Course Syllabus

ENGL 2610 British Literature I

Course Description

This course surveys significant cultural ideas and currents of British literature from its beginnings through the eighteenth century as illustrated through representative texts.

Justification

A lower division survey of British literature is standard at most colleges and universities. This course will transfer as General Education, elective, or major credit. It fulfills General Education credit within the Humanities category (HU) and a major requirement for English majors.

The Humanities are a group of academic disciplines that study the many ways by which humans have attempted to understand themselves and their world. At Snow College, the Humanities focus on cultural traditions that are expressed largely through text or which have a strong textual component: languages, literature, and philosophy. The methods by which the Humanities study culture are at once analytical and interpretive, objective and subjective, historical and aesthetic.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. An important goal of this course is to foster an appreciation of literature in general. After completing this course, students are prepared to recognize and enjoy literary works for intellectual as well as visceral reasons. Students read and discuss a selection of texts from the earliest English writings to the 1800s in order to understand its development and the way writings influenced the development of the culture.
   
   Student's consideration of readings through multiple lenses will occur in examinations, writing, projects and class discussion.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students read a variety of texts. Discussion questions, in class writing, quizzes, and revised writing demonstrate the ability of the student to process, examine, and apply various ideas and approaches to the texts in multiple media.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students will use insights from politics, history, geography, ecology, and other fields in order to understand and respond to works of British literature.Students will demonstrate their learning with this outcome though quizzes, writing assignments, examinations, special projects, and class discussions.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students evaluate texts with an aim toward analyzing, evaluating, and critically thinking about the literature and those who produce it. Students will understand the development of ideas, movements and genres in the foundational periods of English writing and literature.
   
   They will demonstrate their ability to think critically and thoroughly about the texts through in class discussions, writing assignments, and exams.
5. A student who completes the GE curriculum can communicate effectively through writing and speaking. Students write on a regular basis and discuss their ideas in formal and informal in class discussions. Writing assignments are designed around the collaborative model and incorporate all elements of the writing process. Development of ideas and creative thought is of primary focus in writing and discussion.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Through the study of a representative selection of British literature texts from earliest examples to the 1800s, students will know and appreciate changes in thought, expression, and world view (i.e. masculinity, national identity, historical construction). Class discussions, essays, and exams will allow students to demonstrate they are capable of articulating and comprehending ways that British writers and thinkers address various issues related to their experiences both specifically and more generally. Through the study of a representative selection of British literature texts from earliest examples to the 1800s, students will know and appreciate changes in thought, expression, and world view (i.e. masculinity, national identity, historical construction). Class discussions, essays, and exams will allow students to demonstrate they are capable of articulating and comprehending ways that British writers and thinkers address various issues related to their experiences both specifically and more generally.
2. Understand how knowledge is created through the study of language systems, literature, and/or philosophy. Through the practice of close reading, students will understand how knowledge is created within the field of literature. They will develop an appreciation for historical and social context in the creation and development of knowledge. Students will be able to understand how such things as audience, authorial choices, and personal biases impact the reading of a text. Students will demonstrate their ability to read closely in class discussion, exams, and written assignments.
3. Understand cultural traditions within an historical context and make connections with the present. Students will understand cultural development from early British literature through the 1800s as presented through the writings of the times. They will be able to discuss representative works of early British literature in historical context and draw connections between these early writings and the texts, culture, and understanding of their own world. Students will demonstrate the ability to contextualize these issues through in class conversations, presentations, and exams.
4. Critically read and respond to primary texts (original, uninterpreted) from a Humanities’ perspective. Students will be able to read (in translation where necessary), interpret, analyze, and respond to representative texts from the literature of the time. Discussion, in-class writing, and exams will demonstrate student capacity to engage with the texts in meaningful ways.
5. Write effectively within the Humanities discipline to analyze and form critical and aesthetic judgments. Students will be able to write interpretive/analytic/argumentative papers that are supported through textual analysis. They will receive feedback from classmates and the instructor on written drafts with the opportunity to revise. They will demonstrate ability in analysis and rewriting through papers and presentations. Students will also demonstrate ability to analyze and form valid judgments in papers, presentations, discussion, and exams.

Course Content

The course will address a selection of major literary works of British Literature from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Neo-Classical eras, including poetry, fiction, drama, essays and criticism.Selections will come from the earliest literature of Britain through the 1800s and will include multiple genres and conventions. Works will be in translation where necessary and may involve comparisons of original and translated texts. Emphasis will be given to understanding major concepts of the periods as they are demonstrated by and discussed in the literature (i.e. the four humors, models of the universe, national identities, and the importance of linguistic shifts).The course will focus on close reading, literary conventions, historical influences, contextual and textual analysis, critical thinking, and writing.