ENG 3003 English Literature I MVNU Banner

M-W-F  at 11:30-12:30 in F0 221
Fall 2003: Sec I
Dr. Anderson M. Rearick III

Tel. Ext. 3508

Email: anderson.rearick@mvnu.edu

I check my email at least twice a day.  However, while I will respond immediately saying I have received your message, please be patient for a day or so as far as receiving a more developed and intelligent response.

Email is used heavily in this class so please check your email at least once a day.

Office hours.
Mon-Wed-Fri: 8:00-10:10
Tues-Thurs. 1:50-4:00 & by appointment
(In foul weather Prof. Rearick must catch the 4:00 MOTA bus)

Be Aware that this is the Secondary Web Home for this Class
Click on the Icon below to go to the primary web site

Log In at 

http://off-courses.mvnu.edu/?bbatt=Y?bbatt=Y

Course Description: "A survey of the principle prose and poetry from Beowulf through the Neoclassical Period. Prerequisite: ENG1053G." 3 credits.

Course Objectives:

  1. Recognize, differentiate between literary genres and subgenera of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and the Neoclassical Period
  2. memorize literary filets
  3. practice critical thinking skills
  4. use selected theoretical approaches to text
  5. study relevant events from literary history
  6. study relevant biographical material
  7. think Christianity about literature and critical analysis
  8. produce a sustained critical assessment of a chosen literary topic

Texts:

 Available in Heritage bookstore:

The Norton Anthology of English Literature.
Volume One, 7th edition,
M.H. Abrams, (ed.) Norton
Paperback: ; Dimensions (in inches):
2.75 x 9.00 x 6.00
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company;
(February 2001)
ISBN: 0393947742

The Vicar of Wakefield 
by Oliver Goldsmith (Penguin)
Paperback: ; Dimensions (in inches):
0.56 x 7.76 x 5.10
Publisher: Viking Press; Reprint edition
(October 1982)
ISBN: 0140431594


Images and Information found at the web site of  Amazon.com Internet bookstore

Method of Evaluation:

Paper - 30% (4-5, double-spaced pages using MLA format; at least three secondary sources required)
Journal - 10% (Journal is checked three times a semester.   The final journal grade is averaged from the three grades so do forget to hand these in.
Quizzes - 20% (11 quizzes given; 10 best scores counted)
Midterm exam - 20% (covers second half of course)
Final exam - 20% (covers second half of course)

Attendance / Participation:  Regular, punctual attendance is required. More than 3 un-excused absences will negatively affect your grade. Only official MVNU activities produce an excused absence, and even these must be verified by "hard copy', from the university. Students must be in class to take all quizzes. Read the assignment before coming to class. No papers submitted after the due dates will he accepted unless prior arrangements have been made.

Grading Scale: Since this is an upper division class, pluses (+'s) and minuses (-'s) will be given. Your recorded work, your attendance, your involvement in class and extra effort will all be factored into the final grade.

Journals:

Your journal is IMPORTANT!  You should write in it three times a week.  It is your personal repository for what you think about the works you are reading and about the material being covered in class.

I will be looking for the following in your journal:

1.  About two entries per week (totaling 24 by the end of the semester).  Going  beyond that 24 entries could indicate to the instructor the kind of student  who will achieve a high grade (an A).  Please note that writing in your journal is not connected with days on the calendar.  Remember it is also allowable to write two entries on the same day as long as both are adequately developed. Now, please note. . .

 A. Always bring your journal with you to class.  I sometimes give writing time in class for journal entries.

 B. Journals will be handed in three times during the semester:
Sept. 19th (5), Oct 17th  (12), and Dec 3rd (24).  The number of entries for the second and third collections are totals which include those written earlier

2. A table of contents made from the thesis sentence found in each entry should be included each time the journal is handed in.

3. Journal entries must be at least 2/3 of a page long.  Furthermore, if you are one of those individuals like St. Paul with BIG handwriting-- "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand"  (Gal. 6:11)--then you should plan to write more than what I have  suggested.  I've seen some fill up 2/3 of a page with "I've been thinking  about our reading."  Note Typing a journal could add to your score an an indication of going the "extra mile."  (Click here to see example).

