ENGLISH R1A/3: SPRING 08 GSI: Matthew Sergi (mmsergi@berkeley.edu)
Mondays and Wednesdays
English R1A, Section 3
Games in Narrative/Games as Narrative
The R1 series is built to hone your reading and critical thinking skills, then to train you in the basic rhetoric and composition techniques necessary to organize, sharpen, and communicate that thinking. Each section is formed around a discussion topic; since anything in this world can (and should) be subject to critical thought, anything is fair game.
Even games are fair game. As contemporary
The more playable a narrative is, the less linear it becomes—approaching, though never reaching, a simulated (manipulated) reality, “an infinite series of times, in a growing, dizzying net of divergent, convergent and parallel times” (to use Borges’s words). This is as true of Dungeons and Dragons as it is of chess (What story does chess contain? What stories contain chess?).
By spring’s end, you will be trained in how to look deeper into concepts and stories that, because they are playful, may seem simple—but never are. At the same time, you will be trained in how to use clear prose to create and participate in a written discourse about those subjects (in essay-writing, in weblogging etc.). The syllabus will incorporate literary, cinematic, and playable narratives (role-playing, board, and video games). Our approach to playable texts will be limited by, and adjusted to, student access to media (some will only be demoed in class); however, you’ll be expected to play certain games as homework, just like any reading or screening assignment (though sometimes the instructor will provide cheats or strategy guides).
Course Materials
~Read Me~
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)
Fight Club (Chuck Palahniuk)
The
Dragons of Autumn Twilight (annotated) (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman)
A two-volume course reader, including writing by Geoffrey Chaucer, Johan Huizinga, Homer, Virgil,
William Gibson, Jorge Luis Borges, and others.
~Screen Me~
Clue (dir. Jonathan Lynn)
Fight Club (dir. David Fincher)
~Play Me~
Clue (aka Cluedo) (Parker Brothers/Waddington’s)
Chess (Anonymous)
Fight Club (Vivendi)
Fable or Fable: The Lost Chapters (Peter Molyneux/Lionhead Studios)
Chrono Trigger (Squaresoft)
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonlance 1, Dragons of Despair (Tracy Hickman)
~Refer Frequently To Me~: Rules for Writers (Diana Hacker)
Getting the Correct Editions
For
A Basic Assumption
We’re breaking a good bit of ground here, especially in terms of our course materials. There is much here that is non-traditional, and even the most traditional text on the syllabus (The Canterbury Tales) will be read in an unorthodox way. Each R1 must have a central topic, and “Games in Narrative/Games as Narrative” is ours; every semester, various humanities departments at
It is a basic assumption of this course that all of the films, games, and literary works on its syllabus, regardless of format or canonicity, are worthy of academic study and discussion—because all parts of culture are worthy of academic study and discussion, and because the R1 courses in general are not structured to impart knowledge of any particular topic, but rather to train students in skills that can (and often should) be applied to any topic, in or out of the university. By signing up for and maintaining your enrollment in this class, you are agreeing to that assumption, and agreeing to read, screen, and play all required materials.
In one case, this will mean that you have to purchase and play a game (Fable), just as you would purchase and read a course book.
Purchasing and Accessing Games
Fable and Fable: The Lost Chapters (either version will do, though the latter is preferable) cannot be ordered in at the campus bookstore (I can’t imagine why), and are usually not carried by local game stores. I asked a clerk recently and he said, “I don’t know. That came out in 2005, so it’s, like, really old.”
To purchase the game, your best bet is to order it: see [http://www.lionhead.com/order.html#orderfable]. But do not order the game until February—student access issues may force me to remove the game from the syllabus and replace it with another, and I don’t want you to buy the game if you don’t need it (though it’s a pretty enjoyable game on its own merit...)
On the first day of class, I will hand out a survey and collect information about students’ independent access to operating systems and gaming platforms. Because Lionhead Studios only released Fable for the PC and Xbox, some students may have difficulty accessing the game (though Mac users with an updated OS should have Boot Camp installed, which should allow them to play Fable as well).
In case a student cannot play Fable independently, I am working with the Cal IT&S staff to develop some on-campus options. Students who make use of these options will still be required to buy a legal license to play Fable. If there is a significant enough percentage of students who cannot access Fable independently, I will remove the game from the syllabus and replace it with another.
Meanwhile, because Chrono Trigger is an older title, anyone with access to a home computer will be able to play it using a shareware emulator, free of charge. If you do not have access to a home computer, let me know immediately.
