Calendar, Winter 2006
| Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
NOTE: some background readings are in .PDF files on Electronic Reserve through the Kennedy Library. To view a file, click on the link; you will be prompted to type in your last name and library barcode (the 14-digit number beginning 20150 on the front of your PolyCard). You can then download, read and/or print the file using Acrobat Reader.
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Electronic Databases and Web-based Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | Introduction to ENGL
439: course organization, requirements and expectations.
Overview of Readings (sign-up for research topics at our next class meeting). If you consult this calendar of assignments prior to the first class meeting, you are advised to read COMPLETELY through our class homepage, skim this calendar of assignments, and to begin the assigned Medieval Contexts background readings PRIOR TO OUR FIRST CLASS MEETING. Also, because sign-ups for Oral Presentations will begin at our second class meeting, you are advised to read through the Oral Presentation Guidelines and have a look at the Schedule of Oral Presentations, Medieval Contexts: the notion of Translatio; medieval attitudes toward vernacular literature; "Courtly Love." "Translatio studii et imperii" (online reading). "Courtly Love" (online reading). "Medieval prologues" (online reading). Marie de France, prologue and epilogue to the Fables (on electronic reserve) and prologue to the Lais (in The Lais of Marie de France, pp. 28-9); prologues to Chrétien de Troyes's Erec and Enide and Cliges (in Arthurian Romances, pp. 37 and 123). Also recommended, on medieval textuality and textual practice: W. F. Bolton, "The Conditions of Literary Composition in Medieval England" (click first link for study guide; click HERE for reading on E-Reserve). |
In this class, you will hone your research
skills using a number of electronic research tools accessible online through
the Kennedy Library's subscription databases. 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).
Be aware that, with the exception of reputable scholarly work (e.g. unpublished conference papers, original or previously published essays, book chapters or journal articles) made available by an academic author, in an online scholarly journal, or on the website of a scholarly project, material found on the web is HIGHLY UNLIKELY to be suitable for citation in a research paper. If you DO choose to use Web Search Engines for your research, be sure to consult Research Step 6: Finding and Evaluating Web-Based Resources for tips on how to evaluate the scholarly validity of a website or resource found online. (This optional assignment can be submitted for extra credit.) |
| Day 2 | Medieval Contexts: the notion of Translatio; medieval
attitudes toward vernacular literature; "Courtly Love."
"Translatio studii et imperii" (online reading). "Courtly Love" (online reading). "Medieval prologues" (online reading). "Medieval prologues" (online reading). Marie de France, prologue and epilogue to the Fables (electronic reserve) and prologue to the Lais (in The Lais of Marie de France, pp. 28-9); prologues to Chrétien de Troyes's Erec and Enide and Cliges (in Arthurian Romances, pp. 37 and 123). Also recommended, on medieval textuality and textual practice: W. F. Bolton, "The Conditions of Literary Composition in Medieval England" (click first link for study guide; click HERE for reading on E-Reserve). Also recommended, on "courtly love" (books are on reserve for ENGL 439): C. S. Lewis, "Courtly Love" (chapter 1 of The Allegory of Love; misguided but extremely influential); Douglas Kelly, "Allegory of Love" (from Medieval Imagination, book on reserve for ENGL 439, pp. 13-25). If you have not already done so, be sure to read COMPLETELY through our class homepage and this calendar of assignments. Also read through the Oral Presentation Guidelines, have a look at the Schedule of Oral Presentations, and consider which dates/topics you are most interested in (including some alternates). Sign-ups today in class!. |
First Research Assignment (to
be completed before today's class):
Introduction to Kennedy Library Research Tools: Read through Preliminaries 1: Types of Sources and Preliminaries II: Modes of Access on Dr. Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools. When you come to class next Tuesday, you should
|
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | Ovid: The Art of Love (The Love Poems pp.
87-149) and The Cures for Love (The Love Poems, pp. 151-173).
