English 443: Literature of the Middle Ages

Course Information

• Days: Wednesday
• Time: 4:00 PM-6:45 PM
• Location: Jerome Richfield 304
• Course Number: 14812
• Office Hours: Sierra Tower 804, Monday 2:00-2:45, Wednesday 2:30-3:30
• Moodle Login Page

Textbooks

We will read selection of text from two anthologies: Four Romances of England and Four Middle English Romances. Both volumes are available online for free through Middle English Compendium (see the Resources tab); however, I highly recommend buying the paper volumes, as you will find them much easier to read.

All other assigned readings will be distributed through Moodle.

Always bring your texts to class. Really.

Although not an assigned textbook, Andrew Galloway, Medieval Literature and Culture (Bloomsbury Academic, 2007) provides crucial cultural background about the Middle Ages. I highly recommend purchasing this short introduction for students, especially if you are a graduate student hoping to study the Middle Ages more deeply.

Coursework and Grading

Your grade will consist of the following elements: preparation and participation (10%), “plogs” (20%), an annotated bibliography (10%), and 2 research essays (30%).

Attendance

Each week, I will take attendance for a randomly generated list of students. The information collected will be used in determining your grade for Preparation and Participation.

Preparation and Participation

Preparation and Participation will make up approximately 10% of your final grade according to my discretion. I will assign points based factors such as on-time attendance, classroom participation/disruption, bringing your textbook to class, and so on. For further information on factors that can influence your grade, see under Class Policies below.

“Plog Assignments”

Throughout the semester, I will provide short prompts on the assigned reading and/or previous class material which you will use to write short essays. Basically, you’ll be writing blog, but to avoid technical complications you won’t have to post them online. Instead, you’ll just record them on paper (hence “plog” = “paper log”). You will periodically post these on Moodle to show that you are keeping up with the work. These assignments will be worth 25% of your final grade.

Annotated Bibliography

As you will be writing a research essay for this class, the annotated bibliography will give you a head start. Details of the annotated bibliography assignment will be distributed in class.

Research Essays

This will be a traditional research essay of about 5-6 pages which will build on work you have done for your annotated bibliography. Further details will be provided on Moodle. Important criteria for grading can be found in the Grading section under Class Policies below.

Class Policies

By enrolling in this course you agree to be bound for the purposes of this class by the policies below, which serve as a formal legal agreement. You may reject these policies by dropping the class within the time allotted by the University.

Grading

Grades are A, B, C, D, or F and can receive a plus or minus. To receive a grade other than a WU, you must have completed more than half the coursework (no exceptions).

Since students in English courses are expected by society at large to be acquiring writing skills, I privilege grammar, spelling, and editing in my grading. Work containing distracting numbers of typos, spelling mistakes, or grammatical errors will be graded primarily on these criteria on a sliding scale which may supersede the percentages given in the Coursework and Grading section above. That is, the more distracting these factors are, the more they are worth (up to 100% of your grade). A rough guide to what is distracting is any sign that might give an employer pause when evaluating a job application.

Extra Credit

Although I may award extra credit for some non-required activities (such as attendance at guest lectures), I regret that I am unable to grade assignments beyond those required for class in order to award extra credit.

Preparation and Participation

Enrolling in this class requires a commitment to participate in a community of learners in which you agree to contribute to and not to detract from the learning environment. In order to receive full credit for participation, you must do the readings in advance, bring assigned textbooks to each class, be prepared to discuss the materials, and complete all assignments. You must also arrive to class on time and remain in the class room for the duration of the class period. For disruptive behaviour, I reserve the right to increase the proportion of your final grade allotted to participation, as I feel appropriate.

Inappropriate Use of Technology in Class

Ringing and/or vibrating cell phones in class disrupt my concentration and that of your fellow students, inevitably lowering the quality of the learning environment. If your cell phone goes off in class, I reserve the right to impose penalties to your grade or to ask you to leave the classroom, as I deem appropriate. If your cell phone disrupts my thought process as I am teaching, I may call a “class break” in order to recover from the distraction. It is in your interest to remember that you will have deprived your fellow classmates of this class time.

