BRITISH LITERATURE – ENGL 2120-01
CRN: 50381
Summer Session 2, 2012
MW 2-4:30, Pafford 110
Instructor: Dr. Melanie Jordan
Office: TLC 2221
Email: melaniej@westga.edu
Phone: 678-839-4156
Office Hours: 12:35-1:50 Mondays and Wednesdays
REQUIRED TEXTS
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Anglo-Saxon article; “The Wanderer,” Ethelbert’s Laws, and riddles (CourseDen); “Caedmon’s
Hymn”(handout)
*Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. W.S. Merwin. New York: Knopf, 2006.
*Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Burton Raffel. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005.
*Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko. New York: Penguin, 2004.
Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” (CourseDen)
Romantic Poetry packet (CourseDen)
*Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Clayton, DE: Prestwick House, 2005.
*Woolf, Virginia. Orlando: A Biography. New York: Harcourt, 2006.
contemporary packet (Carter, Doyle, Warner, etc.) (CourseDen)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Prerequisites: ENGL 1101 and ENGL 1102.
Required for English majors. May count for credit in Area C.2.
Renegades, Rebels and Misfits: We will read texts representative of major eras of British
Literature, beginning with the Anglo Saxons and continuing through contemporary
literature. Our readings are representative of major authors in the canon, and they
represent multiple genres, including poetry, drama, and fiction. We will supplement these
readings with presentations on historical, cultural and social elements germane to the texts.
You will write text-based prose which is informed by scholarly and critical secondary
sources. Despite the traditional emphasis in British literature on social order and propriety,
many of these works feature figures who resist the norms of their culture (and thus help us
define those norms); we will use these renegades as one way to define the national
literature of Britain. This isn’t the only topic, of course – it’s merely a way to begin grappling
with the material.
REQUIRED MATERIALS
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a functioning CourseDen account which you are expected to check daily
a working, cleaned-out, westga email address
a word processing program (compatible with Microsoft Word)
reliable access to a printer (for printing assignments/homework before class)
a flash drive or some other portable electronic storage
ATTENDANCE:
This class requires not only your attention to keeping up with the reading but also your regular
attendance. Missing one class is equivalent to missing a week in a normal semester. All assignments
must be turned in to me personally, and those are always due at the beginning of class. If you are not
present to do so, your grade will drop. If you should miss four or more classes, you will not pass.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
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Reading Responses (guided and independent)
Midterm Exam (ID and Discussion)
Final Exam (ID and Discussion)
Essay (5-8 pages; scholarly article synthesis and response )
Dramatic Project (5-8 pages)
Presentation (deals with a cultural, historical, or societal aspect of one of our texts; combines
scholarly and creative faculties)
Reading Responses will be due at the beginning of class (hard copy). We’ll have one for most class
periods. These Responses cannot be turned in late. Sometimes I will provide specific questions for your
response –sometimes I will ask you to choose your own focus on the text. They will be graded on a 20-pt
scale: 18-20=excellent; 16-17=very good; 14-15=average; 12-13=needs focus and/or development; less
than 10=failing. You may be called on in class to read from or discuss your responses, and they may
provide fodder for essays.
Midterm and Final Exams: These will contain passages for identification (author, title, character,
function in the text, etc.). They may also contain discussion questions that respond to topics we’ve
discussed in class, through presentations, and through Reading Responses.
Essay: This essay, due early in the term, will require the explication of 1-2 scholarly articles and a
synthesis of those articles from your own perceptions. The Reading Responses often function as
brainstorming for this essay.
Dramatic Project: You will choose one of the two major plays we discuss this semester, and you will
write a project that deals with the dramatic and thematic elements of that play. I will provide specific
instructions for this project.
Presentation: This presentation will ask you to present at least one critical or scholarly article that sheds
light on a topic of social, cultural, or political importance pertaining to one major text. It will also ask
you to choose a topic that lends itself to connections to our texts—I will provide suggestions, though
students are also encouraged to choose their own as well.
ASSIGNMENTS
Reading Responses
Essay
Dramatic Project
Midterm exam
Presentation
Final exam
Total possible: 660
8@20pts. = 160 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
100 pts.
ASSIGNMENT PERCENTAGES
Responses: 24%
Essay: 15%
Dramatic Project: 15%
Exams: 30%
Presentation: 15%
*These are rough percentages. The remainders account for the last percentage point, if you were
wondering why these only add up to 99%!*
GRADING
Overall: This class is run on a “total points” system. You can figure your grade at any time by simply
dividing the sum of your earned points by the total possible points at that time.
