English 102: English Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century (1660-1837) Gone Global

Instructor: Humberto Garcia Office Hours: M: 11:30-12:30; F 12:00- Lecture: MWF 1:30-2:20pm 1:00pm. (by appointment) Kolligian Library 217 Office: COB-2 # 383 Section 01 E-mail: hgarcia22@ucmerced.eduSpring 2017

Discussion sections: W 2:30-3:20pm (CLSSRM 276) and 3:30-4:20 (CLSSRM 129)

TA: Hannah Maulden, hmaulden@ucmerced.edu

Office: COB-2 #240E Office hours: MW 11:00am-12:00pm

"Every great classic in our native language should from time to time be reviewed anew." Thomas De Quincey, The Literature of Knowledge and the Literature of Power, 1848.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This survey course is part of a second sequence intended to provide students a broad and sophisticated understanding of literature in English. As such, this course will get students to read literature of the long eighteenth century, from the Restoration to the Romantic period (1660-1837), in order to entertain the bold idea proposed by the British writer Thomas De Quincey: that a survey of English literature’s greatest hits, while valuable, teaches “nothing at all.” For De Quincey, English literature does not merely provide information but transmits a power that moves us intellectually and emotionally to ponder universal ideals—justice, the good, beauty, and the cosmos—in a vernacular language (English) that underwent major transformations in this period. To test his hypothesis, we will pursue three central questions: “What is literature?” “What makes it English?” “How did some of it become good?” Specifically, we will examine the multiple, contentious meanings of English literature in a transnational context, focusing on how it diffused globally as England morphed from a backward country on the margins of Europe to one of the most extensive empires in the world. We will examine how literature reflected, shaped, and resisted English national and imperial projects, as well as ponder how the “English” we speak today is historically rooted in the literary, economic, scientific, and political revolutions that occurred in England, Ireland, Europe, the Americans, Africa, India, and the Pacific world.

COURSE LEARNING GOALS:

1. Identify early forms of English literature as well as the people, places, and events that shaped the context in which that literature was written.

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2. Interpret early texts, sensitive to both textual and contextual cues.

3. Appreciate the aesthetic qualities of these texts, related yet different as they are from modern day.

4. Demonstrate historical, geographic, and cultural empathy by reading texts written in other times, places, and cultures. 5. Articulate your evaluations of this literature, in speech and writing, cogently and with sensitivity to context.

6. Apply interpretive strategies developed in historical literary study to other academic and professional contexts.

7. Develop the skills to put interpretations and analyses in writing, focusing on close reading, comparative analysis, and building and supporting an argument.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels (Penguin)

Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (Bedford)

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lyrical Ballads (Broadview)

Other primary and secondary readings available online (see links in reading schedule below) and in CatCourses (under “files” in “Course readings”)

Lecture Notes (CatCourses under “files” in “Lecture Notes”)

Course blog: https://english102literaturesurvey.wordpress.com/

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Grade Percentage:

Weekly blog posts 25%First paper 15%Term paper 30%Creative writing project 10%Reading Quizzes 5%Attendance and participation 15%

[all grades are recorded in CatCourses]

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Weekly Blog Posts:

Almost every week I will post a question, an excerpt from a text, a video, an image, a link to a website, etc. for you to engage with. You are expected to post one blog entry in response to this prompt and that week’s assigned reading. Student posts should provide a close reading of a relevant textual passage/image. I encourage students to respond to their peer’s posts, a question of their own, or to a current event related to this course’s theme. Posts are meant to be informal writing assignments that help generate engaging thoughts (or questions) about anything and everything that occurs to you while reading. They serve to guide my lecture and inform discussion sections (I may occasionally call on students to share some of their thoughts in lecture). The posts should be one short paragraph (about 300 words), however they must be written sincerely and thoughtfully. They will be graded on a check/check minus/check plus basis; these will be averaged to determine the blog grade percentage points.

Keep in mind that these blogs will be read by thousands of viewers online, not just by me, your TA, and your peers. Although the blogs should be written informally, they should be well-written and spell-checked, with no grammatical and punctuation errors. Students are required to create tags (as many as you want) for each blog post they submit; untagged blog posts will not receive a grade. The last time you can post on any given week is by the due date, Wednesday by 1pm, unless otherwise noted. Because these posts will be graded after Friday 6pm of that week, students will have the option to edit and revise their posts until that time.

