Term: Fall, 2005		Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
Class meetings: TR 12-2 and 2-4, Rm. 10-126		http://www.calpoly.edu/~dschwart
Office: 47-35G, tel. 756-2636		Main English Office:  756-2597
Office Hours: M 5-7, T 4-5, W 3-4, R 11-12, and by appt.		e-mail: dschwart@calpoly.edu

Click on links on course calendar to obtain study guides for individual texts.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO READ ASSIGNMENTS WITHOUT READING THE STUDY GUIDES!!  Study guides should be PRINTED OUT and read BEFORE you begin reading assignments; use them to guide your reading.  In some cases, the calendar or study guides include links to online readings which you must read prior to the class meeting for which they are assigned; PRINT OUT these online readings and be sure to BRING THEM WITH YOU TO CLASS.  NB: to access online readings on E-Reserve through Kennedy library, you will be prompted to enter your last name and the barcode from your PolyCard (a 9-digit number beginning 20150).  You must PRINT OUT e-reserve readings (or photocopy them from hard copies also on reserve) and bring them with you to class.

Contrary to popular belief, most reputable electronic resources are NOT available for free over the Web to anyone; they are expensive, subscription-only resources which eat up an increasingly large bite of the Kennedy Library's Materials Acquisition budget each year -- so you owe it to yourselves to learn how to use them effectively.  To access restricted resources from off campus, you will be prompted to log in (using your PolyCard barcode); log in at MyPolycat each time you visit the Kennedy Library site.

The PRACTICUM component of this class consists of hands-on practice, in groups, to master these basic tools of literary research.   Five guided research assignments will introduce you to some important research tools, accessible online through the Kennedy  Library, used to identify and obtain appropriate secondary sources (scholarly criticism) on a literary research topic. Research groups will be set up based on common blocks of free time to facilitate working together on assignments.  Groups will submit completed assignments to a research archive (see homepage for details).  Step-by-step instructions are linked to the class homepage and to column three of the Course Calendar.

The point of the guided research exercises is to familiarize you with the basic tools of literary research before you find yourself in an upper-division class where a significant portion of your course grade depends on a final research project.   Please note that you will NOT actually write a research paper in this class!  Instead, you will demonstrate that you know how to use these tools to identifyand get your hands on useful secondary sources on an assigned topic.  You are welcome to come to me for help on the group research exercises (or ask for assistance at the reference desk in the library).

To minimize stress, the combined research exercises count for only 10% of your final grade.  Incomplete or inadequate work (i.e. which does not demonstrate mastery of the tools/ skills) may be (re)submitted for credit through day 1 of Week 10b (the final week of the quarter).  Most research assignments will be graded pass-fail -- complete them all to my satisfaction and your entire research group will receive an A.  There is one exception: the Composite Bibliography, due day 2 of Week 10b, will be graded INDIVIDUALLY for ACCURACY and COMPLETENESS.  CHECK YOUR MLA HANDBOOK for the correct format of each bibliographic entry (what information to include, in what order, correct use of capitalization, punctuation, underlining/italics, etc.) EVERY ERROR on the Composite Bibliography will lower your grade on that assignment!!

Week 1    (September 20 - 22)
 

