Major English Writings I (ENG 201, Spring 2015)
Dr. Patrick C. Fleming
Class meetings: Wednesdays, 6:45-9:15, Orlando 113
Email: PFleming@rollins.edu
Office Hours (Carnegie Hall 137): Wednesday and Thursday, 6-6:30 and 9:15-9:30, or
by appointment
Required Texts
You will need the Norton Anthology 9th edition, volumes A and B. You can purchase
them together at the bookstore for $70, in which case you’ll also receive (for free) the
Chaucer pamphlet. Alternatively, you can buy volume 1 (which contains A, B, and C)
online. The ISBN is 0393913007 – just make sure you get rush shipping so that it arrives
in time, and keep in mind that the Chaucer packet won’t be with it.
Course Goals
As a required course for the English major, this course will develop your skills in close
reading and historical perspective. These skills will be the focus of class discussions
and of all assignments. By the end of the course you will be able to:
• Read closely, paying attention to syntax, genre, authorial style, etc. Expressing your
close readings will require mastery of the vocabulary of literary studies and the
ability to write clearly and persuasively.
• Discuss the major works and authors of English literature from the middle ages
through the end of the seventeenth century. You should be able to place major authors
(Chaucer, Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Donne, Milton) in their proper historical
period and describe the elements of the epic; medieval and renaissance drama; and
the sonnet.
• Read a poem out loud, with attention to syntax, rhythm, and content. Near the end of
the semester you will memorize and recite a poem.
Assignments
For all graded components (including participation), I will approach your work with the
assumption that it is of average (that is, of about B to B-) quality. As the merits or rough
edges in the work provide supporting evidence, your grade will move up or down
accordingly. When Converting letter grades to numbers: A+: 97-100; A: 93-96; A-: 9092; B+: 87-89; B: 83-86; etc.
Participation and Reading Quizzes (25%): The most important aspects of this
course are the assigned reading and participation in class discussions (a rubric is
appended to the syllabus, and available on Blackboard). Reading quizzes will be
given at the beginning of each class: if you do the reading, these should be very
easy. Some (but not all) quizzes will be open-book. The grade will be split: 10%
for participation, 10% for quizzes, and 5% for whichever of the two is higher.
Major English Authors I (Dr. Fleming, Spring 2015) 2 Short Close Readings (20%): You will write four short papers (300-500 words
each), each on a specified aspect of a given text (see below for due dates). These
papers are due on Saturdays, by midnight, and will be turned in via Blackboard.
• Note: After grading each paper, I will share a strong example with the class.
I’ll remove the name and grade, but if you’d rather your work not be shared in
this manner, please let me know.
Mid-Semester Learning Portfolio (5%)
Sonnet Project (20%): This assignment has several components, including
memorizing and reciting a sonnet.
Midterm and Final Exams (15% each): The midterm exam (in class on March 31st)
will cover all texts read by that point; the final exam will be cumulative, covering
all the texts on the syllabus. Both exams will have two sections (closed- and openbook).
Unless otherwise noted, all assignments will be collected through Blackboard.
Course Policies
Attendance and Tardiness: Because this is a seminar, not only your own learning but
that of your classmates depends upon your being in class. I hope this is sufficient
motivation to attend all classes, but for administrative purposes here is my policy:
• Miss 2 classes: no penalty
• Miss 3 classes: participation lowered by 10%
• Miss 4 classes: course grade lowered by 5%
• Miss 5 classes: course grade lowered by 10%
• Missing more than 5 classes will fail the course (I’ve never had to enforce this last
one; don’t be the first!).
If you’re late to class (i.e., if we’ve begun when you arrive), or if you leave early, I’ll
record 1/3 of an absence. While you will not be penalized for absences due to
documented illness, religious holidays, or pre-approved college business (e.g. varsity
sports travel), these absences do count towards the total, regardless of when they occur.
So if you miss three classes for illness, plus two more, you’ve still missed 5 classes.
