English 1111FC: Literature Before 1750
Course Location:
Class Times:
Prerequisites:
ATAC 1007
Wednesdays/Fridays 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
n/a
Table of Contents
Instructor Information................................................................................................................1
Teaching Assistant Information ...............................................................................................1
Course Description/Overview ...................................................................................................1
Course Objectives ......................................................................................................................2
Course Resources .....................................................................................................................2
Required Course Texts ..................................................................................................................... 2
Course Website .................................................................................................................................. 2
Reading List ................................................................................................................................2
Course Schedule ........................................................................................................................3
Assignments and Evaluation ....................................................................................................5
Assignment Policies ........................................................................................................................... 5
Details of Assignments ...................................................................................................................... 5
Course Policies ..........................................................................................................................9
Final Exam ..................................................................................................................................9
University Policies ...................................................................................................................10
Instructor Information
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Instructor: Cindy Soldan
Office: RB 3006
Telephone: 346-7897
Email: csoldan@lakeheadu.ca
Office Hours: Tuesdays/Thursdays 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Teaching Assistant Information
• Teaching Assistants: Kristina Schroeder, Simreet Aulakh,
• Office: RB3032
• Email: klschro1@lakeheadu.ca . saulakh@lakeheadu.ca,
Course Description/Overview
This course serves to introduce literature written in English dating before 1750 and
assist students in developing skills for literary study. Literary art and artists will be
examined within the following contexts:
Theory, History, Identity, Nation and Genre.
Course Objectives
• identify the conventions of a variety of genres, both general (such as poetry) and
specific (such as the sonnet), and to identify ways in which individual texts work
within, or expand the definitions of, that genre.
• analyse specific literary devices and explain how those devices contribute to the
meaning of a literary text.
• explain the role of literature in articulating and creating categories of identity.
• explain how a text is produced by, and produces, its historical and cultural context.
• use library resources to research a topic and use what they discover to illuminate a
text.
• read texts critically in a variety of historical contexts.
• think independently and critically about literature and the issues raised by texts
• analyse texts from a variety of theoretical perspectives.
Course Resources
Required Course Texts
The Norton Anthology of English Literature (9th edition, Volume 1) Stephen Greenblatt,
General Editor
Moll Flanders, Daniel Dafoe
(Additionally, a copy of the Beowulf translation is required and will be made available on
the reserves in the main library.)
Course Website
• Desire2Learn
Reading List
(All required readings are to be found in the Norton’s Anthology EXCEPT those
that appear in bold text.)
Beowulf (prose translation plus original & translation of “The Last Survivor’s
Speech”) (Available on 1 hour reserve in Main Library for copying)
John Milton - Paradise Lost : Book IX
Geoffrey Chaucer - excerpt from The General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales (lines
1- 42)
Queen Elizabeth - “The Doubt of Future Foes”
Sir Thomas Wyatt - “The long love that in my thought doth harbor”
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey - “Love, that doth reign and live within my thought”
Edmund Spenser - “Sonnet 75"
William Shakespeare - “Sonnet 18"
Christopher Marlowe - "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love"
John Donne - “The Flea”
Andrew Marvell - “To his Coy Mistress”
Mary Wroth - “Song” (Love a child is ever crying)
Katherine Philips - “A Married State”
Jonathan Swift - “A Modest Proposal”
Anne Bradstreet - “To my Dear and Loving Husband” (on Desire2Learn)
Daniel Dafoe – Moll Flanders (novel)
Course Schedule
(subject to slight revision -- will advise.)
Week 1
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September 10 - Course Introduction
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September 12 - The Anatomy of a Poem
Week 2
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September 17 - The Anatomy of a Poem (continued)
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September 19 - Moll Flanders Study Guide - Worksheet #1
Week 3
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September 24- Beowulf
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September 26 - Beowulf
Week 4
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October 1 - Beowulf
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October 3 - Moll Flanders Study Guide - Worksheet #2
Week 5
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October 8 - Paradise Lost - Book IX
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October 10 - Paradise Lost - Book IX
Week 6
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October 15 - Paradise Lost - In-class writing assignment
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October 17 - Moll Flanders Study Guide Worksheet #3 (Assignment #1 Due)
Week 7
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October 22 - Literary Identities: Chaucer, Wyatt & Surrey
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October 24 - Poetry Slam #1
Week 8
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October 29 - Literary Identities: Shakespeare & Spenser Compared
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October 31 - Literary Identities: Donne & Marvel Compared
Week 9
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November 5 - Poetry Slam #2) (Final day to drop course - November 4th))
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November 7 - Moll Flanders Study Guide Worksheet #4 (Assignment #2 Due)
Week 10
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November 12- Literary Identities: Wroth, Phillips, Bradstreet & Marlowe
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November 14 - Moll Flanders Study Guide Worksheets #5 & #6
Week 11
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November 19 - Nation - Swift's "A Modest Proposal"
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November 21 - Moll Flanders Study Guide Submission & Peer Evaluations
Week 12
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November 26 - Queen Elizabeth & the THING
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November 28 - Exam Review
Assignments and Evaluation
Assignment
Due date
Value
Length
Participation
Throughout term
Writing about Poetry
October 17
20% 3 pages
Comparative Essay
November 7
20% 4 pages
Moll Flanders Study Guide
November 21
25% 6+ pages
Final Exam
TBA
30% 3 hours
5% variable
Assignment Policies
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Assignments must be handed in on the due date in class.
