Middle English Literature ENGL 345 01
Mr Furr
Syllabus, Fall 2011
1. Required Readings
Chretien de Troyes. Arthurian Romances
(Dover Value Editions) (Paperback) Dover Publications. 978-0486451015
Amazon.com
link
Boccaccio, The Decameron (Penguin Classics) -
G.H. McWilliam transl. Penguin Classics; Revised edition. 978-0140449303
Amazon.com
link
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Penguin
Classics. 978-0140424539
Amazon.com
link
Umberto Eco. The Name of the Rose: including the
Author's Postscript (Paperback). Harvest Books; 1ST edition. 978-0156001311
We will read several of the major works of Middle English literature, written during one of the very greatest periods of English literature -- the late 14th century. These are: some shorter works by Geoffrey Chaucer, and the anonymous Arthurian romance "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight."
We will also read some works of French and Italian literature. These cultures had a major influence in English literature of the 14th century. These are: at least one romance of Chretien de Troyes, a French writer of the later 12th century; and some tales from Giovanni Boccaccio's mid-14th century work The Decameron. Chretien and Boccaccio too are major figures in European and world literature.
The first major work we shall read, however, is the famous novel by Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose. This novel, set in Northern Italy in the year 1327, is many things, but also provides an excellent "bridge", transition, and introduction, to many medieval ideas and to the conflicts in medieval society, including that of England. It is highly entertaining and intellectually both challenging and rewarding. English majors, or anyone who loves to read, should love it. I urge you to read the Wikipedia articles on Eco and his novel (the links above).
I will divide the class into groups. Most of what takes place in class will take place in group discussions. This IS "the course". We'll also have large group discussions in most classes.
I will lecture from time to time, especially at the outset of the course.
The classes will be mainly discussions of the reading rather than lectures.
Therefore, participation by the whole class in discussions is a must if they are to be interesting and worthwhile. In addition, considerable class time will be spent listening to, and commenting upon and discussing, papers written by the students in the class.
A typical class might be divided this way:
This order can be varied.
All assignments will be submitted by e-mail.
A. Biweekly Assignments
In general, you'll get two short assignments a week, one for each class.
Most of them will ask you to do a close reading of the works we are studying. Some will be based on critical articles or other material to help us understand the reading.
B. Grading Policy for Biweekly Assignments
Your twice-weekly short writing assignments will be graded as follows:
* If they are on time, on-topic, and at assigned length, you will get a grade of 4 (A on the 4-point scale) for that assignment.
* If they are up to one day late, you will get a grade of 2 (C) for that assignment.
* Any assignment received more than one day late will receive an F.
* If I get your assignment on time but it is off topic or shorter than the assigned length, I'll return it to you by email, and you may redo it. But you still must have it in by the assigned time.
These biweekly assignments will be approximately 60 per cent of your grade. There's really no reason that you can't get a "4", or "A", on each of them! Therefore, the way to do well in this class is to be consistent!
If the class seems to be going well, I'll give out some "group" assignments, in which each group can make a presentation to the class as a whole on some topic related to our readings. That helps make the class much more interesting.
C. Research Paper.
Each student will write an individual research project on some aspect of one of the works we study.
This should be an expanded, in-depth paper of which the contribution to the group presentation is a preliminary draft (this is why I list it under ‘Group Assignments’ – it is a part of the group’s project). It should be 10-12 pages (2500-3000 words) in length, in standard MLA research-paper format. Therefore, it’s not really a whole, new research assignment, but a continuation of the work you did on assignment 2 above.
I will introduce you to research methods in this course. This will be helpful to you in completing your individual research paper in this class, and in future classes too.
We'll cover such topics as:
Please do not check any books out of Sprague Library on the subject of this course. Instead, when you find a useful book, bring the AUTHOR, TITLE, and LIBRARY CALL NUMBER to me, and I will put it on reserve for this class. This is to make sure that everyone in the class can consult the relatively few books on this subject that the library possesses.
This syllabus, the Schedule of Readings, all homework assignments, and all other relevant material, will be linked on our Home Page.
You'll learn how to use this page as part of your computer instruction. It's easy! And you'll never worry about forgetting your homework or other assignments again.
There is a lot of material on the Middle Ages, and Medieval literature, on the WorldWide Web, and I will give you a number of assignments from it. It will be fun as well as educational!
Because much of this class consists in group work, it is very important that each student attend class every day that we have class work.
I will take attendance at the beginning of each class. If you know you must be absent for a future class, you will not be penalized IF you do one of the following:
If you do any of the above, your absence will be "excused," and you will not be penalized for it.
If you do not do either, or forget to do so, your absence will be "unexcused." Three "unexcused" absences lowers your final grade by one point (e.g. "A-" becomes "B+", "C" becomes "C-", etc.) Five "unexcused" absences lowers your grade by a full letter (e.g. "A-" becomes "B-", "C" becomes "D").
If you come in late to class (after I have taken attendance), it is your responsibility to tell me after class that same day that you were present but late. If you forget to do that, you will be charged with an "unexcused" absence.
Since we are working in groups, repeated absences or lateness will hold back not only you, but your group and the whole class. Please do not be late repeatedly. I will penalize repeated lateness by lowering the final grade.
There will be an optional mid-term exam, and a final exam due on, the day set aside for the final in the course in the Schedule of Courses, Fall 2011
"Optional" means you may choose not to take it.
Other than the examinations, I will have plenty of assignments to grade you on.
I will grade you on the following:
It may be easiest for you to email me at my email address: furrgATmail.montclair.edu
Directions for the right subject line to use are on our Home Page.
Remember to put your last name, the letters WL (capital letters), and the date the assignment is due -- NOT the date you are sending it to me, on the Subject line of every email to me.
I will return, without grading or counting them, all messages sent to me without a proper Subject Line. See the example on our Home Page.
Sometimes you just have a question or comment that can be handled without seeing me personally. If so, email me and I'll get back to you within 24 hours. I check my email at least once a day, usually twice.
But there will be times you want to see me in person.
My Office Hours: M and R 11:00 a.m.,to 12:45 p.m in DI-325 (Dickson Hall). My office phone number is 655-7305. Please do not leave messages at this number. The audio is poor, and I won't get your message. Instead, email me.
BUT please do not hesitate to come in for help or a discussion at any time. If you come during office hours, you do not need an appointment -- just drop in.
My email address for this course is: furrgATmail.montclair.edu.
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