Dr. Margaret Hannay
REQUIREMENTS
Student
progress will be demonstrated by the following requirements:
Journals: To
demonstrate critical thought and engagement with the text and context, each
student will keep a reading journal, submitting 10 journal entries on the
assigned reading on the class days of your choice. Journals are due at the
front of the classroom at the beginning of class; late journals will not be
accepted. No more than one journal may
be submitted on any class day. In
addition, there will be four written assignments, including a one-page personal
biography, one Beowulf assignment, and two Milton assignments. These journals
and assignments will serve as the starting point for class discussion in this
student-centered class; they are thus an important part of the learning
process. Journals, assignments, and the discussion
based on them will count 25% of your final grade.
Class
participation: Participation begins with preparing
for class by doing the assigned readings and formulating questions and
comments. Always come to class prepared
to summarize the assignment, to connect it with the other material that we are
reading, and to ask questions about the author's ideas and arguments. Students will be encouraged to share ideas
from their journals with the class.
Literary analysis paper: In order to demonstrate critical
thought and practice techniques of literary analysis, as well as information
retrieval skills, you will be required to write a 10-page paper analyzing one
or two works on your reading list. In
choosing a topic consider the questions on the theme of “Self and Society” or
“Society and the Other.” You may also do a Cultural Studies paper that
connects a work we are reading with your research on the art, history, or
social customs of that time period, or a Gender Theory paper on male or female
roles in particular work, or a Post-Colonial analysis. Papers should follow the
MLA format for parenthetic documentation and list of works cited as outlined in
Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual. Topics
must be chosen in consultation with the instructor. No duplicate topics will be permitted, so
reserve your topic early (on Blackboard).
Students are encouraged to begin their research early, to consult with
the instructor, to visit the Writing Center, and to exchange papers with
another student before submission. All literary analysis papers will be
submitted both in print and on Turnitin.
The literary analysis paper counts 25% of your final grade.
Exams: In order to demonstrate both critical thought and your
mastery of the material, you will have one mid-term and one final exam. Each exam will include short answer questions
and a substantive essay; essay topics will be distributed in advance. Each exam
counts 25% of your final grade.
Late Papers: Papers are due at the beginning of
class. Late papers will be accepted until the last day of class, but will be
marked down one-half letter grade for each class day late (B+ to B, for
example). If there is any problem in
submitting a paper on the due date, turn it in early.
Goals
This course
is designed to welcome you to your literary heritage as a speaker of English.
Authors carry on a conversation across time and space; educated readers become part
of that conversation. Because we speak and write in English, all literature in
the English language is part of your heritage.
Debts to the early works we are studying are evident in the works of
virtually all who write in English, including such contemporary writers as
Maxine Hong Kingston, Toni Morrison, and Derek Walcott. References to these works appear frequently
in public discourse; these old works are thus a living part of our own culture.
Content:
To understand and appreciate
important works of literature in English from Beowulf to Swift
To
learn major literary/ historical periods: Medieval, Early Modern, Restoration/
18th Century
To
recognize literary genres, particularly epic, poetry, drama, and fiction
To
consider various critical approaches to literature
Skills:
To
practice critical thought and analysis of texts
To
practice oral and written communication
To
practice writing a sophisticated literary analysis paper
Attendance: Class instruction and participation are vital
components of the course. Obviously, the
more classes you miss, the more difficult the work will become and the less you
will gain from taking the course.
Because life outside the classroom is complex, if you need them you may
take up to 2 absences without external penalty.
After that, each absence lowers your final grade 2 points. (Note that there are no “excused” or
“unexcused absences," so save your cuts for when you catch the flu or have
an emergency.) Coming late counts as an absence. Any
student who must miss more than these two classes for other college-sponsored
commitments (athletics, class trips, etc.) should see me at the beginning of
the semester to figure out a plan to make up the missed work. Whether you are
present or not you are still responsible for all work done in class, including
group projects, and for any work that was assigned while you were absent. It is your responsibility to obtain notes and
assignments from another student; then I will be happy to answer any additional
questions that you may have on the material.
Make-up tests will be given only in the most extreme cases, such as
acute illness or family tragedy.
Of
course extra consideration will be given in case of emergency, such as
prolonged illness or death in the family. Please let me know your situation so
that I can help you catch up with the course. Students who wish extra
consideration for prolonged absence (more than a week) should also contact the
office of the Vice-President for Academic Affairs. In the case of a death in the family, please
also notify Campus Ministry; wake and funeral times will be posted, and you
will receive help and sympathy from faculty and fellow students.
Classroom etiquette:
Be courteous to other students by arriving on time and turning off all
phones and other electronic devices before class. You are welcome to bring a
drink, but please be considerate of the next class by discarding any trash.
Grading: Your grades are divided into four
equal parts, each counting 25%: midterm exam, final exam, class
discussion/journals, and literary analysis paper.
