| LIT 354 – 01 1 course unit Term: Fall 2023 Time: 2-3:20pm TF Room: Bliss Annex 228 |
Prof. G. Steinberg Office: Bliss Hall 216 Office Phone: 771-2106 Office Hours: 2-3:20pm MR or by appointment E-mail : gsteinbe@tcnj.edu |
TEXTBOOKS:
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- Four Romances of England, ed. Ronald B. Herzman, Graham Drake, and Eve Salisbury (1999), ISBN 9781580440172
- Four Middle English Romances, ed. Harriet Hudson, 2nd ed. (2006), ISBN 9781580441117
- The Middle English Breton Lays, ed. Anne Laskaya and Eve Salisbury (1995), ISBN 9781879288621
- King Arthur’s Death, ed. Larry D. Benson, rev. Edward E. Foster (1994), ISBN 9781879288386
- Sir Gawain, ed. Thomas Hahn (1995), ISBN 9781879288591
- King of Tars, ed. John H. Chandler (2015), ISBN 9781580442046
- the TEAMS web site: http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text-online (glossed, online texts of various works of Middle English literature for free, including all our textbooks above)
- the Middle English Compendium: http://library.pages.tcnj.edu/search-tools/databases-a-z/middle-english-compendium/ (complete information from the Middle English Dictionary and capability for searches for particular words within a number of Middle English texts)
- Middle English glossaries of common words (available under “Files” in Canvas)
COURSE DESCRIPTION. The official catalogue description of the course is available in PAWS.
People often think of the Middle Ages as a very homogeneous time period – controlled by the monolithic Catholic Church, enjoying no social mobility, ruled by arbitrary, all-powerful monarchs. In fact, medieval English culture was very diverse. This course is your chance to meet the wild and crazy, complex, conflicted culture that is medieval England. Knights and ladies, monks and friars, peasants and merchants – they’re not really what you expect, but they’re definitely entertaining (at least as funny and outlandish as Monty Python and the Holy Grail). We begin the semester by looking closely at one genre (romance) in order to examine the diversity of ways in which medieval English people of various stripes conceived of and used that genre, and then groups of students will choose other genres, authors, or traditions in order to select representative readings for their classmates (and explore the diversity of medieval English culture further). Readings will all be in the original Middle English (but you quickly get used to it – even start dreaming in it sometimes).
When the College went through a curriculum revision several years ago, the vast majority of undergraduate courses were “transformed” from 3-credit to 4-credit (1-unit) learning experiences. While most of the classes continued to meet for only 3 academic hours per week, it was understood that the “transformed” courses offered a depth of learning with additional learning tasks unfolding in the equivalent of a fourth hour, including, sometimes, an actual additional hour of class interaction. As the equivalent of the fourth hour in this course,
F) students are assigned additional learning tasks that make the semester’s learning experience more deeply engaged and rigorous, and no other additional classroom space is needed.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTATIONS. The principal learning activities in this course are reading, writing, and discussion. The readings that I have chosen to assign to you are the foundation of your learning. If you do not do the readings, you miss out on that foundation, so keeping up with the readings is absolutely essential. Upon the foundation of the readings, you build by writing response papers, which are more about writing-to-learn than writing-as-assessment. Response papers are a safe, low-stress space for you to try out ideas, increase your understanding of texts and concepts, and improve your retention of what you’re learning. By writing, you reinforce and expand the learning that you’re gaining from your reading.
Building on your reading and writing, discussion is also very important for your learning in this class. In general, my approach to class discussion is to begin by posing a question or problem, then to have us brainstorm lots of ideas together in response to the opening question/problem, then to move to evaluating the ideas that we’ve brainstormed, and finally to come to a consensus, as a class, about the best answers/solutions to the opening question/problem. Your input to the discussion is absolutely critical. Even though I’ve taught the readings in this class many, many times, no two classes have ever had exactly the same discussion about them. Different classes come up with different ideas, different solutions, different answers. As the professor, I’m not looking for one idea or one solution or one answer in particular. I want us to think things through together – to throw out as many ideas as possible, to test and evaluate those ideas against the evidence of the text in front of us, and to draw the best conclusions that we can. We all learn so much by working together in a free and open discussion to answer a question or solve a problem. I learn so much from your fresh perspectives, and you learn so much from each other. But this means that our class discussions always depend on your preparedness (how thoroughly and thoughtfully you’ve done the readings and written your response papers) and on your participation (how willing you are to take risks, brainstorm, and share your ideas – even when they’re only half-baked – with your classmates). I can’t make a good discussion happen. Only you all can do that. I can work to create a classroom space that feels safe and pose provocative questions for us to discuss, but a good discussion – along with the incredible learning that comes from a good discussion – only happens if you all come to class prepared and ready to join in.