As for American McGee’s Alice, we’ll demo the game in class—at-home play is optional, but you are very much encouraged to score this game for yourself and play it on your own. You’ll have the option of writing your first graded essay on the game if you choose to play it through on your own.
All other games will be demoed or played in class.
Making Contact
Email
You should always feel free to contact me by email (mmsergi@berkeley.edu) with any questions you have. If your question can be answered briefly, I’ll usually be able to respond right away. Deeper questions may have a longer turnover time. In the week preceding an essay deadline, I’ll respond to all emails much more quickly. Officially, email responses may take up to four business days (all days but weekends and holidays)—they probably won’t take anywhere near that long, but it’s good to have a set policy.
Office Hours at
Mondays
Wednesdays
I’m trying out a new location for Office Hours this semester (the last one had no wireless), so times and location are subject to change. If your weekly schedule prevents you from attending either session, you must let me know within the first three weeks of class, and I’ll change things up. You will be required to attend Office Hours at least twice during the semester. Hours will be extended as needed in the week preceding an essay deadline.
A traditional drop-in meeting is just fine for Office Hours, but I recommend emailing me to set up a twenty-minute appointment ahead of time. Please name the time slot you’d like to reserve, and remember that I’m working in twenty-minute chunks (Monday meetings should start at
The Naia Lounge is in
Course Weblog
http://gamelit.blogspot.com
You’ll notice that I started the course weblog months ago, and have invited a few colleagues and friends to join the discussion—you should feel free to do the same. To participate in existing discussion threads, use the comment box on posts that already exist. To start your own thread, email me and I’ll start it as a new post on the weblog.
Class Sessions
Discussion:
From 4:10PM to 5:00PM, we will hold in-class discussions, usually on course readings, films, or games; however, discussion topics are not always limited to these subjects—if the conversation takes a critically interesting tangent, we will often follow it (as the point of the course is to hone critical thinking by means of the discussion topic, not simply to impart information on the discussion topic). We’ll also use the discussion period to screen segments of course films or play/demo course games (yes, that’s right: we will indeed play games during class); sometimes I’ll also deliver a plain old lecture on course material.
Workshop:
Each class session after
Attendance, Lateness, and Bringing Course Materials to Class
Certain absences are excused, and do not affect your grade. If you join our class late, the classes you’ve missed won’t count against you (though anyone not in attendance on the first day, according to R1 series policy, will usually be automatically dropped). If you cannot attend a class session for religious reasons, as long as you let me know by the first week of February, you are excused from attending that class. If you miss a class for medical reasons, you’re excused as long as you provide medical documentation of some kind within two weeks of the absence. If there is any other upcoming absence you believe should be excused, you must discuss it with me by the first week of February. I may ask that you come in for extra office hours to make up for lost time.
Unexcused absences directly affect your overall grade for the course. We’re all adults here: all students are permitted two unexcused absences, no questions asked; your business is your business. If you choose to miss class to stay home and watch What Not to Wear, that’s your call—I recommend, however, that you save up your two unexcused absences in case of a real emergency. If you have more than two unexcused absences, I can’t in good conscience verify that you’re fulfilling the R1A requirement. Each unexcused absence over two, regardless of the circumstances, will reduce your overall course grade by six points (see below for an explanation of grade points).
Being a student has the same level of responsibility as any other foray into the professional world: do not schedule vacations, appointments, etc. of any kind during time when you’re responsible for attending class. Still, if you find yourself stuck, talk to me: we can discuss some options.
If you miss class for whatever reason, excused or unexcused, it is your responsibility to inform yourself about the material and exercises you missed. You must take the initiative on this, and you must submit any missed in-class writing exercises as soon as you are able. If you do not do so, you will be penalized for what you missed.
Each class discussion will begin at
Speaking of Verizon time, remember to turn off your cellphones when class begins.
Also: you are responsible for bringing course texts to class on the day they are to be discussed—everyone messes up sometimes, but repeated issues here will affect your discussion grade.
Grading
Breakdown
Discussion: 35%
Formal Essays: 65%
(Essay 1: 7.5%, Essay 2: 17.5%, Essay
Points, Not Letters
I grade numerically: this provides for a more nuanced and specific grade level (without the confusing mess of slashes some instructors use, i.e. “C+/A-”). At the end of the semester, your grade numbers will be averaged in according to the grade breakdown above, rounded to the nearest whole number, and converted to alphabetic format as below:
97-99: A+ 87-89: B+ 77-79: C+ 67-69: D+ 59 or below: F
94-96: A 84-86: B 74-76: C 64-66: D
90-93: A- 80-83: B- 70-73: C- 60-63: D-
Discussion
It is essential for you as a scholar and thinker to be able to communicate your scholarship and thoughts, and to collaborate with fellow thinkers—and not just in the formal written discourse of essays. Different members of this class will communicate best in different ways, but in order for me, in good conscience, to allow you to pass the R1A course requirement, you must sufficiently demonstrate your ability to investigate, examine, analyze, and communicate complex thoughts in a public forum. Class attendance and participation, on their own, cannot get this job done.