	Topic	Readings	Guided Research Assignments
Day 1	Course Format and Expectations.  Backgrounds I: Medieval Textuality	Class homepage and this calendar. Medieval textuality: Manuscript culture. IN CLASS:  Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People and Caedmon's "Hymn" (NA 23-6).	Contrary to popular belief, reputable scholarly resources are NOT typically available for free over the Web to anyone.  They are found in expensive, subscription-only databases which take an increasingly large bite out of the Kennedy Library's Materials Acquisition budget each year -- so you owe it to yourselves to use them effectively!  To access restricted resources from off campus, you will be prompted to log in (using your PolyCard barcode, the 14-digit number beginning 20150 on the front of your PolyCard); or you can log in at MyPolycat each time you visit the Kennedy Library site. Please be aware that little if any material found using standard web search engines (Google, Lycos, etc.) is suitable for citation in a research paper.  Relatively few reliable scholarly journals,  ebooks  or encylopedias are currently available free on the web (although many valid scholarly resources can be accessed through online subscription databases which that are part of the Kennedy Library collections, and which you will learn to use through Guided Research Exercises 4  (Using Full-Text Subscription Databases) and 5 (E-books in NetLibrary). You are strongly advised to consult Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools as you work on  the Guided Research Assignments.
Day 2	Backgrounds II:  The Old English Period	W. F. Bolton, "The Conditions of Literary Composition in Medieval England" (click first link for study guide; click HERE for reading on E-Reserve; print out and bring with you to class). Background: "The Emergence of the English Language," NA A 21-3 (at back of paperback vol. 1a; xlix-li in hardback); NA 1-6 on the notion of the "Middle Ages" and on Anglo-Saxon England; NA 14, "Medieval English"; NA 19-20, "Old and Middle English Prosody"; Texts and Contexts timeline, NA 21-2. The Dream of the Rood (NA 26-28). Start Beowulf (read at least NA 29-46).	BE SURE TO FILL OUT AND RETURN YOUR 1) First-Day Questionnaire; 2) Schedule of available time blocks (used to assign you to a Research Group for completion of Guided Research Exercises).  Failure to return Schedule will result in your having to complete all research assignments individually. Explore ENGL 203 Home Page and assignments on this course Calendar.  Today's research assignment prepares you for the practicum component of the class, the series of Guided Research Exercises which you will complete together with an assigned research group or individually, on your own time.  RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT (do as much as you have time for; catch up over the week-end!):  Read through Preliminaries 1: Types of Sources and Preliminaries II: Modes of Access on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools and come to class able to list the 5 kinds of sources, how to find them, and the basic models for documenting them correctly.  Be able to list the 4 modes of access for source materials.  Know what "SFX" and "PolySearch"are (and their limitations). Finally,  SKIM through  MLA HB chapters 1 and 2 (so you'll know what's there), and read carefully the section on italics (underlining) and on the Titles of Works (in the chapter called the Mechanics of Writing -- you will need to be clear on this information to write the bibliographic citations starting with our next library meeting).

CLASS OPEN HOUSE at Dr. Schwartz's house on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25.

