Syllabus

Course Information

Law Through Literature
ENG3401, E510
Wednesday, 6:00pm-8:30pm
N518

Contact and Office Hours

Professor Ellis
Office Hours: Wed. 5:00pm-6:00pm in Namm N520 or by appointment.
Email: jellis@citytech.cuny.edu
Blog: http://dynamicsubspace.net

Course Description

An exploration of concepts of justice, higher law, customary law and written law expressed through works of fiction and non-fiction. The course seeks to enhance the student’s sensitivity to issues of ethics, gender bias and class consciousness as they affect the administration of justice. Readings improve communication skills and strengthen legal skills of identifying, articulating and locating problems in the context of underlying legal issues. Written assignments emphasize expository writing skills.. Please note that this course is designated as Writing Intensive, and it has a rigorous reading schedule.

Learning Objectives and Prerequisites

ENG 3401 Course Learning Outcomes

Expectations of Students

As a rule of thumb, students should spend twice as much time per week as the credit hours of a class on assigned readings, homework, and projects. Since this is a three hour class, students should expect to spend six hours per week on these things. Due to some projects being smaller and others larger, these six hours per week can be thought of as on average–sometimes you might need to spend less than six hours per week and other times you might need to spend more.
This is a literature class, so it should not be surprising that it requires a lot of reading. Reading carefully and thoroughly while making notes takes time and focus. Invest in your success by doing the work of the class the right way throughout. There are no shortcuts to the cognitive skilling-up work that takes place in the class through reading, writing, and thinking. Also, the work cannot be crammed into a short time span–it necessitates being spread out and developed meticulously.
Each student should be meeting deadlines on assignments. But, in the event that you can’t follow through on something, you should email Prof. Ellis about the situation. While all situations don’t have to be explained (e.g., a personal emergency), each communication about not fulfilling a responsibility should include concrete and specific asks–may I have this much extra time, may I deliver this assignment to you by this date and time, etc. Politeness (e.g., please and thank you) and professionalism (being collegial, respectful, clear, etc.) can go a long way!
No one should suffer in silence in our class. Put another way: communication is key to your success in the class. Students should email Prof. Ellis or visit weekly office hours to discuss the class and assignments.

Required Texts

Blaustein, Albert P., editor. Fiction Goes to Court: Favorite Stories of Lawyers and the Law Selected by Famous Lawyers. Greenwood Press, 1977. Hathi Trust, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.49015000496639.

Doctorow, Cory. Little Brother. E-book, https://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/, 2008.

Forster, E.M.. A Passage to India. Edward Arnold & Co., 1924. Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61221.

Kafka, Franz. The Trial. Translated by David Wyllie, Project Gutenberg, 2003. Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7849.

Melville, Herman. Billy Budd, Sailor. Project Gutenberg Australia, 2015. Project Gutenberg Australia, http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty-a-m.html#melville.

Other readings available via links and Library Database resources as indicated on the schedule.

Required Resources

Computer access, word processing software, a means of saving your work securely, and a printer.
Access to your CUNY login credentials.
Access to your City Tech email.
Access and account at openlab.citytech.cuny.edu.
Flash drive for saving your work and/or bringing the visual component of your presentation project to class.
Cloud-based storage for saving a backup of all your work.

Recommended Resources

Law and Literature, journal, http://www.jstor.org.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/journal/lawliterature.
Law, Culture, and the Humanities, journal, http://citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hus&jid=ABD&site=ehost-live.
Law & Humanities, journal, http://citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lgs&jid=3PX8&site=ehost-live.
Law, Text, Culture, journal, http://www.lexisnexis.com.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=246883.
Yale Journal of Law and the Humanities, journal, http://www.lexisnexis.com.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu:2048/hottopics/lnacademic/?verb=sr&csi=151693.
Law & Humanities Blog, http://lawlit.blogspot.com.
Techdirt, https://www.techdirt.com.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, https://www.eff.org.
The Founding Documents of the United States, https://www.congress.gov/founding-documents.
City Tech Legal Studies Student Resources, https://www.citytech.cuny.edu/law-paralegal/student-resources.aspx.
Laura Portwood-Stacer, “How to Email Your Professor (Without Being Annoying AF),” https://medium.com/@lportwoodstacer/how-to-email-your-professor-without-being-annoying-af-cf64ae0e4087#.1m6lc0rkd.

Grading

Weekly Memoranda, 25%
Write a one-page, 1” margins, double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman-formatted memo addressed to Prof. Ellis summarizing the previous week’s lecture and readings. Your memo should leave no unused space at the bottom of the page. Make your words count. Avoid using unnecessary phrases or couching your responses. Focus on facts, details, and interesting explanations. Pay attention during class for any adjustments to parameters of these assignments. Submit your work as a single printed page handed in at the beginning of class.

Research Paper Proposal, 10%
Write a two-page memo. The first page includes the memo header and identifies the cultural work (e.g., a novel, short story, album, song, movie, video game, or television episode or story arc—entire television series are off limits unless a persuasive argument is made to the professor) that is the subject of your proposed research paper, your argument/thesis statement for analyzing the subject in terms of law and legal issues, and details that support your thesis. The second page, titled Working Bibliography, includes at least ten MLA-formatted citations of articles and books located via the Library or other approved sources. To submit your research paper, hand in a printed and stapled copy at the beginning of class on the due date.

