British Literature 109A: The Eighteenth-Century English Novel
http://ic.ucsc.edu/~coffman/ltbr109a
Cowell Clrm 131
TTh 8-9:45
Fall 2001
Professor Chris Coffman
Office:
Cowell 217
Office Hours:
M 1:30—2:30
T Th 10-11
Office Phone:
831-459-
Message Phone: 831-459-2609
Course Description:
This
course examines the “rise” of the English novel from the end of the
seventeenth century through the eighteenth century. What is the novel, and how is it distinct from other
genres? Out of what literary and
historical conditions did it emerge?
What
cultural “work” is done by narrative generally, and the novel
specifically? What interests are
served by different forms of narrative?
By different accounts of “the history of the novel”? How do factors such as race, gender,
and social class open up—or close down—narrative
possibilities? How are individual
psyches and social spheres fashioned through travel? Heterosexual romance?
Same-sex bonding?
In
class, we will spend a substantial amount of time closely examining individual
passages from the assigned texts, while also setting them in their larger textual
and cultural contexts. In your
papers, which do not require outside research, I similarly expect you to use
textual detail to support a larger argument.
Course
Policies:
Reading:
This
course requires substantial reading—approximately 100 pages per
class. Ideally, I would like you
to finish each text by the class we begin to discuss it. At minimum, please complete the pages I
have assigned in the syllabus. If
an emergency prevents you from completing the reading for a given class, please
attend anyway and catch up as soon as possible.
Attendance:
Prompt
attendance at each class is required. If you must miss class, please inform
me as soon as possible and contact a classmate to find out what you
missed. (Illness, personal or
family emergencies, and religious holidays are examples of excusable reasons
for absence; “I
overslept,” “I had to study for my calculus midterm,” and
“I’m leaving early for the weekend” are examples of
unacceptable reasons.)
You
are allowed two (2) unexcused absences, after which point absenteeism will be
noted in your narrative evaluation and, if you are receiving a grade, one half
grade level per excess absence will be deducted from Attendance and
Participation (A&P). Frequent
and unexplained tardiness will also be noted in your narrative evaluation and
also may lower the A&P portion of your grade.
Evaluation
and Grading:
25%
Paper 1 (5-6 pp., on Oroonoko or Gulliver’s
Travels)
25%
Paper 2 (5-6 pp., on Moll Flanders
or Pamela)
35%
Take-home final examination (cumulative).
You may elect to submit a 6-8 pp. paper in lieu of the final
examination, so long as you clear your topic with me a week in advance and do
not write on either of the texts you discussed in your earlier papers.
15%
Attendance and Participation
You
will need to submit Papers 1 and 2 both electronically to Turnitin.com and on
paper to me in class. As the due date for your first paper approaches, I
will be distributing instructions for uploading your papers to Turnitin.com.
Both
the electronic and hard copies of your papers must be typed in a font no larger
than Times 12 and doublespaced, with pages numbered, margins no larger than one
inch, and your name, LTBR 109A, the assignment number, and the date listed at
the top on the first page. The
hard copy must be stapled (before class—I do not carry a stapler). Late papers will not be accepted
without my prior approval. Under no circumstances may the
final examination (or final paper) be handed in later than 11 AM on December 5.
I
will distribute topics for the papers in advance. You are also permitted to request approval for a topic of
your own design by presenting it to me in writing. However, I must approve your topic in writing or by e-mail
at least one class session in advance of the due date. Under no circumstances will I accept
changes of topic any later than the class period before the due date, or a
paper whose topic I have not approved.
To
prevent the stress of last-minute computer or printer problems, I suggest that
you not wait until the last minute to print your essays and upload them to
Turnitin.com. Also, bear in mind
that the software installed on campus computers may differ from your own, and
may change the format of your essay:
you may need time to make adjustments before printing. You are also responsible for keeping a
copy of each paper you turn in: I
am not responsible for lost papers.
Plagiarism:
While
most people know that submitting papers written entirely by others constitutes
plagiarism, many often do not understand that it also includes using
others’ ideas and turns of phrase without appropriate documentation. This includes the cutting and
pasting of materials from the Internet!
