English
3209: Medieval Literature
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English 3209.001 Medieval Literature Fall 2008 C 103 MW, 8:30-10:00 |
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Instructor:
Perrello Office: L195K Phone:
209-667-3274 Email: tperrello@csustan.edu Office hours: MW
10-11; 1-2 and by appointment |
Course Description
English 3209 juxtaposes a selection of texts written during the millennium usually called the “Middle Ages.” The volume
of work produced in this long period of Western history is too much to cover in
a single course or even a single lifetime.
Although we obviously cannot cover everything, we will touch on a large
number of topics: manuscript textuality
and philological hermeneutics—the distance between a material text and a
classroom translation; fear and demonization of the Other; the relationship
between duty and desire in the invention of the ‘self’; medieval ideas of
antiquity and the East—what it felt like to live on the edge of the world, at
the end of time; the politics of style in lyric poetry; the enigma of Arthur
and the dream of empire; human response to catastrophe, whether brought on by
politics (war, for instance) or fate (the Black Death); moral tales and the
text of the world; representations of the middle ages on film. Our syllabus covers a representative
collection of important works, authors, ideas, and political environments. However, we will also pay some attention to
the ways in which the medieval is received and represented in our world
today. I am particularly
interested in how the principles and issues raised in this body of literature
survive and arise in our own contemporary culture. I will encourage you to see
and to make connections between ideas, attitudes, and cultures in classroom
discussions, and to keep track of ideas currently circulating that interest
you.
Course
Objectives
To gain factual
knowledge about medieval literature and cultures
To recognize and
be able to articulate similarities and differences among fundamental trends,
movements, and genres related to medieval studies
To gain exposure to and an appreciation of medieval thought and influence by poring over some of the major literary/artistic works which have shaped our culture and the way we think
To develop skills in verbal analysis, critical thinking, and detection of subtlety through reading, discussion, and writing about some distant—but perhaps not so distant—literature
To hone and utilize research skills to conceive, propose, investigate, and properly present a research project of considerable magnitude
Required Texts
Boccaccio,
Giovanni. The Decameron. Trans. G.H. McWilliam.
1999 (Rpt. 2003).
The Broadview Anthology of British Literature, Volume One: The Medieval Period. Ed. Joseph
Black et al.
The Song of Roland. Trans.
Robert Harrison.
Grade Breakdown
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Mid-Term Exam: Final Exam: Project 1: Project 2: Class Participation: |
20% 25% 20% 25% 10% |
We will use the optional plus minus system for grades. Letter grades correspond to numerical values in accordance with the chart below.
|
A |
A- |
B+ |
B |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C- |
D+ |
D |
D- |
F |
|
100-92 |
91-90 |
89-88 |
87-82 |
81-80 |
79-78 |
77-72 |
71-70 |
69-68 |
67-62 |
61-60 |
< 60 |
Please note: I will not allow you to go Credit/No Credit after census day (10-1); Also, I will not sign a withdrawal form after week 10.
To see my grading standards for written work, click here.
Explanation of Course Content
Exams: Your presence is kindly requested at two exams. One will take place on October 20th; the other is scheduled during exam week on December 12th. These will test your knowledge of the works on the syllabus and the important issues surrounding them. You will be asked to identify, analyze, and discuss works and parts of works and to spill forth what you’ve learned about medieval literature and culture while taking this class and reading the material. Exams may consist of any combination of identification, short answer, and essay.
Projects: One of the goals of this course is that you improve your
skills in critical analysis by articulating your original insights and by
organizing and polishing formal presentations of them. To meet this goal, you must either prepare
two distinct projects for this class or one long project. If you choose to do two shorter projects, one
must be equivalent in scope and grunt-work to a four-page essay; the second
project must approximate a minimum seven-page manuscript. If you choose one longer project, you must
submit your notes and your work-in-progress on the due date for assignment
1. The project approach allows you to
create and package your scholarship in either traditional or new and creative
ways. For more information, click on the
links below.
Class Participation: An average participation grade indicates that you are present, prompt, and prepared for class. A superior grade in this area indicates that you offer constructive, thoughtful feedback and respect others and their opinions. Serious participation in group and class projects, effort, and classroom demeanor also play a part in your participation grade. Note that an above average grade in this area is not automatic; you must earn a good participation grade through honest effort and serious input. Your base participation grade will be an 80% (B-) and will be augmented or reduced based on your standing as a citizen in this learning community (courteous vocalization of opinions or information, willingness to participate, timeliness, preparedness, wakefulness, and so on). If you are shy or otherwise unwilling or unable to offer feedback in class, explain your difficulties to me and offer feedback during my office hours.
Closely tied to the concept of class participation is classroom decorum: what is appropriate behavior in a college classroom? For starters, each student must be completely prepared with all assigned reading and must undertake an active, responsible role in all classroom activities. The score you receive for class participation is not awarded simply for attendance. Each student must earn it by contributing to the exchange of ideas upon which every successful course depends. Here are some behavioral guidelines: don’t talk disruptively, especially when others are talking. Have your textbook with you every class, and have it on your desk and opened to the relevant pages. Don’t read the paper or do work for other courses in class. Falling asleep in class is the height of rudeness. Don’t behave as if I’m on television and I can’t see or hear you. Also, turn off and put away all cell phones and PDAs before class begins. I don’t want you texting or fooling with any sort of technology during class time. This includes laptops.