Week 2    (September 27 - 29)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment
Day 1	Anglo-Saxon heroic values: Beowulf	Background:  NA 1-6, 19, 29-32. Finish reading Beowulf (NA 32-99).	RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT: readings preparing you for the practicum component of the class.  The research assignments for WEEK TWO consist of the following:  1) REVIEW (or finish reading!) Preliminaries 1: Types of Sources and Preliminaries II: Modes of Access on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools and come to class able to list the 5 kinds of sources, how to find them, and the basic models for documenting them correctly.  Be able to list the 4 modes of access for source materials.  Know what "SFX" and "PolySearch"are (and their limitations). Finally,  SKIM through  MLA HB chapters 1 and 2 (so you'll know what's there), and read carefully the section on italics (underlining) and on the Titles of Works (in the chapter called the Mechanics of Writing -- you will need to be clear on this information to write the bibliographic citations starting with our next library meeting). 2) The MLA Handbook is a REQUIRED TEXT for English Majors which you are expected to purchase by the time you enroll in your first Core class.  The 6th edition (published 2003) was ordered as a required text for this class.  In case any of you had previously purchased the 5th edition (1999), I am providing references to both editions, but because rules governing e.g. electronic sources change rapidly, we strongly advise that you upgrade to the 6th ed.  The second research assignment for week 2 is to explore your MLA Handbook.  Note in particular chapter 3 (in the 6th ed., 2003; or see ch. 2 in the 5th ed., 1999) on the "Mechanics of Writing," esp. review of basic punctuation rules, section 3.2 (in the 6th ed., 2003; or section 2.2 in the 5th ed., 1999); the rules for the use of underlining / italics in section 3.3 (in the 6th ed., 2003; or section 2.3 in the 5th ed., 1999); and the rules governing the use of underlining/italics  vs. quotation marks in titles, section 3.6 (in the 6th ed., 2003; or section 2.6 in the 5th ed., 1999).  Also note chapter 5 (in the 6th ed.; ch. 4 in 5th ed.) on proper documentation of sources (citation format) in a list of Works Cited; pay particular attention to the EXTENSIVE rules for citing books in section 5.6 (in the 6th ed; section 4.6 in the 5th ed.), periodical articles in section 5.7 (6th ed.; section 4.7 in 5th ed.) and essays in edited collections (what the MLA Bibliography calls "book articles") in section 5.6.7 (6th ed.; section 4.6.7 in 5th ed.).
Day 2	Backgrounds III: Introduction to the Middle English Period; the notion of Translatio; medieval attitudes toward vernacular literature	Background: NA 7-9, 21. "Translatio studii et imperii" (on line reading).  BRING PRINT-OUT OR HANDOUT WITH YOU TO CLASS. Excerpts from Geoffrey of Monmouth and Wace (NA 115-122).  BRING BOOK OR PHOTOCOPY OF THESE EIGHT PAGES WITH YOU TO CLASS. Dante's De Vulgari Eloquentia ("Of Literature in the Vernacular") (first link is study guide; click HERE for reading as e-reserve which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS). Medieval prologues:  Marie de France, prologue and epilogue to the Fables and prologue to the Lais (previous links are to study guide; click HERE for readings as e-reserve which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS). Prologues to Chrétien de Troyes's Erec and Enide and Cligés (in Arthurian Romances, the first two paragraphs on pp. 37 and 123).  BRING BOOK OR PHOTOCOPY OF THESE TWO PAGES WITH YOU TO CLASS.

