Course syllabus
ENGLISH 214
Early Texts: Modern Inventions
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Course Information 2020
Lectures: Tues 9-10 am: 201N-370, Social Sciences North, Room 370
Thurs 9-10 am: 206-220, Humanities Building (Arts 1), Room 220.
Tutorials:
Thurs 4-5 pm, 273-107, Fale - Office Building, Rm 107
Fri 10-11 am, 421-501, Architecture - West, Room 501
Fri 1-2 pm, 206-215, Humanities Building, Rm 215.
Before the course begins you should have enrolled into a tutorial via SSO. Please note that tutorials are a mandatory part of the course; work conducted in tutorials accounts for 20% of the assessment.
Teaching Staff
Dr Sophie Tomlinson (convener), Room 635, Humanities (Arts 1) Building
Professor Tracy Adams, Room 401, CLL (Arts 2) Building
Office hours (ST): 12 - 1 pm Tues and Thurs or by appointment.
Office hours (TA): 10 - 11 am Tues and Thurs or by appointment.
Course Content
This introduction to medieval and early modern literature involves detailed study of a range of works by major authors like Chaucer, Shakespeare, Jonson, Donne and England’s first woman author, writing professionally, Aphra Behn. In encountering these works, we pay close attention to the language in which they were written, and how it may be translated, observing major shifts from Middle English verse to Elizabethan and seventeenth poetry and prose. The otherness of this writing, viewed from our historical and cultural distance, requires us to bring our historical imagination into play. The tutorial exercises are designed to give you practice in the variety of critical approaches and responsive reading that you will put to work in the two essays and the final exam.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course students should
- have an enhanced ability to read and understand late medieval and early modern English verse and prose;
- be aware of traditions of literary writing in late medieval and early modern England;
- be able to recognize and discuss some important features and changes in English society and culture across this period;
- have familiarity with typical features and structures of early literary genres, including poetry, drama and non-dramatic prose;
- be able to discuss and compare literature from this period using critical and scholarly resources, including electronic databases and research tools;
- understand the principles of scholarly citation.
Set Texts: (please read carefully as it is complicated!)
A number of the set texts are not available via the University bookshop Ubiq, due to disruptions caused by Coronavirus.
Anon., Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (see PDF of a modern English translation under Modules, week 1)
Chaucer, General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath's Tale, The Franklin's Tale, The Clerk's Tale (see links to electronic texts in Reading Schedule, Modules, week 1)
Ubiq Bookshop has 2 copies of James Winny's Cambridge edition of The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale. This is a good edition of the Middle English text; although it contains extensive notes and a glossary, it does not provide a modern English translation.
Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, ed. Peter Holland (Penguin, 2000); available at Ubiq.
Jonson, Volpone, or The Fox, ed. Robert N. Watson (New Mermaids, 2003) 47 copies available at Ubiq.
Aphra Behn, Oroonoko and Other Writings, ed. Paul Salzman (Oxford World's Classics, 2009). Unavailable from Ubiq. This is the best text to purchase as it contains a selection of Behn's poetry (which we will read) as well as Oroonoko.
Another viable edition is Aphra Behn, Oroonoko, The Rover and Other Works, ed. Janet Todd (Penguin Clasics, 1999).
Joanna Lipking's edition of Oroonoko for Norton Critical Editions (1997) is another option. It publishes the 1688 text of Behn's novella with original spelling and punctuation, and includes extensive notes, historical sources, and a selection of critical essays.
You may be able to get the Shakespeare, Jonson and Behn editions from used bookstores, such as Jason Books, Hard-To-Find Books, The Open Book, or Dominion Books, etc. You may also be able to order copies for yourself from an online supplier, or download texts of these or other editions onto an e-reader (though ereaders are not so good for finding passages or taking notes for essays).
There are many cheaper print editions of Oroonoko available; however, the three Behn texts recommended above are the most suitable for University study.
If you are in any doubt about an edition, show it to us and we can advise.
Texts for Sidney and Shakespeare sonnets, and poems by Donne and Behn will be distributed through Canvas.
Teaching Format
This course is taught through lectures and tutorials. A lecture timetable is posted on Canvas under ‘Modules’, week 1. Also under week 1 there is a detailed reading schedule for the first half of the course. A similar reading schedule for the second half of the course will be posted during the mid-semester break. Tutorials for weeks 2-6 will be taken by Tracy Adams, those for weeks 7-11 by Sophie Tomlinson.
Expectations of Students
Students are expected to attend all lectures and to attend and participate in weekly tutorials having read the set text beforehand. Students must dedicate a minimum of ten hours per week to this course and coursework must be submitted on time. You should understand that the course is to be regarded as a whole, and during the semester you are expected to study all the prescribed texts. Not only will your reading of individual works become more rewarding as you develop a sense of the context in which they were written and are able to compare them with one another, but credit will be given to students whose work in the examination and during the year demonstrates an attempt to come to terms with the course as a whole.
Tutorial Programme
Before the course begins you should have enrolled in a tutorial which suits your timetable. Weekly tutorials /discussion groups begin in the second week and run continuously until week 11. Attendance at tutorials is an essential part of the course and a high degree of class participation is expected. Work conducted in tutorials accounts for 20% of the assessment. As well as reading the assigned text, you must bring an electronic or hard copy to your tutorial. For tutorials on the two plays in the second half of the course (Romeo & Juliet and Volpone), please make every effort to locate and bring a printed copy of the text to class.
