ENGL 252: Survey of English Literature II: Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century British Literature

Welcome

Welcome to the self-paced online version of English 252, which focuses on one of the most remarkable literary periods in the history of British literature. Although we cannot sit down face to face to discuss and argue and wonder at the works we will be discussing, a major advantage of this self-paced, online course is that you will not have to rush through these important literary periods as though being chased by angry hounds. In addition, the technologies of chat room and electronic discussion allow us to discuss the works in an electronic environment, exchanging ideas if not in real time, then very quickly indeed. This online version of ENGL 252 closely resembles the version I teach in the classroom at Western Carolina University. I am excited about teaching in this electronic environment, and I look forward to the challenges and the rewards of such a new and potentially important way of teaching and learning. What follows is a syllabus of policies and assignments. If you have any questions about the course, just let me know.

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Course Overview

I have divided the course into three units covering three literary periods: The Romantic Revolution, The Age of Victoria, and The Post-Victorian Wasteland. In each of these major units, we will treat each author as a mini-unit or section, so do not be overwhelmed by the amount of material you will read for the entire course. Some sections will take longer than others, depending on the length and number of works assigned. Thus, for example, although you may be able to complete the William Blake section in a couple of days, William Wordsworth might take more time. Overall, as in my traditional classroom version of English 252, each of the three major units should take you from four to six weeks to complete.

My main goal in teaching this course has always been to have my students engage with and consider deeply the poems and ideas of the selected literary artists. For each artist, I have provided a short introduction to point you in the right direction, followed by a reading assignment. Read the works carefully. I encourage you to contact me should the material seem confusing, or if you have any questions. In addition to e-mail, I will be available in an online chat room each week—virtual office hours if you will—so we can have an even more direct conversation. Although I do not require you to participate in these virtual office hours sessions, I think you should. First, because it will be easier for me to help you understand the material, and second, it will be interesting, and perhaps even fun!

After finishing the readings for each author, you will post a written response on our discussion forum. On the forum, you will find other student responses, which may help you in formulating your own response. Once you have posted, I will respond to you, and our electronic exchange will serve as a parallel to the conversation of the traditional classroom. By responding thoughtfully in the discussion forum, through e-mail correspondence, and by attending virtual office hours, you will demonstrate that you are “participating in the class,” albeit at your own, self-directed pace.

When we decide together that it is time for you to move on to the next author, I'll give you the go-ahead to proceed.

After completing each major unit, you will take an open-book exam made up of a combination of essay and identification questions. These unit exams are intended to let me know that you are keeping up with the reading and engaging with the material. Most important, they will help you to prepare for the final exam. At the end of the course you are required to sit for a supervised final exam in an institutional setting. The final exam will be closed-book and comprehensive. The questions, particularly the identification of quotations, will accurately gauge how carefully you have read and engaged with the material.

In addition to the reading responses and the exams, you will write two short, critical analyses (it is an English course, after all!). I discuss all assignments at greater length below. Again, if you have any questions about the course or the assignments, please ask!

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Texts

The required text for the course is

Greenblatt, Stephen, gen. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 2006.

Your formal essays will be written in MLA style, so I strongly recommend the following, especially if you are an English major:

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA, 2003.

Both can be obtained from the Higher Grounds bookstore at the Friday Center in person, by ordering online, or by printing and mailing the book order form.

If this will be your only course requiring MLA style, you may be able to get by with the short tutorial Citing Information: MLA Style provided by UNC Libraries.

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Assignments

Discussion Forum

For each of the nineteen authors we cover, you will post a response (minimum 150 words; no maximum) to an electronic discussion forum. I will respond to your response, and in this way we will be able to discuss the author's work. Other students' postings will be available for you to read, which will allow us to cover a wide range of issues and problems.

Our discussion forums are on Blackboard. See Course Mechanics for details on using Blackboard.

Formal Essays

You will write two four- to six-page critical analyses. Both essays must be written on poems in the Norton Anthology. They do not have to be on poems I have assigned—for the sake of your own sanity, select a poem in which you are truly interested. Each essay must have a clearly defined and supported argument that explores some specific aspect of the text. You might discuss tone, imagery, language, symbolism, or any other thematic issue. The most difficult part of writing a paper can be selecting a good topic, which is why I require you to choose. Before you begin writing, you must e-mail me about your topic and your basic argument so I can assist you in refining and shaping both.

You should use two or three outside sources to support your argument. In this way you can demonstrate that you are participating in the critical conversation that surrounds the poem in question. Remember that “support” does not necessarily mean that you agree with a critic. A successful essay will feature a well-argued and focused analysis that is organized in a logical fashion, free of grammatical errors, and presented in MLA style (see the Gibaldi handbook).

Your formal essays will be submitted to me as e-mail attachments. The first essay must be turned in before you take the Unit II exam (The Age of Victoria), and the second essay must be turned in before you take the final exam. I will be happy to discuss topics and to help you formulate your argument at any time, either by e-mail or by phone—or even in person if you are in the Cullowhee area.

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Exams

Unit Exams

You will take a unit exam after you have completed each of the three major units. There is a study guide for each unit exam, and you should take a look at the study guide before you begin each unit to guide your reading. The open-book unit exams consist of essay questions and quotation identifications. When you are ready to take a unit exam, notify me. I will send you the exam via e-mail, and you will have twenty-four hours to send your responses back to me.

