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Literature 315:
Eighteenth-Century Studies British Literature, 1660-1798 fall 2002 Dr. Abby
Coykendall acoykenda@emich.edu
Office
Location: Pray-Harrold Hall 603G ~ or by
appointment ~
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Literature 315 “Eighteenth-Century
Studies” — otherwise known as “Literature of the Neoclassical Period” — is a
class in which we will investigate a wide variety of eighteenth-century
British literature, using the Longman Anthology of British Literature
as our guide in conjunction with the many traveling protagonists of the
eighteenth-century novel: Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, Fielding’s Joseph Andrews,
Austen’s Fanny Price, and even Samuel Johnson’s own “Samuel Johnson” as
represented in the travel diary.
Perhaps more than any other period, the British eighteenth century
represents a moment that we must evaluate and reevaluate to challenge the
values of our own time. Often
considered the quaint origin of all civil societies, the British eighteenth
century witnesses both the positives and negatives of modernity in the
extreme. Thus, in midst of the
massive expansion of the slave trade, the birth of the market economy, and an
increasingly rigid sex-gender system, we find a celebration of art and
culture that professors of literature still cannot help but admire. We will test both the apocalyptic and
utopian visions of the British “enlightenment” through a diverse array of
texts that put issues of modernity at the fore. Ultimately, whether discussing literature or world events,
we will attempt to expand rather than confine our engagement with the
material. |
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The Following Books
are Available at the EMU Bookstore (McKenny Union, 487-1000): Longman Anthology of British Literature, “The Restoration and the Eighteenth
Century,” Volume 1C, ed. David Damrosch and Stuart Sherman
(Longman) Samuel Johnson, A Journey to the Western Isles of
Scotland (Penguin) Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (Oxford UP) Henry Fielding, Joseph
Andrews (Penguin) Jane Austen, Mansfield Park (Oxford UP) Available Online: Guidelines on Essay Formatting & Organization
(http://people.emich.edu/acoykenda/essay.pdf)
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Because this class primarily consists of
reading and discussion — rather than facts, figures, and memorization —
attendance is crucial. You
may be absent four times without penalty. Each absence after that will result in a reduction of your
final grade by one-third the letter grade: that is, the fifth class
missed will turn a final grade of an A into an A-; the sixth, into a B+; and
so on. Aside from the grade
reduction, missing classes will hinder your ability to do the assignments
properly and promptly. Although
there will be no penalty for lateness, it can have several undesirable
consequences: you may miss critical information (such as the extension of a
deadline) often covered in the first ten minutes of class and, of course, you
will likely distract other students while entering the room. If you are absent from class, contact
another student who can fill you in on missed work. Above all, make sure to withdraw from the course if you
find that you cannot attend class regularly. |
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There will be a large number of writing
assignments: informal responses, more formal essays, and essay exams. The responses will be on subjects of
your own choice, but must relate to the readings assigned for that day.
In contrast to the responses, the essays will offer a thorough examination of
the readings and have the proper academic format. The primary difference between a response and an essay is
that with the responses, the mechanical elements of writing do not matter in
the least, and the goal is to freely and openly express ideas; whereas, with
the essays, the mechanical elements of writing must be attended to very
thoroughly and the goal is to defend a focused argument clearly, coherently,
and persuasively. The midterm
and final exams will have three sections — identification, short responses,
and essay questions — and will comprehend both the literary and critical
materials that we have discussed in class. You will be able refer to an outline during the exams for
the essay questions, but not to the books themselves. The responses will be posted to the
class listserv after each major reading assignment, or they may be
handwritten if you have any difficulty accessing the internet. Your responses should be at least one
paragraph in length, although longer (or more engaged) responses will not
only enhance your grade, but also increase the ability of other students and
myself to offer feedback. Make
sure to bring a copy of the novel or short story that we are discussing to
class. Also, make sure to keep
up with the readings in order to have plenty of preparation for the essays
and exams. As with any university course, homework
will take around two hours for every hour of class, and thus you can expect
each week to spend six hours outside of class completing the various
assignments and readings. We
will review one writing handout — “Guidelines
on Essay Formatting and Organization” — before you turn in your
essays and prepare for the exams.
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The essays will be given two grades: one
for the quality of the theme and one for the quality of the writing. Any late essay will drop a
third of a grade for each day late; that is, an A paper will turn
into A- if turned in one day late, an A paper will turn into B+ if turned in
two days late, and so on. Responses are worth up to 15 points; late
responses are marked down just one grade, no matter how late, so as to encourage
you to make up the readings and thereby prepare for the exams. The best way to make up a response is
by comparing the reading that you missed to that which the class is currently
considering. This will help both
you and the other students make connections and comparisons that span the
course as a whole. The
participation grade is a significant portion of your final grade — 20% — so
keep up with the reading assignments and make your voice heard in class. Your total response points will be
averaged, put on a fair grading curve, and then bumped up or down
considerably depending on how actively you engage in class discussions. |
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Any plagiarized writing or cheating on the
exams will automatically result in a failing, zero-percent grade for the
assignment. Thus, if you
plagiarize on the essay, you can expect, at most, to receive a B- (or 80%)
for your final grade, supposing that you did everything else perfectly. If you cheat or plagiarize on the
final exam, you can expect, at most, to receive a D (or 65%) for your final
grade, again supposing that you did everything else perfectly. With the internet, plagiarism is quite
easy and tempting to do; however, the internet also makes plagiarism that
much more easy for professors to catch and document, so do not even think
about doing it in this class or elsewhere. Plagiarism is a very serious offense against the Code of
Student Conduct. The general
rule is that if you use three or more words of another writer in a row
without enclosing those words in quotation marks and citing your source, you
are guilty of plagiarism.
According to Funk and Wagnalls’ New Standard Dictionary (1921),
plagiarism is the “act of plagiarizing or appropriating the ideas, writings,
or inventions of another without due acknowledgment; specifically, the
stealing of passages either for word or in substance, from the writings of
another and publishing them as one’s own.” In short, plagiarism is theft. |
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