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English 262:
Survey of Western Literature from 1660 to the Present
Spring 2005
MW
2:50-4:05
Knott Branch
Room 320
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Donna Sparkman
Room 304, Knott Branch
1-800-246-7521, ext. 73411
DonnaS.Sparkman@kctcs.edu
Office Hours:
MW
TR
11:00-1:30
12:30-3:00
Catalog Description:
English 262 is “A study of works by major Western authors from the mid-17th Century to
the present. NOTE: ENG 262 fulfills no requirements of the English major” (2002 – 2003
KCTCS Catalog 186). English 262 is a 3 credit hour (Heritage / Humanities) course.
Course Description:
Students in English 262: Survey of Western Literature from 1660 to the Present will
explore literature through a chronological reading and analysis of a selection of the great
literary works of Western culture from the Enlightenment (Neoclassicism) through
Modernism. This class is reading and discussion intensive! Through assigned reading
selections, daily discussion forums, and required reaction papers, students will determine
the true definition of the modern individual and connect how the great works in this
literary range or period have affected the creation of “Modern Man”. Throughout the
semester, the student will isolate and interpret the controlling themes of literary works
and evaluate those themes in light of the student’s own experience and beliefs.
Prerequisites:
None listed. Professor prefers that the student has taken at least English 101.
Required Texts and Materials:
 Wilkie and Hurt, Literature of the Western World, 5th ed., Vol. II (I will give you a list
of other books and websites that have the assigned works. It is your decision where
and how to access the readings for the semester.)
Course Objectives:
 To develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills.
 To begin to appreciate the great literature that exists.
 To connect how literature has formed, and continues to form, the individual.
 To acquire a literary vocabulary.
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Attendance Policy: College is a responsibility, and attending class is essential in being
successful in the course. If you are not in class, you will not gain the knowledge needed
to be successful in college. You are allowed 4 EXCUSED OR UNEXCUSED
ABSENCES in the course. I do not make distinctions between the two. Use them wisely!
For every absence after 4, you will lose 3% points from the course grade. Any
student who does not miss one day of class will be rewarded with 3% points.
Tardy Policy: Students should be present and prepared to begin class at the scheduled
time. Time will be counted, and for every hour missed due to tardiness, the student will
lose 1% point from the course grade.
Inclement Weather Policy: Please see the college website for the weather policy. Note:
I want all students to use their best judgment when it comes to weather conditions. My
rule is if it is bad enough for the public school to close then it is a time to be cautious;
however, this necessarily does not mean that the roads will not be clear enough for you
when your class is scheduled. Attend class if possible. Call and speak with me if you are
concerned about the weather and class.
Withdrawal Policy:
Students may withdraw up to midterm and receive a grade of “W” without the
instructor’s permission. After midterm, and up until the last day of class, any student
may officially request a W grade, which may be given at the discretion of the instructor,
but only if the student officially withdrawals from the class.
Accommodations Policy:
Students needing accommodations should contact the local disabilities service
representative as follows: Hazard Campus / Knott County Branch / Leslie County
Center / Technical Campus - Doug Fraley and Lees College Campus - Cluster Howard.
Academic Honesty Policy:
KCTCS faculty and students are bound by principles of truth and honesty that are
recognized as fundamental for a community of teachers and scholars. The college
expects students and faculty to honor, and faculty to enforce, these academic principles.
The college affirms that it will not tolerate academic dishonesty including, but not limited
to, violation of the academic rights of students (section 2.0) and student offenses (section
3.0).
For information about academic rights and academic offenses and the student’s right to
appeal, students should be referred to the KCTCS Code of Student Conduct found on-line
at http://www.kctcs.edu/student/code.htm/
Plagiarism Policy:
Plagiarism is a serious offense because it means you are stealing the work and ideas of
another person and misrepresenting yourself. Plagiarizing a paper or even part of one
will get you an “E” on that paper and in the course.
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Class Interaction Policy:
The classroom is an arena for learning through lecture and discussion. Any action (i.e.,
singing in class, talking to your buddies, tardiness, uncontrolled children, etc.) that
disrupts the learning environment will not be permitted.
Late Work Policy:
I will accept late work, but the grading of late work will be at my time discretion. All
late work will lose 5 points per day. If you slide the work under my door on Friday
afternoon and I have already left for the day, the work will be counted as turned in on
Monday when I return to the office. This does not include in-class activities.
Participation Grade:
40 %
 Discussion Section -- Each student will be assigned a letter grade (A = 100;
B=90; C=80; D=70; E=50) for each day of attendance based on questions asked
and comments made. I want everyone in the class to form opinions about the
assignments and to feel comfortable discussing these opinions. Through
discussion, I will see what you understand and do not understand. I do not want
to give quizzes, but if the class does not discuss the works, I will be forced to
quiz. (20 %)
 Reaction Papers: Students will write daily reaction papers; these papers will
contain some summary, but mostly, they will be a response to the reading –
theme, literary term, my question. I will give you three questions at the beginning
of each class, and you will choose one to respond to. The papers will be graded
on the basis of content and use of standard grammar and punctuation. These
assignments will receive letter grades – A (superior – 95); B (good – 85); C
(average – 75); D (poor – 65); and, E (unacceptable – 50). No make-up work will
be allowed. (20%)
Exams Grades:
60 %
 Exams will be given at the end of each section. The exam will be a combination
of matching, listing, multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions (one essay
question on Exam #1 and #2; two or three essay questions on Exam #3). A
review sheet will be given one week before each exam, and part of the class
period before the exam will be devoted to review. Missed an exam? Students
who miss an exam will have one week to take a make-up exam. The exam will be
over the same material, but it will not necessarily be in the same format.