4. All entries should be numbered and dated

 (For Example: Entry # 10; Sept. 23rd).

5. Although I will not be grading the journal harshly concerning mechanics and restarts of thought (which require a single line to cross out some    material), I do expect the final product to be neat and legible.  Also you  should write full sentences within paragraphs--no fragmented stream of  consciousness experiments.  "Split from society--bad."  To be specific, I will be especially looking in your journal for. . .

A. Development of ideas.  Remember that it is not necessary to finish a work to have a good idea.  In fact waiting till you have finished can be   overwhelming. Keep your journal handy while reading.

B. Interconnectedness of journal entries.  This means that an idea you examine at one point in your journal might have relevance to another work discussed later. Works in literature should not be thought of in a vacuum.
A Journal is NOT. . .

1. A diary. Your entries should be a mixture of commentary concerning what  you read and what you discuss in and out of class about literature.  I do  not want to read (as I have in the past) what you had for lunch or who is  presently percolating your hormones.

2. A place for notes.  Class notes belong in the section provided for them in your loose leaf.  I should not see your actually writing in your journal  during class.  This also means that a journal is not a re-hashing of what is  covered in class ("today in class we talked about. . .etc. etc.").

REMEMBER:  Your journal accounts for 10% of your grade: DO NOT PUT OFF TO THE LAST MINUTE: DO NOT "BLOW IT OFF!"

Sample of Journal Table of Contents

Remember that your journal should have a table of content page on which the big idea of each of your journal entries should be found.  It should look something like the following:

Contents of
English Literature I Journal

Sample # 2

Note that every entry should have the entry number, the date, and the opening statement.  Since one can not always know where one is going with a journal entry until it is finished, do not write the opening statement until you have written the entry.

Journal Entry # 2                                                                                                Sept. 5, 2003

I Should Not have Been Surprised at How Much of Tolkien's Mythic World is also in Beowulf

I have read several times that Tolkien saw his work, The Lord of the Rings, as a myth for the British people.  Beowulf, he felt, was actually Germanic much like the Nordic myths featured in Icelandic sagas.  Be that as it may, there is certainly a lot of Beowulf wandering around in MiddleEarth.  Especially when I read descriptions of The Riders of Rohirrim and their king, Thjoden the vision of stoic strong warriors comes to mind.  Good people who do not write but keep their memories green with song, which is exactly what Beowulf was originally.

It is interesting also to note that in The Lord of the Rings there is a tension between world views, the stoic hard ones of Gondor and Rohan and the hope of new and eternal life which comes through in the return of Gandalf.  In Beowulf the hero has no such hope, but the author who is a Christian monk does. 


The Paper:

 

Since this is an upper division literature class you are expected to produce a paper within the subject range by the end of the semester.  However, the process will be monitored by a series of sub-assignments throughout the fall. 

It is not possible to pass the class and not hand in this paper and it is impossible to do well on the paper without handing in these steps.

You are to write a paper of 1000-1250 words (four to five pages).  Use MLA style.  For your use, I have included pictures of the way your paper should look (see bottom of page).  You will be graded on content as well as grammatical correctness and style.

A variety of topics will be brought up in class.  You may choose one of them and prepare a research paper.  Or if you have some other topic you would like to work on, clear that topic with me. 

Otherwise, you are to choose one of the authors whose work we have already read this semester or one of the authors we will read before the end of the semester.  Then read another work by this author (the work should be fairly substantial—don’t focus on just one short poem, for example).  If you choose this option, you can approach the assignment by doing a research paper on the new work you have read.  Or you can discuss or analyze the new work, in which case research is optional.  Or you might want to compare and contrast the work you read with the piece we read in class, again making research optional. 

Please avoid using biographical information about the author unless a brief mention of biographical information is needed to clarify some point you are making.  Also, do not summarize what you have read except briefly if necessary to make some point. 

Papers are due on Dec. 5.  Late papers will be penalized 10 points for each 24-hour period they are late.



Literature on the Web:

One major development entirely new to this year is the development of this class on Mount Vernon Nazarene University's Blackboard platform.   We will have the option to have email as well as threaded discussions as we work through several issues.  However, since Blackboard is not able to deal with short answers and grammar questions, the options of to have exams run through it will not be used.