If you have a computer or smart phone in the classroom, it will be very tempting to check your e-mail, read Facebook, or generally surf the web for purposes unrelated to the class. Resist. If I catch you engaged in these activities, I reserve the right to impose penalties to your grade or ask you to leave the classroom, as I deem appropriate. Please be aware that this has the same effect on my teaching as cell phones and may also trigger the “class break” response.

Academic Honesty

It is extremely important that all aspects of your work are come by honourably. Efforts to gain an advantage not given to all students are dishonest and regarded as an extremely serious matter by the academic community. Consequences range from probation to expulsion. University policy stipulates that plagiarism, the submission of another person’s work as your own, is a violation of academic honesty, even if it arises out of ignorance or oversight, rather than deliberate cheating. Enrolling in this class means that you agree to abide by my decision regarding the appropriate action to take in cases of academic dishonesty. If you have any questions about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, please consult me.

Add/Drop Policy

Students should make sure that they follow the university’s add/drop deadlines, outlined in the Schedule of Classes. According to university policy, drops are only allowed after the set date when “a) there is a serious and compelling reason–specifically the student’s emotional or physical health or financial condition is clearly in jeopardy, and b) there is no viable alternative–including repeating the class”. Students will need to provide documentation on official letterhead–a letter, on official stationery, from a doctor or an employer–to support their reasons. No adds will be allowed unless a student can provide documented proof–e.g., a clerical error–for the reason for the tardiness. Please make sure to meet the deadline!

Withdrawals and Incompletes

The standard grade if a student fails to complete the work for a class is a “WU”. This is the equivalent of an “F”, but the grade may be changed if you re-take the course at a future time. This grade is also assigned to students who have not attended after the first few classes of the semester but have not officially “withdrawn” from the course.

I may assign an Incomplete (“I”) if and only if you meet all of the following conditions:

• You have completed the vast bulk of the work;
• You are passing the class;
• You fill out and bring to me a “Request for an Incomplete” form (also available from the English Department office), on which I detail exactly what is still needed for completion of the course.
• I can make no exceptions to this policy, even if it affects your financial aid.

Once you take an incomplete, you have a year from the date recorded on the form to complete the requirements of the course and have your grade changed; therefore, you should submit work early enough to allow me to grade your work and fill out the necessary forms to assign you a new grade.

Keep in mind that, after you take an Incomplete, any grading of your work becomes an added burden on my busy timetable during the following year. Therefore you should not expect the normal amount of comments on your work or any extra teaching beyond my normal office hours.

Note: This is a tentative schedule. Please check back regularly, as there may be adjustments based on our progress during the semester. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you have missed.

Date	Readings
31 Aug	Introduction and Background
7 Sept	Reading Middle English The South English Legendary Life of St Agatha (on Moodle)
14 Sep	King Horn, lines 1-760
21 Sep	King Horn, lines 761-1544 Supplementary reading from the South English Legendary Life of St Cuthbert
28 Sep	Class Cancellation
5 Oct	Havelok the Dane, lines 1-811 Supplementary readings from Geoffrey of Monmouth (pp. 190-193), Geffrei Gaimar (on Moodle), and Robert Mannyng (on Moodle)
12 Oct	Havelok the Dane, lines 812-1445
19 Oct	Havelok the Dane, lines 1446-1713 Supplementary reading from the South English Legendary Life of St Edmund of East Anglia (on Moodle)
26 Oct	Havelok the Dane, lines 1714-2619
2 Nov	Havelok the Dane, lines 2700-3001; The South English Legendary Life of St Eustace (on Moodle)
9 Nov	Sir Isumbras; Octavian, lines 1-886
16 Nov	Octavian, lines 887-1848
23 Nov	Day before Thanksgiving — class plan to be determined based on progress
30 Nov	Athelston
7 Dec	The Alliterative Revival

Manuscript Images

1. Images of Oxford, Bodleian Library, Laud Misc. 108
2. Some images of London, British Library, Cotton Nero A ix (Ancrene Wisse)
3. Christina of Markyate interceding for the monks from the St Albans Psalter

Dictionaries

1. The Middle English Dictionary
2. The Oxford English Dictionary (requires CSUN login)

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