LITR 234: The Folktale Tradition Spring 2017

LITR 234: The Folktale Tradition (CRN 144)
MWF 9:00-9:50, HIRC 9

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Assignments

Your final grade will be based on the following assignments. Each component of your grade is worth 20% of your final grade. Please note that you must complete all of the major assignments (Papers 1 & 2 and Final Exam) to pass the course, though completing them does not guarantee you a passing grade.

Paper 1: Your first paper will be a comparative analysis of a modern revision of a folktale to the traditional version on which it is based. You have two options for completing this assignment: 1) choose a revision that we do not read in class and analyze it, and 2) write your own revision and analyze it. The goal of this assignment is to discuss the possible purpose and effect of the revision on its new audience. Consider the following questions as you develop your argument:

Who is the new target audience? (children, YAs, adults, a mixed group, a specific ethnic group, race, religion, region, a particular age [when was the text published?], etc.; a combination of audiences)
What specific elements have been altered in the revision? (point of view, length, format, gender, events, ending, etc.)
How do these alterations change the readers’ perspective on the tale?
What purpose do the alterations serve? (humor, gender or political commentary, role reversal, revelation of motivation, etc.; some combination of purposes)

The essay should have two main components: 1) an overview of the alterations made in the revision, and 2) an explanation of the purpose and effect of the alterations. If you choose to write your own revision for analysis, you must include the text of your revision in an appendix at the end of the paper.

As you construct your essay, remember that you are making an argument and you will need to be specific, both in terms of what changes have been made and what purpose and effect they have. The deeper you dig into the revision and the more specific you are, the better you will do.

If you are using an already-produced revision, you have a wide variety of choices, but make sure that you are using a revision and not a retelling. If you are not sure if the text you’re considering is a revision, ask me before the paper is due because if you write about a retelling, you will fail the paper. You are welcome to use revisions that are visual or written texts, and they can be any length or format (feature film or short, even advertisement; novel, short story, poem; picture book, visual art, song). If you are having difficulty choosing a revision, see me for help and/or go to the Sur La Lune Fairy Tales site linked from Blackboard (If you click on a specific tale listed on the left of the screen, you will be taken to an annotated version of the tale. On the menu on the left, there should be a link to Modern Interpretations that will show you some options; be aware that some options may be retellings and not revisions, so be careful what you choose. If you find a text that looks interesting, you may need to interlibrary loan it, so start looking early.). There is no shortage of revisions available for analysis.

The final paper should be 4-6 pages long and must include a Works Cited page listing the original tale you’re using and, if applicable, the revision you chose (if you’re writing your own, you only need the original tale). You should not use other sources for this paper, but if you do, also include them on the Works Cited page. If you wish for me to look at a draft of your paper (partial or full), the last day I will accept it is February 24. The final draft is due to me by 5 on March 3. You may submit the paper as a hard copy or electronically as a Microsoft Word, Rich Text, or PDF document. Follow the formatting parameters for your paper given on your policy statement.

Paper 2: Your second paper will be an examination of a traditional folktale not covered in class and several of its variations across different cultures (a minimum of 3 variations for a total of 4 versions of the tale). At least one version must be from a non-European-based culture. You may, if you want, select a tale from the Tricksters section of the Tatar book, but you may not choose one from any other section. The goal of this paper is to determine the core elements of the folktale you have chosen and to explain how they appear in each of the variations that you examine. Some questions to consider as you’re writing the paper include:

What are the basic requirements for a folktale to be considered this type?
What are some common but not required elements of the folktale?
How do the tales differ from each other? Is there a clear reason for the difference? (e.g., Is there a cultural difference? A landscape/topography difference? A gender difference?)
Are there other folktale types that are similar? How does this type differ from them enough to be categorized separately?

I recommend that you look up your choice’s tale-type in some resource, whether it is Aarne-Thompson or Uther or another. You may also use other resources if you wish, though you are not required to do so.

If you’re not sure which tale to choose, I recommend that you go to the Sur La Lune Fairy Tales website linked on Blackboard to examine possibilities. (I recommend a trip to that site regardless as it is an invaluable resource for folktales.)

Remember, you are writing a definition argument, so you need to make sure you’re giving clear criteria, both required and common, and showing through concrete examples how those criteria are visible in your tales. You may use the tale-type information you find to help you flesh out your definition, but make sure you cite it and that you do not over-rely on it to develop your argument.

The final paper should be 4-6 pages long and must include a Works Cited page listing all of the tale versions you discuss, as well as any other resources you’ve used for the paper. If you wish for me to look at a draft of your paper (partial or full), the last day I will accept it is April 17. The final draft is due to me by 5 on April 21. You may submit the paper as a hard copy or electronically as a Microsoft Word, Rich Text, or PDF document. Follow the formatting parameters for your paper given on your policy statement.

Blackboard Posts and Miscellaneous: During the course, you will be required to post 9 of 12 responses to the readings to Blackboard discussion boards. For each response (see the syllabus for the specific deadlines), you will submit a post to the designated discussion board (labeled by the deadline and the tale or book we’re reading). You have several options for your posts: you may respond to a question/comment posted in the instructions for the discussion board; you may respond to a classmate’s comments; you may come up with your own topic of discussion. Some things to consider discussing about all of the texts include character analyses, thematic elements, imagery/symbolism, and other aspects of literary analysis that you have learned in this and other classes. You may compare tales or analyze a single one (don’t try to analyze all of the tales we read in a single week). Do not summarize plot or discuss pedagogical issues. You may also choose to respond to something discussed in class, but if you do so, you need to contribute something new to that discussion, not just rehash what was said in class.

I’m looking for a solid paragraph or two of concrete, specific analysis, and I encourage you to reference specific passages in the texts in your analyses. Choose only a single aspect of the text to discuss or your post will be too broad. Use standard academic English (i.e. no emoticons or internet/chat abbreviations) in your posts. Posts will be graded on a scale of 0 to 10: 0 = no post; 1-5 = E; 6 = D; 7 = C; 8 = B; 9-10 = A. Flaming posts will earn you an automatic 0 for the post, and a second occurrence of flaming will earn you a 0 for the remainder of this portion of your grade. Grades for the posts will be available on Blackboard, and, if you post more than the required 9 times, I will drop the lowest post grade(s). The grammar and mechanics policy will not be applied to the posts; however, excessive errors will have an adverse effect on your post’s grade. All posts are due by noon on their due date.

In addition to the Blackboard posting, I may occasionally assign additional writings or give quizzes if I am dissatisfied with the quality of your discussions. This additional work will count as part of this component of your final grade.

Participation: Discussions will form a heavy part of this course, and I expect everyone to be an active and engaged participant. You will be graded, starting on 27 Jan, on how often and well you participate in class discussions, both full class and small group. The grading will be calculated on a 5-point scale each day as follows:

5 points: You were on time for class and participated several times and/or offered an exceptional observation/query.
4 points: You were on time for class and participated once, or you were late for class and participated several times and/or offered an exceptional observation/query. If you have an excused absence, you will earn 4 points for the day.
3 points: You were on time for class but did not participate, or you were late for class and participated once.
2 points: You were late for class and did not participate.
0 points: You were absent.

I do not assign 1 point for this grade. I will update you on your participation average several times during the semester, and you may send me a query about your average any time.

Final Exam: For the final exam, you will use your knowledge about folktales learned throughout the semester to write an essay in which you analyze the folktale elements in a film that we watch in the final two days of class.

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