English 344,
British Literature before 1800
Fall
Semester, 2004
Prerequisite: English 101
Dr. Donna J. Hart
225 Hogue Hall
Office:
664-6805; Home: 664-3863 (Please feel free to call.)
Office Hours:
Email: Donna.Hart@greenville.edu
Required Texts:
Gardner, John Champlin. Grendel.
The Longman Anthology of British Literature. 2nd Edition. Ed. David Damrosch. Vol. 1A.
The Longman Anthology of British Literature. 2nd Edition. Ed. David Damrosch. Vol. 1B.
The Longman Anthology of British Literature. 2nd Edition. Ed. David Damrosch. Vol. 1C.
Course Objectives:
This course will enable students to--
- develop a working knowledge
of British history and literature from approximately AD 500 to 1800.
(IO A 1, 2; ELAO 1, 4, 11, 12; TEO 1)
- name some of the
important works and some of the major British authors from 500 to 1800.
(IO A 1,2; ELAO 11; TEO 1)
- understand, describe, and compare
the characteristics of each major genre represented during this time.
(IO A 1,2; ELAO 10; TEO 1)
- identify and discuss the
sub-genres within each of the major genres (i.e., for poetry--epic, lyric,
elegy, sonnet, etc.). (IO
A 1,2; ELAO 11; TEO 1)
- understand, describe, and compare
the cultural characteristics of the major literary ages or periods of the
time—heroic, courtly, Renaissance, “Metaphysical, etc. (IO A 1,2 B 4 C8; ELAO 11; TEO 1)
- discuss the similarities
and differences between various writers and their literary works. (IO A 1,2; ELAO 1, 10, 11, 12; TEO 1, 5)
- know the devices and functions of
the literary language employed in those literary modes. (IO A 1,2 C 8; ELAO 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, 11;
TEO 1)
- read closely an unfamiliar literary
text of varying difficulty with good comprehension of its cultural context,
its literary and language techniques, its structural characteristics, and
its themes. (IO
A 2 B 5, 6 C 8; ELAO 1, 5; TEO 1, 5 )
- value literary analysis,
research of secondary sources, and the discussion of ideas as worthy pursuits
in and of themselves. (IO
A 1,2 C 8; ELAO 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12; TEO 1, 5, 9)
- judge the artistic significance
of writings (including both their communication of meaningful human concerns
as well as literary merit). (IO
A 2; ELAO 1, 5, 18; TEO 1)
- examine and, hopefully,
enhance their understanding of, expression of, and hope in their own Christian
faith as they listen to other witnesses, some Christian and some not.
(IO A 1,2 C 7, 8, 9; ELAO 1, 18, 19; TEO 11)
- find the resonance between humanity
as expressed in great literature and their own human condition.
(IO A 1,2 C 7, 9; ELAO 1, 18, 19; TEO 11)
Assessment
Activities:
- Objectives 1 – 12 are assessed through
daily, in-class discussion, online Blackboard discussions, quizzes, impromptu
in-class essays, short papers, and two essay tests.
- Objectives 8 – 10 are assessed through
successful completion of a 10 – 15 page research paper on some area of special
interest of the student’s own choice.
Additional Information:
For information regarding the
College’s—and MY—policies about writing standards, portfolios, and academic
honesty (plagiarism), go to the College website at http://www.greenville.edu/academics/aa/assessment/syllabi/texts.shtml#writing .
My Basic Assumptions:
This is a course
that demands that you demonstrate:
· Perspicacious
· Articulate Speaking.
· Persuasive Writing.
In
regard to prejudices:
We all start with a set of presuppositions--Christians do
(various varieties of Christians do), Muslims do, Hindus do, the KKK does, the
NAACP does, men do, women do, children do. Everything we read, speak, write, or
think gets filtered through those presuppositions or prejudices.
I intend to teach
this class through the filter of what we at
The "Wesleyan Quadrilateral" suggests
that we make judgments based on REASON, EXPERIENCE, SCRIPTURE, and TRADITION
(R.E.S.T. will help you remember them). These are the 4 supports
I want you to use
- To
read each text I assign.
·To participate in every discussion we share.
· To write every paper you write.
·To edit every one of your classmates' drafts.
So what do we mean
by the elements of this "Wesleyan Quadrilateral”?
To be REASONABLE means that you must
objectively consider all the spoken and written evidence. You must be attentive
(give your whole attention) to a variety of viewpoints, whether they align with
yours or not. Anger, ridicule, ignore(ance)--none
of these responses allows you to be attentive or reasonable.
To use your EXPERIENCE means to ask yourself how
being what you are (as in my case, a Christian--Southern Baptist turned Free
Methodist and married to a Roman Catholic, a white woman, a farm girl, a
mother, a remarried divorcee) informs your view of the world. What does your
experience of the world tell you that some of your classmates may not know?
What does your personal experience with God through Jesus Christ tell you?
To use SCRIPTURE means to consider carefully
what God has said through His prophets and apostles. Of course, this means you
must really seek to know WHAT HE SAID and not just what a particular
denomination (such as the Free Methodist or the Baptist) says He said. It will
take your getting back to the Hebrew or Greek and to the context in which it
was written. The Religion Department can help you do that.
To respect TRADITION means that you do not
reinvent the wheel. What have the Church Fathers (and Mothers), Catholic and
Protestant, said about this issue? What have historians, sociologists, economists,
psychologists, teachers--all scholars--said about this
issue in the past? What are wise people saying about it now? How do all these
voices stand up under the scrutiny of your own reason, experience, and
Scripture?
