English 314: British Literature from 1800 to the Present

Fall 2003

Kathryn Conrad
2035 Wescoe Hall
(Lawrence Campus)
Office Phone: 4-2572
Office Hours: M 1:30-3 (Lawrence office), and by appointment other days
Course website:
Professor Conrad’s website:
Course information:
Sec. 26170, Lawrence campus, 4019 Wescoe; 7-9:30 pm.
Sec. 88200, Edwards campus, Room TBA; 7:10-9:40 pm.
Note times. (Timetable correction).
Both courses are CLOSED.
Description:
This course is a survey of British literature of the Romantic, Victorian, Modernist, and contemporary periods. We will be concerned in this course not only with literary form but also with some of the political and social issues that serve as context for the literature. Our readings will include essays, poetry, drama, short fiction, and novels.Do note that this will be a poetry-intensive course.
Requirements (see Grading System on course website for explanation of point system):
  • Participation (40 points total):
Attendance will be taken in this course, and regular attendance is particularly important given that the class only meets once a week. More than 3 unexcused absences, counting from the first day of your enrollment in this course, will result in failure of this course. Work in other classes, away games, hangovers, vacations, and sniffles do not count as excused absences. If you are in doubt, ask me. Excused absences require either notification of me on or before class date (by e-mail, preferably, or by a message on my office voicemail, 864-2572), or official documentation shortly after the absence. Each unexcused absence will cost 15 points.
The rest of your participation grade includes in-class participation, short writing assignments, online forum participation, and occasional small group work. Students are required to have a KU e-mail account and to access the course website for updated information, assignments, and discussion boards.Discussion boards are available under "Communication."
  • Two 5-7 pp. papers (100 points per paper):
You will have some choice of topics and texts from those studied in the course. At least one paper must be on a close reading of (one or two) poems. Essay topics will be provided, but you are encouraged to come up with your own topics and discuss your topics and papers with me. By 5-7 pages, I mean at least 5 full double-spaced pages with one-inch margins. See the schedule for due dates.Paper topics will be available under "Assignments."
  • Midterm examination (30 points):
The midterm examination will cover the first half of the course. It will consist of identification questions and essay questions.
  • Final examination (30 points):
The final examination will cover the second half of the course. The format will be the same as the midterm. The final examination will take 1 ½ hours at the scheduled final examination time for the course.
I also reserve the right to give reading quizzes (generally unannounced, and worth 5 points each).

Students with Disabilities:
The staff of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), 135 Strong, 785-864-2620 (v/tty), coordinates accommodations and services for KU courses. If you have a disability for which you may request accommodation in KU classes and have not contacted them, please do as soon as possible. Please also see me privately in regard to this course (Adopted from SSD statement).

Writing Center:
Most colleges and universities have a writing center, a place for students to talk about their writing with trained peer
consultants. At KU, we call our writing centers Writer's Roosts.  When you visit, bring your work in progress and an idea of what you would like to work on-organization, support, documentation, editing, etc.  The Roosts are open in several different locations across campus; please check the website at <http://www.writing.ku.edu for current locations and hours. The Roosts welcome both drop-ins and appointments, and there is no charge for their services. For more information, please call 864-2399 or send an e-mail to writing@ku.edu (Adopted from Writing Center Statement).

Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is stealing and passing off someone else's ideas or words as one's own or using information from another's work without crediting the source. Any detected cheating offense--including but not limited to plagiarism, the unauthorized use of crib sheets, texts, or other materials during an examination or quiz, the copying of another student's work (even with the permission or aid of that student, who is thereby culpable), the use of prewritten essays (the student's own or someone else's), or the unauthorized use of work written for another assignment or class--will be reported to the University. A record of each verified offense will be kept throughout the student's association with the University (Adopted from FSE statement).
If you are unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, ask me before turning in an assignment. A plagiarized assignment will result in failure of the assignment. A second offense will result in failure of the course.
 
 
 
Textbooks:
  • The Norton Anthology of English Literature, VOLUME 2 (not Vol. 1!), 7th edition
  • C. Bronte, Jane Eyre, pref. recent Norton edition
  • V. Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway, HBJ edition

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Assignment and Reading Schedule:
The most current schedule will be available on the course website.