GOALS. In this course, you will learn
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- to grow ever more responsible for and independent in your own learning,
- to analyze how creative texts, artworks, or performances reflect, shape, exalt, or challenge the values of a culture,
- to recognize and interpret a sampling of the texts of Middle English literature,
- to be more aware of, question, and enrich your basic assumptions about language, culture, and literature,
- to enjoy the richness, vitality, and strangeness of Middle English literature, as well as of medieval English society and culture,
- to master the challenges of – and develop a healthy appreciation for – Middle English,
- to recognize, respect, and understand language diversity better, and
- to demonstrate greater facility with critical practices in the field of English.
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Also, the following goals for the School of Humanities & Social Sciences apply in this course:
#1 Written Communication
#5 Critical Analysis and Reasoning: Ability to critique the arguments of others in the discipline and the construction of one’s own arguments in the discipline, using data/evidence are a focus of instruction and/or the ability to analyze linguistic and cultural patterns
#7 Interpret Language and Symbol
#8 Intercultural Competence: The development of understanding of other cultures and/or subcultures (practices, perspectives, behavior patterns, etc.)
#12 Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with a range of critical, generic, and literary traditions (including recent theoretical approaches) that shape – and are shaped by – literary discourses and texts of particular periods or movements
#14 Students will be able to identify historically specific elements relevant to a particular text
#15 Students will be able to read a literary work and characterize its main aesthetic, structural, and rhetorical strategies in an argumentative, thesis-driven essay or in a writing workshop
REQUIREMENTS. For this course, you must complete the following graded assignments:
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- eight two-page response papers (together worth 20% of your final grade),
- a mid-term exam (15% of your final grade),
- PAPER 1 (15%),
- a group presentation in class (10%),
- PAPER 2 (20%), and
- a cumulative, comprehensive final exam (20%).
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Your final grade will be based on the following scale: A = 93%-100%, A- = 90%-92%, B+ = 87%-89%, B = 83%-86%, B- = 80%-82%, C+ = 77%-79%, C = 73%-76%, C- = 70%-72%, D+ = 67%-69%, D = 60%-66%, and F = below 60%. This scale is absolute. Because the response papers are in a sense a form of extra credit built into this course from the start, I do not give extra credit at the end of the semester to help students raise their grade even a whisker. So, even if, at the end of the semester, you are just .0001 points away from an A-, your final grade will be a B+.
RESPONSE PAPERS. In the course of the term, you are required to submit eight short, informal papers (about 2 pages each) on the readings for class. You may choose for which days you want to write a response paper, as long as you have completed eight response papers by the end of the term. For each response paper, choose one of the following topics and analyze the reading assignment for the day with respect to the topic you’ve chosen:
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- Values. What are the fundamental values of the text? Does the text value hard work, honesty, wealth, breeding, family, loyalty, physical prowess, beauty, love, intelligence, humility, learning, action, duty, honor, discipline, individual freedom, and/or community? How and where do the characters manifest such values? How and where are they rewarded for following good values (or punished for following bad)? How does the text define such values as duty, honor, love, family, and loyalty – terms that can mean many different things to different people? How do the text’s values relate to those of previous reading assignments in class?
- Gender. How are men and women portrayed in the text? What seems to be the attitude of the author toward men and women? What are the characteristics of a good man in the text? a good woman? a bad man? a bad woman? What does the text imply or say about what roles are appropriate for each gender? What kinds of behaviors seem to be portrayed as natural for men and women? What kinds of behaviors seem to be portrayed as proper for them? How does the text’s treatment of gender relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
- Religion. How are religion and religious ideas portrayed in the text? How Christian is the work really in outlook, doctrine, and/or symbolism? Does the text use Christian images? Does it allude to Christian stories? Does it espouse Christian values (with or without specifically Christian images and stories)? Does it reflect on or mention Christian doctrine? How is organized religion portrayed? How are Church figures (such as friars, monks, priests, and nuns) portrayed? Is the text critical of the Church? Is it critical of Christianity as an idea? How does the text’s portrayal of religion relate to that of previous reading assignments in class? Click here for a list of some of the most important types of Church figures in medieval England and some brief generalizations about them.
