Course Syllabus

Update Aug. 27: The course will temporarily meet synchronously online instead of in person from Aug. 31–Sept. 16. Zoom meeting spaces (passcode: 710401) are linked on the calendar and available through this link: https://uncw.zoom.us/j/87085993572?pwd=LzJTbWQyQi85RGhOczhDR3UwM2JiQT09

Basic Information:

Number: ENG 313-001/ENG 390-001 
Time & Location: T/Th 2:00–3:15, MO 208

Instructor: Dr. Katie Peel 
Office: MO 158 
Contact: peelk@uncw.edu 
Office Hours: by appointment		 Instructor: Dr. Jeremy Tirrell
Office: MO 161
Contact: tirrellj@uncw.edu
Office Hours: T/Th 3:30–5:00 (and by email or appointment) 

Description:

Ghost Maps: Visualizing Disease Narratives 
While today we have disciplines such as the medical humanities and disability studies, and better understandings of both trauma and mental health, Victorian England had different ways of articulating how disease worked and what it meant. Not only were interpretations of disease different in the 19th century—germ theory was not widely accepted until near its end—but Victorian ideology frequently aligned illness with factors of class and morality, casting criminality and vice in the language of disease.

In the name of public hygiene, illness became the site of imposed religious, social, national, and medical discourses, as well as an aesthetic and literary device. Dr. John Snow and Reverend Henry Whitehead fostered modern epidemiology through their quantitative approach to London’s mid-century cholera epidemic and the creation of the “Ghost Map,” which demonstrated that the disease stemmed from contaminated water rather than moral failings and miasmas. In contemporary literature including industrial novels, symbols such as coughing emerged to mark characters with consumption or byssinosis (fiber in the lungs from working in textile mills), and (spoiler alert), not long for this world. And although Tiny Tim’s wasting disease is unnamed, his health serves as an indicator of Scrooge’s moral redemption.

This is a team-taught, cross-listed course that blends ENG 313: Writing About Science, Medicine, and the Environment and ENG 390: Studies in Literature. Using the 19th-century cholera epidemic as our touchstone, we will spend a semester investigating disease’s literary, rhetorical, and visual dimensions. We will explore the role of narrative in disease—in case studies, rhetoric, ideology and literature—and vice versa. How do we use narrative to understand and speak of disease? How does medical discourse shape our understandings? What does this tell us about the given culture, and how might this help us read texts historically and in the light of our current pandemic era?  
 

COVID Considerations:

We are in the midst of a pandemic, and our plans for this semester can change at any time. Please check the UNCW website, your email, and our Canvas page regularly for any necessary adaptations.

As of August 2nd, the university has required the use of face coverings indoors. You will not be permitted to join an in-person class without a face covering. Failure to comply will result in referral to the Dean of Students. Any student who has a medical concern with wearing a face covering should contact the Disability Resource Center at (910) 962-7555. If you are not already vaccinated, please consult with your healthcare provider and consider getting vaccinated. Vaccines are available through the UNCW Student Health Center. Effective August 23, any student on campus who has not provided proof of vaccination will be required to participate in weekly surveillance testing.

Please do not come to class when you are not feeling well or are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms; contact either instructor to discuss coursework. If you have been exposed to COVID-19 or are concerned about exposure, please contact the Student Health Center at (910) 962-3280 for specific information about testing, contact tracing and quarantine/isolation requirements, which differ for vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals, according to CDC guidance. Remember, keeping healthy is essential to keeping campus open! Thank you for your help and compliance. 

Professionalism:

All class members are expected to treat each other with appropriate courtesy and decorum, and all coursework should be completed in a thorough, timely fashion. All written materials should conform to the conventions of Edited American English. All class members must follow the policies in this syllabus, so students should read them thoroughly. Any questions may be directed to the instructors.

Attendance and Punctuality:

Clearly the circumstances this semester are unusual, but because this class contains a strong workshop and discussion component, class attendance is crucial. If there are circumstances that will prevent you from attending class, contact the instructors beforehand. Do not come to class if you are feeling ill or are concerned about a possible COVID-19 exposure. There is no separate attendance component of the course grade, and the instructors will work with students regarding absences while maintaining the course's academic integrity. The class abides by the maxim that all members of the class should show respect to one another by—as much as is feasible—meeting safely at designated times and places prepared to work. 