On electronic reserve: Peter L. Allen, "The Illusion of Love, the Love of Illusion: The Ars Amatoria and Remedia Amoris." (Chapter 1 of Allen's The Art of Love: Amatory Fiction from Ovid to the Romance of the Rose [Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1992], pp. 15-37; this book is on reserve for ENGL 439.) |
Research Assignment (to be completed
before
today's class):
SKIM your MLA Handbook chapters on Research
and Writing, the Mechanics of Writing, and the Format of
the Research Paper (so you'll know what's there), and read carefullythe
sections on italics vs. underliningand on the Titles
of Works (in the chapter called the Mechanics of Writing). You
will need to be clear about these rules in
2) If you have not already signed up for an Oral Presentation date, check the Schedule of Oral Presentations and decide which of the remaining dates/topics you are most interested in (including some alternates!); sign-ups will continue in class today! |
| Day 2 | 1) Ovid, Amores I #1-5, 9; II # 1, 5, 12, 15,
17, 18; III # 14 & 15. In The Love Poems. Also recommended:
I.15, II.19, III.1, III.2, III.7.
2) Selections from Virgil's Aeneid (on electronic reserve) and from the anonymous Anglo-Norman Romance of Eneas (on electronic reserve). Consultation of the study guide is strongly advised! Also recommended: Peter L. Allen, "From Rome to France: Under the Sign of Ovid." (Chapter 2 of Allen's The Art of Love, book on reserve for ENGL 439.) |
Homework: 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 Polycat contains, when (and why) to use
it, its strengths and its limitations. Then, click on the link for detailed
instructions for your first research assignment: Research
Step 1: Kennedy Library via Polycat. ASK DR. SCHWARTZ IN CLASS
if you have any questions on what you need to do.
By following the directions in Research Step 1: Kennedy Library via Polycat, you should be able to find some useful secondary sources -- which are studies ABOUT your author, topic or work, not an edition or translation of the text itself -- in the Kennedy Library collections. The directions will also guide you through submitting your first two research reports to the class research archive, "Searching Polycat" and "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 439" from the classes you are taking; you will either be taken directly to the Research Archive or can get there by clicking on "Discussion Board" and entering the "forum" for the topic you are researching. (I will create a separate "forum" for each reading.) |
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | Andreas Capellanus, The Art of Courtly Love.
This is a LONG READING, which you should plan ahead for (start on the week-end).
As you skim through the WHOLE text, read with more care the following pages:
27-36, 68-107, 141-157, 167-186-212.
Within these sections, read to get a sense of how the text is constructed (how and to what extent does it follow the model of Ovid?). Notice the latent misogyny behind the supposed glorification of "courtly love." Look also for the details that led earlier scholars to think (naively) that Andreas, at the request of the Countess Marie of Champagne, had set out to write the "theory" of courtly love as it was practiced at her court (notice references to the Countess Marie and to her "decisions in love cases," e.g. 104-107 and 167-177; see also the list of "Rules of Love" 184-186). NOTE: We are reading Andreas not for any intrinsic literary merit (did YOU notice any??), but 1) because it provides a literary bridge between Ovid's Art of Love / Remedy of Love and the two texts of the Romance of the Rose; and 2) so you will have an idea what the fuss (and much of the misunderstanding) about "courtly love" is based on. So: don't sweat the details! Skip the (dated and misleading) introduction to the text; instead read the following REQUIRED secondary reading: Toril Moi's essay "Desire In Language: Andreas Capellanus and the Controversy of Courtly Love" (on electronic reserve). Particularly helpful: pp. 11-20 (on some of the interpretations that have been offered of Andreas's text). Also recommended, if you have time/interest (on reserve for ENGL 439):
|
Homework: 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. Then, click on the link for
detailed instructions for the second research assignment: Research
Step 2: Using LINK+. ASK DR. SCHWARTZ IN CLASS if you have any
questions on what you need to do.
