Syllabus for
This syllabus is subject to
announced changes. You are responsible
for all such changes whether or not you are present when they are announced.
INSTRUCTOR:
Dr. John Mercer, Professor of English, Department of Languages and Literature,
College of Liberal Arts, Northeastern State University
Mailing
address: NSU-BA, 3100 E. New
Orleans St., Broken Arrow, OK 74014
Office phone:
918-449-6541 NSU-BA switchboard:
918-449-6000
Office: G-280 Office hours (all times are p.m. unless labeled
otherwise): Mon. 11:30
a.m.-12:50, 3:50-5:10; Tues. & Wed. 3:00-4:20, 7:20-7:40; Thurs. 5:30-7:10, 10:10-10:30
Fax for faculty in Building G: 918-449-6571 (Please
include a cover sheet with my name.)
Mailbox: Box 4 in G-261 (Give items to staff assistant
in hallway G-267.)
E-mail: mercer@nsuok.edu or mercer25@att.net (NSU e-mail
is forwarded to ATT account.)
Instructor’s Web page: arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer
or www.nsuok.edu
> Current Students > Academics > Faculty Web sites > Mercer
PREREQUISITES: None.
E-MAIL POLICY:
(1) Please do NOT submit a completed assignment by e-mail unless I
specifically ask you to do so or unless it is the only way you can submit it on
time. If you must submit a completed assignment by e-mail, send it by
attachment, but also submit it in hard copy (to me,
my office, my mailbox, or by fax) at your first opportunity.
(2) If you e-mail a rough draft of an essay exam for
feedback, cut and paste it into a message; do NOT use an attachment.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: “Selected reading of major
English writers to 1800. A survey for
the general student or the English major or minor of key works, authors,
genres, literary history, and criticism.” [At NSU-BA this course is currently offered
every fall and in the summer of even-numbered years.]
COURSE
PURPOSE:
This course is required for a B.A. in English, a B.A. in English Education, and
state teacher certification in English.
It also counts toward a minor in English.
STUDENT
LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of this course, you should be able to
(1) explain the overall development of
the periods, writers, genres, and works of English literature from its
beginnings through the eighteenth century.
(2) apply knowledge of the history of
(3) make significant comparisons and
contrasts among the various literary periods, genres, authors, and works
studied.
(4) analyze and interpret passages from
representative works of each literary period.
(5) demonstrate a thorough knowledge of
significant authors and works from each literary period.
(6) write clear, well-developed
essays that demonstrate your knowledge of significant literary themes and/or
techniques, integrating support from many different literary works.
INSTRUCTIONAL
MATERIALS:
(1) Please bring the required textbook
to every class meeting: Greenblatt, Stephen, et al., eds. The
Norton Anthology of English Literature.
8th ed.
Vol. 1.
(2) Please print from the instructor’s Web page at arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer and
bring to each class meeting the study guide and any other documents that
relate to the assignment.
(3) For the objective portion of exams throughout the
semester, you will need a total of two (2) Scantron forms and a #2 pencil.
(4) Use a computer to produce all documents you write out
of class.
COMPUTER
FORMAT AND MANUSCRIPT FORM: For all documents, carefully follow the
guidelines in “Computer Format and Manuscript Form” on the home page of
my faculty Web site under “Documents for all classes.”
INSTRUCTIONAL
PROCEDURES: The background material and questions on the
study guides will provide the basis for in-class discussion of, lecture on, and
textual analysis of the assigned literary works. In class you will also see and/or hear and
respond to video clips, works of art, maps, and other media that relate to the
assigned literary works.
DAILY AVERAGE: Your daily average will be the percentage of quiz
points and assignment points you earn out of the number possible.
(1) QUIZZES: Near the beginning of each class period,
after you have had an opportunity to ask questions, you will take a quiz on
that day’s assigned reading. To take
quizzes, you must be present in class; you cannot make up missed quizzes for
any reason. Usually, each quiz will
be worth ten (10) points. At my
discretion, if a significant number of students are absent because of bad
weather, the quiz may count as extra credit.
(2) STUDY GUIDES: Each week, except when an exam is
scheduled, you are expected to earn a minimum of five (5) points by answering
questions from the weekly class study guide.
(Fully answering all questions on a single study guide could be worth
ten [10] or more points.) Additional
study-guide points you earn beyond those required will help compensate for any
other daily points you miss during the semester. (See “STUDY GUIDES” below.)