Assessment Information
- 10%: tutorial exercises
- 10%: in-class reading test: 400-500 words (in tutorials, WEEK 3)
- 15%: First essay: 1200 words
- 25%: Second essay: 1400 words
- 40%: Examination of 2 hours (Closed Book).
COURSEWORK
- Tutorial exercises: 1 x 100 words = 1000 words. (10%)
For each tutorial you will bring a one-sentence discussion question addressing the set reading for that week, for one mark each to a possible total of 10 marks. Your question should be submitted at the tutorial in hard copy. No tutorial exercises will be accepted by email. These marks are the surest and quickest way to gain or lose standing in your final grade. Remember: 10 marks can mean as much as 2 whole letter grades in your final score. Every year there are a number of students who miss out on a significantly higher grade – and sometimes even fail the whole course -- because their tutorial mark is low from simple non-completion of this work. PLEASE DON’T LET THIS BE YOU.
For international students taking the course remotely, and those unable to be present due to a health condition or sickness on the day of tutorial, there will be a Zoom link to the tutorial on Friday, 1-2 pm. You will submit your discussion question using the Chat function. You must document your inability to attend in the form of a doctor’s letter or medical certificate emailed to your tutor.
- In-class reading test: 400-500 words (no books or computer) (10%).
You will be given several translations of the first passage of SGGK and asked to argue for one of them as the best option. You will need to structure your essay as a real essay with thesis statement and supporting paragraphs. You will NOT need to cite exact quotations but you will need to refer to specific episodes in the story to make your point.
Arrangements for an online alternative for those unable to be present will be announced via Canvas.
- Essay One – Chaucer: due Friday 4 September, 4 pm. 1200 words. See rubric under Assignments on Canvas.
- Essay Two - Early modern texts: Topics will be supplied before the end of the mid-semester break.
NB: you may not use the texts that you centrally discuss in your coursework essays as the basis of an answer for Question 2 of the exam. You may reuse any of the texts discussed in coursework for the critical essay (passage analysis) for Question 1 in the exam.
Presentation of Assignments
Assignments must be typed in 12-point font with 1½ spacing between lines and a generous margin for comments (make this at least 6cm). Each page should be numbered and carry your name on the top right-hand corner. Please print on one side of the paper only.
Referencing
For guidance on citation style go to http://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/study-skills/referencing. Your assignment must include a bibliography. There are no critical sources required for the essay. If you wish to explore critical material for the second essay, we recommend that you read no more than two sources.
Procedures for submission of coursework
Students must submit an electronic copy of their assignment to Turnitin.com via Canvas and also place a hard copy with a cover sheet in the English assignment box in the Arts Student Centre. Please write your own, and your tutor’s name and tutorial time clearly on the cover sheet, and sign the declaration concerning plagiarism in the left hand corner. Both electronic and hard copy submissions must be made before the assignment deadline expires. Assignments not submitted to Turnitin via Canvas cannot be marked and will not receive any credit towards coursework.
Policy on Extensions and Late Assignments
If you are unable to hand in your assignment by the due date, you MUST put your case for an extension, preferably via a face-to-face meeting with your tutor. If an extension is granted, you must attach to your submitted essay a copy of an email bearing the new submission date and approval of your tutor. Extensions will only be granted for compelling reasons and evidence testifying to the cause of the need for an extension may need to be provided. An extension must be requested in advance of the due date for the assignment, unless there is a genuine cause preventing this, in which case the extension should be sought as soon as is practicable after the due date. Any work handed in late without an extension will not be marked. Please take note of this.
EXAMINATION
The form of the exam will be as follows. You must answer 2 questions, both carrying equal value.
GENERAL COURSE RULES
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged inclusion of material taken from the Internet or from the work of a critic/scholar or a fellow student in an essay submitted for assessment. As plagiarism makes it impossible to appreciate an essay as the writer’s own thinking and performance it is treated severely by the University and the English Department: it is likely to result in no marks for the particular assignment and may mean that a mark of zero will be awarded for overall coursework in the paper. Please note the following University policy on plagiarism:
‘The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student’s own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web. A student’s assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.’
It is imperative students understand plagiarism before they commence their assignments. For guidance on this matter refer to the University’s Guidelines to the Conduct of Coursework, which can be accessed via
In addition, the University offers an on-line tutorial, accessible through the following site:
https://www.academicintegrity.auckland.ac.nz
The English Department Guide to Writing Essays
This is an invaluable guide to close reading, essay composition and formatting assignments. In particular, see pages 34-47 for the correct way to incorporate quotations into a text, and for formatting a Bibliography. The Guide is posted on Canvas, under Modules, week 1.
Workload
The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly.
Keeping in touch
The University’s policy is that all communication with students is via their University email address – please check your university email address regularly or have your University email redirected to the account you access most frequently. Canvas announcements will be delivered automatically to all enrolled students.
Getting Help
If you need help or advice, approach your tutor in the first instance, or the course convener. Your tutor’s weekly office hour and room location will be posted on Canvas in the first week of the semester. We like to think we are approachable and can offer practical guidance to students who are experiencing difficulties with course work.
Course summary:
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