English 2240 YA: British Literature Course Location: AT 2020 Class Times: T/Th 2:30-4:00 pm Prerequisites: One FCE in English at the first-year level including at least one of English 1111 or 1112, or permission of the Department Table of Contents Instructor Information... 1 Required Texts:... 2 Assignments:... 2 Attendance, Participation, and Deadlines:... 4 Schedule:... 6 Marking Standards... 7 Grade Descriptions:... 7 University Policies... 9 Student code of conduct... 9 Academic misconduct... 9 Accommodation for Students with Disabilities... 9 Instructor Information Instructor: Dr. F. M. Holmes Office: RB3033 Telephone: 343-8282 E-mail: rmholmes@lakeheadu.ca Office Hours: Tues. 1-2; Thurs. 1-2; Fri.. 10:30-11:30 or by appointment
Course Description This course presents a chronological survey of British literature from the middle ages to the twentieth century and includes poetry, prose, and drama. You will be expected to become familiar with the major periods and writers of the British literary tradition, to read literary texts critically, to examine the criteria by which literary judgements are made, and to write effective prose. Required Texts: Greenblatt, Stephen., et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature (The Major Authors), 9th. ed. Norton. Vols. A and B. Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Norton. Shakespeare, William. King Henry IV, Part I. Signet. Assignments: Test 15% Short Essay 15% Second-Term Essay 30% Participation 15% Final Examination 25% Total 100% Reading List: (subject to slight modification): "The Middle Ages to ca. 1485" p. 3, vol. 1 Anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight p. 135, vol. 1 Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales--General Prologue p. 188, vol. 1 "The Sixteenth Century (1485-1603)" p. 349, vol. 1 William Shakespeare King Henry IV, Part I Queen Elizabeth I On Monsieur s Departure p. 394, vol. 1 "The Early Seventeenth Century (1603-1660)" p. 637, vol. 1 Mary Wroth Pamphilia to Amphilanthus 1, 16, 39, 40, 68, 77, 103 p. 720, vol. 1
John Milton Paradise Lost -- Books 1 and 2 p. 799. vol. 1 "The Restoration and the Eighteenth Century p. 931, vol. 1 (1660-1785)" Jonathan Swift A Modest Proposal p. 1199, vol. 1 Alexander Pope "The Rape of the Lock" p. 1226, vol. 1 "The Romantic Period (1785-1830)" p. 3, vol. 2 William Wordsworth "Ode: Intimations of Immortality" p. 178, vol. 2 John Keats "La Belle Dame sans Merci: A Ballad" p. 488, vol. 2 "The Victorian Age (1830-1901)" p. 533, vol. 2 Emily Bronte Wuthering Heights Christina Rossetti Goblin Market p. 803, vol. 2 "The Twentieth Century and After p. 959, vol. 2 Katherine Mansfield The Garden Party p. 1336, vol. 2 T. S. Eliot "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" p. 1301, vol. 2 Samuel Beckett Waiting for Godot p. 1353, vol. 2 Attendance, Participation, and Deadlines: In general, you should think of your experience in this course as a kind of running conversation amongst you, your instructor, the authors of the works studied, and your fellow students. Thus, you will benefit most from this course if you attend regularly and read the material under discussion before class. Since we will be reading the literary works collaboratively, always bring the relevant text with you to class. Class time will consist primarily of lectures and discussions. You are expected to participate in the discussions. While participation in discussions is encouraged, private conversations will not be tolerated. They distract everyone else. Deadlines for assignments should be adhered to strictly. Unless extensions have been granted, the grades of late assignments will be reduced by 1/3 grade (eg., from B to B-) on the day after the due date and by an additional 1/3 grade for each subsequent three-
day period until the assignments are turned in. Extensions must be requested before the due date. Late essays will not be accepted after the last day of classes. Group Discussions: At regular intervals throughout the year, there will be classes in which the students are divided into groups of four or five in order to discuss issues which arise from the texts. For some of these sessions, I will announce topics a few days in advance and require students to bring to class a page or two of notes which record their thinking on the issues. These notes need not be polished, but they must be written in sentences rather than presented in point form. I will not comment on these notes as I would on an essay, but I will check them in class and take them into consideration in determining your participation grade. The final result of one of the discussions will be a short essay to be handed in at a later date. Some of the group sessions might not be announced in advance, and, of course, students will not be required to bring notes in order to participate in these discussions. In assessing your participation grade, I will be considering your activity both in these impromptu sessions and in the sessions for which written notes are required. Test: There will be an in-class test on Tuesday, September 30, 2014. Students will be required to