ENGL 203: Core I: Medieval
Winter, 2008 Dr. Debora B. Schwartz 
Class meetings: TR 9-11, Rm. 2-13 http://www.calpoly.edu/~dschwart
Office: 47-35G, tel. 756-2636  Main English Office:  756-2597
Office Hours: M 2:30-4:00, T 2:10-3:00, W 10:30-11:30, R 2:10-3:30, and by appt. e-mail: dschwart@calpoly.edu

Calendar, Winter, 2008
NOTE:  DO NOT PRINT OUT THIS CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS!! It is intended to be consulted online.
(Print-out would be VERY long, and assignments are subject to change; also,
NA page numbers after week 6 are not yet updated for the 8th edition we are using in class)


Week  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NOTE 1:  Click on links on the course calendar to obtain study guides for individual texts.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO READ ASSIGNMENTS WITHOUT READING THE STUDY GUIDES FIRST!!  Study guides should be PRINTED OUT and read BEFORE you begin reading assignments; use them to guide your reading and keep them (along with printouts of any online readings and readings on e-reserve) in a binder which you should always bring with you to class.

NOTE 2: some required readings are accessed electronically.   Electronically accessed readings may be in one of the following forms:

Electronically accessed readings should be completed prior to the class meeting for which they are assigned.  Always PRINT THEM OUT, put them in your course binder (along with the study guides), and be sure to BRING THEM WITH YOU TO CLASS.

NOTE 3: Contrary to popular belief, most reputable electronic resources are NOT available for free over the Web to anyone; they are expensive, subscription-only databases 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.

The PRACTICUM component of this class consists of hands-on practice, in groups, to master these basic tools of literary research. Guided research assignments will introduce you to some important research tools, accessible online through the Kennedy  Library, which you can use 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 (and potential friction among group members), the group research exercises will have only a minimal impact on your final course grade (figured into the 10% of your final grade that is based on your class participation).  But your  individual mastery of the material the group exercises are designed to teach will have a significant impact on your course grade: first, the research component of the class typiclly accounts for 10% of exam points on both midterm and final.  Second, your mastery of the research tools will be demonstrated through your individually completed Composite Bibliography, which itself counts for 15% of your course grade.  This Composite Bibliography will be graded INDIVIDUALLY for ACCURACY and COMPLETENESS.  Follow the models on the Guide to Research Tools (or check your MLA HANDBOOK) for the correct format of each bibliographic citation (what information to include, in what order, correct use of capitalization, punctuation, underlining/italics, etc.) EVERY ERROR on the Composite Bibliography will lower that 15% of your course grade!!

You can access subscription databases and other restricted resources from off campus in one of three ways:  through the Library Resources tab in Blackboard; through the Library Services tab on your MyCalpoly web portal (click on Robert E. Kennedy Library to access the library website); or directly from the Kennedy Library website using any web browser (Internet Explorer recommended).  To access restricted subscription-only researches from the web, 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.

NOTE 4: This calendar is subject to change.  You are advised to consult it on-line and/or to print out only one day's or week's assignment at a time.  Please remember that the on-line calendar, not any print-out you make, is authoritative.  Check weekly to ensure you are completing the correct assignment, as instructions may change or be added.

Week 1    (January 8-10)
 
Topic Readings  Guided Research Assignments 
Day 1
Course Format and Expectations.

 Backgrounds I: Medieval Textuality

 Class homepage and this calendar of assignments.

Medieval textuality: Manuscript culture.

In class:  Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, including transcription of Caedmon's Hymn (distributed as handout for the convenience of those who did not bring their Norton Anthology, 8th ed. [2006] with them today).  Click on link for STUDY GUIDE for this reading, which is found NA 24-27. 

 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
 Required Background Readings: 
  • Review online study guide for first reading, Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People, including transcription of Caedmon's Hymn (click on link for this STUDY GUIDE which should be PRINTED OUT and placed in your course binder). 
  • NA 1-7 (on the notion of the "Middle Ages" and on Anglo-Saxon literature); 
  • NA 15 ("Medieval English"); 
  • NA 19-22 (Old and Middle English Prosody; Texts/Context Timeline);
  • NA Appendix A54 ("Saxons and Danes" only); 
  • NA 27 (Headnote to The Dream of the Rood);
  • NA 29-34 (Headnote to Beowulf);
  • W. F. Bolton, "The Conditions of Literary Composition in Medieval England" (.PDF file,  15 pp., on e-reserve in Blackboard).  Click HERE for a Study Guide directing you to the most important points in the Bolton reading.
NOTE:  Ideally, background readings should be read prior to assigned primary readings (the medieval texts) -- but if you are short on time, read just the headnote to each medieval primary text and the medieval text itself; you can catch up on the other assigned background readings over the week-end.