Week 3    (October 4 - 6)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment
Day 1	Anglo-Norman Literature I	"Courtly Love" (on-line reading). Selections from Virgil's Aeneid and The Romance of Eneas (first link is study guide; click HERE for Aeneid and HERE for Romance of Eneas readings as e-reserves which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS).	PRACTICUM: you will begin meeting this week with your Research Group.  Research Groups have been established based upon the forms you submitted with your availability.  Ideally, Research Groups should meet in the Cal Poly library where reference librarians are available as needed for assistance. HOMEWORK:  Prior to meeting with your Research Group, 1) read carefully through the profile of Polycat on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be sure you are clear about what it is, what it contains, when (and why) to use it, its strengths and its limitations.  2) follow the link to review the detailed instructions for for the first group research assignment: Research Step 1: Kennedy Library Collections via Polycat.  You will follow these directions to learn how to locate secondary sources on your topic (i.e. studies ABOUT your author, topic or work, not the text itself)  in the Kennedy Library collections. The directions will also guide your research group  though submitting the first TWO RESEARCH REPORTS to the class research archive, 1) "Searching Polycat" and 2) "Kennedy Library Results." Reminder: the class research archive is located in a Blackboard "Discussion Board."  To access Blackboard, log in at MyCalpoly, go to "Blackboard Access" and select "ENGL 203" from the classes you are taking.  If you are not immediately taken to the "Discussion Board," click on "Discussion Board" at left and find your name on the "forum" for your research group.  LOOKING AHEAD: If you have not already done so, you should choose a topic and begin thinking about the Introductory Paragraph Exercise, due day 1 of week 5.
Day 2	Anglo-Norman Literature II	Marie de France, Lais:  "Lanval," NA 126-140; "Guigemar" and "Chevrefoil" (first link is study guide; click HERE for readings as e-reserves which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS). Background lecture:  the Tristan romances.

Week 4    (October 11 - 13)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment
Day 1	Arthurian Romance I	Background:  review Translatio and Courtly Love, and read about the Tristan Romances; review NA 7-9 on the Anglo-Norman period. Chretien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances: Introduction (1-22) and The Knight of the Cart (Lancelot) (207-294).	HOMEWORK:  Prior to meeting with your Research Group,  1) read carefully through the description of LINK+ and its profile on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be sure you are clear about what it is, what can be borrowed from it, when (and why) to use it, its strengths and its limitations.  2) follow the link to review the detailed instructions for for the second group research assignment: Research Step 2: Using LINK+. You will follow these directions to learn how to locate and order additional secondary sources on your topic (i.e. studies ABOUT your author, topic or work, not the text itself) from the collections of the  cooperating libraries in the LINK+ consortium (but you will NOT actually PLACE an order, unless you actually intend to read the book for your own pleasure!). The directions will also guide you though submitting your next TWO RESEARCH REPORTS to the class research archive: 1) LINK+ Search Results"; and 2)"LINK+ Item Citation."  Reminder: the class research archive is located in a Blackboard "Discussion Board."  To access Blackboard, log in at MyCalpoly, go to "Blackboard Access" and select "ENGL 203" from the classes you are taking.  NOTE: LINK+ can be used to order books only -- not journal articles.  It is fast -- books ordered through LINK+ typically arrive within 2-3 days.  LOOKING AHEAD: Remember that your Introductory Paragraph Exercise is due day 1 of week 5 and that your Midterm Exam is day 2 of week 5.
Day 2	Arthurian Romance II	Background: Review Courtly Love and Translatio and NA 19-20 (on Middle English Prosody).  Read about the Middle English notions of trouthe and gentilesse, as well as information on the Alliterative Revival. Read NA 10-12 ("The Fourteenth Century") and 156-8 (headnote on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight). Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, NA 158-210.

