First Day Slide Show ENGL 203: Major British Authors (a.k.a. British Survey) Dr. Fike

Professor Information Dr. Fike Office: Bancroft 258 Phone: Office Hours: M-R, 2:00-3:00, and by appointment Website:

Course Website Get syllabus, calendar. Optional: outlines and slide shows.

History of the Course ENGL 203 vs. ENGL 201 and 202

Course Description As the title suggests, English 203 surveys major authors from the main periods of British literature (beginnings through postmodernism). Our emphasis will be on "periodicity," which means the ways in which a literary work reflects and reinforces the historical period in which it appears. Although counting toward the English major, English 203 is appropriate for non-English majors who want a course that partially fulfills the Humanities requirement. As befits a course at the 200-level, course requirements include participation, (quizzes), midterm and final examinations, and response papers.

Goals To examine selected major works of British literature from its beginnings through postmodernism. To understand what makes each work typical of its literary period e.g., how literature reflects and reinforces key historical developments. To track the development of ideas and forms across literary periods. To become more familiar with literary terminology, especially from the glossaries in the Oxford anthologies. To enhance your ability to read critically and to write analytically about literature (you must use MLA documentation). And finally, to develop a sense of literature as a source of wonder and insight.

Method Because we have so much ground to cover, the course will be a combination of lecture (slide shows) and discussion in small groups and as a whole class.

Books The Oxford Anthology of English Literature, Volumes 1 and 2. Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (Penguin). Woolf, A Room of One's Own (Harcourt).

Grading Scale A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F, 0-59

Requirements 10% - Class presence 10% - Class participation 20% - Midterm examination 20% - Final examination 40% - Three response papers (10, 10, 20)

Note The syllabus explains presence and participation. Quizzes will be mostly factual. Exams will combine identification of details and terms, analysis of quotations, and an essay. The syllabus explains the response papers. Revision is possible if you get your RP to me at least two days before the due by dates.

Harshness Regarding presence, more than 3 full days absence [1 full days absence in Maymester] will diminish your grade for class presence by 2 percentage points [3 in Maymester] per full days absence. Seven full days absences [4 in Maymester]--25% of the class meetings--will result in an F for the course. Tardiness of 10 minutes or more (or leaving 10 or more minutes early) will count as a full absence during the regular semester [and as 1/3 of a days absence during Maymester]. Three tardies of less than 10 minutes also equal a full days absence during the regular semester [and 1/3 of a days absence during Maymester]. Finally, if you come in late, you must see me after class [Maymester: or during the break] so that I change your absence mark to a tardy mark. If you do not see me after class, your tardiness will count as an absence.

Do Not Do These Things Arrive late. Leave your cell phone on. Eat or drink in class. Text in class. Surf in class. Use a laptop in class. Sleep in class. Forget your book. Come to class sneezing or coughing. Come to my office when you are sick. Treat me like your secretary.

Questions Do you have any questions about our course? Caveat.

Maymester: Assignment for Today! Oxford Anthology, vol. 1: Deors Lament The Wanderer END