(3) VIDEO RESPONSE: You will earn daily points in unit 2
for responding to a video of King Lear.
STUDY GUIDES: A comprehensive study guide for each week’s
assignment will be posted on the class Web page. Please use each study guide as follows:
(1) As you read each
assigned work, read the corresponding part of the study guide, and look for the
answers to the questions.
(2) Before you come to class, answer as many of the questions as you can. Copy and paste the text of the study guide
into your own document; retain the numbers, letters, and questions from the
study guide; and insert your answers in highlighting or
color so they will stand out from the
questions and explanatory material. At
the top of each study guide you submit, report the amount of time you spent
answering the questions, not including time spent merely reading the
assigned works.
(3) Separately
from the rest of the study guide, submit your answer to any study-guide
question marked extra credit on
which you spent more than ten (10) minutes. For extra credit, always identify
your source(s) and add a response in your own words, including an
explanation of how the extra-credit work is relevant to this class. Do not merely quote or print a source.
(On my home page, under “Documents for all classes,” carefully read and follow
the instructions in “Extra-Credit Submissions.”)
(4) Bring to class
a hard copy of your study guide with your answers inserted.
(5) In class ask about any study guide questions you
can’t answer and, if you wish, make handwritten additions to your study
guide. Unless you tell me otherwise, I
will assume that all handwritten answers have been added in class.
(6) At the end of each class period, submit your study guide. I will assign daily points to your answers
and return your study guide to you the following week.
(7) If you are not able to attend class but have a study guide to submit, please leave it at
my office the next time you are on campus.
Do NOT submit study guides by e-mail.
EXTRA-CREDIT DAILY POINTS: You may earn an unlimited
number of extra-credit daily points for answering study-guide questions (beyond
the five [5] points required per week) and up to twenty-five (25)
extra-credit daily points for other activities. Your daily average, however, cannot exceed
100%.
When you submit extra-credit
work, carefully follow the instructions in the document “Extra-Credit
Submissions,” which appears near the top of the home page of my
faculty Web site (NOT the Web page for this class), under “Documents for all classes.”
Of the many ways to earn extra credit
listed in this document, the following apply to this class:
·
PERFORMANCES
·
CLIPPINGS OR INTERNET MATERIAL
·
RECOMMENDATION OF
·
ADDITIONAL READING
·
ANALYSIS
·
RESEARCH
·
CREATIVE WRITING (such as a parody of Marlowe’s “The Passionate
Shepherd to His Love”; an Italian, English, or Spenserian sonnet; or a poem in Spenserian
stanza)
OUTSIDE READING: For an extra grade
(capable of raising your final course grade two [2] or three [3] percentage
points, depending on your other grades) you are encouraged to read Gulliver’s Travels, if you have not
already read it, or another approved work or group of related works that you
have not previously read, such as The
Pilgrim’s Progress. (See “OUTSIDE READING” on the class Web page for a list
of approved works.) Your grade will be
based on a 15-minute oral exam, which you must take in my office no later than Thursday, November 18 (the week before
Thanksgiving). Your outside reading
grade, unlike your daily average, may exceed 100%. Outside reading is required for an A in
the course. The criteria for the outside reading grade will
include:
(1) the length and difficulty of the book or books (you
may read more than one book and take a separate exam on each),
(2) the date by which you complete the assignment (the
earlier the completion, the higher the grade is likely to be), and,
(3) most importantly, the degree to which you demonstrate your
knowledge and understanding of the work.
EXAMS: Each of the three exams
will include multiple-choice questions to be answered in class and an essay to
be written out of class. You must be
present for the three exams, the dates of which appear below under ASSIGNMENTS.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS
ENGLISH EDUCATION PROJECT: If you are an English Education major, it is
important that you save electronically all the documents you produce in
required English Education classes and internships. You will need these documents later to
complete the required English Education Project. For information on what to do with these
documents, see “English Education” on the Web page for the Department of
Languages and Literature on the NSU Web site.
If you have questions about the English Education Project or other English
Education requirements, contact Ms. Connie Henshaw, NSU’s English Education
Coordinator (henshacc@nsuok.edu or 918-444-4502).