Week 5    (October 18 - 20)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment
Day 1	Arthurian Romance III	Complete discussion of SGGK. Background:  Review Translatio; read NA 12-14 ("The Fifteenth Century") and headnote to Malory (NA 419-21). Malory, selections from Morte Darthur, NA 421-39.	Introductory Paragraph Exercise due.
Day 2	MIDTERM EXAM		MIDTERM EXAM

Week 6    (October 25 - 27)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment
Day 1	Chaucer's Canterbury Tales I: The General Prologue	The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.  Print out the General Prologue study guide and use it to help you understand the GP and the various background and contextual readings listed below.  (Note that the study guide links below take you to specific sections of the General Prologue study guide; you do not need to print them separately.)   Background:  NA 10-12, 20, 210-15, 310-11 and 317-19.  Read about the medieval concept of the "Three Estates" and about medieval allegory.  For help with Chaucer's Middle English, see linked websites and/or NA 15-18.   Contexts:   1) "The Field of Folk" episode from William Langland's Piers Plowman (text found NA 317-22). 2) Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, Selections 1 (first link is study guide; click HERE for readings as e-reserves which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS). Canterbury Tales Readings:  1) The General Prologue: read the FULL TEXT in your modern English translation (Penguin Classics The Canterbury Tales, pp. 3-26; or The Portable Chaucer, pp. 53-75).  You must ALSO read through the following Middle English passages as found in the Norton Anthology, pp. 215-235: the opening (lines 1-42) and the portraits of the Knight, Squire, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Clerk, Parson, Plowman and Pardoner, lines 43-100, 118-271, 287-310, 479-543, 671-716.  For help on the language, consult one of the linked websites and/or NA 15-18. 2) The Close of the Canterbury Tales:  read the editor's note NA 310-11 on the "Close of the Canterbury Tales" and peruse the texts of the Parson's Introduction, NA 311-12, and of Chaucer's "Retraction", NA 313 (translations in Penguin Classics The Canterbury Tales, pp. 485-9; or in The Portable Chaucer, pp. 339-42).  For help on the language, consult one of the linked websites and/or NA 15-18.	HOMEWORK:  Prior to meeting with your Research Group,  1) read carefully through the profile of the MLA Bibliography on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools .  Be sure you are clear about what it is, when (and why) to use it, its strengths and its limitations. Read information on SFX and its limitations.  (Remember:  the MLA Bibliography is NOT itself a mode of access for secondary sources. . .)  Review information on ILL (Interlibrary Loan) as a mode of access distinct from LINK+. 2) follow the link to review the detailed instructions for Research Step 3: Using the MLA Bibliography to Identify Additional Sources on Your Topic (and then figuring out how to access them!) By following these directions, you will learn to use the MLA Bibliography to identify additional secondary sources that are not easily unnearthed using Polycat or Link+, and which may or may not be available in hardcopy or electronic format within the collections of the Kennedy Library.  You will also learn to use Interlibrary Loan to access articles and books which are not available at Cal Poly (or through LINK+) -- but again, you will NOT actually PLACE an order, unless you actually intend to read the article or essay for your own pleasure!  The directions will also guide you through submitting your next THREE RESEARCH REPORTS for the class research archive: 1) "MLA search results"; 2) "ILL journal article"; and 3) either "LINK+ Edited Essay" OR "ILL Edited Essay," depending on which mode of access you would use to obtain the edited essay (or "book article") you have selected. Reminder: the class research archive is located in a Blackboard "Discussion Board."  To access Blackboard, log in at MyCalpoly, go to "Blackboard Access" and select "ENGL 203" from the classes you are taking.  REMEMBER: LINK+ can be used to order books only -- not journal articles.  It is fast -- books ordered through LINK+ typically arrive within 2-3 days -- so always go FIRST to LINK+ (rather than ILL) if the resource you are looking for is an essay in an edited collection or a single-author book; but you should go directly to ILL if you are looking for a journal article which is not available through the Kennedy Library collections in either hard copy or electronic format.    LOOKING AHEAD: unlike the other research exercises, the  Getty Database Assignment is a written assignment which must be submitted in hard copy at the class meeting devoted to medieval lyrics (day 1 of week 8) for credit.  You and your research group will search the Getty Museum database for images of an assigned topic and submit a written report of your findings, including a printout of ONE image.  OPTIONAL: for individual extra credit, you may search on your own (not as a group) for images of the same topic assigned to your gourp in another museum's database, and submit a written report of your findings, including the URL of the site accessed and a printout of ONE image.   If you wish to do this extra credit assignment, you MUST contact me in advance to receive a specific site to search.   (NOTE:  the EC assignment is not worth a specific number of points or percentage of your final grade; instead, doing a good job on it earns you discretionary points, which will bump you up if you end up with a borderline grade at the end of the quarter, or might add a bit to your lowest quiz score.)
Day 2	Chaucer's Canterbury Tales II:  The General Prologue, continued;  The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale	Continued discussion of the General Prologue and the close of the Canterbury Tales, as well as of the contextual readings (selections from the Romance of the Rose and from Piers Plowman) assigned for the last class. New Reading (we will start discussion today and complete at our next class meeting): Chaucer's Canterbury Tales II: The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale.  Print out the Wife of Bath study guide and use it to help you understand the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale and the various background and contextual readings listed below.  (Note that most links below take you to specific sections of the Wife of Bath study guide; you do not need to print them separately.)   Background:  NA 10-12, 20, 210-14, 310-11 and 317-19.  Review Translatio for implications of Wife of Bath's choice of an Arthurian tale.  For help on Chaucer's Middle English, consult the linked websites and/or NA 15-18.    Literary Contexts:   Read about the Chaucerian notions of trouthe, gentillesse and maistrye; To illustrate these notions, read Chaucer's poems "Truth" (NA 315) and "Gentilesse" (click link for online text; for translations of both poems, see Portable Chaucer, pp. 602-4). Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, Selections 2 (first link is study guide; click HERE for readings as e-reserves which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS). The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale:  read the FULL TEXT in your modern English translation (Penguin Classics The Canterbury Tales, pp. 258-92; or The Portable Chaucer, pp. 207-40).  You must ALSO read through the following Middle English passages as found in the Norton Anthology (pp. 253-81): WBP lines 1-29, 121-140, 486-96, 672-729, 794-834; also WBT lines 863-918, 989-1182, 1225-1270.  For help on the language, consult one of the linked websites and/or NA 15-18.

