SYLLABUS FOR ENGLISH 317 MILTON
CSU FULLERTON, SPRING 2013
EMAIL | SYLLABUS | POLICIES | QUESTIONS | PRESENTATIONS | JOURNALS | PAPER | FINAL
COURSE INFORMATION. English 317, Course Code 16006, Section 1. M/W 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m., McCarthy Hall (MH) 552. Office hours Mondays 10:30 – 11:25 a.m. in University Hall (UH) 329. Email: e317@ajdrake.com. Catalog: “Prerequisite English 101 or equivalent. Poetry and prose in the light of Milton’s intellectual development. Units: (3).” I will use +/- grading. The English Dept. may be reached at (657) 278-3163. Students who need special accommodations at the main campus should contact the Disabled Student Services Office in UH 101 or call (657) 278-3117.
REQUIRED TEXTS AT TITAN BOOKSTORE
Milton, John. Complete Poems and Major Prose. Ed. Merritt Y. Hughes. Hackett: 2003. ISBN-13: 978-0872206786.
OPTIONAL RESOURCES
DEVILS TO ADORE BLOG. My thoughts on the assigned readings.
THE JOHN MILTON READING ROOM. This site offers not only electronic texts of some of Milton’s works but also a good set of research links.
COURSE RATIONALE AND ACTIVITIES
FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES. This course will cover a selection of Milton’s works, beginning with the shorter poetry and moving to the longer poems and representative prose. Milton’s life was closely bound up with his politics: he was a supporter of Oliver Cromwell’s Puritan overthrow of England’s King Charles I and establishment of the Commonwealth that lasted until 1660, so we will attend to the era’s cultural and political background, in part through discussion of “Areopagitica” and selections from The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce and The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates. Still, the main objective is to gain a sound appreciation of Milton’s poetry, so we will immerse ourselves first in the shorter poetry and then move on to longer works: the epics Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained will be key texts for us. The magnificent architecture, to to speak, of both epics will repay study, as will their rich veins of allusion, metaphor, simile, and other literary devices, but so will the compelling qualities of the rhetoric and storytelling that make these dauntingly erudite texts nonetheless remarkably enjoyable and relatable. Harold Bloom is no doubt right to trace what he calls future poets’ “anxiety of influence” to the monumental achievement of John Milton’s great epics. This is an artist, after all, whom the fiery Romantic prophet William Blake declared “a true poet and therefore of the devil’s party without knowing it.”
ACTIVITIES. In class, there will be a mix of lectures, student presentations, whole-class and smaller-group discussion, occasional quizzes, an essay, and a final exam. I encourage questions and comments—class sessions improve when students take an active part. Outside class, do the assigned readings before the relevant discussion dates, complete your journal sets as outlined below, start planning and drafting your essay early, and work on your presentation drafts. In literary studies, the aim is to read and discuss actively and thereby to develop your own voice in response to the texts you read. Insightful interpretation and the ability to make compelling connections are central goals. The essay, discussions, presentations, and journal-keeping should combine to help you work towards these goals.
HOW YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL BE EVALUATED
COURSE POLICIES. Please review the course policies page early in the semester. Key points: missing more than 20% of sessions may affect course grade; failing to stay engaged during sessions may also adversely affect course grade; academic dishonesty on any assignment (journals, presentations, paper, exam) may result in course failure. The four evaluative requirements outlined below must be substantially completed to earn at least a “C” in the course. Since most assignments will be due by email, it is students’ responsibility to contact me promptly if they do not get an email verifying receipt: waiting weeks to inform me that no receipt arrived will result in the assignment being considered late.
PRESENTATIONS REQUIREMENT. At the beginning of the course, students will sign up for one or two 5-7 minute in-class presentations (depending on class size) on assigned texts of their choosing (if possible). I will provide presenters with a specific question to address from among those on the questions page, and a few days after sign-up I will post a schedule on the Presentations page. Each session will feature one or more presentations. Required: One week in advance of your presentation, email me as full a draft as possible of what you intend to say in class. I will email you back with advice. If I suggest developing the remarks further, email me a revised version at least one day before your in-class presentation. I won’t judge students on their rhetorical skills during the presentation, but rather on evidence of prior preparation and consultation as well as on the written draft. How to do well on this assignment: meet with me or email me as required, and send a final written version; good critics challenge and pose questions, so craft your responses to invite discussion; aim for spontaneity and a personal touch: use the question as a springboard rather than a prescription; speak up, but don’t rush things. Don’t bother with biography, and don’t base what you say mainly on Internet note sites or similar material; if you use any sources, give due credit. (15-20% of course grade.)