Yet discussion is a broad and flexible term (at least in the way I’m using it here), and different students in this class will be most comfortable initiating and participating in discussion in different ways. Discussion doesn’t have to be vocal at all: it does, however, require “the [public] ventilation of a question... a disquisition in which a subject is treated from different sides” (see the “Defining Our Terms” handout). It requires the exchange of thoughts (as conversation, debate, argument)—a complement to the essay, which is, on its own, comparatively one-sided (though essays can and should participate in larger discussions). The form taken by that exchange is up to you—just be sure to show me that you are thoughtfully and frequently engaging with the complexities of course readings and concepts.
An obvious option is in-class discussion. I will never, of course, tally the number of times you speak up in class—if you contribute to class discussion frequently and intelligently, it will be clear to all of us. Grading in-class discussion is a matter of the instructor’s judgment, but you can always contact me and ask for advice on in-class contributions, or an update on what your grade currently looks like. Try not to talk just for the sake of talking, but never censor yourself because you’re worried your contribution won’t be valuable enough. Jump right in: no grade will be reduced for over-contributing, and you can count on me to rein in or steer class discussion where necessary (it’s what I’m here for).
If in-class discussion isn’t so much your thing, you can supplement it with one-on-one discussion in Office Hours. Meetings about upcoming essays do not count in this, nor do required meetings. Frequent, voluntary attendance at Office Hours (say, one session every other week) can completely replace in-class discussion (an option for those who are extremely shy about speaking in public), but I recommend a sensible balance between the two. Even if you’re a big in-class talker, you’ll get the most out of any
Online discussion is another completely valid form of intellectual exchange (for our course, we’ll use [http://gamelit.blogspot.com] to facilitate this exchange)—but in order for it to supplement your discussion grade, you must be proactive not only in joining, but in starting discussion threads.
And I’m open to any other forms of exchange. Most of all, if by the end of the semester I have a good idea of your voice, of the way you think, you’ll do quite well for your discussion grade. To do really well in this area: make solid use of all three forms listed above.
Essays
English R1A is built to hone your writing skills, and measures your critical thinking through your writing, and we’ll be workshopping writing for the last half hour of every class: so we’re going to do a lot of writing here. You will produce four relatively short essays (plus one extra Diagnostic Essay) over the course of the semester. (More frequent, shorter assignments require the same amount of work as fewer, larger ones—but they are more effective for steady writing training.)
These essays, which are expected to be analytical (not descriptive) and written in a professional, academic tone (we’ll talk in class about what this means), will usually be based on assigned topics handed out and discussed in class (though in most cases the assignments will be broad and allow much room for innovation). I’ll most often hand out essay prompts far in advance, so that you can have them in mind as you read class texts and participate in discussion.
Essays and other written assignments may be submitted by email or placed in my English Department mailbox (322 Wheeler). Do not hand them to me in person. Email submissions are preferred, but not required. I will use MS Word’s editing capability to write my comments on electronic submissions, saving trees and money for all. I can only edit in “.doc” format (
Ungraded Writing
I may also assign some ungraded writing drills, quizzes, or pre-essay exercises as the semester goes on. In the first week of the semester, for instance, you’ll have to write a Diagnostic Essay of approximately two pages. This essay is not graded: it is meant to familiarize me with your writing, and to familiarize you with my editing style. I’ll use it to help you establish goals for yourself as a writer in terms of style and content. Above all, it is nothing to stress over: do your best with the time you’ve got.
These exercises have no effect on your grade—as long as you do them. If the assignments aren’t completed, or aren’t completed on time, the upcoming essay grade may be penalized accordingly.
Goals and Growth
After the Diagnostic Essay, each essay will have the benefit of a set of personalized goals, established by whatever essay precedes it. If you focus on these goals as you write, you will surely improve the writing you produce. As an added bonus, if you significantly improve (the definition of “significant” is up to the instructor’s discretion) on all of the goals I’ve set, I will add an extra two points to your essay grade.