Term Paper Project:The term paper project involves two phases: (1) students will write a 5-6 page essay on one of the many broad topics that I will distribute ahead of time in class. (2) Based on your TA’s feedback, you will revise and expand the first essay into a 9-10 page term paper. Both phases of the project involve critical analysis of a particular theme or idea that connects one or two of the assigned readings from the first half of the course to another reading(s) from the latter half. The papers do not require any secondary source research [more information on this writing assignment will be distributed later in the semester.]

Creative Writing Project:

For this assignment, students will exercise their creative impulses alongside their analytic skills. Students will compose a condensed 500-word imitation or parody of a literary work (covered in this course) geared toward a contemporary modern audience, followed by a short “review” that focuses on the differences between your imitation and the original text. It will be posted on the course blog by 1pm on Wednesday 5/3 and discussed in lecture and discussion section that day. The use of visual images and multi-media are strongly encouraged. [more specific instructions will be distributed later in the semester]

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Reading Quizzes:

Lecture or section may begin with a reading quiz during the first three minutes (please arrive on time). The quizzes test only for basic information. You will be unable to make up quizzes you missed throughout the semester.

ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION:

Attendance and participation are essential to your success in this course. Arrive to class on time and do not leave early unless you have emailed the instructor in advance with regards to an urgent prior commitment. Try to use the restroom before coming to class. Please do not read other materials during class, or bring food into the classroom. If you miss more than two unexcused classes (including section and lecture) in the semester, your participation points will be reduced by half. If you miss more than six classes (including section) during the course of the semester without a valid excuse, you will forfeit your entire participation grade for the course, and are in danger of failing the course. If you miss class, you are responsible for speaking with a classmate about the class discussion to get caught up on the material. Missing class will also seriously affect your ability to do well on reading quizzes and papers.

Two significantly late arrivals (or early departures) equal one absence.

Electronics policy: Laptops and other electronic devices are allowed in class, but used only for course-related activities. However, I like to foster a classroom environment in which we are engaged in meaningful conversations with each other. If students are glued to screens instead of engaging with each other, the entire class suffers. Studies have shown that multitasking on electronics during class has a negative impact on learning. Studies have also shown that readers do not engage as deeply with electronic texts as they do with printed ones. For these reasons, I ask that you please print a hard copy of all electronic texts. Please be aware that taping, filming, and photography in class (by camera, cell phone, or any other means) are prohibited.

Excusing Absences:I may be willing to excuse no more than two absences only in case of serious illness, family emergencies, or religious holidays/events, all of which require actual certified documentation or proof. If you are going to miss lecture/discussion, please e-mail me/your TA before class begins. It is your responsibility to make up missed work or know about any up-coming assignments.

If you must miss a class, please do NOT email me or Hannah to ask what you have missed. It is your responsibility to check-in with a classmate to find out what was covered. You should exchange contact information with at least two of your classmates so that you might contact them should you miss a class.

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Top Hat

Attendance, reading quizzes, and discussion points will be recorded in the Top Hat (www.tophat.com) classroom response system. You will be able to submit your unique attendance code and answers to in-class clicker questions using Apple or Android smartphones and tablets, laptops, or through text message. Students will need to answer 80% of their discussion questions to earn full participation credit, regardless of whether the answers are correct, but must be in class to have points for answering clicker questions count. Nevertheless, the quality of oral discussion is also an important factor in determining final participation grades.  You can visit the Top Hat Overview (https://success.tophat.com/s/article/Student-Top-Hat-Overview-and-Getting-Started-Guide) within the Top Hat Success Center which outlines how you will register for a Top Hat account, as well as providing a brief overview to get you up and running on the system.

An email invitation will be sent to you by email, but if don’t receive this email, you can register by simply visiting our course website: http://app.tophat.com/e/006821

Note: our Course Join Code is 006821

Top Hat will require a paid subscription, and a full breakdown of all subscription options available can be found here: www.tophat.com/pricing. 

Should you require assistance with Top Hat at any time, due to the fact that they require specific user information to troubleshoot these issues, please contact their Support Team directly by way of email (support@tophat.com), the in app support button, or by calling 1-888-663-5491.

