Dr.
Christopher L. Morrow
Office: 213
Simpkins Hall Office Hours: Tues. 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Phone: 298-1633
(office) Wed. 1:00
pm – 2:30 pm
298-1103 (department) Thurs. 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
and
by appointment.
Email: cl-morrow@wiu.edu
Meets: 12:30-1:45,
Tuesdays and Thursdays in SI 014
Pre-Requisite: ENG 199 or consent of the Instructor
Course Website: http://faculty.wiu.edu/CL-Morrow/eng228/
Course Description
Beginning
with Beowulf’s epic battles against multiple supernatural foes and ending with
V’s resistance to British totalitarianism in V for Vendetta, this course
provides an introduction to British literature by surveying the prominent
movements and literary periods from the Middle Ages to present day. Rather than
try to provide complete coverage of nearly 1500 years of literary history
(which would be impossible in one semester), this course will read selected
significant works from each major period. Specifically, we will focus on texts
that consider community and society, whether British or otherwise. We will
situate these representative texts within their proper historical and cultural
context: focusing on recurring issues such as religion, class, gender, and both
national and ethnic identities.
While we will not be able to study any one
author or period in depth, this course will lay a foundation upon which further
advanced study of British literature can be built. The reading for this course will be heavy
and, at times, we will not discuss all of it directly in class. You will be responsible for all readings
whether or not they are considered in class.
Ultimately, the goal of this course is to provide you with a solid
understanding of the trajectory of British literature and an understanding of
the major historical literary periods, significant authors, texts, and genres
along the way.
Required Texts
The following texts are required (including
specific editions). Please purchase
these as soon as possible. Any additional
readings will be provided.
Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko, The Rover and Other Works. Ed. Janet Todd. London: Penguin Books, 2003.
Chaucer, Geoffrey.
The Canterbury Tales. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008.
Heaney, Seamus, trans.
Beowulf. New York:
W. W. Norton and Co., 2000.
Moore, Alan and David Lloyd (Illustrator). V for
Vendetta. New York: Vertigo/ DC
Comics, 2005.
Prince, Mary. The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave. Ed. Sara Salih. London: Penguin Books, 2004.
Shakespeare, William.
Henry V. Ed. Gary Taylor. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ed. Johanna M. Smith. Second Edition. Case Studies in Contemporary
Criticism. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2000.
Woolf, Virginia.
The Complete Shorter Fiction of
Virginia Woolf. Ed. Susan Dick. Second edition. Orlando, FL: Harvest Book-Harcourt, 1989.
*Bring Relevant Textbook
to Every Class*
Course Requirements & Assignments
Quizzes/Response
Papers: There will be a
series of objective quizzes and response papers (1-2 pages) covering the
reading assigned for that particular day.
Some quizzes will be announced in advance and some will not. Response papers will be assigned at least a
class period in advance and will not be accepted late. It is essential that you keep up with the
reading. Students will be allowed to
drop their lowest quiz/response paper grade.
Participation: This course will be a mixture of lecture and
discussion. I expect students to not
only come to class having read the assignment but also prepared to discuss it.
Students are required to participate in discussion regularly. I will generally rely on voluntary
participation but I also will call on students to contribute. Therefore, it is a good idea to be prepared
for every class session. Participation will be evaluated using the following general
criteria:
A: Student contributes daily and significantly
and always actively focuses on class discussion.
B: Student
contributes regularly and always
actively focuses on class discussion.
C: Student
contributes occasionally and/or always
actively focuses on class discussion.
D: Student contributes sporadically and/or frequently does not stay actively focused on
the discussion.
F: Student
contributes rarely and/or does not
stay actively focused on the discussion.
I do not expect or require students to have
the “right” answer or to provide ground-breaking analysis but merely to engage
in the process of discussing and analyzing the literature. Remember that quality is better than
quantity but quantity is better than no quantity.
Essays: Students will complete 2 short literary
analysis/argument essays. Each essay
will be 4-5 typed, double-spaced pages which conform to MLA guidelines for
format and in-text citation.
Pre-writing: There will be various pre-writing assignments
(such as topic paragraph, thesis sentence, outline, etc) for each essay. Failure to complete these assignments will
result in a penalty to the final paper grade.
Rough Drafts: For essays which
we will workshop, you must bring a complete typed rough draft that meets the
minimum length requirements for the assignment.