Learning Outcomes:

To complete this course successfully, students should demonstrate the ability to:

  • Read, analyze, and appreciate a number of texts from and about the 1854 cholera epidemic in London 
  • Understand how the literature reflects the influences in and issues facing Britain in the mid-nineteenth century 
  • Make connections between the cholera epidemic and associated data visualization of The Ghost Map and other public health crises and ways of mapping 
  • Use data visualization to communicate information about a public health crisis 
  • Engage openly and actively with a community of learners in a shared spirit of inquiry 
  • Improve communication skills in writing and class discussions 

Required Materials:

Johnson, Steven. The Ghost Map. Riverhead Books, 2007. 
Vinten-Johanson, Peter, ed. Investigating Cholera in Broad Street: A History in Documents. Broadview, 2020. 
 
We will also provide additional readings via Canvas. It is your responsibility to check both Canvas and your email regularly. 
 

Academic Integrity:

All UNCW community members are expected to adhere to the guidelines set forth in the UNCW Student Academic Honor Code. Students are expected to produce original work in this course. Collaboration and incorporation of external material and ideas into original work is of course necessary and acceptable, but all designers are ethically obliged to document external sources through appropriate citation practices. Students who are uncertain if some element of their work constitutes plagiarism or another honor code violation should speak with the instructors. The point of any class is to educate, not to punish; nevertheless, the consequences of honor code violations are appropriately dire. Please consult the UNCW Code of Student Life for more information.

Statement on Services for Students with Disabilities:

The university will make every effort to accommodate students with disabilities. Students requiring accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Center, as the instructors can take no action without its guidance. Students should do this as soon as possible, as accommodations cannot be made retroactively.

Statement Regarding Violence and Harassment:

UNCW practices a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violent or harassing behavior. Students experiencing an emergency of this type should contact the police at 911 or UNCW CARE at 962-2273. Resources for individuals concerned with a violent or harassing situation can be located at the UNCW Crisis Resources page. Students should be aware that all university employees, including instructors, are legally obligated to communicate any report of alleged sexual misconduct, on or off-campus, to the Dean of Students. Three university entities are confidential resources exempt from this obligation:CARE, the Counseling Center, and the Abrons Student Health Center.

The UNCW Statement on Diversity in the University Community:

As an institution of higher learning, the University of North Carolina Wilmington represents a rich diversity of human beings among its faculty, staff, and students and is committed to maintaining a campus environment that values that diversity.  Accordingly, the university supports policies, curricula, and co-curricular activities that encourage understanding of and appreciation for all members of its community and will not tolerate any harassment or disrespect for persons because of race, gender, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital status, or relationship to other university constituents.

Basic Needs Security:

Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live and believes that this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of Students for support. Furthermore, please notify the professor if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable her to provide any resources that she may have access to. (Borrowed from Sara Goldrick-Rab.)

UNCW has a student food pantry housed in the Newman Center, 4802 College Acres Drive, across the street from Morton Hall and the water tower. Note: it is located in the Catholic Campus Ministry building, but the food pantry is open to *all* and has no religious affiliation.

Writing Services:

Writing Services provides experienced peer readers for all UNCW students as they develop and improve their writing skills. Students can get help with their writing in three ways:

  1. The Writing Center (DE1003) provides one-on-one writing consultations led by faculty recommended peer writing tutors who are trained to help students identify areas to improve and develop specific revision plans. Visit our website to schedule an appointment.
  2. Students can also receive electronic response to their developing papers through our Online Writing & Learning (OWL) program. Visit our website for a variety of writing resources: handouts, guides, useful links, and the Online Consultation link.
  3. Students can drop-in at our Writing Lab (DE 1003) for help with quick questions about their developing papers. The Writing Lab is staffed with a writing tutor, and has a few computers and other writing resources for students. Check out the Writing Lab schedule here.

Pedagogy and Publication:

Student work completed as part of this course may be used anonymously for teaching and research purposes, and it may be published in print and electronic field journals and monographs.

Grade Disbursement:

Each student will have anonymous access to his or her grades through this Canvas site.

Grade Components:

Participation = 20 points
Responses = 30 points
Local Health Mapping Project = 100 points

Total = 150 points 

Final Course Grades:

This course uses the plus/minus grading system on final grade reports. The breakdown is as follows:

  • 92-100 = A
  • 90-91 = A- 
  • 88-89 = B+ 
  • 82-87 = B 
  • 80-81 = B- 
  • 78-79 = C+ 
  • 72-77 = C 
  • 70-71 = C- 
  • 68-69 = D+ 
  • 62-67 = D 
  • 60-61 = D- 
  • 0-59 = F