Last updated 5/5/2010
Spring 2010
4076 Wescoe
TR 11 am-12:15 pm
Professor Kathryn Conrad
Prerequisites
(from
University timetable):
Admission
to English courses numbered 300 and above is limited to students who
have completed the freshman-sophomore English requirements or their
equivalents. All students are required to enroll in ENGL 101 and to
remain continuously enrolled in ENGL 101 or ENGL 102 until ENGL 102 (or
ENGL 105) has been completed. All CLAS students, as
well as
students
from several other schools, are also required to complete a 200-level
English class.
Enrollment (from
University timetable)
:
The Department of English reserves the right to terminate
administratively the enrollment of any student who misses two
consecutive class meetings during the first two weeks of the semester.*
Should an emergency situation cause the student to miss two consecutive
class meetings, the student should contact the instructor(s) or the
English Department, 864-4520, immediately.
Students who decide to drop English classes should do so promptly so
that other students may enroll in the class. The last day to
drop classes online is February
4. The last day
to withdraw from classes under any circumstances is April
15.
Drop policy (English Department
statement):
If you are having trouble succeeding in
the course,
it is especially important that you consult with me so that we can
develop a plan of action that may enable you to complete the
course. If you decide to drop this class, please refer to the
Website below:
<http://www.registrar.ku.edu/current/schedule.shtml>
Course description
and texts:
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 close
readings of the literature and 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.
These books are available for purchase.
1. 15%: Attendance, participation in discussion (online and in class), group work, and short assignments. You will be expected to access materials online and participate in Blackboard discussion blogs. You must participate in the Blake blog, any blog discussions that replace days cancelled by the University or by Prof. Conrad, any days that you miss class (excused OR unexcused), and at least four other prompts. This means responding to five blog prompts for certain, and more if class is cancelled or if you miss class. Blog postings should be about a paragraph, should be written clearly, and should take into consideration what has already been posted. You are responsible for keeping track of your blog postings (i.e., count them--I won't do so until the end of the semester). All readings and blog postings should be completed before class on the date listed on the syllabus (unless I say otherwise in class). The only exception to this is if you miss class; in that case, you may make up participation for that day by posting on a prompt for the text we discussed while you were absent. You are expected to attend every class; contact me by e-mail (kconrad @ ku.edu) before or as soon as possible after your absence if you must miss class. Please do not attend class if you are ill with a virus. Documentation will assure an excused absence, but is not required for me to excuse an absence.
2. 30%: Exams: a midterm and final examination (identification and short essay) as listed on the syllabus. (15% each.)
3. 55%: Two papers of 1500-2000 words (approx. 5-7 pages)--this is a guide, since quality is more important than absolute word count. Be concise and precise but also be sure to take the space needed to make your argument. Paper topics will be available online two weeks prior to the due date on Blackboard website. You should read the grading guidelines, available on Blackboard, and review the plagiarism policy below before handing in your papers (including the rough drafts).
Reading and assignment schedule
This
schedule is likely to change. For the most accurate reading
and
assignment
schedule, pay attention to updates given in class. Updates
will
eventually
be reflected on this website.
All readings should be completed by the day
listed on the
syllabus. Online discussions are listed on the date on which
they
are likely to start; the due date for participating in the discussion
for credit is listed in parentheses (although of course you are welcome
to discuss beyond the deadline).
All texts, including online discussion texts, marked with * before them
are fair game for the midterm and final, even if not discussed in the
classroom. Check this site before studying for the exam for
the
most up-to-date list of fair-game texts.
January 14: Introduction.
Course outline and goals.
Introduction to the
Romantic period.
Online discussion (before
1/19): Blake, from *Songs
of Innocence and *Songs
of Experience 81-97.
Recommended:
Browse illuminated Blake plates at The
William Blake Archive.
(It'll take you a few clicks to get to
the pictures, but once there, you'll have a huge range of
choices.
When you get to an actual poem, you can use the center menu to look at
different versions [click the "compare" button] and you can also
enlarge the images.)
January 19:
The Romantic period
(Norton Volume D)
Blake, poems from *Songs
of Innocence
and *Songs
of
Experience 81-97.
Recommended:
Browse illuminated Blake plates at The
William Blake Archive.
(It'll take you a few clicks to get to
the pictures, but once there, you'll have a huge range of
choices.
When you get to an actual poem, you can use the center menu to look at
different versions [click the "compare" button] and you can also
enlarge the images.)
January
21:
The
Romantic period (cont.)
Innocence
& Experience,
continued.
Blake, "And did those feet" (AKA
"Jerusalem"
) 123
Blake, (browse)The
Marriage of Heaven and Hell
111-120
Recommended:
Browse illuminated Blake plates at The
William Blake Archive.
(see note above)
Online discussion (before 1/26
class): W. Wordsworth, *"Preface
to Lyrical Ballads" 263
January 26: The
Romantic period
(cont.)
W.
Wordsworth,*"Preface to
Lyrical
Ballads" 263-74.
"Composed
upon
Westminster Bridge, Sept. 3, 1802 317
*"We Are Seven" 248
*"Ode: Intimations of
Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" 308
Online discussion (before 1/28 class): W. and D. Wordsworth.
January 28:
The
Romantic period (cont.)
W. Wordsworth, *"I wandered lonely as a
cloud" 305
D.
Wordsworth, "A Field of
Daffodils,"
from Grasmere Journals
*"Thoughts on My
Sick-bed" 404
Online discussion (before 2/2 class): Coleridge.
February 2: The
Romantic period
(cont.)