Required Primary Readings (medieval texts):

  • The Dream of the Rood, NA 27-29 (click on link at left to access and PRINT OUT the Dream of the Rood Study Guide).
  • Beowulf  1 (up to "The Dragon Wakes"), NA 29-80 (click on link at left to access and PRINT OUT the Beowulf Study Guide).
 1) BE SURE TO FILL OUT AND RETURN: 
  • your First-Day Questionnaire; 
  • the schedule of your available time blocks (used to assign you to a Research Group for completion of Guided Research Exercises).  NOTE:  Failure to return this Schedule will result in your having to complete all research assignments individually!!
2) Read COMPLETELY through the ENGL 203 Home Page.

3) If you have time, begin Week 2 RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT (to be completed prior to first class meeting next week):

  • Read through Preliminaries 1: Types of Sources and Preliminaries II: Modes of Access on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  You should come to class able to list the 5 kinds of sources and the 4 modes of access for secondary source materials which you will learn about in the group Research Exercises. 
  • FLIP THROUGH your MLA HB chapters 1-3 (so you'll know what's there), and then read carefully sections 3.3 on  italics/underlining and 3.6 on the titles of works (proper capitalization , punctuation, and how to handle titles within titles (these chapter/section numbers refer to the 6th ed., 2003; if you are using an earlier edition, they are found in the chapter on the Mechanics of Writing ).  You will need to be clear on this information to write bibliographic citations for this class.  Also read section 3.2.7 on apostophes (and peruse sections on any other punctuation mark you consistently have problems with. . .) 

Week 2    (January 15-17)
 
Topic Reading Research Assignment
Day 1
Anglo-Saxon heroic values: Beowulf
 For the First hour of class:
  • Review previously assigned background readings:  NA 1-7, 19-20 (on Old English prosody) and 29-32 (headnote to Beowulf).
  • Finish reading Beowulf (NA 32-99).
For the Second Hour of Class:
  • New Background Reading:  "Translatio studii et imperii" (on line reading).  Click link to access; be sure bring print-out (or text-only version distributed as handout) with you to class. 
 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). 

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.).

The third research assignment for week 2 is to read through the guidelines and requirements for the Composite Bibliography, so that you will know what material to begin gathering as you work on the Group Research Exercises starting in week 3.
Day 2
Backgrounds III: Introduction to the Middle English Period; the notion of Translatio; medieval attitudes toward vernacular literature
 Required Background Readings: 
  • Review "Translatio studii et imperii" (on line reading).  BRING PRINT-OUT OR HANDOUT WITH YOU TO CLASS.
  • NA 7-10 (on Anglo-Norman Literature)
  • NA 117-127 ("Legendary Histories of Britain" and headnotes to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace, Layamon and "The Myth of Arthur's Return")
  • NA 141-2 (headnote to Marie de France)
  • Medieval Attitudes Towards the Vernacular: Prologues and Dante's De Vulgari Eloquentia  (click link to access this online reading, which is also your study guide for the Primary Readings listed below; be sure to PRINT IT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS.)
Required Primary Readings:
  • Excerpts from Geoffrey of Monmouth, Wace and Layamon (NA 117-128).  BRING BOOK OR PHOTOCOPY OF THESE PAGES WITH YOU TO CLASS.
  • Dante's De Vulgari Eloquentia ("Of Literature in the Vernacular"; .PDF file, 11 pp., on e-reserve in Blackboard). PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS.  Click HERE to be taken to Dante section of "Medieval Attitudes Toward Vernacular Literature," the assigned online reading/study guide.
  • Marie de France, prologue and epilogue to the Fables and prologue to the Lais (.PDF file, 8 pp., on e-reserve in Blackboard). PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS.  (Links take you to relevant portions of online reading/study guide.)
  • 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.  (Links take you to the relevant portions of the online reading/study guide). 