If you fail to do so, the highest grade the final draft can receive is a
D.
Late: Papers are due at the beginning of class on
their due date, after which they will be late.
Late papers incur a 10% penalty for every
calendar day. If you need an extension,
you need to request one over email and state the reason for the extension
request.
Essay #1 Due: October 7th
Essay #2 Due: November 18th
Exams: There will be both
midterm and final exams, each covering approximately one half of the
course. The exams will be derived
directly from the readings as well as class lecture and discussion. Each exam will consist of objective and
analytical sections.
Midterm:
October 12th
Final: December 14th
(1:00 pm)
Distribution and Grading Scale
Quizzes/Response
Paper 100 pts
Participation 100 pts
Essay #1 200
pts
Essay #2 200
pts
Midterm 200
pts
Final 200
pts
A 930-1000 B+ 870-899 C+ 770-799 D+ 670-699 F 000-559
pts
A- 900-929 B 830-869 C 730-769 D 630-669
B- 800-829 C- 700-729 D- 600-629
Course Policies
Attendance: Regular attendance is not only mandatory but
essential for success in this course.
Students are expected to attend class on a regular basis and will be
held accountable for any material covered in class, including class discussion,
announcements and any changes to reading schedule and assignments. Each student is allowed four absences for any reason ranging from illness to
oversleeping. I do not expect or require
students to explain nor document these absences. After four, each subsequent absence will
reduce the final grade by 50 pts.
Allowances may be made in extreme circumstances (i.e. prolonged
illness). These circumstances will need
to be documented and the student must contact me as soon as possible.
·
Failure to bring
the relevant book to class will count as an absence.
·
Students who have
more than 8 total absences will receive an automatic F for the course.
Tardiness: I am not bothered by individuals who are
occasionally late for class or must occasionally leave class early. However, if you anticipate that you must
consistently arrive late or leave early, or that you will be unable to remain
awake during this class—you need to replace this course with another.
If you arrive after I take roll, it is your
responsibility to speak with me after class to insure I record your
attendance. Otherwise, you will be
counted absent. If you miss more than
half of the class due to tardiness, it will count as an absence.
Scholastic
Dishonesty: Scholastic
dishonesty of any kind on any assignment undermines the quality of education at
WIU and will not be tolerated under any circumstances. This includes cheating, fabrication,
falsification, multiple submissions, and plagiarism. Scholastic dishonesty of any kind will result
in an F in the course and will be reported to CAGAS. It is your responsibility to understand what
constitutes scholastic dishonesty. I
will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Also consult the University policy at http://www.wiu.edu/policies/acintegrity.php.
University Writing
Center:
The UWC is available to assist you with general and specific questions on any
of the writing assignments for this course.
Consultants can add another voice to your writing at any stage in the
writing process from brainstorming to polishing the final product. Please
call for an appointment (298–2815) and be sure to bring a copy of your
assignment to your session. A visit to
the UWC should be a supplement to rather than a replacement for talking about
your paper with me.
Americans with
Disabilities Act: “In
accordance with University policy and the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the
instructor of the need for an accommodation.
For the instructor to provide the proper accommodation(s), you must
obtain documentation of the need for an accommodation through the Disability
Support Services and provide it to the instructor. It is imperative that you take the initiative
to bring such needs to the instructor’s attention, as he/she is not legally
permitted to inquire about such particular needs of students. Students who may require special assistance
in emergency evacuations (i.e. fire, tornado, etc) should contact the
instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow in such an
emergency. Contact Disability Support
Services at 298-2512 for additional services.”
These accommodations will be gladly
provided. Please contact me ASAP.
Classroom Behavior: Students
are expected to behave with respect toward the course, their fellow students,
and the instructor. We will be reading a
variety of pieces which contain sexual and violent content. I expect students to be able to read and
discuss this material as adults. Private
conversations and other disruptive behavior – such as texting --
interferes with teaching and learning and will not be tolerated. This behavior can result in an assigned
classroom seat, penalty to final grade, and/or expulsion from the class.
For information on Students’ Rights and
Responsibilities, visit www.wiu.edu/provost/students/
Office Hours: Students are encouraged to visit during
office hours. They are available to use
without setting an appointment.
Additionally, if I am in my office, feel free to poke your head in to
see if I am available to meet. If you
are not able to meet during office hours, please email me, and we can set an
appointment. I am always happy to meet
with students about all literary topics large and small!