LATE OR MISSED WORK:

Due dates are announced in advance, and I will be sure to give plenty of reminders. All work must be turned in on the due date. For the term paper, half a letter grade will be lost for each day it goes over the due date. Late or missed blog posts will not be accepted. I will consider make-up work only for exceptional circumstances that are brought to my attention at least two weeks in advance of the designated due date.

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING:

As a simple guideline, if you submit your own work, you will avoid all serious types of plagiarism. Nevertheless, a responsible student should also consider the less obvious variants of plagiarism, especially when writing research papers that require citations. Consider these examples:

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✓ Paraphrasing or summarizing a written source, including text from the Internet, without footnoting or otherwise referencing the source.

When does another person’s idea supplant your own? Who “owns” an idea?✓ Copying a written source, including text from the Internet, without using

quotation marks or block indentation.

For serious instances of plagiarism, such as submitting an essay obtained from an online “paper mill,” students in this course will automatically fail the assignment, receive a final grade of F, and be recommended for dismissal from the university. I will also regard unattributed citations – verbatim copying of another’s person’s work without some indication of the source – as a serious form of plagiarism. Don’t insert any text in a paper that is not your own without also noting the source.

If you’re uncertain about how to use sources, ask me, your TA, or consult this website: http://guides.library.ucla.edu/bruin-success. It’s your responsibility to comply with the academic honesty policy stated in this website: http://studentconduct.ucmerced.edu/

The same penalties apply to students caught cheating on their reading quizzes and in-class clicker questions.

CLASSROOM ACCOMMODATIONS & ISSUES:

Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss his or her specific needs. Also contact the university’s Disability Services at (209) 228-7884 as soon as possible to become registered and thereby ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. If there are any issues, problems, or anxieties, either with the course itself or something outside the course, please feel free to talk with me. Even if I am unable to help you, I can certainly send you to someone who can.

Writing and Learning Help: The tutors at the Calvin E. Bright Success Center are there to help you. I recommend you take full advantage of their services, for this class as well as all your others. The center is located in the Kolligian Library 222. Visit their website to see when writing tutors are available and to make an appointment: http://learning.ucmerced.edu/

Important Deadlines:Late Registration:  Monday, January 30, 2017Course Add:  Monday, February 6, 2017           Course Drop (without a “W”):  Monday, February 6, 2017Course Withdrawal (with a “W”):  Tuesday, April 4, 2017

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Mid-Term Grade Deadline: Tuesday, March 14, 2017 (Noon)Final Grade Deadline: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 (Noon)

GENERAL GRADING CRITERION FOR ESSAYS:

Aside from the more specific grading criterion provided in the assignment handout, I have a more general criterion for determining letter grades. As I read your essays, I am looking at five broad areas:

1. Thesis2. Argument3. Paragraphs (including introductory and closing paragraph)4. Style (especially formal academic tone)5. Mechanics (spelling, punctuation, proofreading)

[NOTE: This general grading criterion is only meant to complement the more specific grading standards of the written assignment, and not as a replacement or substitute.]

“A” Range: [A+; A; A-]An essay in this range will have a strong, clear thesis that demonstrates that the writer has done some thinking on her or his own about the literary text. Evidence from primary sources will be well chosen and lucidly and persuasively presented. The title and introductory paragraph will engage the reader’s interest; the conclusion will provide a sense of closure. Transition/topic sentences in each paragraph will signal the progress of the argument and transitions within paragraphs will flow easily. The essay will be technically well written, with few or no typographical errors and few or no problems of diction and punctuation. An “A” or “A+” is reserved only for papers exemplifying depth and originality in argumentation and close reading; a focused thesis that strikes the reader as unexpected or even slightly odd. It will move well beyond the essay prompt to explore the argument’s implications, and will leave the reader asking new and provocative questions about the literary text. “A-” papers meet most of the A-level conditions but have a slight problem in one of the five areas.

“B” Range: [B+; B; B-]An essay in this range may be less strong in one or more of the five areas, or will be generally competent, but not particularly interesting; this may be the case when the writer hasn’t engaged seriously with the literary text. It may be that the essay is reasonably well written, but seriously misinterprets or misuses a piece of evidence in a way that damages its own case undermining the author’s credibility and control. The essay may present fine ideas, but express them so awkwardly that the reader must expend considerable effort simply to follow the argument. “B+” is reserved for a paper that has A-level ambitions but does not achieve them; “B” papers represent commendable work with no major failings, making a clear point without any originality that pushes significant

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boundaries; a “B-” represents commendable work as well, but with minor problems in one or more of the five areas.