Letter Grade
Equivalents
|
A+ 98 |
A 95 |
A- 92 |
|
B+ 88 |
B 85 |
B- 82 |
|
C+ 78 |
C 75 |
C- 72 |
|
D+ 68 |
D 65 |
D- 62 |
Academic Integrity: Academic inquiry depends on
intellectual integrity. Students are
expected to work diligently to the best of their ability, to do their own
research and writing, to avoid cheating on exams and plagiarism on papers. Cooperation among class members is encouraged
in the form of study groups--but when you walk into an exam, you are each on
your own. Note that plagiarism means stealing
someone else's words or ideas and lying
to say they are your own. The difference
between research and plagiarism is the acknowledgment of the other person's
words and/ or ideas in the text, notes, and bibliography.
Scholarship
cannot thrive in an atmosphere of suspicion.
I assume that you are a person of moral integrity, not a liar or thief.
If instances of cheating or plagiarism do come to light, however, you will fail
this course and be subject to other penalties as set forth in the college catalog. (Please note that any
downloaded paper or
portion thereof means an automatic F in the course.)
You are expected to be familiar
with the Siena College statement on Academic Integrity http://www.siena.edu/academicintegrity.
Pandemic
Planning: In
case of a college closure, bring home all your books and class materials. If your situation permits, continue with
readings and assignments as scheduled. Plan to use local and web resources for
your term paper, but if library and web resources are not available, you may
base your term paper solely on your own close reading of the text. I plan to be
available via email on a daily basis (except Sunday), and we will attempt to
carry on class discussion via Blackboard.
All papers and readings in your texts are essential for receiving credit
for the course.
Students
with disabilities: If you have a disability and
require accommodation, please contact me early in the semester so that your
learning needs may be appropriately met. You should also contact the Office of
Services for Students with Disabilities (Foy Hall, Room 109, 783-4239.)
English Department Discussion
Guidelines
Remember that journals/discussion count
25% of your grade. You are expected to
read each assignment with attention and contribute actively to class learning;
students should learn from each other as well as from the instructor. Always come to class prepared to
summarize the assignment, to connect it with the other material that we are
reading, and to ask questions about the author's ideas and arguments.
Discussion
grades will be assigned on the following basis:
A You come to class on time, have
completed the readings, make intelligent comments about them, draw connections
between works, and raise insightful questions for class discussion. You voluntarily and eagerly participate in
discussion.
B You come to class on time, have
completed the readings, have intelligent things to say when I call on you, and
demonstrate that you are participating (smile, nod, make eye contact, ask
questions).
C
You come to class on time, write
something, and demonstrate that you are participating (smile, nod, make eye
contact, ask questions), but you may not have completed all the readings and/or
do not have much to say even when called on.
D You repeatedly come to class late
and/or demonstrate a lack of interest in class discussion by such anti-social
behaviors as wandering off during discussion or group work, eating, text
messaging, doing homework for another class, falling asleep in class, leaving
your cell phone on, carrying on a side conversation with another student, etc. You rarely if ever contribute intelligently
to discussion.
THEMES: The Self and
Society/Society and the “Other”
This
course will consider both literary content and form. For the content we will focus on the
relationship of the self to society and the relationship of society to the
“other” (those marginalized or outside of the society) as depicted over some 800
years of literature.
·
How do these writers depict the
consciousness of self?
·
How is the self defined by opposition
to or conformity with society? Does the
character/persona conform in some ways and rebel in others?
·
How is the self defined by religious faith
and practice?
·
How is the self defined by
relationships with family and friends?
·
How is the self defined by romantic
love and marriage?
·
How are individual and community values
expressed through comedy?
·
How is the sense of self shaped by
position in society, as defined by class, wealth, gender and race?
·
How do characters/personas answer the
questions:
o
Who am I?
o
What are my responsibilities to my
self, my family, and my society?
o
What can I contribute to my family, my
society, and to the world?
o
What is my true vocation?
o
What is my relationship with God?
·
How is the sense of self expressed
differently in epic, drama, lyric poem, and prose fiction?
·
How is the sense of self similar to and
different from our own sense of self?
·
How are individual and community values
exemplified by the hero or saint? What
does the hero/saint do that is celebrated by the society? How do others try to emulate the hero or
saint?
·
How are individual and community values
clarified by counter-example, by the Other who does
not fit the norms of society? What do
these people/creatures do to be outside of and in opposition to the society?
·
Are those who are seen as the “Other”
mocked, excluded, welcomed, colonized, slaughtered?
FORM: Literary Genres
and History
What
are the primary characteristics of the following literary genres?
Epic
Drama
Lyric poem
Sonnet
Prose fiction
Who
are the most important authors and what are the most important genres in each
of the three major periods of literary history from 1000 to 1800?
Medieval
Early
Modern
Restoration/18th
Century
What
impact have major historical events had on the literature we read?
What
literary and historical influence have these works had?
What
do these works have to say to us today?