English 203   Dr. Anne Mills King    

 

English Literature of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

This is a generic syllabus, without dates, to show you what to expect.

TEXTS (in the order we will read them--these are small paperback books available in the bookstore or elsewhere):

 

<                 English Romantic Poetry: An Anthology. ed. Stanley Applebaum.  Dover.

<                 Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

<                 Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

<                 E. M. Forster, A Room With a View

<                 Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway.

<                 selections from The Penguin Book of Modern British Short Stories

 

All of the books are available in the College Bookstore or on line.  Most of them are very inexpensive.  However, since most are available in many editions, you are not required to use  these editions but may use library copies.  We will also have handouts of poems and other material for which you will be responsible as well. 

 

The course begins with a study of Romanticism and its poets as representatives of a change in thinking about the world from the classicism of the late 18th century to the industrial development and social revolutions of the 19th. Most of the reading consists of novels and short stories from the 19th and 20th centuries.   Videos and films will supplement the readings, as will student reports and projects.

 

How to find me:  MY OFFICE:  M3056, 301-322‑0594,

aking@pgcc.edu

FAX- 301-322-0549

This syllabus and other material will appear on my web page:  http://academic.pgcc.edu/~aking

 

Office Hours: posted on my door.

 

Class attendance in college: what I expect from you

 

You are expected to attend college classes in a mature, serious manner.  If you need to miss class, it is your responsibility to make up the work or to inform yourself about material discussed in class. 

$                    You must come to class on time and stay until the class is dismissed.  I will pass around an attendance sheet for you to sign in the first ten minutes of class; after that you may no longer sign it.

$                    Absences, including not signing the attendance sheet, will affect your grade.  If you have more than two week=s worth of absences, you will lose up to 10% of your grade for the course. 

$                    If you need to leave the classroom during the class time, do not return and disrupt the class a second time. 

$                    Turn off cell phones

$                    Try not to make other appointments during the time you are expected to be in class.  If this is absolutely unavoidable, let me know ahead of time.

What to expect from me:: . 

$                    Call if you have a problem, and I will return your call.

$                    When deadlines are announced, they will be firm.  Tests cannot be made up, unless by special arrangement before the test is given. Tests and papers will be returned, graded, within one week.

$                    You are responsible for much of the research on the writers and their works, using the library facilities.  I will tie it all together to make your study of British literature more rewarding and fascinating.  You will be amazed at how the writers we study mesh with what you have learned in history, psychology, and sociology courses

$                    In class, expect to have a relaxed, informal atmosphere with much student participation.  We may attend a play or take another excursion. 

$                    I expect mature, responsible behavior‑‑like arriving in class on time and being respectful to others at all times. All papers must be typed.  We will have quizzes on the assigned readings on the days they are assigned to be read.

 

GRADING

<                 Two tests: midterm (20%)  and final (25%)

<                 one report on a romantic poem--5%

<                 one documented paper on an issue connected with the course‑‑‑20%

<                 one oral report on a modern writer‑‑10%

<                 quizzes and attendance (5%)  participation (5%)  Journal‑‑10%   

Here's how I figure grades: A= 3.6‑4.; B= 2.6‑3.5; C= 1.6‑2.5;

D= .8‑1.5; F= 0.

You will receive separate handouts on the paper and reports.

 

Since you will know ahead of time that I will be checking your papers for originality, if I find plagiarism on your part, you will receive a zero for that paper without any chance of re-writing it.  This will lower your grade for the course considerably. This is a serious offense in this college and elsewhere;  if it is repeated you are in danger of being expelled from the college.

 

During the semester, at the check points after papers are due, you will receive something like this:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ENGLISH 203--------Spring 2004--------------DR. KING

NOTES ON JOURNALS, GRADES ON PAPERS, COMMENTS

 

Your Name

Paper I (5%):   (report on a long  Romantic poem)

JOURNAL 1/2001: OK

JOURNAL (later date):  Excellent, concise, perceptive journal--if that's the case.  Lots of comments.

ORAL REPORT (on a modern writer) (10%):

MIDTERM EXAM (20%): 


PAPER (20%): 

PARTICIPATION (5%), ATTENDANCE (5%), JOURNAL GRADE (10%)

FINAL EXAM (25%):

FINAL GRADE: 

 

SYLLABUS

 

DATE              ASSIGNMENT

 

 

 

Introduction to the course, the books, the teacher, the assignments

 

 

 

Blake (in English Romantic Poetry)

 

 

 

film: Wordsworth and the Lake Country.  Take notes; see how many poems from the film you can find in your athology.  Read them and come prepared to discuss next class.  Until I feel confident that everyone in class has read the assigned readings, we will have short quizzes or journal entries at the begining of each class.

 

 

 

Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth's Journals (handout).  Lists of poem to read by Shelley, Keats, Byron, Coleridge.  Lists of long poems to choose for your individual report (due March 5).  Find two opinions on the poem (library or internet) and quote sources.

 

 

 

Library:  how to find material on poems and stories and their authors.

 

 

 

 

Romantic themes and forms (Valentine's Day!).  Shelley and Coleridge: love, politics, history, philosophy.

 

 

 

Keats and his circle

 

 

 

Byron

 

 

 

more romantic poetry

 

 

 

Report on chosen long poem due: this should be oral with works cited page, or it can be written.

 

 

 

Fiction: Pride and Prejudice

 

 

 

Pride and Prejudice

 

 

 

Bath, Oxford, and Jane Austen

 

 

 

MIDTERM TEST; JOURNAL CHECK

 

 

 

Charles Dickens and Revolution: A Tale of Two Cities

 

 

 

Dickens

 

 

 

Dickens

 

 

 

The British abroad: Forster, A Room with a View

 

 

 

 

Forster

Spring Break: College closed

 

 

 

Library: work on documented paper.  Start Mrs. Dalloway

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Dalloway and Virginia Woolf

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Dalloway

 

 

 

 

Assign Modern Short Stories: choose one from anthology) last day to withdraw

 

 

 

Modern Fiction writers

 

 

 

Modern Short Story reports

 

 

 

Modern Short Story reports, modern poetry

 

 

 

Some of today's writers

 

 

 

Review

 

 

 

Final Exam 12-2 pm; final Journal check for grade.

 

 

EXPECTED COURSE OUTCOMES:

 

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

 

 

1.             Identify significant authors, works, and genres of British literature from the early nineteenth century to the present, including writers in English-speaking countries other than the United States.

 

2.             Explain significant works in terms of the writer’s ideas and experiences.

 

3.             Explain how literary works reflect the growth of intellectual thought in England with some attention to other English-speaking countries including Ireland, India, and Anglophone Africa.

 

4.             Write an analytical essay that addresses a relevant topic in British literature with documented sources.