Final Exam

The final exam is cumulative and similar in form to the unit exams, but you will be required to take it in a supervised, institutional setting, and it will be closed-book. The material for the final exam is taken from the study guides and actual exams for each unit. Like the unit exams, there will be essay questions and quotation identifications, but on the final you will additionally write a short paragraph that places four or five of the quotations in the thematic or narrative context of the work in which they appear. There is a study guide for the final exam.

You must pass the final exam in order to pass the course.

You will need to schedule your final exam through the Self-Paced Courses office at least two weeks before you wish to take the exam.

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Grading

Your course grade is based on the following:

Percentage points are equal to the number of points that each assignment is worth. Thus, there are a possible 100 points for the course. Tenths of a point can be earned for some assignment responses.

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Honor Code

All work done in relation to this course is bound by the Honor Code. It is essential that you adhere to the principles outlined in the Honor Code at all times. All work that you reference must be cited in MLA format.

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Course Mechanics

Blackboard

Some of your class components (discussion forums, office hours chat room) are accessed through software called Blackboard, and you will need to log in to Blackboard using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen (Only Name You'll Ever Need) and Onyen password.

There is a link to the Blackboard site in the gray navigation bar at the top of every page in this course. Click on that link, and then use your Onyen to log in to Blackboard. Click on the ENGL 252 link, and you will see navigation buttons on the left side of the screen labeled Announcements, Discussion Forum, and so on.

If you experience problems accessing Blackboard, this is what you should do:

• If you do not already have a UNC Onyen, go to the Onyen Web site and follow the instructions for creating an Onyen.
• If you have an Onyen but have forgotten it (or the password), go to the Onyen Web site.
• If you have your Onyen but can't log in to Blackboard, contact Janice Durham at the Friday Center.
• If you can log in to Blackboard but can't find this course listed, contact Janice Durham at the Friday Center.
• If you can't locate a discussion forum in Blackboard, or if you are confused about how to post a response, contact the Instructional Designer.
• If you have other technical problems while using Blackboard, contact Blackboard Help (use the Help button in Blackboard, or call 919-962-HELP).

Library Services and E-reserves

Students enrolled in Self-paced Courses can access online library resources from the UNC-Chapel Hill Library System by linking to Library Services for Distance Education Students. This site includes information on using general online reference works as well as accessing e-reserves and e-journals. When you click on a restricted library resource, you may be prompted to enter your UNC-Chapel Hill PID (personal identification number). You can look up your PID using the Online PID Inquiry page. If you are unable to access the library's licensed resources, please contact the proxy team for further assistance.

E-mail

We recommend that you use your UNC e-mail address (the one usually ending in “@email.unc.edu”) for this course so that you will receive notices about Onyen password expiration dates and Blackboard outages. Off-campus users can access their UNC e-mail using Webmail. If you prefer to use a different mailbox, you can easily have your UNC e-mail forwarded to that address by clicking “Forward e-mail” at the Onyen Web site.

If you use a filter on your e-mail account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from me, the course listserv, or Friday Center staff. Hotmail users should be aware that Hotmail will block messages sent from within Blackboard because Blackboard uses “blind carbon copy” to protect privacy. We recommend that you use your UNC Onyen e-mail account rather than forwarding to Hotmail for this course.

Submitting Assignments

Submit each of your essays and unit exams as an attachment to an e-mail message to both your instructor and the Self-paced Courses office. Click the Submit Assignment link provided on each unit page. This will bring up an e-mail with the addressed already entered and the subject line already filled in. Add your name to the end of the subject line (example: SPC ENGL 252 submission 1 Steve Smith).

It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send via e-mail. If your instructor doesn't receive your message, you must have a copy of the e-mail with the attached file, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent e-mails as well as the attached files, as there is no way to guarantee that any e-mail message will be delivered.

Please check your e-mail software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your e-mailed assignment at the same time you send it to your instructor, or you may need to print a copy of the e-mail message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know how to save a copy of all work that you submit to your instructor and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.

Other Questions

Contact your instructor with questions regarding the content of the course and your progress. (There is an “Instructor's e-mail” link at the top of every lesson page.) Please include “SPC ENGL 252” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center about problems with this Web site, including bad links.

If you have any logistical questions as you work through the course (enrollment, Onyen, credits, withdrawal, and so on), contact the Student Services staff at the Friday Center for Continuing Education (phone 919-962-1134 or 800-862-5669).

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How to Begin

The course schedule is up to you. You can complete the course in as few as twelve weeks or take as long as nine months. The important thing is to get a good start, then maintain your momentum.

Since this course is not held in a classroom, I will probably never meet you in person. Still, I would like to know something about you so that I can associate each e-mail message from you with something more than a screen name. Therefore, your first task is to send me a Personal Information Sheet: Save this Word Document to your hard drive (or copy and paste from this Web page into your word processing program), fill it out, and attach it to an e-mail to me. This also gives us a chance to make sure our lines of communication are working.

Each unit begins with an introduction to the period. Start by clicking the link below for Unit I: The Romantic Revolution.

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Course Outline

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Unit I