Week 7    (November 1 - 3)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment
Day 1	Chaucer's Canterbury Tales II: The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, continued	Continued discussion of Chaucerian readings assigned last week  (the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale and/or the close of the Canterbury Tales) as well as any contextual readings assigned last week but not yet fully discussed (e.g. selections from the Romance of the Rose and/or from Piers Plowman). ALSO RECOMMENDED  (OPTIONAL READING):  Selections from The Book of Margery Kempe (NA 13, 366-79)  -- an interesting real-life counterpart to Chaucer's Alison of Bath (and to Christine de Pizan!) NEW READINGS:  Christine de Pizan 1: biographical and literary texts.   Print out the study guide and use it to help you understand the selections from Christine de Pizan's works and the background and contextual readings listed below (including additional a third set of selections from the Romance of the Rose).   Note that links below take you to specific sections of the Christine de Pizan 1 study guide (you do not need to print them separately).  Contexts: Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, Selections 3 (first link is study guide; click HERE for readings as e-reserves which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS). Background: Introduction, The Selected Writings of Christine de Pizan (xi-xvi).  Christine de Pizan selections (all readings are from The Selected Writings of Christine de Pizan, ed./tr. Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski and Kevin Brownlee):  Reactions to the Rose: The God of Love's Letter (15-29) and the Debate on the Romance of the Rose (41-45).  Autobiographical writings: from The Book of Fortune's Transformation ( 88-95,  99-107) and from Christine's Vision (173-201).  Symbolic autobiography.   On becoming a woman writer and on defending women from clerical misogyny ( i.e. books written about BAD women): The Book of the City of Ladies (116-37; 147-9). NOTE: while most of Tuesday's class meeting will be spent discussing the Romance of the Rose contextual selections and the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, we are likely to begin our discussion of Christine de Pizan.  Get started on these readings over the week-end!!  At a MINIMUM you should have read ALL the assigned background information in the introduction to the text, as well as the third packet of contextual readings from the Romance of the Rose, and Christine's two literary reactions to the Rose (assignments above). We will continue discussion of Christine de Pizan's biographical and literary works at our next class meeting.	REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: the Getty Database Assignment MUST BE SUBMITTED IN HARD COPY FOR CREDIT AT THE FIRST CLASS MEETING OF WEEK 8.  This week, you and your research group should prepare that written assignment.  (NOTE: this is no longer an individually submitted assignment.)   Follow link for instructions, which will require that you and your group search for images on an assigned topic and submit a written HARD COPY report of your findings, including a printout of ONE image. Each research group should research the topic with the same NUMBER as the FORUM NUMBER to which you submit your research reports. OPTIONAL: for individual extra credit, you may search on your own (not as a group) for images of the same topic assigned to your gourp in another museum's database, and submit a written report of your findings, including the URL of the site accessed and a printout of ONE image.   If you wish to do this extra credit assignment, you MUST contact me in advance to receive a specific site to search.   (NOTE:  the EC assignment is not worth a specific number of points or percentage of your final grade; instead, doing a good job on it earns you discretionary points, which will bump you up if you end up with a borderline grade at the end of the quarter, or might add a bit to your lowest quiz score.)
Day 2	The Wife of Bath's Legacy:  Women Voiced (Christine de Pizan)	Continued discussion of  Christine de Pizan 1: biographical and literary texts.  We will continue, as needed, discussion of Christine's reactions to the Romance of the Rose (assignment listed above).  We will also discuss: Autobiographical writings: from The Book of Fortune's Transformation ( 88-95,  99-107) and from Christine's Vision (173-201).  Symbolic autobiography.   On becoming a woman writer and on defending women from clerical misogyny ( i.e. books written about BAD women): The Book of the City of Ladies (116-37; 147-9). NOTE: Any readings which we do not have time to discuss fully will be returned to at our final class meeting, devoted to  Christine de Pizan II:  new readings from The Letter from Othea (29-33 & 40-41) and The Path of Long Study (59-87) , Christine's amazing translatio of Dante's Commedia. OF RELATED INTEREST (OPTIONAL READING):  Selections from The Book of Margery Kempe (NA 13, 366-79)  -- an interesting counterpart to Christine (and to Chaucer's ficitonal Wife of Bath!)