Late Work: Assignments are due at the beginning of class, or by the specified time.
Late work will be marked down 10% for the first 24 hours, and a further 5% for each
subsequent 24 hours. After 4 days, work will be accepted for half credit. Work not turned
in within 2 weeks will receive a 0.
Laptops and Cellphones: Turn off your cellphone before coming to class. I’ll usually
ask you to close your laptops during class, since you won’t need them and they can be
distracting.
College Policies
Email
Rollins e-mail is our official means of communication. Students, faculty and staff are
expected to check it on a regular basis.
The Honor Pledge and Reaffirmation
Major English Authors I (Dr. Fleming, Spring 2015) 3 Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and
requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. The student commitment to
uphold the values of honor - honesty, trust, respect, fairness, and responsibility particularly manifests itself in two public aspects of student life. First, as part of the
admission process to the College, students agree to commit themselves to the Honor
Code. Then, as part of the matriculation process during Orientation, students sign a more
detailed pledge to uphold the Honor Code and to conduct themselves honorably in all
their activities, both academic and social, as a Rollins student. A student signature on the
following pledge is a binding commitment by the student that lasts for his or her entire
tenure at Rollins College:
The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College
education and to membership in the Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a student
of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from
any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving
responsibly, respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with
others. This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit as
his/her own. Students shall add to the paper, quiz, test, lab report, etc., the handwritten
signed statement:
“On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance
on this work.”
Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing
the pledge.
Students with Disabilities
Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully
against persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment
processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not
discriminate against persons with disabilities.
If you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate needing any type of
academic/medical accommodations in order to participate in your classes, please make
timely arrangements by disclosing this disability in writing to the Disability Services
Office at (Box 2772) – Mills Building, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, 32789.
Appointments can be scheduled by calling 407-646-2354 or by emailing:
gridgeway@rollins.edu
Last Date to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty – March 20, 2015
How to Read for This Class
All page numbers refer to the Norton Anthology, 9th edition, and most of the
vocabulary terms are defined in the glossary (those marked with a * will be defined in
class).
Major English Authors I (Dr. Fleming, Spring 2015) 4 Read with a pencil, marking the text as you read (or keeping notes to lines and
pages, if you don’t want to mark the book). You will rely on your own annotations for
papers and exams. You will find yourself more successful if you spread out your reading,
rather than trying to tackle it all at once. I have split each week’s assignment into two
roughly equal sections, to help you break them up. A suggested schedule:
• By Saturday, finish the paper (when applicable)
• Sunday, complete the first part of the reading
• Monday and/or Tuesday night, complete the second part of the reading
• Wednesday night, review your notes to prepare for class
Schedule of Reading and Assignments
January 14th First day of class
• In class we will read “The Story of Caedmon,” from Bede’s An Ecclesiastical History
of the English People (pp. 29-32)
• Vocab: alliteration, caesura, accent(ual), line (of poetry)*
• Date to know: 600
January 21st Early Medieval Heroes
• Read the syllabus; the introductions to “Anglo-Saxon Literature” and “Old and
Middle English Prosody”; and The Dream of the Rood (pp. 6-10, 24-5, 32-35)
• Introductions to “Anglo-Norman Literature” and “Romance”; “The Myth of Arthur’s
Return”; and Marie de France, Lanval and Chevrefoil (pp. 10-13, 130-1, 140-3, 15469)
• Vocab: Romance; Legend; Syllable
• Date to know: 1066
PAPER 1 DUE SATURDAY, January 24th by midnight
January 28th Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
• Introductions to literature in the 14th Century, Medieval English, and Chaucer (pp.