Looking ahead: CLASS OPEN HOUSE at Dr. Schwartz's home will likely take place on SUNDAY, JANUARY 27.

Week 3    (January 22-24)
 
Topic Reading Research Assignment 
Day 1 Anglo-Norman Literature I 1) Complete discussion of works assigned for last class meeting.

2) New Required Background Readings: 

3) New Required Primary Readings: 
  • Selections from Virgil's Aeneid and The Romance of Eneas (e-reserve readings in Blackboard which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS; also be sure to print out and bring to class the online study guide).
 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 1: As you work on this week's group research project, review the guidelines for the individual Composite Bibliography so you know what you will need to turn in and can begin selecting your individual secondary sources and assembling a file of the required print-outs.

LOOKING AHEAD 2: 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 1) Complete discussion of works assigned for last class meeting

2) Required Background Readings: 

  • Review NA 7-10 (Anglo-Norman Literature)
  • Review "Courtly Love" (on-line background reading)
  • NEW:  NA 128-9 ("Celtic Contexts")
  • Review  NA 141-2 (headnote to Marie de France)
  • NEW: Study guide:  Marie de France, Lais (print out and add to course binder)
  • NEW: Online Reading on the Tristan romances (print out and add to course binder)
3) New Required Primary Readings: 
  • Marie de France, "Lanval" and "Chevrefoil" (NA 142-57)
  • Marie de France, "Guigemar" (e-reserve reading in Blackboard which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS).
Background lecture:  the Tristan romances.

CLASS OPEN HOUSE at Dr. Schwartz's house on SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 2:00-4:00 PM.

Week 4    (January 29-31)
 
Topic  Reading Research Assignment 
Day 1 Arthurian Romance I 1) Complete discussion of works assigned for last class meeting

2) Required Background Readings: 

  • Review Translatio (online reading)
  • Review Courtly Love (online reading)
  • Review online background reading on the Tristan Romances 
  • Review NA 7-10 on the Anglo-Norman period.
  • NEW: Introduction to Chrétien de Troyes, Arthurian Romances (pp. 1-22; skin, except as noted in background section of Study Guide) 
3) New Primary Reading:  		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 1: As you work on this week's group research project, review the guidelines for the individual Composite Bibliography so you know what you will need to turn in and can begin selecting your individual secondary sources and assembling a file of the required print-outs.

LOOKING AHEAD 2: Remember that your Introductory Paragraph Exercise is due day 2 of week 5 and that your Midterm Exam is day 1 of week 6.
Day 2 Arthurian Romance I 1) Complete discussion of The Knight of the Cart (Lancelot)

2) Required Background Readings: 

Week 5    (February 5-7)
 
Topic Reading Research Assignment 
Day 1
Arthurian Romance II
 1) Required Background Readings: 
  • Review Translatio and Courtly Love (online readings);
  • Review NA 19-21 (on Middle English Prosody);
  • NEW:  The Alliterative Revival (online reading which you should PRINT OUT AND ADD TO COURSE BINDER);
  • NEW:  Read NA 10-13 ("The Fourteenth Century");
  • NEW: Read NA 160-62 (headnote for Sir Gawain and the Green Knight);
  • NEW:  online reading on trouthe and gentilesse (which you should PRINT OUT AND ADD TO COURSE BINDER).
2) New Primary Readings:
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, NA 162-213 (follow link for study guide, which you should PRINT OUT AND ADD TO COURSE BINDER). 
  • Contextual readings:  Chaucer's lyric poems "Gentilesse" (online reading) and "Truth" (trouthe), NA 317.  Don't neglect the footnotes; you may also wish to consult the translations found in The Portable Chaucer, pp. 602-4 (if you purchased The Canterbury Tales rather than the Portable Chaucer, you can consult the modern English translations of these two poems on reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard). 
 Work on Introductory Paragraph Exercise (due at next class meeting, on Thursday 2/7)

Begin review for MIDTERM EXAM (day 1 of week 6)
Day 2
Arthurian Romance III
 1) As necessary, complete discussion of SGGK.