By following the directions in Research Step 2: Using LINK+, you will learn how to use LINK+ to order additional secondary sources from cooperating libraries. LINK+ can be used to order books only -- not journal articles. It is fast -- books ordered through LINK+ typically arrive within 2-3 days. The directions will also guide you though submitting your next two research reports to the class research archive, "LINK+ Search Results" and "LINK+ Orders 1." |
| Day 2 | The Tristan tradition. Consultation of the
ENGL 203
Tristan
study guide is strongly advised! NB: today's assignment
is fun and easy to read, but long enough that I'd normally have liked it
to fall on a Tuesday. . . but that just didn't work out; so do budget time
for it!
There are three primary Tristan readings for Thursday's class:
Also recommended (NOT required reading, but of interest because of its wide influence): the opening chapter of Denis de Rougemont's Love in the Western World (this book is on reserve for ENGL 439-02). Research Presentation(s):
|
Homework: 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+.
Then, click on the link for detailed instructions for the third research
assignment: Research
Step 3: Using the MLA Bibliography to Identify Additional Sources on Your
Topic (and then figure out how to access them!). ASK DR. SCHWARTZ
IN CLASS if you have any questions on what you need to do.
By following the detailed instructions on Research Step 3: Using the MLA Bibliography to Identify Additional Sources on Your Topic (and then figure out how to access them!), you will learn to use the MLA Bibliographyto identify additional secondary sources on your topic and Interlibrary Loan to access articles and books which are not available at Cal Poly (or through LINK+). The directions will also help you prepare your next research reports for the class research archive, "MLA Search Results" and "ILL Orders" (as well as "LINK+ Orders 2" if applicable). |
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 |
An "Anti-Tristan": Chrétien de Troyes, Cligés. Arthurian Romances 123-205. (Consultation of the ENGL 252 Study Guide is highly recommended!) Research Presentations(s):
|
Homework: 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 read information on SFX
and on Polysearch
(and their limitations).
Know what to add to the citation of a journal
article citation accessed electronically through a subscription
database. Then, click on the link for detailed instructions for the
fourth research assignment: Research
Step 4: Using Full-Text Subscription Databases. ASK DR. SCHWARTZ
IN CLASS if you have any questions on what you need to do.
The detailed instructions in Research Step 4: Using Full-Text Subscription Databases will help you learn to search for full-text journal articles on your topic in four of Cal Poly's subscription databases. The directions will also help you prepare your next four research reports for the class research archive: "Muse Results," "EAI Results," ASE Results" and "JSTOR Results." |
| Day 2 | Marie
de France, selected
Lais:
Guigemar, Equitan, Bisclavret,
Lanval, Yonec, Chevrefoil. ( Short and fun readings; note that "Chevrefoil"
is another Tristan text!)
Consultation of the Engl 203/252 Study Guide is highly recommended; includes comments on all assigned lais except Equitan). Research Presentations (each should focus on a different specific lai; no more than TWO unless all other presentation topics/days have at least one presentation):
|
Homework: Review information
on electronic
modes of access and read carefully through the profile of NetLibrary
on Dr.
Schwartz's Guide to Kennedy Library Research Tools. Be clear
about what it is, when and how to use it, its strengths and its limitations.
Know what to add to the bibliographic citation of an ebook
accessed through a subscription
database like NetLibrary. Then, click on the link for detailed instructions
for the fourth research assignment: Research
Step 5: Searching the E-books in NetLibrary. ASK DR. SCHWARTZ
IN CLASS if you have any questions on what you need to do.
The detailed instructions in Research Step 5: Searching the E-books in NetLibrary will guide you as you learn to search directly in the ebooks found in NetLibrary, another of Cal Poly's subscription databases. The directions will also help you prepare your next research report for the class research archive, "NetLibraryResults." |
Week 5 (January 31-February 2)
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | Chrétien de Troyes, The Knight of the Lion
(Yvain). Arthurian Romances
295-380. READ WHOLE
TEXT BY CLASS TIME.