Essays: The English Department’s 2000-level and above grading rubric is available on the English
Department Website. Essays will be graded according to this rubric. You may convert written numerical
grades to letter grades and vice versa (for out-of-class essays and final averages) using the following
scale. Remember that final averages do not include plus or minus designations.
A+=98-100%, A =95-97%, A-=90-94%
B+=88-89%, B= 85-87% B-=80-84%
C+=78-79%, C=75-77%, C-=70-74%
D+=68-69%, D=65-67%, D-=60-64%
F=Below 60% (often 50%)
GRADE QUERIES:
After final grades have been posted, if you feel I have made a clerical or mathematical error, I
will be happy to check the math again. However, requests to re-consider final grades based on
effort or eligibility (for scholarships, extracurricular activities, etc.) will not be honored. Likewise,
requests to assign or grade work after the final exam will not be considered.
All final grades will be posted on Banweb following the final exam period. No grades will be
distributed via phone or email.
WORK SUBMISSION POLICIES:
The Essay and Dramatic Project should be submitted in hard copy as well as on CourseDen.
Submit essays electronically before class time, then bring the printed copy to the class during
which it is due. All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Follow individual assignment
sheet instructions. Those will be provided on CourseDen. All Reading Responses are due in hard
copy at the beginning of class. After the class period for which they are due passes, they will not
be accepted. In case of emergency, contact me immediately before any assignment is due to
make arrangements.
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All essays and documentation should be in MLA format (Writer’s Resource, tab 6).
All assignments referring to any text require correct documentation.
Any work incorrectly formatted or unprofessionally presented may be refused.
EXTRA CREDIT AND PREVIOUS WORK POLICY:
No extra credit will be offered for this course.
Work completed for a previous course will not be accepted in this course.
LATE WORK:
The Essay and Dramatic Project may be submitted late with the following stipulations. They will
receive a 10-pt. deduction per class period. If any of these assignments is submitted more than
a calendar week after the original due date, it will receive a 0. A missed exam may be made up
at my discretion; legitimate proof (of illness, accident, etc.) for the original absence must be
provided within 24 hours of the absence, and that essay must be made up within 72 hours,
given the summer abbreviation of the course.
PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC HONESTY:
The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the
words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources. The
Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments. An equally
dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the
truth. Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course. (See also Excessive Collaboration)
The University policies for handling Academic Dishonesty are found in the following documents:
The Faculty Handbook, sections 207 and 208.0401
http://www.westga.edu/~vpaa/handrev/ (Item 207 in the left-hand navigation bar)
Student Uncatalog: "Rights and Responsibilities"; Appendix J.
(http://www.westga.edu/assets/docs/studentHandbook2007.pdf)
http://www.westga.edu/handbook
The Student Handbook also addresses plagiarism and academic dishonesty under “Honor
Code,” Appendix A and Appendix E (“Procedure for Appeals of Grade Determination and
Academic Dishonesty). A Writer’s Resource likewise contains accepted definitions and
regulations relevant to avoiding plagiarism – see Chapter 23 and Tab 6 for more information.
EXCESSIVE COLLABORATION:
By the end of the term in both ENGL 1101 and 1102, students should demonstrate the ability to
produce independent writing (writing without collaborative assistance of peers, writing tutors,
or professionals in the field) that shows an acceptable level of competence. Although classroom
activities and out-of-class assignments may highlight collaborative learning and collaborative
research, excessive collaboration (collaboration that results in the loss of a student's voice/style
and original claims to course related work) is considered another form of academic dishonesty
and therefore will not be permitted.
Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course. Any individual assignment that exhibits evidence
of plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, will earn a grade of 0. Furthermore, if plagiarism is
substantiated, the result may be an F in the course; if plagiarism occurs, it may have
repercussions at the university level.
Acceptable Secondary/Research Sources: College-level sources are a must. Do not rely on
sources such as wiki/Wikipedia pages, dictionaries, or overly general reference sources. The
kind of writing you are engaging in is much more specific and focused; as a result, your sources
should be specific and credible according to collegiate guidelines stated in A Writer’s Resource.