LOOKING AHEAD:
1) Please note that Thursday, NOVEMBER 10 IS NOT A HOLIDAY -- CLASS WILL MEET AND THERE WILL BE A QUIZ!!
2) The REQUIRED GETTY MUSEUM FIELD TRIP is on Friday, November 11 (bus departs campus ca. 10 AM, return ca. 11 PM).

POSSIBLE REQUIRED GETTY MUSEUM FIELD TRIP:  Friday, November 11 (bus departs campus ca. 10 AM, return ca. 11 PM).
 

Week 9    (November 15 - 17)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment  (Traditional and Web Resources)
Day 1	Dante as Vernacular Poet (Devotional Literature III):  the Vita Nuova and the Divine Comedy	The Portable Dante, Introduction (ix-xxxvi); selections from the Vita Nuova (pp. 589-649).  Read the information on the Epic genre and on "epic conventions" in your copy of Abrams's Glossary of Literary Terms (a required book for the Core sequence that was available for purchase with the other course materials for this class). Print out and bring to class Canto 1 of Dante's Inferno in original Italian (on e-reserve); refer to it to understand what is meant by "terza rima" (see Introduction, xxxi).  Also,  start reading Inferno, cantos 1-20 (pp. 3-111).	HOMEWORK:  Prior to meeting with your Research Group,  1) review the information on electronic modes of access and read through the profile of  Netlibrary on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be clear about what Netlibrary is and how to use it.  Know what must be added to the bibliographic citation for a single-author book or to the citation for an essay in an edited book collection when the source has been accessed electronically  through a subscription database, i.e. Netlibrary. 2) follow the link to review the detailed instructions for Research Step 5: Searching the E-Books Available through Netlibrary. This exercise will guide you as you experiment with finding material relevant to your topic in Netlibrary, Cal Poly's subscription database of E-books.  The directions will also guide you through submitting your final research report for the class research archive: "NetLibrary Results." NOTE: By the end of the quarter, each group member should have prepared and submitted at least one report on an electronically accessed subscription database (i.e. one of the four full-text journal databases from Research Exercise Step 4, and/or Netlibrary).  This means that if any group member did NOT submit one of the reports on the four electronically accessed subscription databases, s/he should be responsible for submitting the NetLibrary report to the archive.  REMEMBER: Like the electronic journal databases, NetLibrary is an expensive, subscription-only resource that IS part of the Kennedy Library's collections; the ebooks found in NetLibrary are listed in Polycat along with any print copies that may be part of the library's holdings.  LOOKING AHEAD: The next required assignment for ENGL 203 is the Composite Bibliography , an individually prepared exercise which  must be submitted by day 2 of week 10b).
Day 2	Dante, cont.	Inferno, cantos 21-34 (pp. 111-191).

Please note that TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22 IS NOT A HOLIDAY -- CLASS WILL MEET AND THERE WILL BE A QUIZ!!

Week 10a    (November 22)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment  (Traditional and Web Resources)
Day 1	Dante, cont.	From Purgatorio:  cantos 1-2, 21, 27-33 (pp. 195-206, 311-316, 346-87).	Work on two individual assignments due week 10b: your Expanded Paper (due day 1 of week 10b; to be turned in along with the ORIGINAL, MARKED UP INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH  and the ESSAY-WRITING CHECKLIST which I distributed when I returned your Introductory Paragraph); and your COMPOSITE BIBLIOGRAPHY (due day 2 of week 10b; details below). Additionally, you and your research group should CATCH UP as necessary on any INCOMPLETE RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS.  Day 1 of Week 10b is the last date when you can submit either hard copy print-outs or reports to the research archive for credit on the Group Research Assignments. In addition to following the specific guidelines listed below as you prepare your Composite Bibliography (due at our final class meeting), please note the following: 1) the Composite Bibliography is an INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT which each member of your research group should prepare and submit for individual credit (counts as 5% of the Written Exercises componenet of your final course grade).  Please  note that YOU MAY NOT USE THE SAME SECONDARY SOURCES as are included on the Composite Bibliographies of any other members of your research group!!  The specific source included in your reports to the Research Archive "belong to" the group member who submitted the report in question to the archive; other group members must identify and cite a different source.  This means that you must work with each other as you prepare your bibliographies in order to ensure that each member of your group includes citations for DIFFERENT single-author books, journal articles, essays in edited book collections, and electronically accessed secondary sources from a subscription database.  DO NOT TURN IN THE SAME BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATIONS AS OTHER GROUP MEMBERS.  If you do, the grade awarded the Composite Bibliography will be divided among the number of people in your research exercise group, i.e. a Bibliography worth a solid 4.0 (A) turned in by 4 members of a research group would earn each individual group member only a D (4.0 divided by 4 people = 1.0 each). 2) Your Composite Bibliography will be graded for the ACCURACY and CORRECT FORMATTING of your bibliographic citations; for COMPLETENESS (does it include all required types of source and modes of access?); and for whether or not you attach the REQUIRED PRINT-OUTS (see below).   CHECK YOUR MLA HANDBOOK for the correct format of each bibliographic entry (what information to include, in what order, correct use of capitalization, punctuation, underlining/italics, etc.).   EVERY ERROR on the Composite Bibliography will lower your grade!!
Day 2		NO CLASS -- HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Week 10b    (November 29 - December 1)
 