 Exams and Percentages:
Exam #1: Neoclassicism and Romanticism
20%
Exam #2: Realism and Naturalism
20%
Exam #3: Moderns and Contemporary
20%
Grading Scale:
90 –100
80 – 89
70 – 79
A
B
C
4
60 – 69
Below 60
D
E
General Education Competencies:
These competencies will be fostered in all English classrooms in the following ways:
Writing: To communicate effectively using standard written English.
Reading: To analyze, summarize, and interpret a variety of reading materials.
Integrated learning: To think critically and make connections in learning across
the curriculum.
Creative Thinking: To elaborate upon the knowledge to create new thoughts,
processes, and ideas.
Requirements: Through writing, discussing, and testing, the student will be able
 To demonstrate a knowledge of Western literature, languages, cultures, and
literary traditions;
 To demonstrate a basic understanding of how Western traditions and thought
– as reflected in the course readings – continue to influence contemporary
thought;
 To list from memory all the authors and works studied in the course,
identifying them by nationality, date, and artist temper;
 To understand the distinguishing elements of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, and
drama;
 To critically evaluate masterpieces in terms of the constituent elements of the
genre, including essential biographical, cultural, historical contexts (names of
principal characters and details of plot and setting are to be included);
 To discuss in depth the characteristics of neoclassicism, romanticism,
naturalism, realism, modernism, and contemporary; and,
 To understand how universal themes have been used and interpreted over the
centuries.
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ENG 262 Class Calendar – Spring 2005
Jan. 10
Jan. 12
Jan. 17
Jan. 19
Jan. 24
Jan. 26
Jan. 31
Feb. 2
Feb. 7
Feb. 9
Feb. 14
Feb. 16
Feb. 21
Feb. 23
Feb. 28
Mar. 2
Mar. 7-11
Mar. 14
Mar. 16
Mar. 21
Mar. 23
Mar. 28
Mar. 30
Apr. 4
Apr. 6
Apr. 11
Apr. 13
Apr. 18
Apr. 20
Apr. 25
Apr. 27
May 2
May 4
May 9-12
Introduction and Syllabus
Discuss Handout / Discuss Neoclassicism and Romanticism:
No Class
Moliere, Tartuffe (36-87) www.bartleby.com/26/4
Voltaire, Candide (317-341) www.literature.org/authors/voltaire/candide
Continue Voltaire
Jefferson, French Assembly, and Wollstonecraft essays (423-428; 11341137) I will give you copies of these essays.
Wordsworth, “Tintern Abbey” (693-698) www.bartleby.com/145/ww138.html
Tennyson “Ulyssess” (977-978) www.gober.net/victorian/ulysses.html
Dickinson #280, #303 (1109-1110)
www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/dickinson/dickinson.htm
Browning “My Last Duchess” (980-984)
www.pddoc.com/poems/browning_robert_-_my_last_duchess.html
Review Sheet for Exam #1
Whitman, “Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking” (1065-1070)
www.bartleby.com/142/212.html
Review for Exam #1
Exam #1
No Class
Discuss Handout / Discuss Realism and Naturalism:
Dostoevsky, from The Brothers Karamazov; “The Grand Inquisitor”
(1253-1266) I will give you a copy of this.
Tolstoy, “Lost Opportunity”
http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/2139/
No Class – Spring Break
Ibsen, A Doll House (1322-1374) www.gutenberg.org/etext/2542
Continue Ibsen
Chekhov, “The Gooseberries” (1374-1384)
www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.1598
Review Sheet Exam #2
Flaubert, “A Simple Heart” (1153-1177)
www.geocities.com/short_stories_page/flaubertsimpleheart.html
Review for Exam #2
Exam #2
Discuss Handout / Discuss Moderns and Contemporaries:
Conrad, The Heart of Darkness (1488-1551)
www.pagebypagebooks.com/Joseph_Conrad/Heart_of_Darkness
Continue Conrad
Yeats, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” (1556)
www.online-literature.com/yeats/775
Yeats, “Easter 1916” (1559-1561) www.online-literature.com/yeats/779
Joyce, “The Dead” (1653-1665)
www.classicreader.com/read.php/sid.6/bookid.356
Faulkner, “An Odor of Verbena” (1789-1812)
I will give you a copy of this.
Kafka, “The Metamorphosis” (1705-1740)
www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/stories/kafka-E.htm
Continue Kafka
Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues” (1990-2012) I will give you a copy of this.
Review Sheet Exam #3
Review for Exam #3
Final Exam Week. Exam #3 will be given at scheduled final exam time.