13-17, 19-20, and 238-42)
• Chaucer’s “General Prologue” (pp. 242-263). I’d like you to read the text in its
Middle English (as printed in the Norton), but you may use the interlinear translation
if you need it: Reading Chaucer (pp. 3-39) or
http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/gp-par.htm
• Vocab: accentual-syllabic; iamb; (penta)meter; foot
February 4th The 15th Century
• Prepare a draft of your pilgrim’s Facebook profile
• Selections from the introduction to the 15th century and The Book of Margery Kempe
parts 1, 11, and 76, and 79 (pp. 17-19, 424-8 and 435-8)
• Introduction to “Mystery plays” and Second Shepherd’s Play (pp. 447-77)
Major English Authors I (Dr. Fleming, Spring 2015) 5 PAPER 2 DUE SATURDAY, February 7th by midnight
February 11th The Sonnet, Part I
• From introduction to the 16th century (pp. 531-2, 537-41, and 549-55); the biography
of Wyatt (646-8); and “Renaissance Love and Desire” (1000-3); Wyatt, “The long
love that in my thought doth harbor,” “Who so list to hunt,” and “I find no peace”
(and the Petrarch translations) (648-51),
• Sidney, Astrophil and Stella introduction and 1, 28, 39 (1084, 1089-91); Shakespeare
sonnets 33, 73, 130 (1175, 1177, 1184)
• Vocab: metaphor, metonymy, simile
• Date: 1534
PAPER 3 DUE SATURDAY, February 14th by midnight
February 18th Queen Elizabeth and The Faerie Queene
• From the introduction to 16th century (pp. 541-2, 547-49); introductions to Queen
Elizabeth (749-50) and Spenser (766-8); and Sir Walter Ralegh, “Methought I Saw
the Grave Where Laura Lay” (1028)
• Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene: introduction, “Letter of the Authors,” and
preface to Book I; canto 1, stanzas 1-5; and canto 9, stanzas 19-54 (775-83, 884-893)
• Vocab: epic; Spenserian stanza; hexameteter; rhyme scheme; allegory; review iamb
and pentameter.
PAPER 2 DUE SATURDAY, February 21st by midnight
February 25th The Early Seventeenth Century
• From the introduction to the 17th century (pages 1341-8 and 1355-8); King Lear,
introduction, Act 1 scene 1 (esp. lines. 131-9), and Act 2 scene 4, lines 124-307; and
Act 3 scene 2, lines 1-9 (pp. 1254-62, 1288-93, 1295)
• Mary Wroth, Pamphilia and Amphilanthus 1 and 40 (1566, 1568-9); John Donne,
introduction and “The Flea,” “The Sun Rising,” Holy Sonnets 10 and 14 (1370-3,
1376, 1413); William Harvey, “Circulation of the Blood” (1686-8); Katherine Philips,
introduction, “A Woman’s State” and “Upon the Double Murder of King Charles”
(1783-5)
• Date: 1603
March 4th SPRING BREAK
March 11th The Restoration Epic: Paradise Lost
• Learning Portfolio due before class
• From introduction to 17th century (1360-7), and the introductions to Milton and
Paradise Lost (1897-1901, 1943-5). From Paradise Lost: “The verse;” Book 1 lines
1-270 (Satan’s fall); Book 3 lines 56-134 (God’s prophecy); Book 4 lines 1-491
(Satan enters the garden) (pp. 1943-52, 1988-9, 2003-13)
• Paradise Lost Book 9, lines 179-1098 (the fall) (pp. 2095-2114)
• Vocab: blank verse; rhetoric; review epic (muse, martial hero); Date: 1660
Major English Authors I (Dr. Fleming, Spring 2015) 6 March 18th Midterm Exam
March 25th The Sonnet, part II
• Skim (again) the biography of Wyatt (646-8), the introduction to Astrophil and Stella
(1084), and the “Renaissance Love and Desire” (1000-3). Reread Wyatt, “The long
love that in my thought doth harbor” and “I find no peace” (648-51), Sidney,
Astrophil and Stella 1 and 39 (1084, 1091); Mary Wroth, Pamphilia and
Amphilanthus 1 and 40 (1566, 1568-9); Shakespeare sonnets 33, 73, and 138 (1175,
1177, 1184).
