Dr. L. Adam Mekler 
English 202 
Spring 2006
Office:  Holmes Hall 221
Office Phone: (443) 885-4032
Email@Morgan: lmekler@jewel.morgan.edu
Class Homepage: http://jewel.morgan.edu/~lmekler/eng202links.htm
Secondary Homepage Site: http://www.geocities.com/lmekler/eng202links.htm

Go To Assigments For:
January  February  March  April  May 
Course Requirements

Required Texts:
Damrosch, et al, eds. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, Vol. 2

Purpose of the Course:
This course focuses on British literature from the late eighteenth century until the early twentieth century. During this time, there were significant changes in the philosophical, political, and religious views of British subjects, both within the United Kingdom and in its colonies abroad. For that reason, we will examine a number of important historical events over the course of the semester in order to appreciate one motivating factor behind the texts of the period. Of course, the primary focus will remain the literature itself, which we will discuss in great detail, incorporating consideration not only of historical context, but also biographical and intellectual factors as well.  Unfortunately, given the constraints of the class, we will be unable to examine all of the readings in the collection.  What we will hopefully be able to do is consider the thoughts of a fairly wide range of different writers to get a good understanding of the types of thought and literature produced during the period .

Requirements:
Students are expected to attend every class and are required to bring all necessary books with them to class.  On-line versions are available for most readings, so economic hardship, while certainly a reality for many of us, does not constitute a valid excuse in this context.  Please come speak with me if you have any questions.

All assigned readings must be completed before coming to class.  You are expected to arrive prepared to provide thoughtful discussions of  the daily readings, responding to questions from the instructor or your classmates as they arise.

Quizzes on the readings will occur as necessary to insure that everyone is reading.  Classroom discussion will involve the open sharing of ideas and interpretations of the literature.  Because every person's opinion is valid, we will demonstrate civility and respect for each other, taking turns to provide our observations and not interrupting each other.  Only raised hands will be acknowledged.

There will be one (1) brief (800 word minimum) critical response paper,  in addition to one (1) documented research paper (2500 word minimum), using a minimum of eight documented sources, six of which must be secondary sources. You will also take part in a presentation of a minimum thirty minutes to be given during the second part of the course.   There will also be a midterm and a final examination.

All papers will follow MLA format: Typed, double-spaced, use parenthetical citations and when necessary, a list of works cited, including references made to the textbook. (See sample MLA Paper )  The main point of the response papers is to allow you the opportunity to explore specific aspects of texts that you find interesting in terms of the major themes and issues we discuss, but the specific focus is largely up to you. Of course, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Please familiarize yourself with the policy  and let Dr. Mekler know if anything is unclear.

Grading:
Class Participation/Quizzes 10%
Critical Response Paper  10%
Midterm Exam 20%
Group Presentation  20%
Research Paper  20%
Final Exam 20%

