English 2100 Syllabus
English 2100 Syllabus
The Evolution of the Hero in Western Literature
Fall Semester 2007 o Margaret Brockland-Nease
Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes shall outlive this pow'rful rhyme,
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.
When wasteful war shall statues overturn,
And broils root out the work of masonry,
Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room,
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So till the judgment that yourself arise,
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.
Shakespeare, 1609
Course Description:
English 2100 is described by the AASU Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy as "appreciation of literature as an expression of the humanities through study of diverse texts." Each instructor selects the particular diverse texts to be studied in his or her section of the course. The "humanities" are essentially the study of human thought and culture, an enormously broad subject; I have narrowed our course to the following (still broad) emphases: Western culture, the evolution of its values, and the way(s) in which it communicates them. As it turns out, the works we will study share a more specific commonality: each presents a rebellious hero whose actions dramatize a step in the process of cultural evolution.
Some of these characters have been heroes for so long that we've forgotten they were once lonely individuals standing in protest of traditions even older than the works in which we find them. From Achilles' defiance of Agamemnon to Annie John's hiding her hard-won marbles from her mother, this course will search for the subversive in several works, most of which have been widely held as foundations of the classical and English literary canons. Along the way, we will also discuss the changing media through which these heroes have been presented.
The objectives of this course are:
-To extend the reading, writing and critical thinking skills established in English 1101/02
-To achieve a more in-depth understanding of texts as products of particular time periods, cultures and genres
-To experience literature at a greater breadth through exposure to texts produced by authors other than American or British
-To read and understand a range of texts, especially sustained pieces of literature, at a more advanced level
-To utilize critical thinking to make meaningful connections among literary texts
-To develop a more advanced understanding of literary principles and terminology
In short, my goal for this term is to work with you and with your classmates to enhance and strengthen our interest in, awareness of and understanding of the central role that literature (in one medium or another) plays in our everyday lives. By the end of the course, your multi-media (i.e., written, oral and electronic) responses will have indicated the degree to which we have achieved this goal.
The most important thing you can do to insure your success in this course is to read, understand and follow the instructions. Also, be ready, willing and prepared to ask questions: she who asks may appear ignorant for five minutes, but she who does not ask remains ignorant forever. English 2100 is a time-consuming course. Several of the texts we will read are lengthy and challenging. The recommended minimum out-of-class time allotment for any college course is two hours for every hour spent in class. If you cannot devote the recommended time to this course, you may not be successful in English 2100 this term.
While we will continue to address writing issues in terms of both process and product, English 2100 presumes that you possess basic writing skills (grammar, organization and focus) strong enough for success in our course. Particularly if you fear that this presumption may not be accurate in your case, you are encouraged to visit the Writing Center (Gamble 109) or to talk individually with me. Explore the resources. Friends don't let friends use comma splices.
Finally, several recommendations apply in all of my courses:
-Abide by the Armstrong Atlantic State University Honor Code. Plagiarism and other violations of the Honor Code will be handled according to the procedures in the AASU student handbook. All students should review the plagiarism tutorial on the Lane Library's website.
-Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, AASU provides appropriate, reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities. Visit AASU's Office of Disability Services located in Student Affairs in the MCC for the most knowledgeable assistance with ADA-related concerns.
-All degree-seeking students must take the Regents' Test before completing their 45th credit hour. If you have not yet taken the Regents' Test, register today.
-Cell phones, pagers, late students, students leaving class early, guests and conversation among students are distracting and disrespectful to the instructor and to classmates. Do not bring guests (either children or adults) to class. Turn off your cell phone and any audible pagers or alarm watches. Conversation should be related to course material and must be shared with the entire class, assigned group and/or instructor in an organized manner.
Course and Instructor Policies:
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1979.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Penguin, 1997.
Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1990.
Kincaid, Jamaica. Annie John. New York: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 1997.
Milton, John. Paradise Lost. New York: Penguin, 2003.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Penguin, 1998.
Various handouts to be distributed by the instructor.
Genesis, the Book of Job and The Book of Matthew from a fairly standard Bible (i.e., KJV,
New American Standard, etc.).*
The college-level dictionary of your choice.*
*The last two items are widely available; I have not ordered them through the bookstore. The other texts (excepting the handouts) should be in the AASU bookstore now.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance and participation will be credited as part of your course grade. Our course has 45 scheduled meeting days. For each day that you attend and participate effectively, you will earn 2 points. For each day that you attend but do not participate effectively, you may or may not earn 1 point. Absentees receive no points for the day, no matter the reason. "Effective participation" includes arriving on time, being prepared for the class discussion, staying the full class time, asking questions, honestly trying to answer questions, and paying courteous & complete attention to your instructor and classmates throughout the meeting. Every student who completes the course will be spotted 10 additional points, for a potential total of 100. If you must be absent, know that you are responsible for finding out about everything you missed while you were out. Absence does not excuse a late paper.
ASSIGNMENTS & SUBMISSION:
You will complete five major presentation assignments (two essays, two exams, one oral report). In addition to these presentation assignments, your grade will be affected by your class participation as described above and by your timely completion of several short journal assignments.
Essays except for exams written in class must be prepared on a computer or word processor. Turn in a neat, printed, double-spaced copy of your paper at the start of class on the due date assigned. I will deduct a full letter grade for each class day that a paper is late. No papers will be accepted more than two class days late, except in extremely extenuating circumstances (as deemed by the instructor). Papers will be penalized for excessive or unreasonable grammatical errors. It is your responsibility to seek assistance from the Writing Center and/or from me if grammatical errors are a recurring problem.
Exams prepared in class must be neatly written in ink.
Journal assignments will be e-mailed to me. In addition to this submission format, you should keep a copy of each of your journal assignments.
When research is required on any assignment, documentation and in-text citation form must comply with MLA guidelines and any additional instructions given by me.
EVALUATION:
Class Participation 15%
Heroic Roots Essay 15%
Midterm Exam 15%
Journal Completion 15%
Combined Traditions Essay 15%
Final Exam 15%
Oral Presentation 10%
English 2100 Syllabus Affirmation
With my signature below I affirm that I have received a copy of the English 2100 Syllabus for Fall Semester 2007 from Ms. Brockland-Nease. I further affirm that I have read the syllabus in its entirety and that I understand that my decision to remain in this course signifies my agreement to abide and be bound by the terms and policies set forth in this syllabus. I understand that my final grade in this course will be determined by the percentages and/or penalties described in the syllabus. A copy of this affirmation has been provided to me and to Ms. Brockland-Nease.
_________________________________________ ______________________________
Signature Date Signed
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Printed Name
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English 2100 Syllabus Affirmation
With my signature below I affirm that I have received a copy of the English 2100 Syllabus for Fall Semester 2007 from Ms. Brockland-Nease. I further affirm that I have read the syllabus in its entirety and that I understand that my decision to remain in this course signifies my agreement to abide and be bound by the terms and policies set forth in this syllabus. I understand that my final grade in this course will be determined by the percentages and/or penalties described in the syllabus. A copy of this affirmation has been provided to me and to Ms. Brockland-Nease.
_________________________________________ ______________________________
Signature Date Signed
_________________________________________
Printed Name
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