English Literature: Middle Ages and Renaissance

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1 Syllabus English Literature: Middle Ages and Renaissance Last update HU Credits: 4 Degree/Cycle: 1st degree (Bachelor) Responsible Department: English Academic year: 1 Semester: 2nd Semester Teaching Languages: English Campus: Mt. Scopus Course/Module Coordinator: Dr. Jonathan Stavsky Coordinator jonathan.stavsky@mail.huji.ac.il Coordinator Office Hours: By appointment Teaching Staff: Jonathan Stavsky page 1 / 5

2 Course/Module description: Some of the best literature in the English languagepoems and plays composed five, six or even seven centuries agonow strikes readers as remote and difficult. Our course aims to remedy this impression by helping you acquire first-hand experience understanding, discussing, and writing about works such as Chaucers Canterbury Tales, Spensers The Faerie Queene and Miltons Paradise Lost. In addition to placing these texts in their historical and literary contexts, we will repeatedly try to bring out their contemporary relevance, asking why and how they speak to us today. Course/Module aims: Familiarizing students with central works of English literature, written between the fourteenth and the seventeenth centuries. Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: * Situate the literary works in their cultural and historical contexts. * Identify and analyze the central themes that underlie these works. Attendance requirements(%): 85 Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Lecture and tutorial Course/Module Content: For the list of works to be studied, see below. Required Reading: Please note that the list below is subject to change: Course reader: The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Major Authors, 9th ed., vol. 1. An interlinear translation of the Canterbury Tales is available at edu/~chaucer/ctlist.html. The play Everyman may be photocopied from the full edition of the Norton Anthology (PR 1109 N6 2012) or printed out from this free online edition: teams/text/davidson-everyman. page 2 / 5

3 March 1: Introduction March 3: Norton introduction to the Middle Ages (pp. 318, 2628); Bede, An Ecclesiastical History of the English People; Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain (from the Supplemental ebook on the Norton StudySpace website) * March 8: Norton introduction to Old and Middle English Prosody (pp. 2325); Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (trans. Simon Armitage) March 10: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight March 15: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight March 17: Election Day March 22April 10: Passover Break * April 12: Norton introduction to Medieval English (pp. 1923); Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (The General Prologue) April 14: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (The Millers Prologue and Tale) * April 19: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (The Wife of Baths Prologue) April 21: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (The Wife of Baths Tale) * April 26: Everyman April 28: Everyman * May 3: Norton introduction to the Sixteenth Century (pp ); Renaissance Lyrics (Sixteenth-Century) May 5: Renaissance Lyrics (Sixteenth-Century) * May 10: Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene May 12: Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene May 17: Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene * May 19: Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus May 24: Shavuot May 26: Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus * May 31: Norton introduction to the Seventeenth Century (pp ); Renaissance Lyrics (Seventeenth-Century) June 2: Renaissance Lyrics (Seventeenth-Century) * June 7: John Milton, Paradise Lost June 9: John Milton, Paradise Lost June 14: John Milton, Paradise Lost * June 16: John Milton, Paradise Lost June 21: John Milton, Paradise Lost page 3 / 5

4 June 23: Conclusion * Short assignment due Additional Reading Material: None Course/Module evaluation: End of year written/oral examination 35 % Presentation 0 % Participation in Tutorials 0 % Project work 0 % Assignments 65 % Reports 0 % Research project 0 % Quizzes 0 % Other 0 % Additional information: Course Requirements Regular attendance. Three or more unexcused absences per semester will result in a lowered grade and might even prevent you from completing the course. Exceptions include reserve duty, serious health problems, and childbirth. If you are unable to make it to class, please send me an beforehand justifying your absence. Reading the literary works and introductory material in advance of each lesson and participating in class discussion. Do not underestimate what preparing for this course involves. The works studied will not always be easy to decipher. To keep up with the class and the assignments, you must plan a reading schedule. In weeks where the load is lighter, and during the Passover vacation, read ahead. Six out of ten short assignments (about 300 words each). At least one must be on Chaucers Canterbury Tales and one on Miltons Paradise Lost. These must be handed in by the beginning of class. Late submissions are not allowed except under extraordinary circumstances. Meetings with grading assistant for students who have writings problems. Optional quizzes in case not enough students come prepared to class. A final exam consisting of two parts: 1) identification and close textual analysis of a number of passages from the literary works you have studied; 2) a longer essay. To pass the exam, you must receive a passing grade on both parts. Guidelines for Writing Assignments Study questions will be distributed in advance of each assignment. Choose one page 4 / 5

5 Powered by TCPDF ( and make a meaningful argument that relates to it. Stay focused on the literary text. Make sure to write clearly, coherently, and convincingly. Avoid digressions, generalizations, and irrelevant or loosely connected observations. Your analysis must be grounded in specific passages that support your argument. Provide line numbers for each reference you make, even when you are not quoting directly. Do not, however, quote or paraphrase more than necessary. When writing a compare and contrast essay, interpret each text (or passage, character, literary device, etc.) in light of the other. It is not enough to discuss them separately or to list their similarities and differences. All assignments should contain the date of submission, the name of the instructor and course, a suitable title, and a word count; they should also be double-spaced (in Word, press ctrl A then ctrl 2). Please print them out. Electronic submissions will be accepted only if you are unable to make it to class. page 5 / 5

JEFFERSON COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS ENG225 ENGLISH LITERATURE: BEFORE Credit Hours. Prepared by: Andrea St. John

JEFFERSON COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS ENG225 ENGLISH LITERATURE: BEFORE 1800 3 Credit Hours Prepared by: Andrea St. John Revised Date: March 2010 by Andrea St. John Arts and Science Education Dr. Mindy Selsor,