2) Required Background Readings:

  • Review Translatio and Courtly Love (online readings);
  • NEW: read NA 13-14 ("The Fifteenth Century");
  • NEW: read headnote to Malory (NA 438-9).
3) New Primary Reading (which WILL be covered on the Midterm Exam): 4) BEGIN BACKGROUND READINGS FOR POST-MIDTERM UNIT ON CHAUCER.  These materials will NOT be covered on the midterm exam, but I AM likely to begin lecturing on them today!  Please read through as much of the following as you have time for:
  • NA 213-18 (Chaucer and Canterbury Tales headnotes) 
  • NA 331-3 (headnote to William Langland)
  • Information on the medieval concept of the "Three Estates" and about medieval allegory (these links lead to specific sections of the General Prologue study guide, which you should PRINT OUT and place in your course binder). 
  • Contextual Readings: Allegorical Dream Vision 1: "The Field of Folk" episode (only) from William Langland's Piers Plowman (follow link to appropriate portion of General Prologue study guide; primary text is found NA 333-36);
  • Contextual Readings: Allegorical Dream Vision 2: selections from Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, Selections 1 (follow link to appropriate portion of General Prologue study guide; primary readings are on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard and should be PRINTED OUT, placed in your course binder, and BROUGHT WITH YOU TO CLASS! )
 Complete Introductory Paragraph Exercise (DUE TODAY, Thursday 2/7)

Continue review for MIDTERM EXAM (day 1 of week 6)

NOTE: because we have pushed back the midterm originally scheduled for today until Tuesday, 2/12, the readings assigned for Thursday 2/14 are LONGER THAN THE TYPICAL TUESDAY TO THURSDAY READING ASSIGNMENT. 

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you complete the assigned readings for the beginning of our unit on Chaucer prior to our class meeting next Thursday!!  Please BUDGET TIME TO COMPLETE THESE READINGS prior to the 2/14 class meeting.  It may be necessary to begin the Chaucer background readings over the week-end. . . 

Week 6    (February 12-14)
 
Topic Reading Research Assignment 
Day 1 MIDTERM EXAM MIDTERM EXAM In class this week, you will sign up for an individual 15-minute meeting with Dr. Schwartz to get back your Introductory Paragraph exercise and discuss revisions you will need to make before expanding it into a 3-4-page paper (due, along with your original, marked up intro paragraph, no later than day 1 of week 10).

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 book 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 in a full-text subscription database. 

LOOKING AHEAD 1: As you work on this week's group research project, review the guidelines for the individual Composite Bibliography so you know what you will need to turn in and can begin selecting your individual secondary sources and assembling a file of the required print-outs.

LOOKING AHEAD 2: 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 I:
The General Prologue
 The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. Follow link at left to the online study guide, which you should already have PRINTED OUT AND PLACED IN YOUR COURSE BINDER last week. 

Note that the General Prologue study guide doubles as a substantial online background reading.  Use it to help you understand the GP and the various background and contextual readings listed below.  (Remeber that the study guide links below take you to specific sections within the General Prologue online study guide; you do not need to print them separately if you have already placed it in your course binder)

Required Background  Readings:

  • Review NA 10-13 ("The Fourteenth Century")
  • NEW: NA 20-21 (on Chaucerian verse)
  • Review NA 213-18 (Chaucer and Canterbury Tales headnotes, assigned last week) 
  • NEW: NA 312-13 (on the Close of the Canterbury Tales)
  • Review NA 331-3 (headnote to William Langland, assigned last week)
  • Review the information on the medieval concept of the "Three Estates" and about medieval allegory (note: these links lead to specific sections of the General Prologue study guide, which you should already have PRINTED OUT and placed in your course binder). 
  • For help with Chaucer's Middle English, you may consult the linked websites and/or NA 15-19.
  • Also consult Map of the Pilgrimage Route/Chart of the Medieval Humors (.PDF file, 2 pp., on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard; PRINT OUT and bring to class). 
Required Primary Readings (includes review of Literary Contexts: Two Allegorial Dream Visions as assigned last week; note that these two texts were chosen to illuminate issues connected to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as a whole and/or to the General Prologue): 
  • REVIEW "The Field of Folk" episode (only) from William Langland's Piers Plowman (follow link to appropriate portion of General Prologue study guide; text found NA 333-36);
  • REVIEW the first set of selections from Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose (follow link to appropriate portion of General Prologue study guide; readings are on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard and should already have been PRINTED OUT, placed in your course binder, and BROUGHT WITH YOU TO CLASS! )
  • NEW: The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. FIRST, 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. 218-238: 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.
  • After reading the editor's note NA 312-13 on the Close of the Canterbury Tales, peruse the texts of the Parson's Introduction, NA 313-15, and of Chaucer's "Retraction", NA 315. 
  • You may find it helpful to consult the modern English translations of these texts, found in the Penguin Classics The Canterbury Tales, pp. 485-9; or in The Portable Chaucer, pp. 339-42.
        (15-minute conferences to go over intro. paragraphs to be scheduled this week; sign-ups in class.)
Week 7    (February 19-21)
 