	Topic	Reading	Research Assignment  (Traditional and Web Resources)
Day 1	Dante, cont.	From Paradiso: cantos 1-2, 22-26, 28-31, 33.	Expanded Paper due (turn in along with original, marked up Introductory Paragraph exercise returned to you with my corrections and comments, as well as with the Essay-Writing Checklist). ALSO: last day to submit group research reports to the class research archive, as well as any hard copy print-outs required along with those reports. Looking ahead:  individual Composite Bibliography due at our next (and final) class meeting.
Day 2	Dante and Christine	Christine de Pizan II:  new readings from The Letter from Othea (29-33 & 40-41) and The Path of Long Study (59-87). Review of previously assigned readings: Autobiographical writings: from The Book of Fortune's Transformation ( 88-95,  99-107) and from Christine's Vision (173-201).  Symbolic autobiography.   On becoming a woman writer and on defending women from clerical misogyny ( i.e. books written about BAD women): The Book of the City of Ladies (116-37; 147-9).	Turn in Composite Bibliography of citations for your group's assigned primary source and for a set of secondary sources on that topic which you have found using the tools covered in the five group research assignments. Citations should be alphabetized and presented in the appropriate formats for a list of  Works Cited entry (consult your MLA Handbook!).  As necessary, add or substitute items so that your composite Bibliography 1) does NOT include the same secondary sources used by other members of your research group; and 2) DOES include each of the following required types of sources:  1) the primary text which was your research topic, in the specific edition and/or translation read in class (listed by author and title, followed by translator/editor; as applicable, include full details on the anthology where it appears); as well as the following kinds of secondary sources:  2) a scholarly book by a single author (in which at least one chapter is relevant to your research topic); 3) an essay from an edited collection (called "book article" in the MLA Bibliography; follow the MLA Research Exercise instructions to identify an item to write up); and  4) a journal article on your topic.  Additionally, be sure that the entries you include cover all of the following required modes of access:  1) at least one item found in print in the Cal Poly library (put "Cal Poly" and call number in parentheses after relevant entries, and append a hard-copy print-out of the Polycat entry for the item/s in question);  2) at least one item that you would have to order through IIL (e.g. an article from a journal which is not available in print or electronic format at Cal Poly).  Review the instructions on the MLA Bibliography assignment for a refresher on how to identify such an article; indicate "ILL" in parentheses after relevant entries and append a hard-copy print-out of the MLA Bibliography listing for the article in question, as well as for the Polycat "search by journal title" and Serials Solutions screens confirming that Cal Poly has no print or electronic subscription to the journal in question;  3) at least one item which you located using LINK+ (indicate "LINK+" in parentheses after relevant entries, and include a print-out of the Link+ entry for the item in question, as well as a screen from Polycat demonstrating that the item in question is not available in Cal Poly's print collections or subscription databases ); and  4) at least one item accessed electronically through a subscription database (e.g. an article from one of the four full-text journal databases or an eBook from NetLibrary).  Be sure to cite any electronically accessed  item correctly, using MLA bibliographic format for electronic sources (as described in latest edition of the MLA Handbook).  Your grade will be reduced for each required TYPE OF SOURCE and MODE OF ACCESS that is NOT on the bibliography; for each error in the bibliographic citation; and for any entries which are identical to those chosen by other members of your research group.  CHECK YOUR MLA HANDBOOK for correct citation formats (what information to include, in what order, and correct use of capitalization, punctuation, underlining/italics, etc.)  EVERY ERROR will lower your grade!! Reminder:  for each SECONDARY source on the Composite Bibliography, you must include (stapled to the back of the bibliography) a PRINT-OUT (from Polycat, NetLibrary, Link+, the MLA Bibliography, and/or the title page from NetLibrary or one of the full-text journal Databases) of the ITEM LISTING with bibliographic information for that secondary source (print-outs similar to those which were submitted with your five group research reports).  You will receive NO CREDIT for a secondary source on your composite bibliography unless a PRINT-OUT with bibliographic information for that item is submitted STAPLED TO THE COMPOSITE BIBLIOGRAPHY.

There will be a three-hour, closed book Final Exam for section 1 (class meetings 12-2) on Wednesday, December 7 from 1:10 - 4 PM and for section 2 (class meetings 2-4) on Wednesday, December 7 from 4:10 - 7 PM.  You MUST take the exam with the section in which you are registered!!

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