- Social Class. How are members of different social classes portrayed in the text? What seems to be the attitude of the author toward the king and royal court, the nobility, peasants, townspeople, the guilds, merchants, lawyers, clerks, and professionals? Does the author use, endorse, or undermine the stereotypes about particular social classes? Does the author seem to identify with any particular social class or with the values of a particular class? How does the text’s portrayal of social class relate to that of previous reading assignments in class? Click here for a list of some of the most important social classes in medieval England and some brief generalizations about them.
- World View. What kind of fictive world does the text portray? What are the fundamental elements or principles of the text’s world? Is the world a benevolent place or a dark, dangerous hell-hole without hope? How does the text portray humanity? What are the fundamental nature and characteristics of humanity in the text’s world? Does the text seem to view/portray the world and humanity in a basically positive or a basically negative light? How does the text’s portrayal of the world and humanity relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
- Form. (NOTE: You may only write on this topic when the reading assignment is poetry.) What kind of poetry is involved? Does it rhyme and/or have stanzas (an imported Continental innovation)? Does it alliterate (a native English tradition)? Does it use both rhyme/stanzas and alliteration? Does it use neither? How long are the poetic lines roughly (i.e., number of syllables or metric feet)? Does the author use what we recognize as typical poetic techniques (e.g., metaphor, imagery, symbolism, syntactic inversion, rhythm, poetic diction, enjambment)? How does the form relate to the form of previous reading assignments in class?
- Language. What are the distinctive features of the language of the text? Do not simply point to various random oddities in spelling or vocabulary. Generalize about what patterns of features characterize the text’s language. Are there particular words that are foreign to you but that recur frequently in the text? Are there unusual grammatical forms that recur frequently (e.g., -and for -ing)? Are there unusual spellings that recur frequently (perhaps suggesting patterns in pronunciation)? What are the main elements that seem to characterize the dialect of the text? How does the language of the text relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
- Narrative. What is the organizing principle or shape of the narrative? Don’t simply summarize what happens in the story. Tell me what seems to be the overall arc of the story’s organization. How do the sections/divisions of the story relate to one another and to an overarching narrative principle? What patterns are apparent? Does the main story have a frame of some sort around it or an introduction that sets up the major themes and images of the story? Are the sections of the story symmetrical, patterned, contrasting, episodic, uncoordinated, random? Are there any subplots? Is there a cyclical pattern to the narrative? Is there a climactic moment? How does the narrative of today’s reading assignment relate to that of previous reading assignments in class?
- Nature. How is the natural world portrayed in the text? Is nature awe-inspiring, threatening, restorative, dangerous, innocent, primitive, violent? How does the text portray the relationship between humans and the natural world? Are humans part of the natural world or removed from it? Do humans corrupt and destroy the natural world when they enter it? How do humans use or steward the resources of the natural world – thoughtfully, carelessly, sustainably, exploitatively? Does nature need protection from humans? Do humans need protection from nature? How does the portrayal of the natural world in today’s reading assignment relate to that in previous reading assignments in class?
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Please note that, when you do a response paper, you are writing about the reading assigned for the day on which you’re submitting the paper. So, you’re writing about the reading before we discuss it in class and submitting the paper before the class meeting for which that reading is assigned. You can’t submit a response paper about a past day’s reading assignment. You should submit each response paper by “sharing” it with me as a Google Doc before class on the reading’s assigned day. Be sure to grant me “editing” or “suggesting” status when you share the Google Doc with me (so that I can comment directly on the paper).
The purpose of the response papers is
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- to help you in your preparation for class discussion,
- to allow you to try out new and different ideas in a safe, low-stress space,
- to help me see where you’re struggling with the readings and concepts in class,
- to help you reinforce and expand on what you’re learning in class,
- to help you explore the relationships among the Middle English texts that we’re reading,
- to practice literary and linguistic analysis on Middle English texts, and
- to help you develop your intellectual independence and your confidence as a reader of Middle English.
