English 2230: Survey of British Literature I

This class will examine the period from the beginnings of Britain until the late eighteenth-century, with particular focus on the cultures in which literary texts were written and the changing technologies we use to read. Our readings will be supplemented by visits to Special Collections in RBD Library to learn more about the physical properties of the texts we read.

Schedule of Readings & Assignments

Texts

There are two required texts for this class, available at the University Bookstore:

‣ Frances Burney, Evelina (Bedford Cultural)
‣ Anthology of British Literature, Concise Edition, Volume A (Broadview)

I insist that you have the stated edition of these texts, because they contain valuable supplemental readings we will be using. These texts are also available on Amazon, but if you go that route, make sure you will receive your book in time for class. When I provide electronic readings, I expect that you bring some paper-based form to class to annotate and make reference to.

General Class Policies

Course-specific Guidelines

Grade Breakdown

30%

Exams

10%

Medieval

10%

Renaissance and Early Seventeenth Century
10% Restoration and Eighteenth-Century

20%

Short Weekly Responses

10%

In-Class Group Discussion Leading
10% Paper 1: Book-as-Object Paper
15% Paper 2: Revised Weekly Response Paper
15% Class Attendance, Discussion, and Participation



Exams
You will be evaluated periodically for your mastery of content knowledge, i.e. your understanding of points of fact (time periods, vocabulary, etc.) which will have been presented in the readings and in class. You will have three non-cumulative exams, one over each of the three major time periods we will be studying. I reserve the right to include pop quizzes, if necessary.

Informal Weekly Writing
On weeks where we meet as a group, you will write once a week in response to each other and to our assigned readings, using Canvas. Your responses should be at least 250 words in length and should demonstrate that you have read and carefully thought about the assigned reading.

You will be assigned one of two due dates - either Monday or Wednesday by midnight (in other words, the night before one of our class periods.) You should use this forum to:

‣ask substantive questions about the text assigned for the next class
‣to make connections among texts
‣to identify what you see as important themes and issues
‣ examine closely one small portion of the text you think is confusing/worthy of closer study/ etc.

I am less interested in what you liked or disliked about the reading (although that may be relevant to your response) than in what issues you found central and why. You might also think of these pieces as useful practice for your formal writing. This blog piece by Laura Rosenthal is also a helpful source on how to think about moving to "Stage 4" levels of literary analysis.

As we proceed, I will point out questions and responses that I think are particularly strong (and you can check some out from a prior class here), so that you may consider them as models for your future work. I will also provide additional feedback about your individual progress in this area when you request it. I will grade your online contributions as excellent (A/90-100), good (B/80-90), satisfactory (C/70-79), poor (D/60-69), and not adequate (F/below 60). I will assign grades after Week 2, at Midterm, and after the semester is complete, and I will always be available to consult on your written progress in office hours.

Because I use these responses to prepare for class, late work in this categorywill not be accepted. Missed work is automatically recorded as an F. Multiple weeks of missing questions and responses will jeopardize your ability to pass the course.


In-Class Discussion Leading (and paper)
At the beginning of the second week, I will pass around a signup sheet listing days for in-class presentations, which will occur at the beginning of class starting in late September. You (and a partner/group, if you choose) will be responsible for leading discussion for 15 minutes on a supporting text for the day's class.  You are, at minimum, responsible for creating:

As our classroom is "smart," you may choose to take advantage of our ability to show DVD clips, pages of text, and the like. During the first third of the semester (before we start doing student presentations), I will be showing you presentations done in the free online presentation program Prezi (http://prezi.com/) to show you some possible ways of organizing your information. I strongly encourage you to rehearse your remarks thoroughly.

After your presentation, every member of the class (including me) will fill out a Presentation and Discussion Form (sample) to evaluate your presentation. (Please note that the first such "peer evaluation" will be done for one of my presentations!) While I have the final decision as to your grade, I take peer response very seriously. You will receive all evaluation sheets back as soon as possible after your presentation.

Formal Papers
Formal writing in this discipline must conform to a consistent citation format (MLA, Chicago, etc.). When/if I ask for formatted files or printouts, you must use a 12 point clear font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins. When a deadline is specified, work is due by 5 PM on the due date, via the Blackboard. We will run a test prior to the first submission. Extensions on formal paper assignments (including drafts and proposals) will only be granted with more than 48 hours' notice. Late work without a prior extension will not be accepted.

A complete grading rubric is included in this syllabus. Remember: I grade you on the work I see, not on your good intentions. I expect that you will have personally proofread (and ideally, had someone else read over) your formal writing prior to handing it in. Egregious grammar errors, typos, improper citation, formatting errors, etc. are unacceptable on formal writing assignments, as they imply sloppy thought and hasty writing. Papers with such errors will be marked down a letter grade.

PAPER 1 – Library Special Collections Paper (10%)
For this assignment, you are to perform a 750-word "close reading" on the physical properties of a book you looked at in Special Collections during either our first or second Library Day. A worksheet to help guide your observations will be provided on both Library Days.  This paper will be submitted via upload to Canvas.

PAPER 2 - Weekly Writing Revision Paper (15%)
Near the end of the semester, you will be expected to turn in a revised version of one of your weekly responses as a 750-word paper that performs a "close reading" of your assigned text. This paper will be submitted via upload to Canvas.