Research presentation(s):
|
1) Click on the link and follow
the guidelines to begin work on the Prospectus
and Working Bibliography for your Research
Paper, due NO LATER THAN NOON ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10. Note
1: the Prospectus is normally an ungraded exercise allowing me to provide
feedback that will help you write a stronger final research paper.
But if no prospectus is submitted (or if it does not follow assignment
guidelines),
it will count for 10%
of the final course grade. Note 2: I will use your Paper Prospectus
and Working Bibliography to help me grade the "Paper Preview" section on
the midterm, so do them carefully and be sure to submit them by the deadline!
2) Click on the link for instructions for an OPTIONAL research assignment (which may be completed for Extra Credit): Research Step 6: Finding and Evaluating Web-Based Resources. |
| Day 2 | Chrétien de Troyes, The
Knight of the Cart (Lancelot). Arthurian Romances
207-294. READ WHOLE TEXT BY CLASS TIME. Consultation of study
guide strongly advised!
Research presentation(s):
|
Continue work on paper prospectus (due to me in person, or to my mailbox in the main English office, no later than noon on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10). |
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | The Romance of the Rose. Introduction (pp. ix-xxii);
Guillaume de Lorris's whole poem (pp. 3-61); translatio
episode
from Jean de Meun's continuation (found at the midpoint of the conjoined
poems, pp. 154-164). You may also find it helpful to consult the plot
summary in the Introduction, pp. ix-xii.
As you read the selections from the Rose, you may find it useful to consult the following ENGL 203 study guides: Rose I (general background -- what is the Romance of the Rose, anyway?); Rose II (contexts for the Wife of Bath); and Rose III (contexts for Christine de Pizan) -- BUT PLEASE BE AWARE THAT PAGE NUMBERS ON STUDY GUIDE DO NOT CORRESPOND TO PAGES IN OUR TEXT. Research Presentation on Guillaume de Lorris:
|
Put final touches on paper Prospectus, due to me in person, or to my mailbox in the main English office, no later than noon on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10. Begin review for Midterm Exam. |
| Day 2 | Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose, "chapters"
4-7 (pp. 62-224). Read these chapters in their entirety if you have
time, but if time is pressing, read the following pages and skim
over the rest: 62-71, 84-91, 104-121, 137-168, 182-224.
You may also find it helpful to consult the plot summary in the Introduction,
pp. x-xii.
These selections include the beginning and end of each "chapter" as well as key passages that build on themes discussed in class (e.g. clerical misogyny, connections to Ovid and/or Andreas Capellanus, and whether by "love" Jean de Meun means anything other than simply "sex") and/or which provide a context for future readings (e.g. Christine de Pizan's reactions to the Romance of the Rose; the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale) . Research presentation(s): on Jean de Meun (or related topic; must focus primarily on reading assigned for today)
|
Turn in you paper Prospectusin
class today, or to my mailbox in the main English office no later than
NOON TOMORROW ( FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10).
IN CLASS: Sign up for conference for feedback on your research prospectus weeks 7 or 8. Continue review for Midterm Exam. |
Paper Prospectus due to me in person, or my mailbox in the main English office, no later than NOON on Friday, February 10.
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | Jean de Meun's Romance of the Rose: "chapters"
8-12 (pp. 225-335). You may also find it helpful to consult the plot
summary in the Introduction, pp. x-xii.
Research presentation(s): on Jean de Meun (or related topic; must focus primarily on reading assigned for today)
|
If you have not already done so, be sure to sign up in
class today for a conference time week 7 or 8 for feedback on your research
prospectus.