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Response papers are graded Pass/Fail, so they need not be a perfect, polished product. Rather, response papers should be just what their name says – a response. Think about one of the topics that I have asked you to consider; then write a response. Don’t worry about typos or comma splices or organization. Don’t worry about answering every question I ask under a particular topic. In fact, focus on the one question that seems most interesting to you, and be as specific as you can, getting down as much as you can, as quickly as you can. Treat response papers more like a journal entry than like a formal paper. I don’t want a five-paragraph theme. Rather, I want an exploration – as detailed and specific as possible – of the reading assignment for the day. But don’t focus too narrowly on just one scene or passage from the reading assignment. Try to generalize about the reading and then look at specific examples from all over to support your generalization.
Normally, as long as you submit a response paper of suitable length, detail, and thoughtfulness (and as long as you submit it before class on the assigned day), you will receive all the points that the response paper is worth. You may submit more than eight response papers in the course of the semester (to make up for any response papers that do not pass), but no matter how many extra response papers you turn in, you will not receive credit for more than eight total. You may not submit more than one response paper on a single day’s reading assignment, nor may you submit a response paper for a day that you are absent from class. But you may submit more than one response paper on the same text if there are multiple reading assignments from that text spread over multiple days in the course outline below. The response papers should be on the different reading assignments for each of the days. (NOTE: Even if you do not submit a response paper on a particular day, you should still come to class prepared to discuss the response paper topics in relation to the reading assignment, since we will focus on these topics in our in-class discussions all semester; in other words, the response paper topics above are a great guide for your class prep every day.)
PAPER 1. Choose Sir Eglamour of Artois (c. 1350) or the Erle of Toulous (c. 1350). How does the tale that you’ve chosen compare to the romances that we have read in class? Choose one romance from before the midterm exam with which to compare Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous, and choose one aspect (e.g., world view, values, gender, religion, narrative, or social class) as a basis of comparison. Write a paper of 4-6 pages in which you argue a clear, specific thesis about how Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous relates to the romance tradition as represented by the romance from class that you have chosen for comparison. In what one way is Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous typical or atypical of the Middle English romance tradition with respect to world view, values, gender, religion, narrative, or social class? Note: You need not use outside sources for this paper (that is, sources other than the texts of Sir Eglamour of Artois or the Erle of Toulous and a romance from class); in fact, I would encourage you not to use outside sources (because I’d rather hear what you think than what some published scholar thinks), but if you do use any outside sources, you must cite them appropriately (including a “Works Cited” page and all). If the only texts that you use in your paper are the romances that are your focus, you need not include a “Works Cited” page. Hint: When writing a comparative paper, talking about the similarities between similar texts or the differences between different ones isn’t very interesting; it’s much, much more interesting to talk about the similarities between very different texts or the differences between very similar ones.
Your paper will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
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- Does the paper have a clear and specific thesis? Does the thesis offer an interesting perspective or “hook” that is provocative without being gimmicky or offensive? Does the paper highlight an interesting and illuminating feature of the texts discussed?
- Does the paper’s analysis progress logically, with a clear, consistent focus? Does the paper have a coherent overall organization that relates all the ideas of the paper together in support of the thesis (rather than simply providing a list of random observations without relation to one another or to the thesis)? Does the paper have appropriate transitions to aid the reader in seeing and following the logic of the paper (rather than weak transitions, such as “The first…,” “Another…,” and “Also…”)?
- Are the paper’s paragraphs properly developed – neither too long and wandering nor too short and deficient? Are the topics of the individual paragraphs suitably narrow and focused rather than vague and broad? Once a paragraph gets specific about anything, does it stay focused on that specific topic to the end?
- Does the paper provide relevant, concrete evidence (including brief quotations) and logically persuasive reasons for every assertion?
- Does the paper show sensitivity to the concrete historicity of the literary works under consideration (rather than treat them as timeless museum pieces or reflect on them anachronistically)?
- Does the paper exhibit confidence and insight when analyzing literary works or passages not discussed in class?
- Does the introduction to the paper offer an interesting, helpful preview of the content, logic, and organization of the paper?
- Is factual information in the paper accurate?
