WRITTEN SUMMARIES AND ANALYSES

Bob Corbett, instructor
Phil 3100.01 Literature and Philosophy
Fall 2000

THERE ARE 5 PAPERS REQUIRED OF EACH STUDENT. THE TEXTS AND DUE DATES ARE:

1. Sept. 6 on Chinua Achebe: THINGS FALL APART.
2. Sept. 25 on Elfriede Jelinek: WONDERFUL WONDERFUL TIMES .
3. Oct. 23 on Jose Saramago: THE STONE RAFT .
4. NOv. 8 on Heinrich Boll: THE CLOWN.
5. Nov. 22 on Milan Kundera: THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING.

THE ASSIGNMENT; PREPARATION HINTS; GRADING CRITERIA

• ASSIGNMENT:  Write a two-page (single spaced, small margins on all four sides) report on the assigned material. The first page must be a summary of the novel telling as much of the central story as you can in one full page. There should not be one single word of analysis or interpretation on this page. The second page must be your own evaluative analysis in talk about that which you find to be the most interesting and philosophically rich aspects of the novel and give careful reasons for why you think these things are so.

• PRE-PREPARATION TASKS:
  1. Read the novel with care.
  2. Figure out the central MEANINGS of the essay.
  3. ONLY if you have grave difficulty and cannot make much progress on your own, then consult some reviews of the novel. Caution: these come in everything from the most trivial form to thought and philosophical reviews. Target the latter.

• THE PAPER ITSELF:
  1. First present the story. Do this in enough detail to cover no less than 4/5 of one page. This part should not contain a single quote from the author -- tell it all in your own words -- and must not contain a single word of evaluation.
  2. The second part, which will go from the where the paper left off on 1 page and must use the whole of page two, is your evaluation of philosophical assessment of the novel. Here you make the strongest case you can of the philosophical significance of the novel.
  3. The paper must be carefully edited. It must be two pages, exactly so, no more no less. Absolutely not ONE word of the summary section may carry over to the second page, but it must be 4/5th of the first page minumum.
  4. The paper must be single spaced and with no more than 12 point type and with small margins on all four sides, no more than an inch at the top and bottom and less on the two sides.

• THINGS I WILL ESPECIALLY NOTE AND LOOK FOR IN GRADING THE PAPER:
  1. Is the summary accurate to the novel and of the most relevant things to tell in the space provided?
  2. Is the analysis and assessment philosophical interesting and challenging and accurate of the novel?
  3. Is the first section at least 4/5 the page, but not carry on to the second page?
  4. Is the student's analytic/evaluative postion on the author laid out in clear and articulate language well defended by reason?
  5. Is the paper EXACTLY two pages, singled spaced with small margins and normal sized type?
  6. Is the paper carefully proof-read, in standard English and with a minumum of errors of grammar, spelling or missed typos?

• THE GRADES THEMSELVES:
  • A grade of A will mean: Completely accurate summary of the story and powerful, penetrating and persuasive analysis and evaluation emphasizing the philosophy content of the novel. The summary would at least 4/5 a page but not more than 1. The paper would be exactly . The whole of the paper would make a useful contribution to our understanding of the philosophical content of the novel this done explicitly in the paper. The whole of the paper was in standard English with a minimum of errors and a spalsh of style and taste.
  • A grade of B Both the summary and evaluative sections are quite accurate and the paper meets ALL the basic requirments of size and form. However, the paper is not quite as exceptional as an A paper would be expected to be; or conversely, the content is quite brilliant, but there are excessive lapses in the form.
  • A grade of C will mean: A genuinely good paper that is primarily accurate and the form and style are strong. However, the paper lacks any glimpses of something beyond the expected, the reasonable expectation of college work. It is just that. Normal, good, solid work with neither noticeable weaknesses nor special moments of brilliance.
  • A grade of D will mean: Some more serious deviations from the criteria expressed above. These might be in inaccuracies of the summary or central details left out and lesser ones included, noticeable lapses in form or special weaknesses in the use of the English language.
  • A grade of F may mean anyone of three things:
    1. The paper was not turned in on time.
    2. Significant failures to meet the assignment at the level of reasonable university level expectations of thought, attention to detail, attention to the time guidelines or presentation expectations. (Specifics will be pointed out).
    3. Some of the particular aspects of the assignment were ignored (length, form, separation of sections, etc.) or presented in quite unacceptable forms.

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