ENG 400: Seminar in George Orwell
Interterm 2008

Requirements:

I have had a very difficult time deciding how much we can read in Interterm.  There's probably too much reading on the syllabus.  What I'd like to accomplish, however, is reading of four complete books: Down and Out in Paris and London, Homage to Catalonia, Animal Farm, and 1984, as well as a number of important essays and some of the critical material written by others about 1984.  Reading and discussion will shape this class.  Therefore, I will give reading quizzes or ask you to write briefly on specific topics, so that you can demonstrate that you have done the reading.  To facilitate discussion, I'll ask you, in pairs, to take charge of initiating discussion of the reading for one class meeting, bringing some good discussion-starting questions and, if necessary, a little extra material to help your classmates understand the reading better (for example, on the Spanish Civil War). I will also ask you to write a critical paper of 6-8 pages on a topic that I will approve. I'll check with you on your progress at a couple of points during Interterm and recommend that you get peer feedback in the Writing Center or from a friend in class as well as from me before turning it in on the last day of Interterm.

Reading quizzes/in-class free writes on the reading = 25% of final grade
Meaningful participation, including initiating class discussion at one meeting = 25% of final grade
Critical paper = 50% of final grade