Coleridge
*"The Eolian Harp" 426
*"The Rime of the Ancient
Mariner" 430
Online discussion (before 2/4 class): Robinson and Coleridge (Kubla Khan).
February
4:
The
Romantic period (cont.)
Coleridge, *"Kubla Khan" (with
preface) 446
Mary Robinson, "To the
Poet Coleridge" 74
Online discussion (before 2/9
class): Shelley (Ozymandias) and Keats (La
Belle Dame Sans Mercy).
February 9: The
Romantic period
(cont.)
Kubla Khan, To
the Poet Coleridge (cont)
Shelley
from *"A Defence of
Poetry" 837
"To Wordsworth" 744
*"Ozymandias" 768
Keats
*"La Belle Dame sans
Merci" 899
Online
discussion (before 2/11
class): Shelley and Keats (Odes).
February
11:
Keats,
*"Ode on a Grecian Urn" 905
Shelley
*"Ode to the West Wind"
722
Online
discussion (before 3/2
class; several prompts over the 2 weeks): *Jane
Eyre
February 16:
Writing day: CLASS DOES NOT
MEET.
February 18:The
Romantic
period & the Victorian period.
*Jane
Eyre (through chapter XI [Jane arrives at Thornfield].
First draft of
paper #1 due in class.
February 23: The
Romantic period
& the Victorian period (cont.)
*Jane
Eyre (through chapter XXI).
February 25:
The
Romantic period & the Victorian period (cont.)
Jane
Eyre (through chapter XXVII).
March 2: The
Romantic period
& the Victorian period (cont.)
Jane Eyre (through end.)
Online discussion
(before 3/4 class): Darwin and Rossetti.
March
4:
The Victorian period
(Vol. E)
Darwin, from *The Descent of Man 1546
C.
Rossetti, *"Goblin
Market"
1466
March
9:
The Victorian period: The Fin
de Siecle
R.
Browning, "Porphyria's
Lover"
1252
*"My Last Duchess"
1255
A Grammarian's Funeral 1286
*"Rabbi Ben Ezra" 1305
March 11
MIDTERM EXAMINATION. No
rescheduling without detailed medical documentation
SPRING BREAK
Note: asterisks from here on out
denote material that is fair game for the final.
March 23: The Victorian period: The Fin
de Siecle
Arnold, *"Dover
Beach" 1368
A.
Hecht, "Dover
Bitch" (online)
Online discussion (before 3/23
class): Wilde.
March 25: The Victorian period: The Fin
de Siecle (cont)
Wilde,
Preface
to Dorian
Gray 1697
*Wilde, The Importance of
Being Earnest 1699
Online
discussion (before 3/30
class):
Modernism, Eliot.
March 30: The
Modern Period (Vol F)
Eliot, *"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
2289
Browse Vorticist
manifesto 2310
Online discussion (before 4/1
class): Yeats
April
1: The
Modern Period (cont)
Yeats,
"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" 2025
*"The Second
Coming" 2036
*"Sailing to Byzantium"
2046
Online discussion (before 4/6
class): Joyce, *"Araby" and *"The Dead."
Final draft of
paper #1 due in
class.
--REMINDER:
Have you done your 5 required blog postings yet?--
April 6: The
Modern Period (cont.)
Joyce, *"Araby." 2168
*"The Dead" 2172
Online
discussion (before 4/8
class): Joyce, *"Proteus," from Ulysses 2200
April 8: The
Modern Period (cont.)
Joyce, *"Proteus," from Ulysses 2200
Online discussion
(before 4/22
class; several prompts): Woolf, Mrs Dalloway.
April 13: The
Modern Period (cont.)
Woolf, *Mrs Dalloway (through p. 63)
April 15: The
Modern Period (cont.)
Woolf, *Mrs Dalloway (through p.
102)
April 20: The
Modern Period (cont.)
Woolf, *Mrs Dalloway (through p.
151)
April 22: The
Modern Period (cont.)
First draft of
paper #2 due.
Meet at the Spencer
Museum of Art (lobby).
April 27: The
Modern Period
(cont.)
Virginia Woolf,* Mrs.
Dalloway
(through end).
Online
discussion (before 4/4 class): Auden
April
29:
Auden, *"Museé
des Beaux Arts" 2428
Bruegel's Icarus painting at http://web.sbu.edu/theology/bychkov/bruegel_icarus.html
*"In Memory
of W.B. Yeats" 2429
"Poetry as Memorable Speech" 2438
Online
discussion (before 12/8 class): What is "British" literature?
May 4: Contemporary
"British" Literature
Boland, *"That the Science of Cartography Is Limited" 2849
Heaney, *"Punishment"
3057
May 6: Contemporary
"British" Literature
(cont.)
Last day; final evaluations
Monty Python, *"Travel Agent" (online; script with sound clips)
"Travel Agent" video (YouTube)
Walcott, *"Midsummer" (online; scroll down)
[Note: online discussion after
May 6 class does not count as one of the 5 basic
required discussion postings, although it can count toward the more
general
participation grade. Finish participation postings by May 10]
May
10 (Monday):
Final
draft of second paper
due by 5 pm. If you
require an
extension for any reason beyond this date, you must be prepared to take
an incomplete
for the course.
FINAL EXAMINATION
as scheduled: 10:30-1. If you
would like to take your exam at another time, you must
get it approved with me by 5 pm on STOP DAY. Rescheduling available for students
with conflicting final examination times, following University
rescheduling rules; again, contact me by 5 pm on STOP DAY.
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