JOURNALS REQUIREMENT. Responses to a choice of questions from the study questions page for each text. Four separate journal sets due by email as specified below in the session schedule. Electronic format required. I will not mark journal sets down unless they are late (maximum grade = B), incomplete, or so brief and derivative as to suggest evasion of intellectual labor: they should consist of honest responses to the assigned readings, not “yes-or-no” style answers, quotation of the assigned texts without further comment, or pasted secondary material from Internet sources. Plagiarizing such sources may result in an “F” for the journal set or even, in egregious cases, for the course. How to do well on this assignment: read instructions; complete entries as you go through each text; send sets on time, making sure I verify receipt; respond with a thoughtful paragraph on each chosen question; use your own words and refer to the texts’ specific language. (30% of course grade.)
TERM PAPER REQUIREMENT. By the end of Week 13 (Sunday 11/25) a one-paragraph description addressing the general topic and specific argument of the projected paper will be due by email. (Full rough drafts are also encouraged.) Not providing this description on time will affect the final draft grade. Please read the term paper instructions carefully since they contain the general prompt, suggested topics, and advance draft comments. I reserve the right to require proof of the final paper’s authenticity, such as notes or an early draft. Final draft (5-7 pages) due as specified towards the bottom of the syllabus page. Although this is not a full-fledged research paper or a long casebook study, I require that you incorporate at least two substantive sources into your essay because that will allow us to work on the skills relevant to college-level research: how to borrow and reflect on others’ ideas, how to quote material and cite it properly, etc. CSUF academic integrity policies apply. How to do well on this assignment: send required advance paragraph on time and incorporate advice I send; allow yourself time for revision; proofread and follow MLA formatting and style guidelines; avoid opening the essay with stale generalities or lapsing into discussion of exhaustive, unconnected details in its main body: instead, develop a specific, arguable set of claims, demonstrating their strength by showing how they enhance our understanding of specific language, structures, and themes; document your online/print sources properly; read instructions.
FINAL EXAM REQUIREMENT. The exam will consist of substantive i.d. passages (33% of exam), mix-and-match questions (match phrase or concept x to speaker/text y; 33% of exam), and key lecture points paired with substantive quotations from the assigned texts (33% of exam). There will be more choices than required responses. Books and notes allowed for all sections, but no laptops or other electronic devices. Students may not share books or notes during the exam. Exam date: see below. How to do well on this assignment: read the online prep. sheet; take good notes and ask questions/make comments; above all, enjoy the works rather than thinking of them only as “test material.” If you take pleasure in the assigned texts’ language, attend to the sophistication with which they have been structured, and reflect on the intellectual/moral/spiritual value you derive from them, you are likely to earn a good exam grade. (20% of course grade.)
EMAILING ASSIGNMENTS. Email journals, presentations, and term paper as attachments. Don’t send more than one document in the same email. Label subject lines appropriately: “E317 Journal 1, Jane Smith” etc. You can paste journal sets into a regular email or send them as an attachment. (Journal “sets” include responses to questions about several authors or texts; do not send entries on each author in a given set separately; responses on the relevant authors should be combined into one document.) Contact me if you don’t receive an email confirmation within approximately three days – if you wait weeks or months to do that, the assignment will be counted as late.
QUESTIONS FOR JOURNALS AND PRESENTATIONS
POEMS | COMUS | PROSE | PARADISE LOST | PARADISE REGAINED | SAMSON AGONISTES
SCHEDULE: WORKS DISCUSSED ON DATES INDICATED
WEEK 1
Mon. 01/28. Brief course introduction.
Wed. 01/30. Introduction to Milton. “Sonnet VII: How Soon Hath Time” (1632, pp. 76-77).
WEEK 2
Mon. 02/04. “On the Morning of Christ’s Nativity” (1629, pp. 42-50); “On Shakespeare“ (1630, pp. 63-64); “L’Allegro“ and “Il Penseroso“ (~1631, pp. 67-76).
