Thinking Jazz / The Literature and Culture of the Jazz Age
The piano ain't got no wrong notes.
— Thelonious Monk
What is my definition of jazz? "Safe sex of the
highest order.”
—
Kurt Vonnegut
When is someone who has some knowledge and understanding
of jazz... going to write a novel you can read without squirming?
—
Orrin Keepnews
Requirements
The requirements of this course are connected to the learning outcomes in which the WSU MENG Program is grounded. Below please find a list of the Program's Learning Outcomes (LO) and, in brackets, how they correlate to particular requirements.
LO 1: Demonstrate an ability to gather, analyze,
and communicate information effectively.
LO 2: Demonstrate in texts cultivated skills in
careful reading, critical thinking, logical argument from
evidence presented, creative expression, and persuasive
writing.
LO 3: Apply various theoretical perspectives and
literary terminology to interpretations of literary texts
to showcase an understanding of theoretical perspectives.
LO 4: Demonstrate knowledge of and interaction with
foundational and current scholarly criticism.
LO 5: Acknowledge and articulate the significance
of key primary texts in one specific literary genre, period,
culture.
LO 6: Demonstrate an ability to employ academic conventions and protocols for written or multimodal presentations, including the application of appropriate conventions, citation formats and style manuals, such as the MLA style sheet for literary papers or the Chicago or APA formats for papers that range into historical or sociological areas of study.
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ATTENDANCE: I expect regular
and punctual attendance,
which will enable you to make sustained contributions to
our discussions and make our seminar into a community of
learners. If
you miss more than 1 class (the equal of three 50-minute
day class periods), please drop the course this semester
and enroll at another time. There are no "excused
absences." (LO 1, 2, 3, 6)
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WEEKLY RESPONSE PAPERS: I
will ask you to write 4 self-directed response papers
(of about 500 words) to the assigned readings, to which
you should add at least two (=2) substantive
discussion-oriented questions; you are free to pick
whatever weeks fit your schedule best. I will collect
these responses as a hard copy at the end of each class,
so that you can use your WRP/questions during class
discussion. Please note that you cannot "hand them in"
electronically. Bottom line: WRPs are not essays, but a
space of exploration and experimentation. Please take
risks! (LO 1-6)
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TALKS & CLASS FACILITATION: Since
this seminar is meant to be a networked community of
learners, you will--above and beyond regular class
contributions--need to present your research and
thinking (or work in progress) on a particular author,
motif, theme, or
related project. I will ask you to give
two brief talks:
(a) one about the musician of the week, so that we can hear the beat and rhythm, and the cadences and syncopations, of jazz (age) music. (Bring in sound samples, but not a handout.)
(b) A more thematically-oriented talk, of about 20 minutes, which should serve as a point of departure for further discussion to be facilitated by you. Unlike the music/musician talk, this one must be accompanied by a typed handout that you distribute in the class period before your report. The handout should not exceed two pages (one sheet, front and back) and contain the following information:
|
title of presentation/name of presenter text(s) you expect your fellow students to study |
a summary of your major ideas and
observations the sources/web sites you have consulted |
A sign-up sheet for these presentations is posted on my door. To enhance your learning (and, let's be honest, to kill two birds with one stone, different as these birds may be), I encourage you to consider building upon your oral report for your final research essay. Use the class as a testing ground for your ideas! Here is aSample Handout (LO 1, 2, 3, 6)
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BOOK REVIEW OR ACADEMIC
CONFERENCE PROPOSAL: To
help you get your feet wet in the mercurial quicksand of
literary studies, you will be asked to write and
submit ONE of the
following: (a)
a book review to an academic journal, (b) a proposal for
an academic conference paper in response to a CFP, or,
(c) alternately, a CFP yourself (LO 1-6).
The
clearing house for CFP at the University of Pennsylvania
might be a good place to start: http://call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu/
The CFP might come out out of our seminar, as might the proposal for an academic conference. At the same time, you are welcome to formulate a proposal out of an essay or essay-draft that you have written for any of your other graduate courses (the previous semester or year), or in fact an undergraduate essay that, you feel, has the potential for a larger inquiry.
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RESEARCH ESSAY: You
are required to write a 10-12+ page essay that should
engage some of the major critical statements relating to
the writer(s)/themes of your choice. You may, of course,
also write a longer paper if you wish. . . . . Message:
let's talk!
Here are some sample essays: Sample #1Samples #2(LO 1-6)6710.Jazz.Student Sample.pdf
Your final grade will be made up as follows:
|
Regular and sustained participation — 20% Talk & Facilitation — 20% Book Review, or Conference Proposal, or CFP — 20% |
WRP — 20% Final Essay — 20% |
Please note that you will have to fulfill all of these requirements to pass the class.
It is your responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at WSU. Passing off someone else's work or ideas as your own is grounds for failure.
Disability
Accommodation: PPM
3-34 notes: "When students seek accommodation in a
regularly scheduled course, they have the
responsibility to make such requests at the Center
for Students with Disabilities (SSD, #181 of Student
Services Center, 801-626-6413) before the beginning
of the semester in which the accommodation is being
requested. When a student fails to make such
arrangements, interim accommodations can be made by
the instructor, pending the determination of the
request for a permanent accommodation."
Emergency Closure: In the unlikely event of an extended campus closure, we will conduct our course electronically via email and virtual discussion groups. In this case, please make sure that you check your email account regularly for messages and attachments (in Word, PowerPoint, or audio) coming from me and/or your fellow seminar participants. Such messages may function as lecture substitutes, provide directions for reading and writing assignments, and contain other relevant information. Also make sure that your account has adequate storage capacity for transmitting documents. I will collect your email address and verify its availability during the first week of class. Please let me know by the end of the first week of the semester if you do not have access to a computer and/or the Internet from your home. Thanks.
Core Beliefs: According to PPM 6-22 IV, students are to "[d]etermine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with a student's core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class. A student who finds this solution impracticable may request a resolution from the instructor. This policy does not oblige the instructor to grant the request, except in those cases when a denial would be arbitrary and capricious or illegal. This request must be made to the instructor in writing and the student must deliver a copy of the request to the office of the department head. The student's request must articulate the burden the requirement would place on the student's beliefs."