COURSE UNIT TITLE

: AMERICAN GOTHIC

Description of Individual Course Units

Course Unit Code Course Unit Title Type Of Course D U L ECTS
AKE 5022 AMERICAN GOTHIC ELECTIVE 3 0 0 7

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

Second Cycle Programmes (Master's Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR YEŞIM BAŞARIR

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

Examine the leading American writers of gothic tradition and their major work.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

1   Define the literary conventions and archetypal forms in gothic literature.
2   Specify the differences of American gothic literature from European gothic.
3   Make the textual analysis of American gothic writing and its critical layout.
4   Evaluate the common nature of thematic and fictional patterns in American gothic story-telling.
5   Discuss the cultural and philosophical framework of gothic literature.

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Week Subject Description
1 Gothic Aesthetics and its Evolution Gothic Mode in Architecture, Fine Arts, and Popular Culture
2 Origins of Gothic Literature Graveyard Poetry
3 History of Gothic in Europe Literary archetypes of gothic romance and gothic stereotypes Ghost Stories and Sensation Novel
4 19th century American Gothic "Rip Van Winkle" (Washington Irving) "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (Washington Irving)
5 19th century American Gothic "The Tell-Tale Heart" (Edgar Allan Poe) "Ligeia" (Edgar Allan Poe)
6 19th century American Gothic "The Fall of the House of Usher" (Edgar Allan Poe) "The Black Cat" (Edgar Allan Poe)
7 MIDTERM EXAM MIDTERM EXAM
8 19th century American Gothic "The Birth Mark" (Nathaniel Hawthorne) "Rappaccini's Daughter" (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
9 19th century American Gothic "The Tartarus of Maids" (Herman Melville) "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" (Henry James)
10 19th century American Gothic "The Upper Berth" (Francis Marion Crawford) "In Kropfsberg Keep" (Ralph Adams Cram)
11 19th century American Gothic "The Damned Thing" (Ambrose Bierce) "The Yellow Wallpaper" (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)
12 20th century American Gothic "The Picture in the House" (H P Lovecraft) "The Dead Smile" (Francis Marion Crawford)
13 20th century American Gothic "The Outsider" (H.P. Lovecraft) "The Lottery" (Shirley Jackson)
14 20th century American Gothic "The Veldt" (Ray Bradbury) "The Wind" (Ray Bradbury)
15 20th century American Gothic "Freniere" (Anne Rice) "The Reach" (Stephen King)
16 FINAL EXAM FINAL EXAM

Recomended or Required Reading

Carroll, Noel. The Philosophy of Horror, or the Paradoxes of the Heart. New York: Routledge, 1990.
Ellis, Markman. The History of Gothic Fiction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh U P, 2000.
Oates, Joyce Carol, ed. American Gothic Tales. Plume, 1996.
Punter, David, ed. A Companion to the Gothic. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell, 2000.
Punter, David. The Literature of Terror: A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the Present Day, Vol, The Gothic Tradition. New York: Longman, 1996.
Punter, David. The Literature of Terror: A History of Gothic Fictions from 1765 to the Present Day, Vol II, The Modern Gothic. New York: Longman, 1996.
Williams, Anne. Art of Darkness: A Poetics of Gothic. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1995.

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

1. Lectures: Of all the teaching strategies, lectures are the primary components of instruction to lay the theoretical basis of subject and introduce the reading material relevant to the studied topic. Lectures play a central role in getting to know the terms and concepts defining the topic.
2. In-class discussions: In-class discussions aim at questioning the applicability of course material to diverse situations and thus increasing the factual tangibility of the information. The last hour of each weekly lecture is reserved for discussions.
3. Visual presentations and films: It includes the in-class projection of visual data such as pictures, illustrations, photographs, and maps as well as films and documentaries complementing the topic when necessary.

Assessment Methods

SORTING NUMBER SHORT CODE LONG CODE FORMULA
1 MTE MIDTERM EXAM
2 FCG FINAL COURSE GRADE
3 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE MTE * 0.40 + FCG* 0.60
4 RST RESIT
5 FCGR FINAL COURSE GRADE (RESIT) MTE * 0.40 + RST* 0.60


Further Notes About Assessment Methods

Exams are to inquire the correct use of terms and concepts profiling the course material and question the major thinking patterns acquired in the course.

Assessment Criteria

1. Exam questions aim at measuring student's performance on discussing the social, cultural and literary controversies, and help develop an analytical and critical viewpoint.
2. Depending on analytical approach, questions may require multiple responses.
3. Questions examine the student's ability for combining theory with literary and intellectual history in handling issues of discussion.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

1. Students are required to attend 70% of the course schedule.
2. Exam questions are based on open-book and open-note principle to improve students' thinking abilities and encourage them for higher cognitive responses.
3. Any form of cheating in the exam will result in a zero grade and also in disciplinary action.
4. Midterm exam covers the topics instructed in class from the beginning of semester to the day of the exam.
5. Final exam covers the topics instructed in class after the midterm exam to the end of the semester, with some vital references to the content of the midterm exam.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

yesim.basarir@deu.edu.tr
Office phone: (232) 301 8513

Office Hours

By appointment

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Activities Number Time (hours) Total Work Load (hours)
Lectures 14 3 42
Preparation for midterm exam 1 10 10
Preparation for final exam 1 10 10
Web Search and Library Research 14 2 28
Reading 14 2 28
Preparations before/after weekly lectures 14 3 42
Midterm 1 3 3
Final 1 3 3
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours) 166

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

PO/LOPO.1PO.2PO.3PO.4PO.5PO.6PO.7PO.8PO.9PO.10PO.11PO.12PO.13PO.14PO.15PO.16
LO.1554555544335
LO.2554555544335
LO.3554555544335
LO.4554555544335
LO.5554555544335