“C” Range: [C+; C; C-]An essay in this range has a serious problem in one or more of the five areas. An essay without a clear thesis, for example, or one that is simply a summary of the literary text, will not receive a B- grade. The same applies to essays which reproduce long passages from a literary text, but doesn’t analyze them as evidence for its argument. A “C+” paper has latent good ideas, but needs to foreground those ideas to the center of the paper; a “C” or “C-” paper lacks a strong governing argument, leaving the reader with the lingering “so what?” question.

“D” and “F” Range: [D+; D; D-; F]An essay in this range has either completely failed to meet all the five broad areas and/or has seriously misunderstood the instructions or purpose to the written assignment. An essay in this range is not considered academic, college level work. A “D” or “D+” paper lacks a thesis and has very few or no good ideas at all, misusing or failing to use textual evidence. It is often full of grammatical, stylistic, and formal problems.

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Blog Post Grading Rubric:

Blog posts are evaluated on a check plus/check/check minus basis. Below is an explanation of what is expected from a post.

Blog posts are evaluated according to the following four criteria:

1. Conceptual sophistication2. Dialogue with readings/other blog posts/current events3. Artistry of writing4. Use of medium

Check Plus Range:This grade is reserved for a post that is well-written and concise (with few or no technical errors), establishes specific points, offers a working interpretation, and is not afraid to use creative mediums for self-expression. The main criterion here is originality, defined as a clever idea or question that is surprising, unexpected, and not frequently discussed in lecture or section. It involves providing a risky answer that tries to move beyond that which is apparent or obvious. The assignment that is awarded this grade will have no problem identifying and explaining relevant passages in literary texts.

Check Range:This grade is awarded to an assignment that has met most of the conditions mentioned above, but is not particularly well-written or concise and offers a vague interpretation that is not well supported by textual evidence. A blog post that receives this grade has done an adequate job of completing the assignment, but has not really offered an original interpretation. Instead, it has provided an obvious or expected viewpoint in an attempt to avoid any risky moves. It will leave the reader with lingering questions about extremely important issues or ideas that were skipped over or given insufficient attention. Overall, this grade will only be awarded to posts that have made a serious and sincere attempt to offer an interpretation, but have avoided any form of daring creativity. In short, a grade in this range means that you have done your job well but still need to improve your interpretation.

Check minus Range:This grade is awarded only to assignments that seriously misinterpret their assigned reading, avoid offering any defined stance, and/or are poorly written. Students seeking shelter in broad generalizations and redundant summaries, without attempting to offer a working interpretation or supporting textual evidence, will be awarded a grade in this range. Moreover, those students who do not treat their posts seriously and sincerely will

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be awarded a check minus. By this I mean students who treat their blog posts as “busy” work and make little or no attempt to engage a particular text, question, or idea.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Reading and assignments are to be completed by the day they appear on the syllabus. You are responsible for and may be quizzed on all assigned pages, including headnotes and Lecture Notes that introduce writers, periods, and texts.

Week I (1/18, 1/20): Introduction to the idea of an “English literature survey”

W: Review Course policies/classroom introductions

F: Thomas De Quincey - The Literature of Knowledge and the Literature of Power

De Quincey Biography ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week II (1/23, 25, 27): The English Revolution of 1640-1660; the Restoration, 1660-1668; the Glorious Revolution of 1668

M: Richard Lovelace, "To Althea, from Prison"

Lovelace, "To Lucasta, Going to War"

Lovelace Biography (CatCourses)

Katherine Philips, "Upon the Double Murder of King Charles"

Lecture Note #1

W: John Winthrop, "The Humble Request of His Majesties Loyal Subjects", pages 1-10

Winthrop, "A Model of Christian Charity"

First blog post due

F: John Milton, “Areopagitica.”