- Is the writing in the paper clear, effective, interesting, and appropriate to an academic setting?
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GROUP PRESENTATION. About halfway through the semester, you will sign up for a group presentation. I will assign each group to lead class discussion for one class meeting in the last few weeks of the semester (on a date chosen by me). I will also assign each group, as the topic of their presentation, a literary genre, work, or author from the Middle Ages (e.g., Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, the Pearl-poet, The Cloud of Unknowing, Margery Kempe, mysticism, Piers Plowman, love lyrics, dream visions, or saints’ lives). Using the TEAMS web site at http://d.lib.rochester.edu/teams/text-online and other sources (e.g., the library’s holdings on medieval English literature), the groups will research and read their assigned genre/work/author, deciding which text(s) seem most important for their classmates to read. Based on their research and reading, the groups will assign one or more readings to their classmates for the class meeting on which they will lead class discussion. They will send the assignment(s) to their classmates via Canvas at least one week before leading class. On the group’s assigned day, I recommend that the group spend around 15 minutes on background about their genre/work/author and spend the rest of class time facilitating substantive discussion with their classmates.
You may use appropriate technology or props to facilitate discussion, but note that I recommend that you not use a PowerPoint. As soon as you start a PowerPoint, everyone will focus on the PowerPoint slides rather than on a free and open discussion. Class discussion falters, and you just fill time with more and more slides. Instead of a PowerPoint, think about group work or an activity for the whole class that will help your classmates talk about the reading assignment. Come prepared to talk about two or three topics (perhaps based on the response paper topics), and don’t just skim the surface. Make your classmates delve deeply into the topic, talking it through thoroughly. Don’t pose a simple question, get one answer, and move on. Open with a complex question or problem, have your classmates brainstorm about it, and then evaluate the ideas that have been proposed.
Each person in the group will be graded individually according to the following criteria:
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- Did your group make logical, interesting choices in terms of the reading assignment for class?
- Did you yourself contribute meaningfully to the group’s leadership of discussion and to the activities in class?
- Did your group think creatively about how to engage classmates in discussion?
- Was the discussion substantive (rather than superficial)? Did you engage your classmates in a serious exploration of topics relevant to the reading(s)? Did you engage your classmates in a serious exploration of topics relevant to the course overall?
- Did you look closely and carefully at specific passages and concrete details (rather than simply generalize broadly or talk abstractly)?
- Did your group effectively integrate each individual group member’s contribution into a coherent overall presentation? Did the group share the overall organization of their presentation with their classmates at the start?
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PAPER 2. Your PAPER 2 is linked to your group presentation and is due in Canvas by 11:59pm on the day exactly two weeks after your group has led class discussion. For PAPER 2, choose one of the romances that we discussed in class this semester (although you may not write about any of the same texts for PAPER 2 as you did for PAPER 1). Write a paper of 4-6 pages in which you argue a clear, specific thesis about how your group’s reading assignment relates to the romance from class that you’ve chosen for comparison. You might consider choosing a romance from class that was written at roughly the same time as your group’s reading or a romance that exhibits similar values or a similar social agenda. Alternatively, you might choose a romance from class that is very different (in time, values, and/or social agenda) from your group’s reading assignment. Note: You need not use outside sources for this paper (that is, sources other than the texts of your group’s assignment and a romance from class); in fact, I would encourage you not to use outside sources (because I’d rather hear what you think than what some published scholar thinks), but if you do use any outside sources, you must cite them appropriately (including a “Works Cited” page and all). If the only texts that you use in your paper are the Middle English texts that are your focus, you need not include a “Works Cited” page. Hint: When writing a comparative paper, talking about the similarities between similar texts or the differences between different ones isn’t very interesting; it’s much, much more interesting to talk about the similarities between very different texts or the differences between very similar ones.
PAPER 2 will be evaluated according to the same criteria as PAPER 1.
EXAMS. The exams in this course are an assessment of how well you are learning, understanding, and retaining the material in class. One of the goals in this course is that you learn “to recognize and interpret a sampling of the texts of Middle English literature.” To assess your ability to do that, the exams include quotations from our course readings for you to identify and analyze, based on what we’ve learned and discussed in class. The quotations are usually ones that we discuss at length together, although some quotations may be less discussed in class but still central to the plot and themes of the work from which they come (and therefore reasonable passages for you to be able to identify). In addition, the exams assess your retention of important character names, settings, critical terms, and concepts by asking you to identify and describe them. Finally, the exams offer you the opportunity to draw together all the different strands of what you’ve been learning in class in an essay that asks you to look broadly at overarching themes and ideas.
