R. Siemens: English 111: Literature and Writing I, Poetry and Drama -- Authors and Their Works

English 111 (02):
Literature and Writing I, Poetry and Drama

Authors and Theirs Works

January - April 2003
Meeting: Tu Th 1:00-2:30
Room: 345/209

R.G. Siemens
Office: Bldg. 335, Rm. 120
Office Hours: M 10:00-Noon, Th 10:00-Noon

Course WWW page: http://web.mala.bc.ca/siemensr/teaching/Engl111-03.htm

Description

This course introduces the study of two major genres, poetry and drama, focusing on work written in the twentieth century and earlier. It also covers appropriate college-level research, writing and presentation skills, with particular attention to the academic essay.

Course Materials

Course Texts:

Gwynn, R.S. Poetry: A Longman Pocket Anthology. 2nd ed. New York: Addison, Wesley, Longman, 1998.
Lancashire, Ian, et al., eds. Representative Poetry Online. Toronto: U Toronto P, 1994-. On-line, at <http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/rp/intro.html>.

McFarlane, Henry H. Selected Lyrics. On-line, at <http://web.mala.bc.ca/siemensr/www/Research/McFarlane.htm>.

Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Gerald Weales, ed. New York: Penguin, 1996.

Shakespeare, William. Twelfth Night. Roger Warren and Stanley Wells, eds. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994.

Additional Resources:

Dodds, Jack, and Judi Jewinski. The Ready Reference Handbook: Writing, Revising, Editing. 2nd Canadian ed. Toronto: Pearson Education, 2001.

Course Discussion Group: TBA

"Participating in Seminars," Ian Johnston.

The Writing Centre at Malaspina U-C.

Malaspina U-C, First Year Courses, Standards and Expectations.

English Department Grading Standards.

Technical Assistance:

IT Helpdesk: extension 6300, ithelp@mala.bc.ca, and http://web.mala.bc.ca/it/students/index.htm.

Course Requirements

Writing Sample, 0%. (Week 1.)

A brief sample on the topic of "McFarlane's Lyrics," which will be discussed in class.

Research Presentation 1, 15% (Due weeks 2-5.)

A well-researched and formal presentation on your assigned author, drawing attention to that author's life and works (exact approach to be discussed in class). The presentation will be approximately 10 minutes in length, and will include a handout for the class that outlines your presentation and lists useful secondary resources for those who wish to know more about your topic; your handout will be posted to the discussion group as well.

Note: Your group must meet with the instructor no later than 1 class before your presentation, during scheduled office hours; bring to that meeting a detailed outline of your presentation and an annotated bibliography of between 5 - 8 secondary academic resources directly related to your topic.

Research Presentation 2, 15%. (Due throughout the term.)

A well-researched and formal presentation, providing a reading and detailed analysis of your topic. For poets, you will consider one or two shorter poetic works; for dramatic authors, you will consider one of the assigned topics, below. The presentation will be approximately 10 minutes in length, and will include a handout for the class that outlines your presentation and lists useful secondary resources for those who wish to know more about your topic; your handout will be posted to the discussion group as well.

Note: Due for approval during office hours one week before the day of your presentation is the complete script or outline for your presentation, the handout, and, for the instructor, a detailed outline of your research paper on the same topic and an annotated bibliography of between 5 - 8 secondary academic resources directly related to your topic. Without approval, your presentation cannot go forward.

Research Paper, 25%. (Due one week after Research Presentation 2.)

A formal research paper on your topic, having its origins in your research presentation; it will be presented in MLA style, ca. 1,250 words, and will include an annotated list of works cited.

Class and Seminar Participation; Quizzes, 20%.
Final Exam, 25%.

Syllabus

Week 1 (Jan. 6-): Course and student introductions; Reading poetry and drama 1; The lyrics of Henry McFarlane (a poet from Extension BC, ca. 1913-4). Writing Sample.
Week 2 (Jan. 13-): Researching, preparing, delivering, and responding to a presentation; Reading poetry and drama 2; Library Tour [Jan. 14].
Week 3 (Jan. 20-): Author survey: Shakespeare; Milton; Blake; Browning.
Week 4 (Jan. 27-): Author survey: Thomas; Yeats; cummings; Miller.
Week 5 (Feb. 3-): Author survey: HD; Piercy; Rich; Plath.
Week 6 (Feb. 10-): Shakespeare. Preparing and writing a university-level research paper. Topics: Plot and Structure; Characters; Themes.
Week 7 (Feb. 17-): Milton and Blake.
- Presentations 1 and 2.
Week 8 (Feb. 24-): Reading Break
Week 9 (Mar. 3-): Browning and Thomas.
- Presentations 3 and 4.
Week 10 (Mar. 10-): Cummings and Yeats.
- Presentations 5, 6, and 7.
Week 11 (Mar. 17-): Miller.
- Presentations 8 [Plot and Structure], 9 [Character's Values], and 10 [Setting].
Week 12 (Mar. 24-): HD and Rich
- Presentations 11 and 12.
Week 13 (Mar. 31-): Piercy and Plath
- Presentations 13 and 14.

Notes:

All deadlines are firm. Attendance is mandatory, and you must come to class prepared to discuss the works and authors under consideration. All course requirements must be met (and a mark of greater than F received) for a passing grade to be issued in the course.
There will be a number of unscheduled quizzes during the term.
This course provides training -- and then assumes ability -- in the use of our library (and ILL facilities), its catalogue, and the various specialized indexes and bibliographies related to literary studies in the areas covered by the course.
All written work will be submitted as per MLA style (parenthetical citation). All students are advised to consult and use The Everyday Writer as part of their course and assignment preparation. All students are advised to be familiar with Malaspina's Student Conduct Policy (available at: http://www.mala.bc.ca/www/crsinfo/calendar/STUDCOND.HTM), which includes a section on plagiarism.
What is an annotated bibliography? For our purposes here, and in short, an annotated bibliography is a list of critical/scholarly works that includes a brief summary of the argument of each work. Works are to be listed as per MLA Style. A sample entry follows:

Frye, Northrop. "The Argument of Comedy." 165-179 in Alvin B. Kernan, ed. Modern Shakespearean Criticism: Essays on Style, Dramaturgy, and the Major Plays. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970.

Frye discusses ideas on the evolution from Old to New Comedy, and therein touches upon a number of elements of the New Comedy, among them the basic plot and movement towards resolution. Of interest is his relation of the individual and the societal, in the resolution of the comic drama: "The essential comic resolution," Frye states, ". . . is an individual release which is also a social reconciliation" (167). His comments on the structural relation of the comedy and the tragedy are particularly useful: "Comedy," he notes, "grows out of the [tragic] ritual, for in the ritual the tragic story has a comic sequel" (168).