Late Essays and Extensions
All essays must be submitted by
If you would benefit from an extension, ask. You’ll probably get the extension if you’re proactive about it; the farther in advance you ask, the better your chances. I reserve the right to make judgment calls on these, but I’m always willing to listen. I will never, under any circumstances, grant extensions requested later than three business days before the deadline.
Rewrites
You’ll have the opportunity to submit rewrites for Essay #2 and Essay #3 (not Essay #1 or #4) for a higher grade, or just to polish your skills. A rewrite grade will completely replace the prior grade, but the rewrite grade can only be ten points higher than the grade it replaces (if the rewrite surpasses that ten-point cap, I’ll let you know, but I can only average in the capped grade), and will be graded without added growth points. Any lateness penalties accrued for the prior essay, however, will carry over to the rewrite.
The
If you’d like some extra writing help, the Student Learning Center, located at 100 Cesar Chavez, has an array of resources to help you. They have drop-in writing help, as well as individual appointments (the latter are preferable), and they have services to help you if English is your second language. You may choose to take a draft of your paper there for writing help prior to turning them in. Their services are free.
Academic Dishonesty
Here is the University of California at Berkeley English Department’s Statement on Plagiarism, as stated in a memo circulated by the Department to all English GSIs on January 12, 2007. I plan to adhere to it completely. Notice that I’ve made the source of the Statement entirely clear in the preceding sentences, and that I have used a block quote below:
All written work submitted in this course, except for acknowledged quotations, is to be expressed in your own words. It should also be constructed upon a plan of your own devising. The Berkeley Campus Code of Student Conduct defines plagiarism as ‘the use of intellectual material produced by another person without acknowledging its source’ and stipulates that plagiarism includes:
Copying from the writings or works of others into one’s academic assignment without attribution, or submitting such work as if it were one’s own;
Using the views, opinions, or insights of another without acknowledgment; or
Paraphrasing the characteristic or original phraseology, metaphor, or other literary device of another without proper attribution.
Unacknowledged use of the words or ideas of others from any medium (print, digital, or otherwise) is plagiarism. The submission of plagiarized work will, under University rules, render the offending student subject to an F grade for the work in question or for the whole course, and will also make him/her liable for referral to the Student Judicial Affairs Office for further disciplinary action.
Plainly: this is one game you should not play. The effort it would require to effectively “stump” me outweighs (by far) the effort it takes to write a good essay—thus, there's truly no advantage to this. If you want someone else to do your thinking for you, you shouldn’t really be in college (and there are lots of people who would gratefully take your place). And err on the side of caution whenever you make use of someone else’s writing—including mine. It cannot hurt to over-cite.
Computer Errors
“My computer froze” is the “my dog ate it” of the twenty-first century. Everyone’s printer sucks, all computers freeze up sometimes, and so
Course Schedule
The schedule below is subject to considerable change, especially for game texts. In all cases, course texts must be fully read and brought to class, and course films must be fully screened, on the dates specified below. As for the two main course games, these need to be played through completely on 4/2—pace yourself, you’ll have all of March to beat Fable and Chrono Trigger (and the help of walkthroughs and strategy guides). If you’re unsure of where material can be found, check the contents in your course reader.
WED 1/23
In class: play Clue
By Mon 1/28, screen Clue (MRC)
On Mon 1/28, submit Diagnostic Essay (bring hard copy to class)
MON 1/28: Diagnostic Essay due by
By Wed 1/30, read “Deep Play”
By Wed 1/30, play a game of chess (learn the rules; play a game at home – or challenge me online.)
By Wed 1/30, purchase your course reader (Vol I) at Zee Zee Copy,
Ned’s Books, in the same tunnel as
By Mon 2/4, read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
By Mon 2/4, read Through the Looking Glass and “The Wasp in a Wig”
WED 1/30: Bring course reader.
In class: read through line 61 of Book of the Duchess
MON 2/4: Bring
By Wed 2/6, read “Play, Nonsense, and Games: Comic Diversion” (under “Essays in Criticism”)
By Wed 2/6, read “Chess and Theology in the Alice Books” (under “Essays in Criticism”)
By Wed 2/6, read “Blessed Rage...” (under “Essays in Criticism”)
WED 2/6: Bring
By Mon 2/11, read ll. 62-230 of Duchess (optional)
By Mon 2/11, read ll. 231-1334 of Duchess
By Wed 2/13, play American McGee’s
On Wed 2/20, submit Essay #1
MON 2/11: Bring
By Wed 2/13, read “Quarantine” (online link to be provided)
By Wed 2/13, read American McGee’s
WED 2/13: Bring
In-class demo: American McGee’s
By Wed 2/20, read “Sports Chatter” (don’t forget!)
