English 261 32602 Fall 2012Professor T. Cervone
WF 10:00am-11:15amOffice: THH 442
THH
In this course we will read and discuss the works of various major authors between the medieval period and the seventeenth century in England. Readings will include the genres of poetry, prose, and drama. We will discuss both form and content.
TEXTS: Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales.Norton Critical Edition. ISBN: 978-0-393-92587-6;Spenser, Edmund. Edmund Spenser’s Poetry.Norton Critical Edition. ISBN: 978-0-393-96299-4; Shakespeare, William. Richard III. Norton Critical Edition. ISBN: 978-0-393-92959-1;Shakespeare, William. King Lear. Norton Critical Edition.ISBN: 978-0-393-92664-4; Milton, John. Paradise Lost. ISBN: 978-0-393-92428-2;Copied handouts—TBA.
ASSIGNMENTS: The reading assignments are due on the first date in which they appear on the syllabus, with the exception of the first day of class. Class participation is expected. There will be five papers, 5-7 pages in length. Papers must be presented in Times New Roman (12 pt.), double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and numbered pages. Please include a cover sheet containing your name, course number, date, and a title for your paper. Students will be graded on both grammar and style elements. Spelling and grammatical errors are unacceptable and papers will be penalized for them. The five papers account for 20% each of your assignment grade. Your class participation and attendance grade will be tallied separately (see below). Late papers will be penalized one full letter grade for each day late. Papers may only be emailed to me with my advance permission.
I only give paper extensions in case of demonstrated and documented illness or emergency. I do not give paper extensions because of extracurricular activities, sports, Greek Life, work, assignments, tests, or papers due for another class, or the failure to manage one’s time properly.
ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend diligently. After three unexcused absences a student’s grade will be penalized. An excused absence implies that I have advanced notice and that I have given permission. If you become ill or injured, let me know as soon as possible so I can make sure you don’t fall behind. Keep a copy record of your doctors’ notes as well. If you are on a sports team, in the band, etc., please let me know in advance of dates you will be absent. Lateness disrupts the course and disturbs your fellow students, and so it will not be tolerated. If you are late by 10 minutes or more you will be counted absent. If you are consistently late within those ten minutes your grade will be penalized.
ELECTRONICS POLICY:
I expect a student’s undivided attention for a mere 75 minutes twice a week. Cell phones,laptops, tablets and similar devices must be turned off and put away. Students with visible electronic devices will be marked absent.Any student who gets up in the middle of class and leaves for any reason that does not involve an emergency will be counted absent. If you have a pressing appointment or pending family issue just speak to me in advance and you will be allowed to leave if you need to. The same thing goes if you need to come very late because of something important, or if you are waiting for an important call that involves a family issue, job, or emergency.
CAVEAT During our discussion of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales we will learn about the fabliau tradition. These tales are ribald, bawdy, and sometimes rather crude. I will count on your maturity, tact, and good taste to engage in an intelligent literary discussion of these materials.
USC POLICIES:STUDENT BEHAVIOR that persistently or grossly interferes with classroom activities is considered disruptive behavior and may be subject to disciplinary action. Such behavior inhibits other students’ ability to learn and an instructor’s ability to teach. A student responsible for disruptive behavior may be required to leave class pending discussion and resolution of the problem and may be reported to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs for disciplinary action. These strictures may extend to behaviors outside the classroom that are related to the course.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES who request academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to a TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.--5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY is essential to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The review process can be found at:
WEEK 1: 8/29-8/31Chaucer
W: Chaucer’s Age; Intro to Middle English. Canterbury Tales, General Prologue;
F:The Knight’s Tale
WEEK 2: 9/5-9/7 Chaucer
W: The Miller’s Tale; The Three Guests of Heile of Bersele
F: The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale (with Norton Critical Edition
supplementary materials)
WEEK 3: 9/12-9/14 Chaucer
W: The Franklin’s Tale; Giovanni Boccaccio, From the Decameron, Tenth Day,
Fifth Tale.
F:The Pardoner’s Tale; The Hermit, Death, and the Robbers;PAPER 1 DUE.
WEEK 4: 9/19-9/21 Chaucer
W: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale;Marie de France, The Cock and the Fox; William
Caxton, From Aesop’s Fables.
F: The Manciple’s Tale; Ovid, The Story of Phoebus and Coronis; John Gower,
The Story of Phoebus and Coronis
WEEK 5:9/26-9/28 Spenser
W: The Elizabethan Era; The Faerie Queene, Book I; Cantos 1 and 2;Judith H.
Anderson, “A Gentle Knight Was Pricking on the Plaine:” The Chaucerian Connection.
F:The Faerie Queene, Book I; Cantos 3 and 4.
WEEK 6: 10/3-10/5 Spenser
W: The Faerie Queene, Book I; Cantos 5 and 6;PAPER 2 DUE.
F:The Faerie Queene, Book I; Cantos 7 and 8
WEEK 7: 10/10-10/12 Spenser
W: The Faerie Queene, Book I, Cantos 9 and 10
F: The Faerie Queene, Book I, Cantos 11 and 12
WEEK 8: 10/17-10/19 Shakespeare
W: Richard III; Linda Charnes, From “Belaboring the Obvious: Reading the
Monstrous Body in King Richard III.”
F: Richard III; Katherine Maus, “Myself Alone: Richard III as Stage Machiavel.”
WEEK 9: 10/24-10/26 Shakespeare
W:King Lear;Edmund Spenser, From The Faerie Queene, 1590;PAPER 3
DUE. NOTE: LONG CLASS (2 HOURS)
F: CLASS CANCELLED (16TH CENTURY CONFERENCE)
WEEK 10:10/31-11/2Milton
W: Paradise Lost, Book 1; From The Reason of Church Government, Urged
Against Prelaty.
F: Paradise Lost, Book 2;From Areopagitica.
WEEK 11: 11/7-11/9Milton
W: Paradise Lost, Book 3; PAPER 4 DUE.
F:Paradise Lost, Book 4; From The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce
(handout)
WEEK 12: 11/14-11/16 Milton
W: Paradise Lost, Book 5
F: Paradise Lost, Book 6
WEEK 13: 11/21-11/23 Milton
W: Paradise Lost, Book 8; Article: “One Flesh, One
Heart, One Soul: Renaissance Friendship and Miltonic Marriage,” by Gregory Chaplin.
F: CLASS CANCELLED. THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.
WEEK 14: 11/28-11/30 Milton
W: Paradise Lost, Book 9
F: Paradise Lost, Book 10
WEEK 15: 12/5-12/7 Milton
W: Paradise Lost, Book 11
F: Paradise Lost, Book 12; From The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free
Commonwealth.PAPER 5 DUE.
CLASSES END FRIDAY DECEMBER 7, 2012