Topic Reading Research Assignment 
Day 1
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales II: 
The General Prologue, conclusion; 

New Reading:
The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale

 AS NEEDED: 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: 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.)

Required Background  Readings:

  • Review NA 10-13 ("The Fourteenth Century")
  • Review: NA 20-21 (on Chaucerian verse)
  • Review NA 213-17 (Chaucer and Canterbury Tales headnotes, assigned last week) 
  • Review the information on the "feminine" estates in the section of the GP study guide dealing with the "Three Estates" (link leads to specific sections of the General Prologue study guide, which you should already have PRINTED OUT and placed in your course binder). 
  • Review Translatio for implications of Wife of Bath's choice of an Arthurian tale. 
  • NEW: headnote to the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, NA 256-7. 
  • For help with Chaucer's Middle English in assigned NA passages, you may consult the linked websites and/or NA 15-19 (on Middle English) and 20-1 (on Middle English prosody); you may also consult Chaucer Reading and Pronunciation Tips (.PDF file, 2 pp.,  on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard).
Required Literary Context Primary Readings: 
  • Read the portion of the Wife of Bath study guide which reviews the the Chaucerian notions of trouthe and gentillesse (touched on as part of our discussion of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the mini-lecture on Chaucer's biography) and which introduces the notion of maistrye.   Then, review Chaucer's poems "Truth" (NA 317) and "Gentilesse" (click link for online text; for translations of both poems, see Portable Chaucer, pp. 602-4; these translations are also on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard).
  • NEW: Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, Selections 2 (link leads to appropriate portion of the Wife of Bath study guide; the selections are on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard; be sure to PRINT THEM OUT and BRING THEM WITH YOU TO CLASS).
NEW Required Primary Reading:
  • Chaucer, 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. 256-84): WBP lines 1-29, 121-140, 486-96, 672-729, 794-834; also WBT lines 863-918, 989-1182, 1225-1270. 


ALSO RECOMMENDED  (OPTIONAL READING):  Selections from The Book of Margery Kempe (NA 13-14, 383-97)  -- an interesting real-life counterpart to Chaucer's Alison of Bath (and to Christine de Pizan!)
 
 

     
 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.   Follow link for instructions, which will require that you and your group search for images on an assigned topic and submit to me in class 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.)

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LOOKING AHEAD: If you have not already begun to work seriously on your Composite Bibliography, get on it!!  Remember that this assignment counts for 10-15% of your final course grade (depending on the grading option which you elect).  If you try to throw it together at the last minute, you are likely to receive no credit for this assignment (the penalties for errors and omissions add up fast!)

Also, keep in mind that your expanded 3-4 page essay (worth 20-25% of your final course grade (depending on the grading option which you elect) will be due, along with the original, marked up introductory paragraph, by FRIDAY OF WEEK 9.
 
Day 2 The Wife of Bath's Legacy:  Women Voiced (Christine de Pizan); 

Devotional Literature I

 AS NEEDED: Continued discussion of the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale (as well as any contextual readings assigned last week but not yet fully discussed e.g. the second set of selections from the Romance of the Rose).

NEW REQUIRED READINGS:  Print out the Christine de Pizan  study guide and use it to help you understand the REQUIRED selections from Christine de Pizan's works (and any of the recommended selections you choose to dip into), as well as the background and contextual readings listed below (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 study guide (you do not need to print them separately). 

REQUIRED Contexts: Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, Selections 3 (readings on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard which you should PRINT OUT AND BRING WITH YOU TO CLASS).

REQUIRED Background: Introduction, The Selected Writings of Christine de Pizan (xi-xvi; this introduction is included in the first required e-reserve reading in the Library Resources section of Blackboard)). 