PowerPoint Viewer software (free for Windows)

This link will allow you to download a program which will allow you to view power point presentations even if you do not own Microsoft Office or if your version is obsolete.

 http://www.mvnu.edu/labs/PPVIEW97.EXE ( 2904240 Bytes )

Sample Blackboard instructions for students

This course will utilize the Blackboard 6 online course system. Important class information, including announcements, reading assignments, lecture outlines and study objectives, will be posted electronically.

Instructors’ expectations/requirements for using the Blackboard site:

  Of course the frequency of use and quizzes that you expect for your course Dec. vary.  You are responsible for accessing the Introduction to Literature site at least once each weekday and at least once during each weekend. You may access using any available computer in a campus computer laboratory; using your personal computer if it is connected to the campus network in your residence hall; or via the World Wide Web from off-campus. Brief quizzes will also be administered electronically via Blackboard. Quizzes can only be taken online. Each quiz can only be taken once. A time limit (usually five minutes) is automatically enforced; and the quiz must be completed before the posted deadline to receive credit.

Access Instructions

     Open a web browser. Internet Explorer version 5 is preferred, but Netscape version 4.0 or newer should also work.

  Go to the MVNU students’ homepage: labs.mvnu.edu

  If you have not already visited your student information page since arriving for the fall semester, click on the link Access to my Personal Information. Then click on the button labeled Setup Access to set your password for both Blackboard and to access your personal information in the MVNU database. You only need to setup access once, even if you are taking multiple courses that use Blackboard. Your Blackboard user name should be the same as your network login and email name.

   From labs.mvnu.edu, click on one of the three links to Online Courses… in the middle of the page. Use the appropriate link depending on whether you are in a classroom (including campus labs), in the residence halls, or off-campus. From off campus, you may also go directly to courses.mvnu.edu, and bypass the labs page.

Click on the Blackboard Login button on the left side of the page.

If you are enrolled in more than one class that uses Blackboard, you will see a course menu from which you can choose .

 After finishing a Blackboard session, be sure to log off by closing your browser. If you do not log off, unauthorized persons could gain access to confidential information (including your grades and any currently-active quiz).

Online Documentation

A Blackboard user’s manual is available online. After you have logged in to any course, click on the Tools button along the left side, and then click on the link to Manual.

Computer System Requirements

Hardware: Your computer (Windows or Macintosh) must be connected to the campus network or internet.

Software: a web browser, either Internet Explorer 4.0, Netscape 4.0, or later versions.

Optional (if your course includes attached documents, such as PowerPoint): Microsoft PowerPoint 97 or newer, or Windows users can download a free PowerPoint viewer from here.
Or you can download if from this address:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=7C404E8E-5513-46C4-AA4F-058A84A37DF1&displaylang=EN

Technical Assistance

If you encounter problems with access to the Blackboard site, please contact the help desk at MVNU extension 4270 (Mon-Thu 7:30 AM -10 PM, Fri 7:30-8:30, Sat 11-10). At other times you may send email to bbadmin@courses.mvnc.edu. If you will be unable to complete course requirements on time due to technical difficulties, also send a copy of your email describing the problem to your instructor.

Navigating in the course web site

The Blackboard course environment is viewed by single clicking on any of the buttons, folder titles and underlined links. There are two types of navigation that you will need to be aware of:

1. Moving between content areas

2. Moving within a content area

To navigate between areas, click on the desired button on the navigation bar along the left side of the browser window.

To navigate within a content area, click on any underlined link to open a folder or document. You can move out of a folder by clicking on one of the underlined links that appear in brackets at the top of each page. The [Top] button will take you to the first or top page of the area you are currently viewing, such as Course Documents.


As we make our way through the readings you may.wish to visit my web page,
Dr. Rearick's Reading Corner, located at. . .

Dr. Rearick's Readers' Corner

http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/re_intro.htm

This address is reachable both on and off campus.  Those of you who are local and do not have a computer should remember that the Knox Public Library offers web access for a limited time, and--of course--the labs of the campus library and computer labs are available to you.

Other web pages relating to works of literature which might be of interest to the student can be accessed from this index page by title, author, genre, sub-genre, time period, or nationality.