Wed. 02/06. “Ad Patrem – to His Father“ (~1637, pp. 82-86); “Lycidas“ (1637, pp. 116-27); “On the New Forcers of Conscience under the Long Parliament“ (~1646, pp. 144-45); “Sonnet XVI: To the Lord General Cromwell“ (1652, pp. 160-61); “Sonnet XIX: When I Consider …“ (~1652, pp. 168); “Sonnet XVIII: On the Late Massacre in Piemont“ (1655, pp. 167-68); “Sonnet XXIII: Methought I Saw …“ (1658, pp. 170-71).
WEEK 3
Mon. 02/11. Comus: A Mask (1634, pp. 86-114).
Wed. 02/13. Comus: A Mask (1634, pp. 86-114).
WEEK 4
Mon. 02/18. President’s Day Holiday. No Classes.
Wed. 02/20. “Areopagitica: A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing …“ (1644, pp. 716-49).
WEEK 5
Mon. 02/25. From The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce (1643, pp. 696-715).
Wed. 02/27. “The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates“ (1649, pp. 750-80).
JOURNAL SET 1 DUE BY EMAIL SUNDAY 03/03. (Reminder: this set includes the poems and the prose through and including “The Tenure….“ Respond with a full paragraph each to the specified number of questions for each text. I will verify receipt by email within a few days.)
WEEK 6
Mon. 03/04. Paradise Lost, Book I (1667/1674, pp. 209-31).
Wed. 03/06. Paradise Lost, Book I (1667/1674, pp. 209-31).
WEEK 7
Mon. 03/11. Paradise Lost, Book II (1667/1674, pp. 232-57).
Wed. 03/13. Paradise Lost, Book III (1667/1674, pp. 257-76).
WEEK 8
Mon. 03/18. Paradise Lost, Book IV (1667/1674, pp. 277-302).
Wed. 03/20. Paradise Lost, Book IV (1667/1674, pp. 277-302).
JOURNAL SET 2 DUE BY EMAIL SUNDAY 03/24. (Reminder: this set includes Paradise Lost through and including Book 4. Respond with a full paragraph each to the number of questions specified for each text.)
WEEK 9
Mon. 03/25. Paradise Lost, Book V (1667/1674, pp. 302-23).
Wed. 03/27. Paradise Lost, Book VI (1667/1674, pp. 323-45).
WEEK 10
Mon. 04/01. Spring Recess. No Classes.
Wed. 04/03. Spring Recess. No Classes.
WEEK 11
Mon. 04/08. Paradise Lost, Book VII (1667/1674, pp. 345-62).
Wed. 04/10. Paradise Lost, Book VIII (1667/1674, pp. 362-77).
WEEK 12
Mon. 04/15. Paradise Lost, Book IX (1667/1674, pp. 378-405).
Wed. 04/17. Paradise Lost, Book IX (1667/1674, pp. 378-405).
JOURNAL SET 3 DUE BY EMAIL SUNDAY 04/21. (Reminder: this set includes Paradise Lost through and including Book 9. Respond with a full paragraph each to the specified number of questions on each text.)
WEEK 13
Mon. 04/22. Paradise Lost, Book X (1667/1674, pp. 406-32).
Wed. 04/24. Paradise Lost, Book XI (1667/1674, pp. 432-53).
PARAGRAPH ON TOPIC AND ARGUMENT FOR PAPER DUE BY EMAIL SUNDAY 04/28.
WEEK 14
Mon. 04/29. Paradise Lost, Book XII (1667/1674, pp. 454-69).
Wed. 05/01. Paradise Regained, The First Book (1671, pp. 483-94).
WEEK 15
Mon. 05/06. Paradise Regained, The Second and Third Books (1671, pp. 494-515).
Wed. 05/08. Paradise Regained, The Fourth Book (1671, pp. 515-30).
WEEK 16
Mon. 05/13. Samson Agonistes (1671, pp. 549-77).
Wed. 05/15. Samson Agonistes (1671, pp. 577-93).
JOURNAL SET 4 DUE BY EMAIL EXAM DAY. (Reminder: this set includes Paradise Lost Books 10-12 through and including Samson Agonistes. Respond with a full paragraph each to the specified number of questions on each text.)
FINALS WEEK
Final Exam Date: Friday, May 24 at 12:00 – 1:50 p.m. Due by email by Sunday, May 26: Term Paper. (I must turn in grades by Friday, May 31.) Please pay attention to your school email even after final exams. Otherwise, you may miss important notifications about course materials not received, etc.