CHILDREN ON CAMPUS: According to NSU-BA policy, children
under age sixteen (16) cannot be left unattended anywhere on the campus,
including the library, café, and student lounges. If in an emergency you feel that you need to
bring a child to class with you, please ask my permission. The appropriateness of a child’s coming to
class depends on the child’s age and behavior and on the content to be covered
in class.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: In this class academic misconduct
includes but is not limited to cheating on quizzes or exams, submitting work
that is not your own or that is the same in content and organization as another
student’s, copying the exact words of a source without using quotation marks, copying
a source’s sentence structure, using a source’s ideas without documentation, or
assisting others in these actions. Please
carefully read the consequences of academic misconduct at http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx.
ATTENDANCE: Enrollment in this course
obligates you to attend class regularly.
Absence from any class period is serious because it causes you to
miss an entire week of class work.
Absence from more than two (2) class periods is considered excessive,
indicating that you are not likely to do well in the class. If you enroll late, you will be counted
absent for each class period you have missed from the beginning of the
semester.
Attendance will be taken
from quiz papers only. To be marked present, you must
submit a quiz paper with your name, the course number, and the date. If you arrive after the quiz or do not
attempt to answer any of the questions, submit a paper with these three
items so that you will be counted present.
If you must leave class immediately after the quiz or before the
break, write “ABSENT” in LARGE LETTERS beside your name on the quiz paper
(but you will receive any quiz points you earn). If you must leave class before the end of
the period, please tell me in advance.
CLASS CANCELLATION: If all NSU-BA classes are
canceled because of bad weather or any other reason, cancellation will be
announced on Tulsa area radio and television stations. If all classes are not canceled, it is my
responsibility and intention to hold class. You, however, must make your own
decision about whether it is safe for you to drive to class. In the unlikely event that my class is
canceled when other NSU-BA classes are meeting, you should be notified through
the class calling tree.
DISABILITIES: If you have a disability
and need special accommodations in this class, please tell me no later than the
end of the first class meeting you attend.
To receive accommodations, you must also document your disability with
NSU-BA’s Office of Student Affairs.
ADDITIONAL SYLLABUS INFORMATION ON NSU WEB SITE: Additional
syllabus information on the Academic Affairs page of the NSU Web site is to be
considered part of this syllabus. Please
read carefully the information that appears on the following topics at http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx:
·
ACADEMIC
MISCONDUCT [including plagiarism]
·
ADA COMPLIANCE
[for students with disabilities]
·
INCLEMENT
WEATHER/DISASTER POLICY [class cancellation]
·
TEACH ACT
[copyright protection of instructional materials]
·
ACCESSIBILITY [of
textbooks]
·
RELEASE OF
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION [privacy rights]
WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS:
·
If you drop a
class by August 27, you will receive
a 100% refund of tuition. If you drop a class after August 27, you will
receive no refund.
·
If you have never attended the class by the end of
the third week of classes, you will
be withdrawn from the course for non-attendance and will receive the grade of NA (never attended), which does not
affect your grade-point average.
·
During the sixth through the tenth weeks of the
class, if it would be impossible for you to make a satisfactory grade because
you are not attending class, submitting assignments, taking exams, and/or
otherwise making a reasonable attempt to be successful in the course, I will have
you administratively withdrawn from
the course. If you are administratively
withdrawn, you will receive a grade of AW
(administrative withdrawal), which does not affect your grade-point
average.
·
If you drop a
class by November 4, you will automatically receive a W, which does
not affect your grade-point average. To
drop a class, you must process an official drop slip. Be sure to keep a copy of your drop slip to
prove that you have officially dropped.
·
If you drop a
class after November 4, you will
receive a W if you are passing or an
F if you are failing at the time you
drop.
·
The last day to drop a class is December 3.
CLASSROOM COURTESY: Out of courtesy to me and to
your classmates, please do NOT
(1) talk to another student when the
instructor or another student is addressing the class.
(2) eat in class (unless you bring
food to share with the entire class).
Drinks with lids or screw-on caps, however, are permitted.
(3) bring children or other visitors
to class without my prior permission.
(4) repeatedly get up from your seat
during class (unless you are ill).
(5) allow your cell phone to disrupt
class. Please turn off cell phones in class.
(6) use a notebook
computer in
class for any purpose other than to take notes or to look up information on the
Internet to share with the class.
(7) read or send text
messages in
class.
(8) leave class early or during the break without telling me in advance.