I have tried to place some ideas and even sometimes some test questions connected with our class readings within these files.  Also in several cases there are links to study guides, e texts, and even connections to relevant web pages on the net.

Note that every work is connected to a page which gives biographical information about the author taken from the Encyclopedia Britanica.

If you wish to make your way through the front door and see what other faculty
are up to check out the MVNC internal web page at http://mvnc.edu/nzr which for some reason comes up on my computer with the address of. . .

http://nzr.mvnc.edu/nzr/

One special point of note:  Please do not print off my pages until you find out how long the document is and have asked yourself if you really need a hard copy.  You can check the document size  by going into print preview and then zoom in so you can read the text.  At the bottom of the first page will be the page number in comparison with the total pages.  For example, my "Dickens’ Christian Carol in Prose" article has at the bottom  ‘1 of 13.’  This tells you that there will be 13 pages of text printed.  Not bad, but my Pride and Prejudice study guild developed by Monarch Notes is 75 pages.  Librarians and computer lab assistants have been close to despair to find piles of such text flowing from their printers.  Please do not abuse this resource!

 

Please remember that term definitions can be found on my online
Glossary of Grammatical, Critical and Literary Terms or type in the following address:
http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/resource/glossary.htm

Meanwhile, for reviews of many of the covered works and authors can be found at
Dr. Rearick's Readers' Corner or type in the following address:
http://nzr.mvnu.edu/faculty/trearick/english/rearick/readings/re_intro.htm
Academic Calendar Fall 2003
Some General Academic Dates to Recall

September Readings:

Week One: Sept. 2-5

Mon. Sept. 1
Registration (No class, but I will be in my office: Ext. 3508)

Wed. Sept. 3
Classes Begin: Literary Overview:. Two Medieval Institutions: Feudalism & Catholicism

Fri. Sept. 5
THE MIDDLE AGES (1066-1485)
Religious Allegory. Read all of "The Dream of the Rood" pp. 26-

Week Two: Sept. 8-12

Mon. Sept. 8
 Germanic Epic. Read excerpts from Beowulf: Introductory material; also from "prologue' through "Celebration at Heorot" pp.29-60

Wed. Sept. 10
Read Beowulf: from "Another Attack" through "Beowulf's Funeral" pp.60-99. QUIZ #1

Fri. Sept. 12
The Fabliau: From Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales: "The Miller's Prologue and Tale'
pp.235-252.

Week Three: Sept. 15-19

Mon. Sept. 15
 Beast Fable. From The Canterbury Tales, "The Nun's Priest's Tale" pp.296-310

Wed. Sept. 17
Morality Play.  Read all of Everyman pp. 445-467.
QUIZ #2

Fri. Sept. 19
THE RENAISSANCE (1485-1660). writing your responces
The Sonnet: From Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella, read sonnets 1,6,31
Journal Check # 1 (5 Entries expected)

Week Four: Sept. 22-26

Mon. Sep. 22
Tragedy  Read all of Christopher Marlowe's The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus
Aristotle's Poetics (Greek Drama Terms) and
Freytag's A "for 5 Act Tragedy" (handout)

Wed. Sep .  24
Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. QUIZ #3

Fri. Sep. 26
Read William Shakespeare's sonnets 18, 73, 116, 130.
~ Hand out PAPER TOPICS.

Week Five: Sept. 29- Oct. 3

Mon. Sep. 22  
Tragedy. Read all of Shakespeare's King Lear  pp.1106-1191

October Readings:

Wed. Oct. 1
Shakespeare's King Lear QUIZ #4

Fri. Oct. 3
Metaphysical Poets: Read John Donne's "The Flea" p.1236 and "The Canonization" p.1240

Week Six: Oct. 6 - 10

Mon. Oct. 6
Read John Donne's "Holy Sonnet 14" p.1271 and "Meditation 17" p.1277

Wed. Oct. 8
Read George Herbert's "The Altar," "Easter Wings," and "The Collar"
Cavalier Poets:
Ben Jonson's "On My First Son"  p. 1396, "Song to Celia"  p. 1402,
"My Picture Left in Scotland" p. 1409

Fri. Oct. 10
Satirical Comedy: Read Acts 1 & 2 of Ben Jonson's Volpone, or The Fox pp.1303-1338

Week Seven:  Oct. 13 - 17

Mon. Oct. 13
Read Acts 3-5 in Ben Jonson's Volpone. or The Fox. pp.1303-1338
QUIZ #5.