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Late assignments will not be accepted unless illness prevents a timely
submission. If a late submission occurs due to illness, documentation
substantiating this (i.e. doctor's note) must accompany the assignment.
Assignments must be handed in on the due date in class.
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I do not accept e-mail submissions of assignments, unless requested by me.
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Students are encouraged to keep backup files/copies of all assignments.
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All assignments must be in MLA format, double spaced, with 1” margins, and in
12 point font.
Details of Assignments
Assignment #1 - Writing About Poetry - Due Date: October 17, 2014.
1. Select any writer from the following list:
William Shakespeare
Edmund Spenser
Sir Thomas Wyatt
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
John Donne
Mary Wroth
John Milton
2. Consult the sonnets written by your chosen writer that appear in the textbook; after
reading over some of them, choose one for this assignment.. (For this assignment,
you must choose a poem NOT covered in class. Poetry covered in class appears
on the reading list; be sure to consult the reading list before making your
selection. Assignments that feature poems from the reading list will NOT be
accepted. )
3. In the first part of your assignment provide an explication of the poem. An
explication is a thorough rendering of the poem in your own words, but it is NOT a rewriting of the poem. The best way to undertake an explication is to express, in your
own words, what the poet is saying, a few lines at a time.
4. In the second portion of the assignment, identify as many facets of poetic form as
you can. Discuss how these relate to the poem’s subject and/or theme.
5. On the final page, provide a scansion of the poem.
6. The entire assignment should be approximately 3 pages in length.
7. You may consult secondary sources for this assignment, though it is not required.
However, if you do use other sources, you must provide proper documentation
according to MLA format.
8. This assignment must be typewritten on white paper, stapled in the top left corner
and NOT be placed in a folder. It should include your name, student number, date,
course number AND section. Failure to comply with these requirements will result
in a reduced grade.
Assignment #2 - Comparative Essay - Due Date: November 7, 2014.
1. Select any two writers from the following list. (You may NOT chose a writer that was
chosen for Assignment #1)
Sir Thomas Wyatt
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Queen Elizabeth
Christopher Marlowe
William Shakespeare
Edmund Spenser
John Donne
Mary Wroth
Andrew Marvel
John Milton
Katherine Philips
Anne Bradstreet
Jonathan Swift
Alexander Pope
2. Research both writers, consulting work by and about each writer. (*Wikipedia is a
great place to start looking around, but it is not generally considered to be a viable
secondary source for scholarly research. This source should not appear in your Works
Cited page.)
3. Prepare an essay that compares both writers, revealing similarities and differences.
Your essay can consider biographical details relevant to their writing (including place of
birth, education, family, literary awards) and should reveal prominent subjects and
themes explored by both writers, but must briefly discuss at least one specific work that
you have read by each writer.
4. This comparison should be a point by point comparison. If you are not familiar with
this kind of comparison, go here:
http://criticalreading.edublogs.org/files/2013/01/Compare_Contrast_Explanation_and_E
xamples-17ow2qj.pdf
5. Once you have undertaken a comparison, conclude your essay by indicating which
writer you prefer, giving reasons why.
6. This effort should be approximately 4-5 pages; fewer than 3 pages or more
than 7 will not be accepted for evaluation.
7. You are required to consult secondary sources for this assignment and you must cite
them according to MLA format. Failure to cite secondary sources used will result in
an assessment of plagiarism and a possible grade of zero.
If you are not familiar with MLA documentation practices, consult a MLA handbook or go
here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Assignment #3 - Moll Flanders Study Guide - Due Date: November 21, 2014.