REQUIRED Christine de Pizan selections (all Christine readings are from The Selected Writings of Christine de Pizan, ed./tr. Renate Blumenfeld-Kosinski and Kevin Brownlee): 

Also recommended (but NOT required, although I will mention and/or read from them in lecture):
  • Autobiographical writings: excerpts from The Book of Fortune's Transformation ( 88-95,  99-107) and from Christine's Vision (173-201). 
 

Week 8    (February 26-28)
 
Topic Reading Research Assignment 
(Traditional and Web Resources)
Day 1 Devotional Literature I: Medieval Lyrics
Required Background Readings: 


Required Primary Readings: 

  • the six poems found NA 368-70;
  • Marian lyrics on the page of online readings (click on link to access; be sure to PRINT THEM OUT and bring them with you to class!);
  • Opening of the biblical (Old Testament) Song of Songs (link is to appropriate section of study guide; the text is on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard -- as usual, be sure to PRINT IT OUT and bring it with you to class); 
  • several of St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Sermons on the Song of Songs (link is to appropriate section of study guide; the text is on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard -- be sure to PRINT IT OUT and bring it with you to class). 


 

 REQUIRED ASSIGNMENT: the Getty Database Assignment MUST BE SUBMITTED IN HARD COPY FOR CREDIT AT THIS CLASS MEETING.   Follow link for instructions, which will require that you search for images on an assigned topic and submit a written report of your findings, including a printout of ONE image.

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NEW RESEARCH EXERCISE FOR WEEK 8:

HOMEWORK:  Prior to meeting with your Research Group,  1) read about electronic modes of access and the profiles of the four full-text journal databases we will be using on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools.  Be clear about what each database includes, what to use them for, and their advantages and disadvantages.  Carefully review the information on SFX and on Polysearch (and their limitations).    Know what must be added to a bibliographic citation of a journal article accessed electronically  through a subscription database. 

2) follow the link to review the detailed instructions for Research Step 4: Using Kennedy Library Subscription Databases to Acces Full-Text Journal Articles.

This exercise will guide you as you learn to search for full-text journal articles on your topic in four of Cal Poly's subscription journal databases. The directions will also guide you through submitting your next four research reports for the class research archive: "Muse Results," "EAI Results," ASE Results" and "JSTOR Results." 

NOTE: EACH MEMBER OF YOUR RESEARCH GROUP SHOULD PREPARE AND SUBMIT AT LEAST ONE OF THE FOUR REPORTS.

REMEMBER: The electronic journal databases are expensive, subscription-only resources that ARE part of the Kennedy Library's collections; they offer electronic access to a number of journals, to some of which (but not all of which) we may also have print subscriptions. When you search POLYCAT by JOURNAL TITLE, entries should cover Kennedy Library holdings for that journal in BOTH print and electronic formats, but be aware that the Polycat entry may be complete since journals are constantly being added to or dropped from individual databases. (This is why the MLA Bibliography assignment directed you to check for journal titles in Serials Solutions as well as in Polycat prior to placing an ILL order for a journal article).

NOTE: When you have a bibligraphic citation for an article, Citation Linker is a quick and easy way to check simultaneously in several (but not all) of the Kennedy Library's subscription databases for electronic access to the article in question.  But keep in mind that like other SFX resources, Citation Linker is not foolproof; it may tell you no electronic access is available when a journal is in fact found in a subscription database which Citation Linker cannot check.

*    -   *   -   *
LOOKING AHEAD: Continue work on your Composite Bibliography, and don't forget that your expanded 3-4 page essay will be due, along with the original, marked up introductory paragraph, by FRIDAY OF WEEK 9.
Day 2
Devotional Literature II:
Mystery Plays
 As needed: continued discussion of texts assigned for last clss meeting (medieval lyrics; Bernard of Clairvaux)

Required Background Readings: 

  • Review NA 13-14 (on the 15th Century);
  • NEW: NA 398 (headnote to the York Play of the Crucifixion -- but NOT the text)
  • NEW:  NA 406-8 (on mystery plays; headnote to The Second Shepherd's Play). 
Primary Reading:
 
 

 

Week 9    (March 4-6)
 