• Drayton, “To the Reader of These Sonnets” (1015), Barnfield, Cynthia 9 and 11
(1022-3);
• Vocab: review “sonnet” and its components
April 1st Religious Poems
• Sonnet description due before class; some students will recite
• Reread Caedmon’s hymn; The Dream of the Rood (pp. 29-35); Donne, Holy Sonnets
10 and 14 (p. 1413), and your notes on Paradise Lost (especially Book 3 ll. 56-134)
• George Herbert, “The Altar,” “Easter,” “Easter Wings,” “Jordan (1),” “Church
Monuments,” “Jordan (2),” “The Collar” (pp. 1705-9, 1712-13, 1716-17, 1720-1);
Milton, Paradise Lost Book 10 lines 100-205 (God’s curse) (pp. 2120-21)
April 8th Love Poems
• Some students will recite in classs
• Reread Marie de France, Chevrefoil; Donne, “The Flea” (pp. 167-9, 1372); and
choose a sonnet you’d like to talk more about (be prepared to share your choice)
• Read Marlowe, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” (1126); Ralegh, “The
Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” and “Nature, that hath washed her hands in milk”
(1024, 1029-30); Donne, “The Bait” (1384); Herrick, “To the Virgins, to Make Much
of Time” (1762); Marvell, “To His Coy Mistress” (1796); and Milton, Paradise Lost
Book 12 lines 610-49 (the ending) (2174-5)
• Vocab: carpe diem
April 15th Medieval Drama
• Sonnet paper due before class; remaining students will recite
• Reread the introduction to “Mystery Plays” (447-9) and read Everyman (507-529)
• Vocab: review allegory
April 22nd Elizabethan Drama
• “The Elizabethan Theater,” from introduction (pp. 555-61)
• Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus (pp. 1127-1163).
Choose three moments in the play that you think are especially important: I’ll be
using your choices in class.
• Vocab: review blank verse, character
April 29th Final Exam
Major English Authors I (Dr. Fleming, Spring 2015) 7 Participation Rubric
Dr. Fleming
What you offer to the class is what you and others learn from. I can judge your
participation only on what you demonstrate: your active contributions and your
attentiveness to our discussions. As with all grades in this course, I will approach your
work with the assumption that it is of average (that is, of about B to B-) quality. As the
merits or rough edges in the work provide supporting evidence, your grade will move up
or down accordingly.
Grade
A
Criteria
· Demonstrates excellent preparation: is always present and on time, and has analyzed
readings exceptionally well, making notes in the text relating it to previous readings and
class discussions
· Regularly volunteers comments without being compelled by the instructor
· Listens thoughtfully to other students, and responds to their comments
· Offers analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of material; for example, puts together
pieces of the discussion to develop new approaches to the text
· Contributes in a very significant way to ongoing discussion: keeps analysis focused,
suggests alternative ways of approaching material, uses the course vocabulary regularly
· Knows and uses everyone’s name
· Demonstrates good preparation: comes prepared with thoughtful comments on the
reading and has marked specific passages.
· Regularly volunteers comments without being compelled by the instructor
· Listens thoughtfully to other students, and responds to their comments
B+/A- · Offers interpretations and analysis of readings (more than just facts) to class
· Contributes well to discussion in an ongoing way: thinks through own points, questions
others in a constructive way, offers and supports suggestions that may be counter to the
majority opinion, uses the course vocabulary.
· Knows everyone’s name, and often refers to classmates by name
· Demonstrates adequate preparation: has read the assigned reading, and made notes in
the text, but does not show evidence of interpretation or analysis
· Offers straightforward information without elaboration or very infrequently (perhaps
B/B- once a class).
· Does not often offer to contribute to discussion, but contributes to a moderate degree
when called on. Demonstrates sporadic involvement.
· Occasionally but inconsistently uses the course vocabulary.
C
D/F
· Present, not disruptive.
· Tries to respond when called on but does not offer much.
· Demonstrates very infrequent involvement in discussion.
Consistently absent, disruptive, or unprepared.