Rules and Regulations
Attendance
and Tardiness: You
should attend every class meeting. I will take attendance during the
first five minutes of class each day. Anyone not present during roll will
be marked absent. If you are late and miss roll, it is up to you to see
that I correct the roll that same day; failure to do so means the absence is
permanent. If tardiness becomes excessive, I reserve the right to treat a
tardy as an absence. Each student is allowed two absences without
penalty. For each subsequent absence, 2 percentage points will be deducted
from your final semester grade. Further, you are responsible for keeping
up with the syllabus during any absence. Finally, if your absences exceed
8, you will fail this course. I value your presence in class, so please
come.
Late
Work: For the purposes
of this class, late means late. All work is due at the beginning of class
on the due date. Missing class or coming late on the day an assignment is
due in no way excuses you from submitting work on time. I will not accept
late work without having given prior permission. Please make every attempt to contact me if
something goes wrong, and the sooner the better—preferably, I’d like to know
about any problems a day in advance. I
will be unsympathetic to your cause if you show up on the day something is due
and offer a lame excuse like “my printer isn’t working.” Uncle Teakus will croak in the blink of an
eye. Valley criminals will steal your
Honda. Your significant other will ditch
you out of the blue. They will do this
to you on paper-due-eve. Be prepared for
life’s cruel breaking curveballs by having your work done ahead of time so that
you can at least email me a copy of your project from wherever you are. Not
getting an assignment in at all means that you did not fully meet the
requirements of the course (big F).
Getting it in late (within 24 hours) means that you at least met
criteria minimally (little F factored in).
Academic Honesty: You are responsible for knowing what plagiarism is and avoiding it. This, and any other form of cheating, such as downloading or buying papers off of the internet, having someone else write a paper for you, having Gertrude, who happens to be your mother-in-law and a graduate student at UC Davis, “edit” your essay for you, etc., can’t be tolerated in college. Copying from another person’s test paper or other forms of cheating on in-class written assignments are just as egregious. Your integrity, as well as that of the entire academic community, is at stake. Please make sure all work is original, individual, and done specifically for this class. The English Department’s policy on plagiarism is as follows:
Academic honesty is an important principle to ensure that all authors, including students, are acknowledged for their original expressions of ideas.
Instructors have a responsibility to demonstrate to students in their courses the difference in acceptable and unacceptable use of others’ work. Students have a responsibility to ask their instructor for guidance whenever they are uncertain about fair use of someone else’s work.
Students, in submitting work, certify that the work is their own original work except that all information garnered from others whether quoted, summarized, or paraphrased has been appropriately cited. Dishonesty by failing to acknowledge the work of others constitutes plagiarism and is a serious offense. Normally, the penalty for plagiarism is failure in the course. More serious penalties may also be invoked.*
In cases of plagiarism instructors should also submit the Student Discipline: Academic Dishonesty Incident Report Form to the Coordinator of Student Discipline for tracking or for disciplinary investigation. http://www.csustan.edu/english/dept/AcademicDishonestyIncident.pdf
Click on the URL below to read the text of the above policy: http://www.csustan.edu/english/dept/plagiarism.html in their syllabi.
*Title 5, California Code of Regulations, Section 41301 notes that students may be “expelled, suspended, placed on probation, or given a lesser sanction for one or more of the following causes which must be campus related: 1. Cheating or plagiarism in connection with an academic program at a campus. . . .” (see Appendix F of the current CSU, Stanislaus catalog).
Failure of the course will be the penalty for first time offenders. You may be subject to expulsion from the university for repeated offenses.
Students with special needs: Students who require
extra help, space, or time to complete assignments should speak to me as soon
as possible.
Schedule of
September
M, 9-8: Introductions: Bede, “Caedmon’s Hymn”
“What Every Medievalist Should Know” (a
massive bibliography of important works in many fields) is here
the Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies is here
resources for medieval art history are here
download the text of Cædmaon’s vision and hymn here
some excellent study questions for the story are here
more general resources for learning about the
Anglo-Saxons are available here
W, 9-10:
M, 9-15: Dream of the
Rood,
Click here to access a great collection of information about The Battle of Maldon.
Here is a site with a translation and some useful contextual information, including images.
Click here to see the poem in Old English.
A treasure trove of information on Dream of the Rood and stone crosses is available here.
W, 9-17: Judith
M, 9-22: Beowulf
The Monsters
of the Beowulf Manuscript
Visit Roy Liuzza’s study page for the poem here
Useful information for new readers of the poem is available here
Check out this course here
Carole Biggam’s online bibliography of Anglo-Saxon studies is here
W, 9-24: Beowulf
M, 9-29: Beowulf
October
W, 10-1: Beowulf; Census Day
M, 10-6: The Song of Roland
W, 10-8: The Song of
Roland
M, 10-13: Columbus Day
W, 10-15: Lais of Marie de France
M, 10-20: Mid-Term Exam
W, 10-22: Middle English Lyrics
M, 10-27: Sir Orfeo
W, 10-29: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Project 1 Due
November
M, 11-3: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
W, 11-5: Margery Kempe
M, 11-10: Quem Quaeritis; Second Shepherd’s Play
W, 11-12: Herod the Great; Mankind
M, 11-17: The Pardoner’s Tale
W, 11-19: Decameron
M, 11-24: Decameron
W, 11-26: Decameron
December
M, 12-1: The Reel Middle Ages
W, 12-3: The Reel Middle Ages
M, 12-8: Last Day of Class; Project Party! Project
2 Due
F, 12-12: Final Exam,
8:30-10:30