Objective: To create a user-friendly document for study based on the 6 elements of
fiction
• Setting
• Plot
• Point of View
• Style
• Character
• Theme
Six worksheets will be distributed over five classes throughout the term. (Refer to
Course Schedule for dates.) After receiving some information about the specific
element, students will be given class time to complete the worksheets and are
encouraged to work in small groups.
Before leaving class, students must show their worksheet and have their name checked
off the class list; a diligent effort will warrant one mark. Students who do not attend
these classes can still access the worksheets on Desire2Learn, but will not receive
marks for classwork.
All six worksheets will form the basis of the study guide. Students should select the
best examples and compose a comprehensive study guide that is approximately 6 - 8
pages in length. All study guides must also feature a title page that includes your name
and student number and should include graphics or any other creative visual
composition. It is suggested that worksheets and other portions of the study guide be
worked upon on a regular basis; leaving the compilation until the day before it's due
may not allow for a document worthy of a good grade.
Students can earn up to 6 marks for class work. Completed Study Guides are due on
November 21 and on this day, a peer evaluation of study guides will take place.
Students will assess 3 different study guides and provide a mark out of 5 % for each
study guide. (Students will be required to submit a form, to be distributed at the
beginning of class time, that indicates the names of students evaluated along with the
mark out of 5% for each. Those who do not participate in the peer evaluation will lose 2
marks).
Subsequently, the study guides will be assessed by me, with up to 6 marks awarded for
the textual component of the study guide and up to 3 marks for visual complements.
Study Guides will be returned on the last day of class so that students can utilize them
for exam preparation.
Though the Moll Flanders Study Guide is intended for your own use as you prepare for
the exam you should compile this document imagining its use by one of your
classmates.
Marking Standards
All assignments will be marked in accordance with the English Department Marking
Standards: https://www.lakeheadu.ca/academics/departments/english/markingstandards. If any of your assignments have different marking standards, they should
also be indicated here.
Collaboration/Plagiarism Rules
Include the section on plagiarism and academic misconduct from the English
Department Marking Guidelines. You should also be clear on any specific course rules
or policies regarding collaboration on graded academic exercises.
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's words and/or ideas. Not
acknowledging your debt to the ideas of a secondary source, failing to use quotation
marks when you are quoting directly, buying essays from essay banks, copying another
student's work, or working together on an individual assignment, all constitute
plagiarism. Resubmitting material you've submitted to another course is also academic
dishonesty. All plagiarized work (in whole or in part) and other forms of academic
dishonesty will be reported to the Dean, who is responsible for judging academic
misconduct and imposing penalties. The minimum penalty for academic misconduct is a
0 on the assignment in question. It might also be subject to more severe academic
penalties. See the Code of Student Behaviour.
Course Policies
Classroom Decorum
Attendance is not regularly taken but will be on a random basis and chronic
absenteeism may be reflected in the student's final mark. Chronic tardiness and/or early
departures are not appreciated. Classroom chatter during presentations and lectures
will not be tolerated; those who disrupt the class are not being respectful to the
instructor and fellow classmates and will be asked to leave. Students are expected to
turn off cell phones while in class.
Conferring with the Instructor
All students are most welcome to confer with me during my office hours. Additionally,
students may e-mail me with any questions or concerns about the course of study.
Emails will be responded to within a 24 hour period, though this response time will not
apply to weekends. I will not discuss marks and/or assignment re-evaluations via e-mail;
these must be done in person at my office.
Missed Classes
Students are responsible to confer with classmates to acquire missed notes. I do not
send class notes via e-mail. If a student is absent for a lengthy time due to illness, I will
meet with the student to help him/her catch up.
Mark Reappraisals
Mark reappraisals are only undertaken if students have discussed their evaluation with
the Teaching Assistant marking the paper and wish to have the paper remarked by the
instructor. Mark reappraisals may result in a higher mark, a lower mark or no change to
the mark
Final Exam
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The final exam must be written on the date scheduled by the Registrar's Office, so
do not make travel plans for the exam period until the exam schedule is posted.
The final day of class will be devoted to an overview of the exam format and a
general review of course material.
University Policies
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Students in this course are expected to conform to the Code of Student Behaviour:
https://www.lakeheadu.ca/faculty-and-staff/policies/student-related/code-of-studentbehaviour-and-disciplinary-procedures
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Lakehead University provides academic accommodations for students with
disabilities in accordance with the terms of the Ontario Human Rights Code. This
occurs through a collaborative process that acknowledges a collective obligation to
develop an accessible learning environment that both meets the needs of students
and preserves the essential academic requirements of the course.
This course outline is available online through the English Department homepage and
the Desire2Learn site for the course.