answer one out of a number of questions in essay form. Short Essay: During the year, you will be required to write one short essay of approximately two pages. The essay will address critical problems taken up in a group discussion and tackled initially by each student in the rough notes done in preparation for the discussion. In other words, the collaborative group discussions will provide you with ideas which you can use in preparing your short essay. The essay should be written in polished, well organized prose. It should be typed and double-spaced. You are not required to consult secondary sources, but if you do so, you must document them fully. The essay will be due on October 30, 2014. Second-Term Essay: The second-term essay will be approximately 1250 words. Topics will be handed out in class at the appropriate times. It will not be necessary to consult secondary critical sources for the short essay, but students are required to do so for the secondterm essay. Essays should be typed and double-spaced. Please use the MLA system of documentation. The essay will be due on March 12, 2015. Students are responsible for making two copies of all of their out-of-class assignments. Doing so will ensure that backup copies exist in case of lost or stolen essays.
Schedule: Fall Term Sept. 9 and 11 Sept. 16, 18, 23, and 25 Sept. 30 Oct. 2, 7, 9, and 14 Oct. 16, 21, 23, and 28 Oct. 30 Oct. 30 Nov. 4, 6, 11, and 13 Nov. 18, 20, 25, and 27 Winter Term Jan. 6 and 8 Jan. 13, 15, and 20 Jan 22, 27, and 29 Feb. 3 and 5 Feb. 10, 12, 24, and 26 Mar. 3 and 5 Mar. 10 and 12 Mar. 12 Mar. 17 and 19 Mar. 24, 26, 31, and Apr. 2 Introduction Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Test Chaucer Shakespeare Queen Elizabeth I Short essay due Wroth Milton Swift Pope Wordsworth Keats Bronte Rossetti Mansfield Essay due Eliot Beckett Final Examination: Apart from being an obvious means of compelling everyone to do the work, exams have three purposes. (1) They force everyone to pull the course together, to make some overall sense out of it. (2) Some students perform better on exams than on papers or in discussions, and exams are a chance for them to shine. (3) They allow someone who has been having difficulties a last chance to rally. Such students should view the final exam as a last opportunity to show that they have learned something from the course. I will not schedule private sittings of the April examination for students who do not wish to write at the regularly scheduled time. Check the examination timetable before booking flights out of Thunder Bay. Cell Phones and Laptops: The use of cell phones in class is not permitted. No texting or emailing! No surfing the net! The use of laptops is permitted for taking class notes, but for that purpose alone.
Marking Standards Marks are a form of evaluation in a course, but they also represent communication between the instructor and the student. The number and letter grades given below are only the most basic form of such communication. They can give a general overview of how the student is performing, but they cannot identify the specific areas in which s/he is excelling, and those areas in which s/he needs to improve. Students should therefore always read carefully through all of the instructor s comments, referring to these marking standards and, when in doubt, contacting the instructor for further clarification. These standards refer specifically to the expository essay. Instructors will explain the criteria for other types of assignments in their courses. Papers in literature and theory courses are graded according to the following criteria: Content: original insights and thinking expressed in sufficient depth and detail; demonstrated grasp of concepts and grappling with topic; relevant and persuasive evidence or support; sufficient quotation and explication of the primary text(s); appropriate use of secondary sources. Organization: well-articulated focus (usually in a thesis statement); well-structured introduction and conclusion; paragraph unity and coherence throughout; appropriate use of signposting, topic sentences, and transitions to guide the reader through the paper. Style: appropriate diction and language level; rhetorical flair; varied sentence structure; clear, concise prose; no overuse of passive voice; literary discussion kept in the present tense; development of writer s own voice appropriate to the genre of the academic essay. Mechanics: correct spelling (including names and key terms), grammar, punctuation, syntax, word usage, proofreading, integration of quotation, and documentation; use of MLA style throughout. Grade Descriptions: A+ (90-100%) EXCEPTIONAL An A+ paper has distinctive ideas and content organized in a compelling and appropriate form. Where relevant, it intelligently engages with larger discourses, while still retaining its own position. The paper is strong in organization, and mechanics, with no errors in grammar or spelling, and its overall effect exceeds that of precision and correctness. In essence, an A+ paper is stylistically pleasing to read and displays evidence of a rare talent.