Plagiarism
also includes “illegitimate collaboration.” One form of “illegitimate
collaboration” is asking or hiring someone to rewrite drafts of your
work. If someone has read over
your paper and given general advice about structure and grammar, but you have made the revisions, you do not need to credit
them; this is “legitimate
collaboration.” However, if
discussions with others (roommates, friends, family members, etc.) help you to
develop your ideas for your work—to form your paper’s content--you
need to give them credit. This may
take the form of a note at the end of the paper that thanks specific
individuals for general assistance, or a footnote at a specific point in the
paper at which your friend’s assistance was valuable. You should not hesitate to give credit
where it is due: it is common
practice for scholars to credit those on whose ideas they build.
Whether
deliberate or unintended, plagiarism in any form diminishes the quality of your
education and is a serious violation of academic integrity. It is your responsibility as a student
to understand and avoid plagiarism, and my role as a university professor to
help you understand. To that end,
I have provided links on this course’s website to several excellent
discussions of different forms of plagiarism. Please review the online materials and feel free to approach
me with any questions about them or your own work.
Cell
phones, etc.:
Please
turn off all cell phones, pagers, and other noisy devices before the beginning
of class. If your device makes
noise during class, you will be asked to leave for the remainder of the period
and will be considered absent.
Computers:
You
will need to have Internet access and a personal e-mail account for this
course, and should check e-mail daily:
I will be providing course materials online via e-mail and the course
website, http://ic.ucsc.edu/~coffman/ltbr109a. I have attached a list of computing
facilities that are available for your use. If you need to establish an e-mail account or UCSC internet
access, please go to http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/students/index.shtml
and follow the links provided to establish a CATS account. If you experience problems reading
messages I have sent to your UCSC address, please let me know. However, I am not a techie; you also should seek help from
CATS.
I
design materials to open with a UCSC account, so be aware that if you choose to
use another provider, you may experience problems. In particular, those using a non-UCSC provider will need to
use UCSC’s proxy server to access library materials linked from my
site; see http://library.ucsc.edu/access/proxy/
for more information. Please speak
to CATS, not me, about any problems with non-UCSC accounts.
Students
with Disabilities:
If
you have a disability and will be requesting accommodations, please let me know
as soon as possible. Also, please
contact the Disability Resource Center
by calling 9-2089 or e-mailing drc@cats.ucsc.edu.
Course Materials and
Organization:
All texts with the exception
of Shamela are available on campus
at Bay Tree Books. Shamela will be available on reserve at McHenry library.
Th 9/20: Introduction
T 9/25: Aphra
Behn, Oroonoko, 1688 (Norton).
Th 9/27: Behn,
cont.
T 10/2: Jonathan
Swift, Gulliver's Travels, 1726
(Penguin), pp. 37-117.
Th 10/4: Swift,
pp. 119-191.
T 10/9: Swift,
pp. 193-263.
**Paper
Topics available**
Th 10/11: Swift,
pp. 265-346.
T 10/16: Daniel
Defoe, Moll Flanders, 1722
(Oxford), pp. 1-104 (Including the Preface).
Th 10/18: Defoe,
pp. 105-224.
Paper #1 due (5-6 pp.)
T 10/23: Defoe,
pp. 225-343.
Th 10/25: Samuel
Richardson, Pamela, 1740
(Penguin), pp. 7-99
T 10/30: Richardson,
pp. 99-184
Th 11/1: Richardson,
pp.184-278
T 11/6: Richardson,
pp. 278-380
**Paper
Topics Available**
Th 11/8: Richardson,
pp. 380-516
T 11/13: Fielding,
Shamela, 1741 (Oxford, on reserve
at McHenry Library)
Th 11/15: Sterne,
A Sentimental Journey, 1768
(Oxford), pp. 1-63
Paper Two due (5-6 pp.)
T 11/20: Sterne,
pp. 64-125
Th 11/22: No
class—Happy Thanksgiving!
T 11/27: Walpole,
The Castle of Otranto, 1764
(Oxford)
Th 11/29: Last
day of class
W 12/5: Take-home
final or final paper due at Cowell 217, 11 AM