Continue review for Midterm Exam. Work on research paper. |
| Day 2 | Christine
and the Rose: The God of Love's Letter
(The Selected Writings of Christine de Pizan, pp. 15-29), the
debate on the Romance of the Rose (The Selected Writings
of Christine de Pizan, pp. 41-45), and the following pages from The
Book of the City of Ladies: The Selected Writings of Christine de
Pizan, pp. 116-137, 144 (bottom)-155. The Selected Writings
of Christine de Pizan is a recommended text which you may have purchased
for ENGL 439 (or may still have a copy of if you took ENGL 203 with me);
the readings may also be available on e-reserve.
If you do not have a copy of the book, be sure to PRINT OUT THESE READINGS
AND BRING THEM WITH YOU TO CLASS!
Consultation of the study guide is strongly advised! Research presentation(s): on Christine de Pizan's reactions to the Rose (each should focus on a different text; no more than TWO possible unless all other topics/days have at least one presentation):
|
Continue review for Midterm
Exam.
Continue work on Research paper. |
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | MIDTERM EXAM | |
| Day 2 | Chaucer,
Troilus
and Cressida, pts. I-II (Portable Chaucer, 345-426).
You are strongly advised to consult
Troilus
and Cressida study guide. Research Presentation(s) on
an aspect of pts. I-II:
|
Continue work on Research paper. |
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | Chaucer,
Troilus
and Cressida, pts. III-V (Portable Chaucer, 427-555). Use
Troilus
and Cressida study guide to guide your reading! Research
Presentation(s) on an aspect of pts. III-V:
|
Continue work on Research paper. |
| Day 2 | Chaucer,
The
Canterbury Tales II: The
Knight's Tale (Portable Chaucer, 76-123) and The
Miller's Tale (Portable Chaucer, 123-143). Consultation
of The
Knight's Tale study guide and The
Miller's Tale study guide strongly advised! Two Research Presentations
(one on each tale).
|
Continue work on Research paper. |
| Topic and Readings | Research Assignment
(Traditional and Web Resources) |
|
| Day 1 | Chaucer,
The
Canterbury Tales I: The
Nun's Priest's Tale (Portable Chaucer, 186-206) and The
Merchant's Tale (Portable Chaucer, 264-291). Consultation
of The Nun's
Priest's Tale study guide strongly advised. For information
on the fabliau (the genre of the Merchant's Tale), consultation of The
Miller's Tale study guide strongly advised. Two Research
Presentations (one on each tale).
|
Continue work on Research paper. |
| Day 2 | Chaucer,
The
Canterbury Tales III: The
Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale (Portable Chaucer, 239-240)
and The
Franklin's Tale (Portable Chaucer, 292-314). Consultation
of the two study guides is strongly advised! Two Research Presentations
(one on each tale).
Optional reading: the influential (but flawed) essay by George Lyman Kittredge on the "Marriage Group" (online); read it (if you do) with a critical eye! |
Continue work on Research paper. |
In lieu of a written final exam, all students will participate in a Final Oral Exercise: a brief summary of his/her final research paper, presented to the other members of the seminar. If possible, this (required) final oral exercise will be scheduled in conjunction with an (optional) class dinner, at Dr. Schwartz's home, on the Sunday prior to, or on Tuesday or Wednesday of, exam week (March 12, 14 or 15). If no common evening time can be found, the final oral exercise will take place on campus at our regularly scheduled exam time: Thursday, March 16, from 1:10-4:00 PM.
Unless an extension has been arranged in advance, Research Papers are due, along with the original marked up prospectus, no later than Tuesday, 3/14; you may turn them in to me in person on the last day of class, during a Monday or Tuesday Exam Week Office Hour, or at the time of our final oral exercise if it takes place with a class dinner on Sunday or Tuesday. BUT please NOTE: if the Final Oral Exercise is scheduled Wednesday evening or during our regularly scheduled Thursday exam time, the PAPER is STILL DUE BY TUESDAY, 3/14, unless you have requested and received an Extension from me IN ADVANCE.
Contents of this and all linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz, 1999-2006