Syllabus

English 4406: The Romantic Age

Prof. Jim Garrett
Office: E & T A60x
Office Hours: TBA and by appointment
Phone:  (323) 343-4163
Email: jgarret@calstatela.edu
Course web site: http://csula-engl4406.blogspot.com/

Course Information

Prerequisites: ENGL 2900; pre- or co-requisite ENGL 3400.

Description: The “Romantic Age” in British literature has been variously defined as beginning in 1798, 1789, 1770, or 1750, and ending in 1830, 1832, 1837, or 1850. While critics disagree about the exact historical boundaries of British Romanticism, most agree that political, social, philosophical and cultural changes at the end of the eighteenth century coincided with and/or brought about changes in literary forms and values. Our examination of Romanticism in Britain will focus on significant historical, cultural and literary trends that combine to produce multiple and competing “Romanticisms.”

Objectives: Students in ENGL 4406 will learn to

• Understand the major developments and major figures in British literary history from the last few decades of the eighteenth century through the 1830s;
• Understand the mutual relationship between historical and cultural context and literary form and production, specifically the effect of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and debates about slavery, human rights, and women’s rights;
• Understand the role of developing theories of perception, cognition, and the human mind in shaping literary form and content;
• Engage in critical discussions of language and literature;
• Continue development on becoming better readers, writers and thinkers through frequent discussions, examinations, presentations and writing tasks;
• Continue improving the ability to think critically about texts (in whatever form encountered).

Ultimately, each of us must consider the acts of reading and writing as ways of making the world, of making it cohere or come apart, of inscribing it with purpose and meaning.

Course Requirements: Except for the two novels, the quantity of reading required in this class does not appear to be significant. But be forewarned! Because much of the reading is poetry and at times is difficult and philosophically dense, you must be prepared not merely to read but re-read and think deeply about your reading. You will need to be diligent about planning ahead and completing your tasks on time.  Listed below are the required assignments for this course:

1. Five short reading responses (no more than 500 words each) that explore the interpretive possibilities of an assigned reading (5% each; 25% of course grade)
2. One essay (5-7 pages) that offers rich and nuanced discussion of a key text and a key issue related the course focus (topics to be distributed). (25% of course grade)
3. A mid-term exam (short answer questions and identifications, and one essay question) (20% of course grade)
4. A final exam (short answer questions and identifications, and one or two essay questions) (25% of course grade)
5. Discussion participation and attendance (5% of course grade)

In order to pass this course all assignments (papers and exams) must be legitimately attempted.  Plagiarism (see description below) does not constitute a legitimate attempt of the assignment.

Texts

The following texts are required for this class:

Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
(ISBN-13: 978-0-19-953554-5)

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus. Oxford University Press, 2009. (ISBN-13: 978-0-19-953715-0)

Wolfson, Manning, eds. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Volume 2A.
Fifth Edition. New York: Longman, 2012. (ISBN-13: 978-0-205-22316-9)

Note:   Most if not all of our reading assignments in the Longman Anthology of British Literature can be found in both the third and the fourth editions.

The following texts are recommended for this class (they have not been ordered and therefore are not available in the bookstore but readily available elsewhere):

A Literary Terms Guide—Abrams, Glossary of Literary Terms (Cengage, many editions available); Cuddon, Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (Penguin, 2000); Harmon, A Handbook to Literature (Prentice-Hall, many editions available)

A Format/Style Guide—Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (MLA, 2009); Turabian, et al, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Univ. of Chicago, many editions available); Williams, Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (Longman, many editions available)

Policies

Reasonable Accommodations: Reasonable accommodation will be provided to any student who is registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities and requests needed accommodation.

Grading Policy: The distribution of points for the individual assignments in this course is listed in “Requirements” above. Course grades are based on standard percentages (i.e. 90% and greater is some version of an A, 80%-89% is some version of a B and so on). Plus and minus grades are used in the class.

Electronic Devices: Plan to be fully present at each class session you attend. Turn off and store cellphones, tablets, and other electronic devices unless I have approved use of the device. If you don’t believe you can survive 100 minutes twice a week without digital communications, you should drop this course.

Contacting the Instructor: Email is the most effective way of communicating with me outside of class and my office hours. However, be reasonable. If you email me at 2:00 AM, the morning before a paper is due, don’t expect a response.

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. I will take attendance at the start of every class. If you are not present I will mark you absent. Arriving late will count as half of an absence. You are allowed one absence without penalty. Each absence beyond the first one will reduce your course grade. If you miss more than 20% of the scheduled class meetings you will be disqualified from taking the final and therefore will fail the class.

Please read the assigned texts before class. Often I will offer some guidelines about future reading assignments in class. For example, I might tell you to focus on a particular text for the next class meeting. If you are absent, you are responsible for getting the assignment from a classmate.

Written Assignments: Please note the following carefully when preparing your written assignments for this class:

• Written assignments must be typed following standard formatting practices for college writing—use a readable type style and size (12 point type), indent paragraphs, double space between lines, and use one inch margins. Any style guide will contain information on formatting your written assignments for submission.
• Before handing in written assignments, edit and proofread your work carefully.
• Do not use plastic covers or report folders or title pages on your written assignments. Each assignment, though, should have your name, the course number, the date, and my name on separate lines (double-spaced) in the upper left corner of the first page. If the paper has a title, center it on the first page, after the above information.
• Use page numbers and place them in the upper right corner of the page. If you are uncertain how to have word processing software generate the correct page number in the header of your document, ask someone in one of the labs.
• MLA format and style conventions should be followed for all written assignments (essays and responses). For more information on MLA format and style conventions, see The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, the appropriate section of a recent (published after 2000) writer’s handbook, or one of the many reputable online sources.
• Late papers are not accepted. The assignment due dates are distributed on the first day of class, and the assignments are made available often weeks before they are due.

Academic Dishonesty/Cheating: Collaborating with others is encouraged when you are planning your papers, reviewing each other’s work, preparing for presentations or for exams. Study or reading groups can be effective ways to study and learn. When you write your papers, however, the text needs to be your own.

You must carefully observe the standard rules for acknowledging the sources of words and ideas. If you make use of a phrase or a quote or if you paraphrase another writer’s words or ideas, you must acknowledge the source of these words or ideas telling us the source of these materials. Use MLA format for citations. If you are unsure whether you need to cite or not, please ask me. (The general rule is if you think you might need to cite, then you probably do.)  Failure to cite your sources properly might be construed as plagiarism, which is a violation of the university’s academic honesty policy and grounds for failing the course, disciplinary action, and/or expulsion. If you plagiarize or otherwise misrepresent the source of your work, you will receive a zero on the assignment and be reported to the Student Disciplinary Officer. For definition and policy see statement on Academic Honesty in the current Schedule of Classes or on line at http://www.calstatela.edu/univ/stuaffrs/jao/doc/ah.pdf.