Topic Reading  Research Assignment 
(Traditional and Web Resources)
Day 1
Dante as Vernacular Poet
(the Vita Nuova )
1) Dante's Vita Nuova

Required Background Readings: 

  • The Portable Dante, Introduction (ix-xxxvi);
  • online Dante study guide Backgrounds to Dante section as well as section on the Vita Nuova (PRINT OUT the Dante Study Guide and place it in your course binder!)
Primary Reading:
    Selections from the Vita Nuova (The Portable Dante,  pp. 589-649; use Vita Nuova section of the DANTE STUDY GUIDE to zero in on important aspects of the primary text; you can skim the rest!) 
2) Dante's Commedia: 

Required Background Readings:

  • 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 the original Italian (on e-reserve in the Library Resources section of Blackboard); refer to it to understand what is meant by "terza rima" (see The Portable Dante, Introduction, xxxi);
  • read online Dante study guide section on the Commediaas a whole (link leads to appropriate section of study guide, which should already have been PRINTED OUT and placed in your course binder);
  • read online Dante study guide section on the Inferno (link leads to appropriate section of study guide, which should already have been PRINTED OUT and placed in your course binder).
Primary Reading:
  • Inferno, cantos 1-20 (The Portable Dante,  pp. 3-111; use the day 1 of Inferno section of your DANTE STUDY GUIDE to zero in on important aspects of the primary text!) 
 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. 

-- *  -- *  --

Expanded Paper is normally due, along with your original, marked up introductory paragraph, either to me in class on Thursday 3/6; OR, to me in my office on Thursday or Friday; OR to my mailbox in the main English office, no later than 4 PM on Friday, 3/7. [Do NOT leave your expanded paper pinned to my bulletin board or slip it under my office door!!]  But, with advance notice only, I will grant an extension until no later than 6 PM on SUNDAY 3/9 (via email attachment).  Any essay that is not submitted by Sunday 3/9 will incur a late penalty that will increase for every day it is late. 

Persons requesting the Sunday email extension must do so in advance, and must submit their original, marked up introductory paragraph (which I have returned to you with my comments during our paper conferences).  I will not read your expanded essay without it.   Failure to submit your original, marked up Intro Paragraph will result in  a grade of F on the expanded paper (worth 25% of your course grade).

Finally, please note that I will grant a week-end email extension ONLY if you will SWEAR ON YOUR NORTON ANTHOLOGY THAT YOU WILL HAVE READ THE ASSIGNED DANTE READINGS for our final class two meetings! 
Day 2 Dante, cont.: the Divine Comedy (Inferno)  As needed: continued discussion of readings assigned for last class.

New Reading: full text of Inferno, cantos 1-34 (The Portable Dante, pp. 3-191; use the day 2 of Inferno section of your DANTE STUDY GUIDE to zero in on important aspects of cantos 21-34 in the primary text!).

Week 10    (March 11-13)
 
Topic Reading Research Assignment 
(Traditional and Web Resources)
Day 1
Dante, cont.: the Divine Comedy (Purgatorio) 
 As needed: continued discussion of the Inferno.

New Reading: From Purgatorio:  cantos 1-2, 6, 8, 17, 21-22, 27-33 (The Portable Dante, pp. 195-206, 311-316, 346-87; use the Purgatorio section of your DANTE STUDY GUIDE to zero in on important aspects of the primary text!)

 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, cont.: the Divine Comedy (Paradiso) 
 As needed: continued discussion of the Purgatorio.

New Reading: Paradiso: cantos 1-3, 10, 15-17, 22-23, 25-28, 30-33 (The Portable Dante, pp. 391-408, 446-52, 476-96, 519-31, 536-57; 563-85; use the Paradiso section of your DANTE STUDY GUIDE to zero in on important aspects of the primary text!)
 

No longer required, but HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: 

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 required types of sources and modes of access. Your grade will be reduced for: 
  • each required TYPE OF SOURCE and MODE OF ACCESS that is NOT on the bibliography (or not eligible to be counted because another group member used the same source or because you did not attach all required print-outs);
  • each error in the bibliographic citations; 
  • any required print-outs that are not appended. 
Reminder:  for each SECONDARY source on the Composite Bibliography, you must include (stapled to the back of the bibliography, in the order in which the items appear) 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 on Thursday, March 20, from 10:10 AM - 1 PM.

Contents of this and linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2008