Wed. Oct. 15
The Puritan Epic. writing your thoughts
Read J6hn Milton's Paradise Lost: Introduction pp.1815-16 and all of Book pp. 1817-1836.
Journal Check # 2 (12 Entries expected)

Fri. Oct. 17   No Class MIDTERM BREAK!!

Week Eight:  Oct. 20 - 24

Mon. Oct. 20
Real Milton's Paradise Lost: part of Book 2 pp.1849-1858
and all of Book 4 pp.1874-1895

Wed. Oct. 22

Review sheet for midterm
Read Milton's Paradise Lost: all of Book 9 pp.1961-1986blind justice

Fri. Oct. 24
Midterm Exam

Week Nine: Oct. 27 - 31

Mon. Oct. 27
THE NEOCLASSICAL PERIOD (1660-1789).
Comedy of Manners.
Read William Congreve's The Way of the World pp.2217-2280


Wed. Oct. 29
Congreve's The Way of the World.
QUIZ #6

Fri. Oct. 31
Spiritual Autobiography:
Read from John Bunyan's Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners  p. 2132 (and yes it is Halloween)Happy Halloween!

Week Ten: Nov. 3 - 7

November Readings:

Mon. Nov. 3
Satire: Read from Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels:
"A Letter from Captain Gulliver to His Cousin Sympson," "The Publisher to the Reader,"
"Part 1. A Voyage to Lilliput, chapters" 1-4 pp. 2329-2354. Video clips.

Wed. Nov. 5
Swift's Gulliver's Travels:
"Part 1, chapters 5-8" pp. 235~2372.
Video clips.
QUIZ #7

Fri. Nov. 7

Swift's Gulliver's Travels:
Part 4. A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms," chapters 1-4 pp.2428-2441.
Video clips.

Research Question for paper (never mind for this year)

 

Week Eleven: Nov. 10 - 14

Mon. Nov. 10
Swift's Gulliver's Travels:
"Part  4, chapters 5-12" pp.2441-2473. Video clips.

Wed. Nov. 12
The Mock-Heroic:
Read all. of Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" p.2525+
QUIZ #8

Fri. Nov. 14
The Novel of Sentiment:
Read Oliver Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield chapters 1-3

Paper Subject, Topic, and direction [click here to see example of form]

Week Twelve: Nov. 17 - 21

Mon. Nov. 17

The Vicar of Wakefield chapters 4-16. 

 

Wed. Nov. 19

The Vicar of Wakefield chapters 17-19

QUIZ # 9 

Annotated Bibliography for paper 

 

Fri. Nov. 21

The Vicar of Wakefield chapters 20-27

 

Week Thirteen: Nov. 24 - 28

Mon. Nov. 24

The Vicar of Wakefield chapters 28-29

 

Wed. Nov. 26

The Vicar of Wakefield chapters 30-32. 

QUIZ # 10 .

 

Thesis and Tentative Outline

Fri. Nov. 28

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY 

Week Fourteen: Dec. 1 - 5

December Readings:

Mon. Dec. 1

Prose Romance: I will describe but you do not need to read Samuel Johnson's The History of Rasselas. Prince of Abyssinia

The Pastoral: Read Oliver Goldsmith's "The Deserted Village" p 2858+

 

Wed. Dec. 3

Arthurian (Seasonal) Romance: "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" pp. 156-181

QUIZ # 11 .

Journal Check #  3 (24 Entries Expected)writing your thoughts

 

Fri. Dec. 5

"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" pp. 181 - 210

 Review sheet for final exam

PAPER DUE.

Week Fifteen: Dec. 8 - 12


Mon. Dec. 8

Reading Day

FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, December 8th, from 10:00 -11:50 am in FO 221

· Part One: True and False, fill in the blanks, multiple choice closed book, closed notes (Strongly based on quizzes from the second half of the semester.

· Part Two: essay = Open book, Open notes




Have the Merriest of Christmases and
the Happiest of New Years!

Class Records