Research Paper, 25%
After receiving approval of your proposal, write a 10-page essay (approximately 2,500 words) that analyzes your selected work through the lens of law and legal issues. You will cite quotations from your subject to discuss and provide evidence of your assertions. Additionally, you will rely on Library-based sources to support your points and/or provide foils for your arguments (i.e., you may find some sources that you want to disagree with, which you may do so by providing counterarguments and evidence). In addition to citing your subject, your paper needs at least ten secondary source citations (of these, five or more must be from Library-based sources, and the remainder may be from non-Library based sources). Your research paper should be formatted in MLA Style. To submit your research paper, hand in a printed and stapled copy at the beginning of class on the due date.

Research Presentation, 20%
During the penultimate class, each student will have 5-10 minutes to present a summary of their research paper to the class. The presentation will have a spoken component, which may be supported by a script or notecards, and a visual component using Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Apple Keynote. Any images used in the visual portion of presentation must be created by the student. Students are expected to present in business casual attire appropriate for a professional presentation.

Final Exam, 20%
During the last class, there will be an essay-based final exam with questions about assigned readings and topics relating to Law and Literature raised during lecture. Keeping up with the reading schedule and taking thorough notes throughout the semester will prepare students for success on the final exam.

Attendance and Lateness Policy

The expectation for successful and respectful college students is to arrive on time and attend all classes. Following City Tech’s policy, attendance is recorded and reported for each class meeting. Attendance and class participation are essential and excessive absences may affect the final grade. Students who simply stop attending will receive a grade of “WU” (unofficial withdrawal – attended at least once).

Policy for Late Work

Due dates for weekly assignments and major projects are provided on the schedule below. Assignments submitted late will incur a 10-point grade reduction for each day they are late. No assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Students are encouraged to talk with Prof. Ellis should anything interfere with their ability to complete work in a timely manner.

Required Format for Papers

We will use MLA 9^th edition formatting and style on all assignments in the class. The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) has an outstanding reference guide online here. We will review specific requirements for assignments during lecture.

College Policy on Academic Integrity

Students who work with information, ideas, and texts owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty is prohibited in CUNY and at New York City College of Technology, and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. The complete text of the College policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the catalog.

Diversity and Inclusive Education Statement

This course welcomes students from all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. In accordance with the City Tech and CUNY missions, this course intends to provide an atmosphere of inclusion, respect, and the mutual appreciation of differences so that together we can create an environment in which all students can flourish. It is the instructor’s goal to provide materials and activities that are welcoming and accommodating of diversity in all of its forms, including race, gender identity and presentation, ethnicity, national origin, religion, cultural identity, socioeconomic background, sexuality and sexual orientation, ability, neurodivergence, age, and etc. Your instructor is committed to equity and actively seeks ways to challenge institutional racism, sexism, ableism and other forms of prejudice. Your input is encouraged and appreciated. If a dynamic that you observe or experience in the course concerns you, you may respectfully inform your instructor without fear of how your concerns will affect your grade. Let your instructor know how to improve the effectiveness of the course for you personally, or for other students or student groups. We acknowledge that NYCCT is located on the traditional homelands of the Canarsie and Lenape peoples.

Accessibility Statement

City Tech is committed to supporting the educational goals of enrolled students with disabilities in the areas of enrollment, academic advisement, tutoring, assistive technologies and testing accommodations. If you have or think you may have a disability, you may be eligible for reasonable accommodations or academic adjustments as provided under applicable federal, state and city laws. You may also request services for temporary conditions or medical issues under certain circumstances. If you have questions about your eligibility or would like to seek accommodation services or academic adjustments, you can leave a voicemail at 718 260 5143, send an email to Accessibility@citytech.cuny.edu or visit the Center’s website at http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/accessibility/ for more information.

Tentative Schedule

Wed, Feb. 2

Lecture: Introduction

Read for next class:

McGillivray, Anne. “‘Recherche Sublime’: An Introduction to Law and Literature.” Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature, vol. 27, no. 4, University of Manitoba, 1994, pp. i–ix, https://login.citytech.ezproxy.cuny.edu/login?qurl=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24775795.

Post, Mellville Davisson. “The Corpus Delicti.” Fiction Goes to Court: Favorite Stories of Lawyers and the Law Selected by Famous Lawyers, edited by Albert P. Blaustein, Greenwood Press, 1977, pp. 1-30. Hathi Trust, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.49015000496639.

Wed, Feb. 9

Lecture: Discuss Law and Literature as a discipline, and the reading “The Corpus Delicti.”

Introduce Research Paper, Presentation, and Proposal projects.

Due today: Memo introducing yourself.

Read for next class:

Train, Arthur. “The Dog Andrew.” Fiction Goes to Court: Favorite Stories of Lawyers and the Law Selected by Famous Lawyers, edited by Albert P. Blaustein, Greenwood Press, 1977, pp. 31-58. Hathi Trust, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.49015000496639.

Galsworthy, John. “The Juryman.” Fiction Goes to Court: Favorite Stories of Lawyers and the Law Selected by Famous Lawyers, edited by Albert P. Blaustein, Greenwood Press, 1977, pp. 67-87. Hathi Trust, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.49015000496639.