STUDENT EVALUATION (COURSE GRADE): Subject to announced changes, your course
grade will be figured in one of two ways, depending on whether you choose to do
outside reading:
with no outside reading with outside reading
Daily average (including
quiz &
assignment points & extra credit) 20% 18%
Unit 1 exam 20%
18%
Unit 2 exam 25% 22.5%
Outside reading 0% 10%
100% 100%
Grade scale:
A = 90-100% and successful completion of outside
reading
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = 0-59%
ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments are subject to announced changes.
You are responsible for all such changes whether or not you are present when
they are announced. If a class meeting
is canceled and you receive no instructions to the contrary, continue to
follow these assignment dates. Readings labeled “extra credit” will not be
included on the quiz. To receive
extra-credit points for a reading, write a response as described in the
document “Extra-Credit Submissions” on my home page.
Unit 1: The Middle Ages
(including
the Old English Period and the Middle English Period)
“The
Middle Ages,” 1-7(m)
“Medieval
English,” 15 (read first paragraph only)
“Old
. . . English Prosody,” 19(m)–20(t)
Bede’s
An Ecclesiastical History of the English
People and “Cćdmon’s Hymn,” 24-27(t)
Beowulf, 29(b)–80(m) [Don’t be concerned if you have difficulty following the
Finnsburg Episode, 55(b)-59(m).]
“The
Wanderer,” 111(m)-13
“Medieval
English,” 15 (read second paragraph only)
“The
Sounds of Middle English: General Rules,” 15(b)-16
“Geoffrey Chaucer,” The Canterbury Tales, “General
Prologue,” 213(b)-38
“The
Miller's Prologue and Tale,” 239-55(t)
“The
Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” 298(b)-312
“Close of Canterbury Tales,” 312(b)-13(m)
“Chaucer's Retraction,” 315
[Neville
Coghill’s easy-to-read Modern English translation of Chaucer’s Middle English
is available (in hard copy and on CD) for copying or printing in the NSU-BA
library. Parts of Coghill’s translation
and other Modern English translations are available online at http://www.librarius.com/cantales.htm and probably elsewhere.]
“Geoffrey of Monmouth,” 118
First half of period
“Middle
English Lyrics,” 435-36(t)
“The
Cuckoo Song,” 436
“Alison,”
436(m)-37(m)
“My
Lief Is Faren in Londe,” 437(m)
“Western
Wind,” 437(b)
“Adam
Lay Bound,” 370(m)
“Mystery
plays,” 406-07
Everyman, 463-84
Second half of period
First unit exam
Submit essay exam written out of class
Take objective exam in class
Unit 2: The
Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries
“Edmund
Spenser,” 705(b)-07
The Faerie Queene, 714-16(t), 857-67(m)
“Amoretti and Epithalamion,” 902(m)-03(m)
Amoretti, 903 ff.: Sonnets 1, 64,
68, 75, 79
Epithalamion, 907(m)-16
“Sir
Philip Sidney,” 947-48(m)
Astrophil and Stella, 975 and, on following
pages, Sonnets 1, 15, 71
“The
Defense of Poesy,” 953(b)-54(m) [textbook’s introduction only]
Sept. 28
“Christopher
Marlowe,” 1002(b)-04(t)
“The
Passionate Shepherd to His Love,” 1022
“Sir
Walter Ralegh,” “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd,” 917-18(m)
Doctor Faustus, 1022(b)-57
“William
Shakespeare,” 1058-60(b)
“Sonnets,” 1060(b)-61, and Sonnets 12,
18, 30, 73, 116, 130, 144
“King Lear,” 1139(m)-42 [textbook’s
introduction to the play only]
Watch
a production of King Lear on video or
“Ben
Jonson,” 1324(m)-26(t)
Volpone, 1334(m)-1427(m)
“John
Donne,” 1260-62
“Izaak
Walton,” The Life of Dr. John Donne,
1309-13(m)
“The
Flea,” 1263; “Song,” 1264(m)-65(t); “The Sun Rising,” 1266; “The Indifferent,”
1267; “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” 1275-76(m); “The Relic,”