MON 2/18: No class
WED 2/20: Bring course reader. Essay #1 due by
In class: read “The World Cup and Its Pomps”
By Mon 2/25, read Book 23 of The Iliad
By Mon 2/25, read Book 5 (ll. 1-860) of The Aeneid
By Mon 2/25, read selections from Homo Ludens (Chap. 7 is optional; make sure to read Chap. 12)
MON 2/25: Bring course reader.
By Wed 2/27, read “Dogfight”
By Mon 3/3, read Fight Club
WED 2/27: Bring course reader.
By Wed 3/5, screen Fight Club (MRC) (after reading the novel!)
MON 3/3: Bring Fight Club and course reader.
On Fri 3/21, submit Essay #2.
WED 3/5: Bring Fight Club and course reader.
Start playing Chrono Trigger and Fable: The Lost Chapters. Pace yourself—by Wed 4/2, you’ll need to
play both games through at least once (though I recommend beating both games twice).
By Mon 3/10, purchase your course reader (Vol II) at Zee Zee Copy,
Ned’s Books, in the same tunnel as
MON 3/10: Bring Fight Club and course reader.
In class: play Fight Club (Meanwhile, in Fable, can you find the Fight Club reference in Bowerstone?)
WED 3/12: Bring Fight Club and course reader.
By Mon 3/17, read “The Garden of Forking Paths”
MON 3/17: Bring course reader.
WED 3/19: Bring course reader.
FRI 3/21: Essay #2 due by
MON 3/24: No class
WED 3/26: No class
MON 3/31
By Wed 4/2, beat Chrono Trigger and Fable: The Lost Chapters
On Mon 4/7, submit Essay #2 rewrites.
WED 4/2: Bring Canterbury Tales (though we’ll primarily discuss Chrono and Fable).
In class: read Canterbury Tales: General Prologue ll.715-858
By Mon 4/7, read Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale (pp. 35-114)
On Wed 4/23, submit Essay #3.
MON 4/7: Bring
By Wed 4/9, read Canterbury Tales General Prologue (pp. 3-34)
WED 4/9: Bring
By Mon 4/14, read Canterbury Tales:
The Miller’s Prologue (pp. 114-7)
The Reeve’s Prologue (pp. 142-4)
The Cook’s Prologue and Tale; The Man of Law’s Prologue (pp. 159-69)
The Man of Law’s Epilogue; The Wife of Bath’s Prologue (pp. 209-41)
The Friar’s Prologue (pp. 255-6)
The Summoner’s Prologue (pp. 270-1)
The Clerk’s Prologue (pp. 293-5)
The murye wordes of the Hoost; The Merchant’s Prologue (pp. 339-40)
The Merchant’s Epilogue, The Squire’s Prologue (pp. 381-2)
“Part Three” of the Squire’s Tale; The Squire-Franklin Link; The
The Physician-Pardoner Link; The Pardoner’s Prologue (pp. 449-56)
End of the Pardoner’s Tale, from O cursed sinne of alle cursednesse! to end (pp. 471-3)
MON 4/14: Bring
By Wed 4/16, if you haven’t already, play Harry Bailly’s game on the course weblog (optional)
By Mon 4/21, read Dragons of Autumn Twilight Book 1
WED 4/16: Bring
MON 4/21: Bring
On Wed 5/14, submit Essay #4.
WED 4/23: Bring
By Mon 4/28, read Canterbury Tales:
The Shipman-Prioress Link; The Prioress’s Prologue; The Prioress’s Tale; The Prioress-Sir
Thopas Link; Sir Thopas; The Thopas-Melibee Link (489-511)
The Monk’s Prologue (562-5)
The Monk’s Tale: Cresus; The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue (595-8)
The Nun’s Priest’s Epilogue (620-1)
The Second Nun’s Prologue (622-6)
The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue (643-9)
The Manciple’s Prologue (677-80)
The Parson’s Prologue (691-3)
Last paragraph of the Parson’s Tale; Chaucer’s Retractions (782-3)
By Wed 4/30, read Dragons of Autumn Twilight Book 2
MON 4/28: Bring
WED 4/30: Bring
In-class demo: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragonlance 1, Dragons of Despair (in class)
On Wed 5/7, submit Essay #3 rewrites.
MON 5/5: Review. Bring course reader and any texts.
WED 5/7: Review. Bring course reader and any texts. Essay #3 rewrites due by
MON 5/12: Last day of class. Bring course reader and any texts.
WED 5/14: Essay #4 due by
