Course Title: Victorian Lit; 3 credit hrs.
Fall ‘09 Location: Univ.Center
Class Meeting Times: WN
Victorian Poetry
&
Fiction
Adams
Evans 110
(936) 294-1419
Office hours: MW 11-1
eng_ira@shsu.edu
NO REQUIRED TEXT. Only a required website
http://victorianweb.org/
August 26: Introductory Lecture on Victorian Era and Victorianism
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September 2: Alfred Tennyson 1:
The Eagle, The Lady of Shalott (1842), Locksley Hall, Ulysses, The Lotus Eaters,
Battle of Brunanburh, The Charge of the Light Brigade
September 9: Alfred Tennyson 2:
Lancelot and Elaine, Locksley Hall Sixty Years After, Crossing the Bar
September 16: Robert Browning 1:
My Last Duchess, The Bishop Orders his Tomb, Fra Lippo Lippi, Andrea del Sarto, Porphyria’s Lover
September 23: Robert Browning 2:
Pippa Passes, Caliban Upon Setebos, Childe Rowland, Cleon, A Death in the Desert
September 30: Matthew Arnold
Dover Beach, Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse, Memorial Verses, The Scholar Gypsy, Tristram and Iseult
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October 7: Edward Fitzgerald & Arthur Hugh Clough:
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam / The Latest Decalogue
October 14: Dante Gabriel Rosetti & William Morris:
The Blessed Damozel / The Haystack in the Flood
October 21:
Midterm
October 28: Charles Dickens, Hard Times
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November 4: Charles Dickens, Hard Times
November 11: Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
November 18: Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers
Thanksgiving
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December 2: Thomas Hardy, Return of the Native
December 9: Thomas Hardy
Final Exam
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December 11: YOUR TERM PAPER IS DUE BY 5 pm. in my hands, either directly or by email.
Absence and Presence: I do not take roll and will not penalize absences, though you will, of course, when
absent, pay the indirect price involved in having missed class discussion. All makeups will be given on one day
only -- Thursday, December 10, 2009 -- at the Evans Building on the SHSU campus.
Tardiness: When you attend, you should arrive on time (i.e., before I close the door and begin to lecture).
Anyone arriving late should enter unobtrusively, so as not to interrupt the class.
Term Paper: A research paper is required, typed and double-spaced (approximately 8-12 pages long), focusing
on a significant theme or problem associated with the work of one or more of the Victorian authors we have
read. The topic may be literary, historical, philosophical, political, theological, etc. as long as relevant. Clear
your topic with me before undertaking research. All use of secondary materials must be properly
acknowledged with parenthetical documentation (current MLA Handbook should be consulted for format).
Inadvertent plagiarism will be penalized as a serious flaw.
Grades: Each midterm and final will count 30% each of your semester grade and the term paper will count
40%. The midterm will be primarily objective, with an emphasis on recognizing and evaluating quotations. The
final will be primarily essay.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:
The central purpose of this course is to introduce the poetry and fiction of the Victorian era and to encourage students to familiarize
themselves with the history, politics, and culture of nineteenth-century Britain.
Random SHSU-mandated information: Student Absences on Religious Holy Days Policy Section 51.911(b) of the Texas Education
Code requires that an institution of higher education excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including
examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose. Section 51.911(a)(2) defines religious holy
days as: "a holy day observed by a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Section 11.20, Tax
Code...."A student whose absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized for that absence and shall be allowed to take an
examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence. University policy
861001 provides the procedures to be followed by the student and instructor. A student desiring to absent himself/herself from a
scheduled class in order to observe (a) religious holy day(s) shall present to each instructor involved a written statement concerning the
religious holy day(s). The instructor will notify the student of a reasonable timeframe in which the missed assignments and/or
examinations are to be completed. Americans With Disabilities Act: SHSU adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws,
regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have a disability
that may affect adversely your work in this class, then I encourage you to register with the SHSU Counseling Center and to talk with me
about how I can best help you. All disclosures of disabilities will be kept strictly confidential. NOTE: no accommodation can be made
until you register with the Counseling Center. Please contact the Chair of the Committee for Continuing Assistance for Disabled Students
and Director of the Counseling Center, Lee Drain Annex, or by calling 294-1720. A course evaluation form will be offered near the end
of the semester. Unannounced visitors to class must present a current, official SHSU identification card to be permitted into the
classroom. They must not present a disruption to the class by their attendance. If the visitor is not a registered student, it is at the
instructor's discretion whether or not the visitor will be allowed to remain in the classroom. If anyone creates a serious disturbance in the
classroom and refuses to leave, I will have that person removed by force. Academic Dishonesty: All students are expected to engage in
all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the
academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be
subject to disciplinary action. The University and its official representatives may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student
accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work which is to
be submitted, plagiarism, collusion and the abuse of resource materials. SHSU Student Code of Conduct:
http://www.shsu.edu/students/StudentGuidelines2007_2008.pdf