While general sources like Wikipedia may provide excellent beginning places for research, they
cannot stand without further expansion into credible collegiate sources. Assignments that do
not conform to this requirement may be refused or receive an instant D as they will not fit
assignment criteria. I strongly recommend Ingram Library’s GALILEO and other electronic
sources.
COURSE GOALS
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Students will develop the ability to recognize and identify significant achievements in British
literature.
Students will understand the relevant social, historical, and aesthetic contexts of these literary
works.
Students will appreciate the implications of theoretical and critical approaches to such
literature.
Students will develop enhanced cultural awareness and analytical skills.
Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and of the tenets of sound
composition by means of thesis-driven analytical prose.
Program Goals
Oral and written communication will be characterized by clarity, critical analysis, logic, coherence,
persuasion, precision, and rhetorical awareness (Core Curriculum learning outcomes I)
Cultural and Social Perspectives: Cultural and social perspective will be characterized by cultural
awareness and an understanding of the complexity and dynamic nature of social/political/economic
systems; human and institutional behavior, values, and belief systems; historical and spatial relationship;
and, flexibility, open-mindedness, and tolerance. (Core Curriculum learning outcomes III)
Aesthetic Perspective: Aesthetic perspective will be characterized by critical appreciation of and ability
to make informed aesthetic judgments about the arts of various cultures as media for human expression
(Core Curriculum learning outcomes V)
This course fulfills the Area C.2 requirement in the core for all students.
Area C (Humanities/Arts) Learning Outcomes:
1. To develop the ability to recognize and identify achievements in literary, fine and performing arts;
2. To have an appreciation of the nature and achievements of the arts and humanities; and
3. To develop the ability to apply, understand, and appreciate the application of aesthetics criteria to
“real world circumstances.”
● This course fulfills an Area F requirement for English majors (all tracks) in the core.
● This course fulfills one of the core-level language arts requirements for Middle Grades Education
majors.
● This course contributes to the program goal of equipping students with a foundation in literary
history and the issues surrounding literary study in contemporary culture.
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This course broadens students' desire and ability to take pleasure in their encounter with
literature.
CLASS CALENDAR (READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS)
*Expect Reading Responses to be due at the beginning of each class during which we discuss
readings unless otherwise noted. Often I will give you directions for those during the class
period before. See CourseDen for updates and announcements.*
ANGLO-SAXON/MEDIEVAL
Week 1
4 June, Monday: Class begins; intro to course, housekeeping, syllabus, notes on Anglo-Saxon
culture and poetry; Beowulf discussion and “Caedmon’s Hymn”
5 June, Tuesday: Registration Ends
6 June, Wednesday: National Geographic article, “The Wanderer,” Ethelbert’s Laws, and riddles
all due today (CourseDen)
Week 2
11 June, Monday: Merwin’s “Foreward” and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight pp. 3-77 due
13 June, Wednesday: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight pp.79-171 due
Week 3
ELIZABETHAN
18 June, Monday: intro material about Elizabethan era and Othello pp.3-126 due
20 June, Wednesday: Othello, pp.127-204 due; discussion of midterm exam and upcoming
essay
Week 4
RESTORATION AND 18th CENTURY
25 June, Monday: MIDTERM EXAM (1.5 hrs.); intro material about Behn and her era; begin
Oroonoko (xv-xxxiii + 3-37 due); any concerns about withdrawal date addressed
26 June, Tuesday: LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITH A “W”
27 June, Wednesday: ESSAY #1 DUE (submit electronic copy on CourseDen before class and
bring hard copy to class); Oroonoko (38-77) and Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” due
ROMANTICS
Week 5
2 July, Monday: intro material for Romantics; Romantic poetry packet due (CourseDen)
4 July, Wednesday: INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY (no class, offices closed)
VICTORIAN
Week 6
9 July, Monday: intro material for Victorians; Importance of Being Earnest (1st half)
11 July, Wednesday: Importance of Being Earnest (finish)
MODERN
Week 7
16 July, Monday: Orlando, pp. 11-112 due; questions about drama project (we’ll devote some
class time at the end to working on these if necessary)
18 July, Wednesday: Orlando, pp.113-end due; DRAMA PROJECTS DUE
CONTEMPORARY
23 July, Monday: contemporary short stories/poems due (CourseDen)
25 July, Wednesday: Presentations ; preparation for final exam
27 July, Friday: FINAL EXAM 3-5pm
28 July, Saturday: Graduation
30 July, Monday: grades due by noon