Areopagitica: Introduction

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John Milton Biography (CatCourses)

Week III (1/30, 2/1, 2/3): Restoration Drama and Theater

MWF: John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or the Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, (1665)

John Dryden Biography (CatCourses)

Lecture Note #2

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week IV (2/6, 8, 10): The Quest for Enlightenment

M: Sir Francis Bacon, from The New Atlantis (CatCourses)

Lecture Note #3

W: Thomas Sprat, from History of the Royal Society (CatCourses)

Sir Isaac Newton, from "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"

F: Mary Rowlandson, The History of the Captivity

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week V (2/13, 15, 17): The Quest for Enlightenment

M: continue with Rowlandson and John Locke, chapters 1-4 of The Second Treatise on Government

Locke's Biography

W: continue w/ the same

F: Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, “A Letter from Captain Gulliver,” “The Publisher to the Reader,” and Part I

Alternative e-text

Jonathan Swift Biography (CatCourses)

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Lecture Note #4

Week VI (2/20, 22, 24): Satirizing the Enlightenment

M: President’s Day (no classes held)

W: Gulliver’s Travels, Part II

F: Part IV [skip part III]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week VII (2/27, 3/1, 3/3): Standardizing English, a Barbaric Language

M: Alexander Pope, The Dunciad, Book 4

Alexander Pope Biography (CatCourses)

Lecture Note #5

W: Samuel Johnson, Preface to "Dictionary of the English Language"

On Johnson and his dictionary F: Thomas Babington Macaulay, Minute by the Hon'ble T. B. Macaulay, dated the 2nd February 1835

Raja Rammohan Ray, Address to His Excellency the Right Honourable William Pitt, Lord Amherst (1823), pages 143-46.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week VIII (3/6, 8, 10): The Anglo-Indian Novel in British India

MWF: Phebe Gibbes, Hartly House, Calcutta (CatCourse)

Lecture Note #6

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week IX (3/13, 15, 17): The Transatlantic Slave Autobiography

MWF: Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Lecture Note #7

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Alternative e-text

Week X (3/20, 22, 24): Encountering Indigenous Peoples

M: Captain James Cook, Captain Cook's Journal, First Voyage Round the World, Chapter 3: Tahiti

Cook's Biography

W: David Thompson, selections from Narrative of His Explorations in Western North America, 1784-1812, and Samuel Hearne, from A Journey from Prince of Wale’s Fort in Hudson’s Bay to the Northern Ocean (both in CatCourses)

First Essay due in discussion section

F: William Apess, "An Indian's Looking Glass for the White Man" (1833) William Apess Biography (CatCourses)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week XI: (3/27, 29, 31): Spring Break and Cesar Chavez Holiday!!!

Week XII (4/3, 5, 7): The Romantic Turn: The Language of the Common Man

M: William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Preface to Lyrical Ballads (1802) and “Lines Written above Tintern Abbey.”

Alternative e-text: Lyrical Ballads: An Electronic Scholarly Edition, see 1802 edition, volumes 1 & 2

Lecture Note #8

W: Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

Alternative e-text

Samuel T. Coleridge Biography (CatCourses)

F: Lecture canceled

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Week XIII (4/10, 12, 14): The Romantic Turn: The Language of the Common Man

M & W: Read all poems in Lyrical Ballads, with especial attention on “We Are Seven,” Expostulation and Reply,” “The Tables Turned,” and “The Mad Mother.”

F: Wordsworth, “The Complaint of a Forsaken Indian Woman”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week XIV (4/17, 19, 21): The French Revolution—Whither England?

M: Edmund Burke, excerpts from Reflections on the Revolution in France; Thomas Paine, excerpts from The Rights of Man, part I Mary Wollstonecraft, excerpts from A Vindication of the Rights of Men (all in CatCourses)

Lecture Note #9

W: William Blake, "London", and William Wordsworth, "London, 1802"

F: Percy Shelley, "England in 1819" Percy Shelley Biography (CatCourses)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Week XV (4/24, 26, 28): The French Revolution—Whither Ireland and India?

M: Thomas Moore, "Dear Harp of my Country" in Irish Melodies, page 154-55 (1821 Edition)

Sydney Owenson, Why Sleeps the Harp of Erin's Pride?" in The Lay of an Irish Harp; Or Metrical Fragments (1807), pages 1-7.

Henry Derozio, "The Harp of India"

Lecture Note #10

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W & F: class canceled (but must attend Discussion section)

Week XVI (5/1, 3): Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Recreating English Literature in the Modern U.S.

M: Washington Irving, "Rip Van Winkle" in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (1819 Edition), pages 59-94 (including note).

Rip Van Winkle-Overview

W: finish w/ Irving

Creative Writing Project due in discussion section

Final Term paper due on CatCourse “Discussion” board by 9pm Wednesday, May 10th

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