Course Syllabus

English 241: Major British Authors

Fall Semester 1999

Instructor Information

Course Information

Abrams, M. H., et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Trans. Nevill Coghill. London: Penguin, 1977.

Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Ed. Alfred Harbage. London: Penguin, 1986.

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996. (Sold with The Norton Anthology of English Literature.)

1. understand the general sweep of English literary history;

2. identify the roles of individual authors within that tradition;

3. appreciate the accomplishments of major British writers;

4. discuss, insightfully, both in conversation and in writing, some of the major figures in English literature;

5. and apply what he or she has learned in British Writers to any future experiences of literature.

 

Course Requirements

1. Major Papers: Three analytical out-of-class essays of four pages in length. I will give you suggested topics closer to when each paper is due.

2. Quizzes and Examinations: With such a small class, it is important that each student come to class prepared each day. To motivate you to complete the assigned readings on schedule, I will give short reading reaction quizzes at the beginning of most class periods. The midterm and final will be a combination of short answer and essay.

3. Portfolio: Students will write a total of three essays over the course of the semester. While I will read and comment upon the first two essays, they will not receive letter grades. Instead, at the end of the semester, you will put together a portfolio that will include a revision of one of these first two essays, a final version of a third essay, and an informal introduction that describes your revision process and critiques some of the reading material from the course. This portfolio will be worth 250 points.

4. Participation and in-class work: Class attendance and participation are essential to learning more about the course material. Your participation in the class will be evaluated on the basis of 30 points. Missing class meetings will result in a significant reduction of these participation points. Missing more than six class periods could result in a failing grade for the course.

5. Preparation of essays: All final versions of essays written outside of class must be typed (double spaced and with margins of one inch). Each essay should have a title and follow proper MLA style. While I will not grade the first two essays you write the first time you turn them in, I will assign points to them based on how well they were developed, how well they fulfilled the assignment, and whether they were turned in on time.

6. Late work: Essays should be submitted at the beginning of the class period for which they are due. Any essay submitted after I have collected the rest of the class’s work will be counted as late and will receive 0 out of the ten points possible. If you must turn in a paper late, please try to contact me before the paper is due. For each day the portfolio is late, I will deduct ten percent from the grade.

7. Special Services: If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Special Services. They will recommend appropriate accommodations to me and my Director, and you will be notified when the accommodations are arranged.

Evaluation

Honors Contract

Tentative Course Schedule

Final Exam: 10:15-12:15 Thursday, Dec. 16 

Return to British Writers