Such an approach
calls for your listening to a multitude of voices--your own and others--and
sorting through what makes sense to you in the lights of reason, experience,
Scripture, and tradition. As Andrea
Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz, assert, "It is not a tennis match of ideas,
one that will yield winners and losers. Rather, we are interested in how we all
come to know and to take positions on various issues, how to nurture open and
realistic exchanges of ideas" (The
Presence of Others xvii). Nonetheless, I agree with John Henry Newman,
nineteenth century British theologian and educator, that we listen to all these
voices--our own and others--to arrive at "the attainment of truth, which
is their common end" (PO 40).
Attendance Policy:
You can best meet
the course objectives by attending and participating in class. We cannot share
information and views if you are not here. Your education depends not only on
your compliance with reading a certain number of pages or turning in a
stipulated number of papers; it also depends on the interaction between your
voice and others' voices. Thus, I will allot 2 points toward an
"attendance grade" for each MWF class session and 3 for each TR
session. So, for example, if we were to meet 3 times a week for 15 weeks,
your total possible points would be 90, which would about equal a test
grade. If we were to meet 2 times a week for 15 weeks, your total
possible points would still be 90. Of course, the total will actually be
just a bit less than that, because we will dismiss class on some occasions for
research, etc. Whenever you are not in class, you will not earn the
points.
ATHLETES:
All athletes are excused for all games. See me about your makeup work ahead
of time. Don't expect absences on top of your games; save your
absences for your games.
***As far as
tardiness is concerned, I do not intend to play that game. If you are
repeatedly late, I'll just start counting you absent.
Grading Criteria:
I designate a
certain number of points to every assignment I grade, fewer points for daily
assignments or quizzes and more points for major papers. Your grade will be
based on the percentage you earn of the total number of points possible. The
percentages will be as follows: 90% = A; 80% = B; 70% = C; 60% = D; less than 60% = F. Thus, for example, if you
earn 8 points out of a possible 10 on a quiz, you have 80%, or a B-.
Your grade for
this course depends on your performance on periodic reading quizzes, in-class
impromptu essays, Blackboard discussions, expository essays, unit tests (not
applicable to ENG 101), and a research paper.
As far as your major
essays go, after several readings, I determine a "letter" grade
for your paper. This grade reflects
· how it compares with what you might
have done with the assignment (in the best of all possible worlds)
· how it compares with an “ideal” performance
on the grading matrix (which I will hand out to you)
· how it compares with the papers completed
by your classmates
· how
your paper compares to my "Eight C's" of expectations (which I will
hand out to you).
Once I decide
your letter grade, I assign your paper a number of points to reflect the
"percentage" your letter grade represents.
***While I
cannot realistically assign a certain percentage worth to your class
participation, that factor is always important.
Late Papers:
Papers are due no
later than
Study Time
Expectations:
College
students should, realistically, expect to spend two hours outside of class for
every hour they spend in class. Frankly,
when you have a test to study for or a research paper to complete, it will take
you more time than that.
Tentative
Assignment Schedule:
Week 2 (September 6, 8, 10)—Beowulf. Assignment: Find, read, and summarize a critical article on the epic poem. Look on the Blackboard site, under “Course Information,” for a reminder of the rubric of a summary paper. Due Monday, September 13. (25 points)
Week 3 (September 13, 15, 17)—Grendel.
Wednesday
is All-College Hike; no class. Assignment: Email me
your tentative research paper topic by Friday afternoon.
Week 4 (September 20, 22, 24)—The Táin Bó Cuailnge
and other early Irish literature.
Assignment: Take-home essay test. Due
Monday, September 27. (100
points)
Week 5 (September 27, 29; October 1)—The
Week 6 (October 4, 6, 8)—The
Monday is the College’s Fall Break; no class. MY SON’S GRADUATION FROM MARINE
TBS IN
Week 7 (October 11, 13, 15)—Sir Gawain and the Green
Knight.
Week 8 (October 18, 20, 22)—Renaissance sonnets. Assignment: Take-home essay test.
Due Monday, October 25. (100 points)
Week 9 (October 25, 27, 29)—The
Tragical History of Doctor Faustus. Assignment: Essay
on a subject related to this play. Due Monday, November 1. (25 points) ***This paper and the one from week 11 will
substitute for a test.
Week 10 (November 1, 3, 5)—Poetry and prose of John Donne. Assignment: Email to
me the first several pages of your research paper, in which you do a “review
of the critical literature” in regard to your topic.
Week 11 (November 8, 10, 12)—Poetry of George Herbert,
Andrew Marvell. Assignment: Find one poem each by Donne, Herbert, and Marvell
(other than one we've read in class), each dealing with the same subject.
Analyze
how these three poets present the same subject. Due Monday, November 15. (75 points)
Week 12 (November 15, 17, 19)—
Week 13 (November 22)—
Week 14 (November 29; December 1, 3)—Diaries
of Samuel Pepys and Daniel Defoe.
Week 15 (December 6, 8, 10)—The Beggar’s Opera. Assignment: Turn in a hard copy of your research paper. Due
by Friday afternoon. (200 points)
Week 16 (December 13)—Assignment: Take-home
essay test. Due by end of your scheduled exam time. (150 points)