ENG
1210/1 - Readings in British Literature: Cultures of the Book
Spring 2008
MWF 11-11.50, Tate 123
Office hours: MWF 10-11 and by appointment (Tate 1)
Texts
There are seven required books for this class, available at the University
Bookstore (though I recommend ordering online):
- Feather, John. A History of British Publishing. (Second Edition, 2005)
- Shakespeare, William. King Lear. (Longman Cultural Edition)
- Burney, Frances. Evelina. (Bedford Cultural Edition)
- Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey (Longman Cultural Edition)
- Gissing, George. New Grub Street (Broadview Cultural Edition)
- Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land (Norton Critical Edition)
- A Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms (Oxford)
Please note: editions are non-negotiable. You will be expected to have the Feather book by the second day of class. Plan accordingly.
Purpose and General Structure of the Class/Course Description
English 1210 is designed to introduce you to the concepts, terms, and practices commonly encountered in literary study, presented by way of texts from British literature. We will cover a broad, chronological sweep of "British" (and we will discuss the challenges of that term) literature, touching upon multiple literary genres (fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction), as well as exposing you with the critical vocabulary necessary to advance in the discipline.
The major graded work will consist of a midterm and final exam, as well as quizzes as necessary. In addition, there will be short, informal writing and other assignments.
The Study of English
This course is recommended for prospective English majors and minors. For further information on majoring in English, see http://english.missouri.edu or Mary Moore in Tate 107D.
Course Goals
- To provide broad exposure to a national literary tradition across its history.
- To introduce the major forms of literary expression: drama, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
- To introduce tools for interpretation, including beginning critical and interpretative vocabulary.
- To develop skills in literary interpretation and argumentation.
Please note: I do not add students to my roster after the add/drop period ends on January 29. Students who add the course during the first four sessions will be responsible for the material covered in those class periods. I strongly encourage any students interested in my course to attend class sessions, even if they are not yet formally enrolled.
General Class Policies
Course-specific Guidelines
Grade
Breakdown
|
45% |
Exams |
|
|
25% |
Final |
|
|
20% |
Midterm |
|
|
30% |
Short Weekly Responses |
|
|
15% |
In-Class Presentation
|
|
| 10% |
Class Attendance and Participation |
|
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. I reserve
the right to include pop quizzes, if necessary.
Special Collections Visits
You will note that three trips to Special Collections in Ellis Library have been scheduled. Your attendance at these sessions is mandatory. You are expected to bring pencil and paper (no ink, please) to these meetings -- both exams will cover concepts introduced at these sessons by me as well as Katie Carr, Special Collections and Rare Books Librarian, who has generously planned these sessions.
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. You (and a partner, if you choose) will be responsible for a 10-20 minute presentation on a supplementary text (see list here) related to the main reading for the day's class. Your presentation should aim to explain the work, situate it in its author’s larger body of work and in its moment, and evaluate it in some way (see my rubric here). You should prepare typed notes for your presentation; these should not be in essay or script form but rather should be an outline that allows you to structure your remarks, refer to particular passages (if necessary), and remember what the hell it was you were just talking about. These notes will be collected, along with an annotated works cited sheet. As our classroom is "smart," you may choose to take advantage of our ability to show DVD clips, pages of text, and the like.
Weekly online responses (30 percent)
(rubric adapted from Devoney Looser)
You will write once a week in response to each other and to our assigned readings, using Blackboard. You will be responsible for formulating one substantial reading question for the next day's reading and for responding to a classmates' question (or to another classmates' response) each week. Your responses should be at least 200 words in length and should demonstrate that you have read and carefully thought about the assigned reading.
You will be assigned one of three due dates - either Sunday, Tuesday, or Thursday at 9 PM (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,
- Make connections among texts,
- Identify what you see as important themes and issues.
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. I grade according to a set rubric, which can be found here.
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. Each Friday, 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). You will be able to keep track of your grades via Blackboard.
Late work in this category will be accepted up to one week afterward but will not be graded higher than a C. Missed work is automatically recorded as an F. Multiple weeks of missing questions and responses will jeopardize your ability to pass the course.
For the older version of this syllabus, click here.