1280-81(t);
Holy Sonnets, 1295 ff.: footnote 1,
1295(b), Sonnets 10 & 14; “Hymn to God My God, in My Sickness,”
1301(b)-02(m); “A Hymn to God the Father,” 1302
Devotions upon Emergent
Occasions:
footnote on Donne’s Devotions,
1303(b); “Meditation 17,” 1305-06(t)
“Francis
Bacon,” 1550(b)-51
“Of Studies [1597 and 1625
versions],” 1561(b)-63(m)
Oct. 19
Last day to submit written response to video or
“George
Herbert,” 1605(m)-06
“The
Altar,” 1607; “Redemption,” 1607; “Easter Wings,” 1609; “Prayer (1),” 1611;
“Jordan (1),” 1611(b)-12(t); “The Pilgrimage,” 1618; “The Pulley,” 1620; “Love
(3),” 1624(b)-25(t)
“Andrew
Marvell,” 1695(b)-97(t)
“To
His Coy Mistress,” 1703-04(t)
“Robert
Herrick,” 1653(m)-54(m)
“The
Argument of His Book,” 1654(m)-55(t); “Upon the Loss of His Mistresses,” 1655;
“Corrina’s Going A-Maying,” 1658-59; “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time,”
1659(b)-60(t); “Upon Julia’s Clothes,” 1664(b)
“Sir
John Suckling,” 1676
“Song,” 1676; “Out upon It!” 1681
“Sir
Richard Lovelace,” 1681(m)-82(t)
“To
Lucasta, Going to the Wars,” 1682; “To Althea, from Prison,” 1683(b)-84(m)
“Katherine Philips,” 1690
“A
“To
Mrs. M. A. at Parting” and “On the Death of My First and Dearest Child, Hector
Philips,” 1693(m)-95
“John Milton,” 1785(b)-89
Sonnets,
1825(b)-26(t); “How Soon Hath Time,” 1826; “When I Consider How My Light Is
Spent,” 1828; “On the Late Massacre in
Oct. 26
First half of period
Second half
of period
Second unit exam
Submit essay written out of
class
Take objective exam in class
Unit 3: The Restoration and Eighteenth Century
Nov. 2
“The
Restoration and the Eighteenth Century, 1660-1785,” 2057-58(t)
“Restoration
Literature, 1660-1700,” 2074(m)-75(m)
“John Dryden,” 2083-84
“Mac
Flecknoe,” 2111-17(t)
“A
Song for St. Cecilia’s Day,” 2118-19
“Criticism,”
2125(t-m)
“Samuel Pepys,” The
Diary, 2133(m)-42(t)
“John Bunyan,” 2142(m)-43(t)
The Pilgrim’s
Progress,
2143(m)-51(m)
Extra credit: “Religions in England,” Appendix A90-A94; “Religion and
Politics,” 2058-61(m)
Nov. 9
“Eighteenth-Century
Literature, 1700-45,” 2075(m)-77(t)
“Mary
Astell,” Some Reflections upon Marriage,
2284(b)-88(m)
“Daniel
Defoe,” Roxana, 2288(m)-94
“Jonathan Swift,” 2301-03(t)
Gulliver’s Travels, 2323(m)-24; Part 4,
Chapters 1-7, 2418-43(m)
“A
Modest Proposal,” 2462(m)-68(m)
Nov. 16
Last day to take oral exam on outside reading is Thurs., Nov. 18
“Joseph
Addison and Sir Richard Steele,” 2468(m)-70(t)
“The
Periodical Essay: Manners, Society, Gender,” The Spectator, 2470(m)-81(t)
“Alexander Pope,” 2493-96
An Essay on Criticism, 2496(b)-97(m); Part 2,
2501-09(t)
The Rape of the Lock, 2513(m)-32(t)
“Popular
Ballads,” 2898-99(m)
“Lord
Randall,” 2899
“Bonny
Barbara Allan,” 2899(b)-2900
“The
Wife of Usher’s Well,” 2900(b)-02(t)
“The
Three Ravens,” 2902
“Sir
Patrick Spens,” 2902(b)-03
Nov. 23: Tuesday evening
classes will not meet during Thanksgiving week.
Nov. 30
“Samuel Johnson,” 2664-66(m)
“James Boswell,” 2778-79(m)
The Life of
Samuel Johnson, LL.D., 2781-82(m), 2790(b)-97(b), 2807(b)-10(t)
A Dictionary
of the English Language, 2749(m)-55
The Preface to
Shakespeare,
2755(b)-56(t) [This is only the textbook’s introduction to the work.]
“Thomas Gray,” 2862(b)-63(m)
“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” 2867-70(t)
“Oliver Goldsmith,” The Deserted
Village, 2877-86(t)
Dec. 7
Final exam
(unit 3 and comprehensive)
Submit essay exam written out of class.
Take objective final exam in
class (comprehensive, with emphasis on unit 3 and comparisons and contrasts of
works from unit 3 with those from previous units).