Reading List (Subject to Subtle Revision):
Jan 25 Course Introduction
**  The Romantic Age    **
27 The French Revolution, 92
Burke, 103-12
Wollstonecraft, 112-21
Paine, 121-28
30 Blake, 150-52, 156-57
"The Lamb," 159
"Chimney Sweeper" poems, 161, 174
"The Tyger," 177
Feb 1 Abolition of Slavery and the Slave Trade, 209-10
Prince, 219-224
Cowper, "Negro's Complaint," 236-7, 238-39
More and Smith, "Sorrows of Yamba," 240-44
2 Mitchell-Quarles Convocation
3 Wollstonecraft, 279-303
6 W. Wordsworth & Lyrical Ballads, 385-87
Preface, 408-20
"There Was a Boy," 421
8 W. Wordsworth, "Tintern Abbey," 404-8
"Intimations Ode," 527-33
10 Coleridge, 570-71
"Ancient Mariner," 578-95
13 Byron, 656-58
Manfred, 659-95
15 The Byronic Hero, 695-96
Byron, 696-701
Coleridge, 701-2
M. Shelley, 704-5
17 P. Shelley, 814-16
"from A Defence of Poetry," 867-76
20 P. Shelley, "England in 1819," 824
"Ode to the West Wind," 835-37
"To a Skylark," 837-39
22 Austen, 1073-74
"from Northanger Abbey," 1073-77
"from Pride and Prejudice," 48-49
"from Northanger Abbey," 49-51
23 Frederick Douglass Convocation
24 Keats, 920-22
"When I Have Fears," 935 
Odes of 1819, 950-51
"Ode to a Nightingale," 953-55
"Ode on a Grecian Urn," 955-57
**  The Victorian Age   **
27 The Industrial Landscape, 1137-38
Macaulay, 1141-43
"Blue Books," 1143-45
Dickens, 1146-49
Engels, 1150-58
Critical Response Paper Due
March 1 Mill, 1164-65
"from On Liberty," 1165-76
"from The Subjection of Women," 1176-85
"Statement Repudiating the Rights of Husbands," 1185-86
3 E. B. Browning, 1196-98
"from Sonnets from the Portuguese," 1200-3
** No Class, But Complete Assignment **
6 Tennyson, 1230-32
"Lady of Shalott," 1235-39
"The Lotus-Eaters," 1240-44
"The Charge of the Light Brigade," 1291-93 
8 Darwin, 1345-47
"from The Voyage of the Beagle," 1347-57
'from The Origin of the Species," 1357-62
"from The Descent of Man," 1362-68
9 Women's History Month Convocation
10 R. Browning, 1408-11
"Porphyria's Lover," 1411-13
"Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister," 1413-15
"My Last Duchess," 1415-16 
13 Mid-Term Examination
15 Arnold, 1657-60
"from The Function of Criticism," 1685-95
Research Paper Topics Due
17 Arnold, "from Culture and Anarchy," 1695-1705
20 ** SPRING **
22 ** BREAK **
24 ** NO CLASS **
27 C. Rossetti, 1723-25
"Uphill," 1731
"Goblin Market,"  1731-44
29 Hopkins, 1791-92
"God's Grandeur," 1792-93
"The Starlight Night," 1793
"Spring," 1793-94
"The Windhover," 1794
Last Day to Drop Undergraduate Classes
31 Carroll, 1803-5
"from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," 1805-11
"from Through the Looking Glass," 1811-14
April 3 Kipling, 1858-60
"Gunga Din," 1882-84
"White Man's Burden,"1935-37
5 Stevenson, 1937-39
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 1939-77
6 Honors Convocation
7 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, cont.
10 Wilde, 1977-80
The Importance of Being Earnest,  2003-43 
12 The Importance of Being Earnest, cont.
**  The Modern Age **
14 Conrad, 2135-38
Heart of Darkness, 2140-96
Deadline for Submission of Research Paper Topics
If your topic has not been approved, you can not submit a paper.
17 Heart of Darkness, cont.
19 Hardy, 2295-97
"Hap," 2297
"Convergence of the Twain," 2300-1
"Channel Firing," 2302-3
21 Yeats, 2390-93
"Lake Isle of Innisfree," 2393-94 
"The Second Coming," 2399
"Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop," 2414
24 Joyce, 2431-34
"Araby,"  2434-38
"Eveline," 2438-41
"Clay," 2441-45
26 Eliot, 2506-9
"Tradition and the Individual Talent," 2544-49
28 Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," 2509-12
"The Journey of the Magi," 2539
Research Paper Due
Final Exam for Graduating Seniors
May 1 Woolf, 2549-52
"from A Room of One's Own," 2661-95
3 Lawrence, 2738-40
"Odour of Chrysanthemums," 2748-61
5 Orwell, 2835-36
"Politics and the English Language," 2836-44
"Shooting an Elephant," 2844-48
8 Thomas, 2849-50
"The Force that Through the Green Fuse," 2850-51
"Fern Hill," 2851-52
"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," 2853-54 
10 Final Exam Review
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