LANGUAGES ACROSS THE CURRICULUM. A quarter unit (one credit) Languages Across the Curriculum independent study may be added to this course for students who have intermediate level proficiency in Latin, French, or German and who wish to complement the work in this course by utilizing their language skills. Students should complete an Enrollment Request Form (https://forms.gle/NCbYWWRVxfogTv5T7) to enroll in the LAC independent study by Tuesday, September 5. Please contact the LAC Director, Dr. Holly Didi-Ogren (holly.didi-ogren@tcnj.edu) with any questions.
PROFESSOR’S AVAILABILITY. My office is Bliss Hall 216. My in-person office hours this term are 2-3:30pm on Mondays and Thursdays. If you have questions about class (or just want to talk about stuff), feel free to stop by during these hours (no appointment necessary). I can also meet over Zoom if that’s more convenient for you. If you cannot come during my scheduled office hours, talk to me about meeting at another time, and we can set up an appointment. You may contact me by email (gsteinbe@tcnj.edu) or by calling my office phone (609-771-2106) and leaving a message (if I do not answer), but email is usually the best way to get in touch with me. You may also leave a written message for me in my box at the English Department offices in Bliss Hall 124.
ATTENDANCE. Regular attendance is a virtual necessity for successful completion of this class. Class discussion constitutes important, useful preparation for your graded work. If you miss a class, you will essentially lose out on that day’s contribution to your preparation, since it is never really possible to reproduce or recapture the dynamics and flow of information for a missed class meeting (even if you get notes from someone). If, however, you positively must miss a class, I expect you to find out what you missed and to come fully prepared – without excuses – to the next class meeting.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY. Academic dishonesty is any attempt by a student to gain academic advantage through dishonest means, to submit, as your own, work which has not been done by you or to give improper aid to another student in the completion of an assignment. Such dishonesty would include, but is not limited to, submitting as your own a project, paper, report, test, or speech copied from, partially copied, or paraphrased from the work of another (whether the source is AI-generated, printed, under copyright, or in manuscript form). Credit must always be given for words quoted or paraphrased. The rules apply to any academic dishonesty, whether the work is graded or ungraded, group or individual, written or oral.
ACCOMMODATIONS. The College of New Jersey prohibits discrimination against any student on the basis of physical or mental disability or perceived disability. The College will also provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to enable students with disabilities to participate in the life of the campus community. If you require special accommodations, I will make every reasonable effort to accommodate your needs and to create an environment where your special abilities are respected.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION. We are all enriched by greater diversity, and we all bring different perspectives to this class. I want to create a learning environment that supports diversity and honors your identities and perspectives (including your race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, mental and physical health, differing abilities, politics, etc.). If you go by a name and/or set of pronouns that differ from those that appear in your official records, please let me know. If you feel that your performance in class is being impacted by a hostile environment related to your identity outside of class, please don’t hesitate to talk to me. If something is said or posted in class (by anyone, including me) that makes you feel that your identity is being targeted, misunderstood, or disparaged, please talk to me about it. I will expect our whole class (including me) to strive always to honor every form of diversity.
SCREENS. I encourage you to use screens (laptops, phones, ipads) as little as possible in this class. In the last ten years, there has been a ton of research that shows that screens are bad for learning – that you are less likely to remember what happens in class if you take notes on an electronic device rather than with pen and paper, that you are less likely to comprehend and remember what you read if you read it on a screen rather than in a printed format, that you are more likely to be distracted and miss things in class if you use an electronic device during class time. I am not a Luddite (someone who despises all technology); I love my screens and use them a lot. But I have watched a lot of students over the last few years perform much worse in my classes than they could (or should) have performed, because they used screens for taking notes and reading. And my anecdotal experience with students over the years is nothing in comparison with the towering tsunami of research that shows just how bad screens are for students.
