  If you have any trouble accessing these readings, please contact me.

Course Objectives

• Explore being a graduate student
• Explore various concepts or keywords in English studies
• Discuss various approaches to method and theory
• Discuss frameworks in the UW English Department
• Practice analyzing academic arguments
• Practice academic writing and research

Course Requirements

• Discussion:  This class meets twice a week to explore shared readings. Please come to seminar with passages circled, questions ready, and confusion welcomed.  We will start each class by reading with the assigned piece, giving it a generous welcome and attending to what might have been at stake in thinking and writing this way.  We will then move on to our concerns, doubts, or critiques of the piece, with an emphasis on what might be modified or made useful about engaging more critically.  At mid-point and end of the quarter you will have the chance to reflect on your experience with in-class and peer-based learning. [low stakes 50%]

• Reflective Portfolio: You will begin and end the class with low-stakes writing to describe and then reflect back on your learning agenda for the quarter. [low stakes 10%]

• Academic Research & Writing: You will complete 2 assignments to help you practice specific academic research and writing skills: 1) a research project proposal; and 2) a review of three related scholarly sources. These will be collected in your Portfolio. [30%]

• Academic Interview: You will conduct one interview with a faculty member in your proposed field/area. Your write up for this interview will be entered in your Portfolio. [low stakes 10%]

Course Policies

• Academic Conduct:  We all share responsibility for creating a positive shared learning community.  Everyone is invited to raise questions and offer additional perspectives about any materials discussed in class. Everyone is also expected to contribute their ideas in a manner that is thoughtful and respectful of the ideas expressed by others.  Here are some useful guidelines for class discussions. 
• Academic Integrity: The University takes academic integrity very seriously. Behaving with integrity is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. Please review this University of Washington website for a definition and explanation of academic misconduct. If you are confused or have any questions about a specific instance, please feel free to see me in advance of the due date.
• Academic Accommodations: It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS) , please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course. If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations.
• Religious Accommodations: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s po icy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

Additional Resources

Additional support for technology access, writing and research support, financial and health needs, food, parenting, and legal resources and have been gathered at this link: https://english.washington.edu/resources-times-need.