A (80-89%) EXCELLENT An "A" paper is well-organized and persuasive, and uses direct reference to the text to prove a precise and interesting thesis. It is stylistically pleasing to read, and is strong in content, organization, and mechanics. Grammatical and spelling errors are virtually nonexistent. Where relevant, it is situated in a larger critical discourse through judicious use of secondary sources, but does not allow those sources to overwhelm the author's own ideas. It moves beyond class discussion and shows an active engagement with the text. B (70-79%) GOOD A B paper displays a generally coherent, well-organized argument. The thought, organization, and style are all effective, and the mechanical skills are strong. It displays some complexity in its argument, and, where relevant, refers to larger critical discourses. Quotations and references to primary and secondary sources are well integrated into the text, with proper documentation. Some problems with content, organization, style, or mechanics might prevent the paper from gaining an A grade, or the paper might have attempted less, settling for a safe argument. Errors are, however, occasional, rather than chronic, and they do not obscure meaning. C (60-69%) SATISFACTORY A C paper demonstrates an acceptable grasp of the subject matter, and an ability to construct an argument that engages with that subject in a moderately critical and analytical manner. It has a reasonably clear thesis, with proper paragraphs, though it might have problems with both, such as a thesis that is a simple summary of the structure of the argument, or paragraphs that lack unity and/or clear topic sentences. There is evidence of an effort to support points with quotations and references to the text, with reasonable attempts at documentation. Errors in content, style, organization, and/or mechanics are still relatively few, but occasionally serious, hampering, at times, the coherent presentation of ideas. However, any such errors will not be so serious or so chronic as to make the overall paper difficult to understand. More effort needs to be put into developing language and writing skills, or in attempting more sophisticated original thought. D (50-59%) MINIMAL PASS A D paper represents a barely acceptable performance with some evidence of familiarity with the material, and of analytical skill. It might attempt to address moderately complex issues, but with only minimal success. It might be lacking a clearly focused argument, or it might present observation in place of argument. While it attempts to present textual evidence, it either does not properly integrate this material into the body of the essay, or it relies too heavily on irrelevant paraphrase and/or plot summation. It might synthesize ideas from secondary sources without contributing any of its own analysis. Problems with organization, style, content and/or mechanics make the overall ideas of the essay difficult to comprehend, or the argument difficult to follow from start to finish. Such papers demonstrate the need for concentrated efforts at improvement.
E (40-49%) BORDERLINE FAIL An E paper might have no clear thesis; it might present evidence that is scanty and/or irrelevant to the argument; or it might have serious problems with style, mechanics, organization and/or content that prevent the reader from following the main ideas from the beginning to the end. F (1-39%) FAILURE An F paper demonstrates severe errors in mechanics, content, style, and/or organization that are unacceptable at the university level. It might be off topic, it might lack a thesis, it might lack clear and adequate paragraphs, and/or it might contain repeated and serious errors in grammar, sentence structure, and diction, such that the meaning is entirely obscured. It might also reveal significant misunderstanding of the course material. F (0%) ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's words and/or ideas. Not acknowledging your debt to the ideas of a secondary source, failing to use quotation marks when you are quoting directly, buying essays from essay banks, copying another student's work, or working together on an individual assignment, all constitute plagiarism. Resubmitting material you ve submitted to another course is also academic dishonesty. All plagiarized work (in whole or in part) and other forms of academic dishonesty will receive a mark of zero, and be reported to the Dean. It might also be subject to more severe academic penalties. See the "Code of Student Behaviour" available from the Registrar's office for more details. University Policies Student code of conduct Lakehead University s Student Code of Conduct Academic misconduct Lakehead University's policy on academic misconduct Accommodation for Students with Disabilities Lakehead University's Accessibility Services Lakehead University's policies on accommodation for students with disabilities