For that reason, while I do not forbid you to use screens in and for class (because you are adults, responsible for your own choices), I nevertheless encourage you – with every fiber of my being – to consider taking the “minimal screens” pledge below:
In order to maximize my learning in this class, I pledge
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- to take notes in class with pen and paper,
- to read assignments in print format if at all possible,
- to keep all electronic devices out of sight during class (unless needed for a reading assignment or to look up information requested by the professor), and
if I do use an electronic device during class time for any reason,
- to avoid the temptation to “multitask” by opening only the programs, websites, and apps that I specifically need for class.
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I can almost guarantee that you will do better in class – participate more, learn more, retain more – if you take this pledge and follow its guidelines than if you do not.
CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT AND COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SUCCESS, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING. The TCNJ community is dedicated to the success, safety, and well-being of each student. TCNJ strictly follows key policies that govern all TCNJ community members’ rights and responsibilities in and out of the classroom. In addition, TCNJ has established several student support offices that can provide the support and resources to help students achieve their personal and professional goals and to promote health and well-being. You can find more information about these policies and resources at the “TCNJ Student Support Resources and Classroom Policies” webpage here: https://academicaffairs.tcnj.edu/tcnj-syllabus-resources/.
Students who anticipate and/or experience barriers in this course are encouraged to contact the instructor as early in the semester as possible. The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) is available to facilitate the removal of barriers and to ensure reasonable accommodations. For more information about ARC, please visit: https://arc.tcnj.edu/.
COURSE SCHEDULE. This schedule is subject to revision at the discretion of the professor. Changes in the schedule made after the first day of class will be shown in red.
| Date | Assignment |
| T Aug 29 | Introductions |
| F Sep 1 | King Horn (c. 1225) |
| T Sep 5 | NO CLASS (Monday schedule instead) |
| F Sep 8 | Havelock the Dane (c. 1290), lines 1-1445 |
| T Sep 12 | Havelock the Dane (c. 1290), lines 1446-3001 |
| F Sep 15 | Sir Orfeo (c. 1300) and Sir Isumbras (c. 1320) |
| T Sep 19 | Bevis of Hampton (c. 1324), lines 1-1694 |
| F Sep 22 | Bevis of Hampton (c. 1324), lines 1695-3116 |
| T Sep 26 | Bevis of Hampton (c. 1324), lines 3117-4621 |
| F Sep 29 | Sir Degaré (c. 1330) |
| T Oct 3 | King of Tars (c. 1350) |
| F Oct 6 | Octavian (c. 1350) |
| T Oct 10 | NO CLASS (Fall Break) |
| F Oct 13 | MIDTERM EXAM |
| T Oct 17 | Stanzaic Morte Arthur (c. 1350), lines 1-1466 |
| F Oct 20 | Stanzaic Morte Arthur (c. 1350), lines 1467-2769 |
| T Oct 24 | Stanzaic Morte Arthur (c. 1350), lines 2770-3970 |
| R Oct 26 | Thesis for PAPER 1 due by email to gsteinbe@tcnj.edu by 11:59pm (if you would like feedback) |
| F Oct 27 | Emaré (c. 1380) and Sir Launfal (c. 1381) |
| T Oct 31 | Last day to withdraw from this class with a W Alliterative Morte Arthure (c. 1400), lines 1-1438 |
| R Nov 2 | PAPER 1 due in Canvas by 11:59pm |
| F Nov 3 | Alliterative Morte Arthure (c. 1400), lines 3176-4346 SIGNUP FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS |
| T Nov 7 | Sir Gawain and the Carle of Carlisle (c. 1400) and The Avowyng of Arthur (c. 1400) |
| F Nov 10 | Sir Cleges (c. 1425) and The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle (c. 1450) |
| T Nov 14 | The Awntyrs off Arthur (c. 1475) and Sir Gowther (c. 1480) |
| F Nov 17 | CONFERENCES for GROUPS 1 and 4 (no class) |
| T Nov 21 | CONFERENCES for GROUPS 2 and 3 (no class) |
| F Nov 24 | NO CLASS (Thanksgiving) |
| T Nov 28 | GROUP 1 PRESENTATION |
| F Dec 1 | GROUP 4 PRESENTATION |
| T Dec 5 | GROUP 2 PRESENTATION |
| F Dec 8 | GROUP 3 PRESENTATION |
| FINAL EXAM PERIOD | FINAL EXAM |