ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

English 2020-24 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque Spring 2012 100-225 | PH 308 ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Dr. David Lavery Professor, English Department Office: PH 372 Office Phone/Voice-Mail: 898-5648 Office Hours: T-Th 225-330; W 500-600 E-mail: david.lavery@mtsu.edu ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Dr. David Lavery is Professor of English at MTSU (1993- ). The author of over one hundred twenty published essays, chapters, and reviews, he is author / co-author / editor / co-editor of twenty+ published or forthcoming books on the space age, cult television, television finales, crying, Joss Whedon, Owen Barfield, and numerous television series (The Sopranos, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Twin Peaks, The X-Files, My So-Called Life, Deadwood, LOST, Battlestar Galactica). The organizer of international conferences on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, and The Sopranos, a founding co-editor of the journals Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies,Critical Studies in Television, and Series/Season/Show, he has lectured around the world on the subject of television (Australia, Turkey, the UK, Portugal, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany) and has been a guest/source for the BBC, NPR, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The New York Times, A Folha de Sao Paulo (Brazil), Publica (Portugal), Information (Netherlands), AP, The Toronto Star, USA Today. From 2006-2008, he taught at Brunel University in London. ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Click on a cover to go to the Amazon page for a book. Feel free to buy from Phillips or any online bookseller. Books ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Books ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Course Policies and Procedures Class format: We will follow a lecture / discussion format during most class meetings. Power Points will be used in almost all class meetings and will be available for reviewing on the website. A substantial portion of class time will be spent screening and discussing various films and television shows. Manuscript form: All written assignments must be word-processed and submitted as Microsoft Word or Rich Text e-mail attachments submitted via the D2L drop boxes for each assignment. Please name the file with your own last name (for example: lavery.doc).Reading assignments: You are responsible for having read the entirety of each reading assignment. Participation & involvement: Please come prepared for each day’s class. I encourage you to become an active participant in class discussion and to ask constructive and meaningful questions at all times. Attendance: Regular attendance is essential to the ongoing progress of the course. Two absences will be permitted. A third absence may result in the loss of a letter grade. A fourth absence may result in failure of the course. ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Course Policies and Procedures Inclement Weather Policy: Go here. Plagiarism / Cheating: The unacknowledged use of the words / ideas / insights / original research of another is, of course, prohibited. Should I catch you plagiarizing, or cheating in any way, you will receive a grade of "0" on the assignment in question, the violation may be reported to University authorities, and you may fail the course. Students with Disabilities: Any student with a disability will be given all the rights and privileges guaranteed under the Americans with Disabilities Act if he/she is registered with Disabled Student Services (call/contact John Harris, KUC 120/2783). University Writing Center: At The University Writing Center (now located in the Walker Library), sponsored by the English Department and staffed by full-time and adjunct faculty and graduate teaching assistants, you can get constructive help with a variety of writing problems, from pre-writing to organization to grammatical errors. (Please be aware, however, that the UWC does not do proofreading.) Grading Scale: 90-99%=A | 80-89%=B | 70-79%=C | 60-69%=D | 0-59%=F ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque Course Requirements A critical essay (not less than 1,000 words in length) on course readings, paintings, photographs, or viewings (25% of course grade). Things to be Aware of When Writing Your Essays. Model Essay: Jackie Gardner, A Grotesque Display of Testosterone: The Man Show Creation of a webpage on a major practitioner of the grotesque—to be housed on my own website on the grotesque [http://www.davidlavery.net/Grotesque/]. Go here to see a list of potential subjects; go here to learn more about the assignment; Model Website 1Model Website 2(30% of course grade).

Course Requirements An in-class cognitive-memory mid-term, consisting of a variety of matching, identification, short answer questions (on authors, artists, terms, directors, titles, etc.). (10% of course grade) A take-home essay final exam, in which you will write two 750 word essays on your choice from ten possible topics supplied by me (20% of course grade). An in-class cognitive-memory final exam, similar to the mid-term but covering the entire course. (15% of course grade). ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Online Syllabus http://davidlavery.net/Courses/2020/index.htm Agenda ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Defining the Grotesque ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

The People of Walmart ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

World English Dictionary gross (ɡrəʊs) — adj 1 repellently or excessively fat or bulky 2 Compare net with no deductions for expenses, tax, etc; total: gross sales gross income 3 (of personal qualities, tastes, etc) conspicuously coarse or vulgar 4 obviously or exceptionally culpable or wrong; flagrant: gross inefficiency 5 lacking in perception, sensitivity, or discrimination: gross judgments 6 (esp of vegetation) dense; thick; luxuriant 7 obsolete coarse in texture or quality 8 rare rude; uneducated; ignorant — interj 9. an exclamation indicating disgust ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

Defining the Grotesque ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque

ENGL 2020 Themes in Literature and Culture: The Grotesque