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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 232"
COURSE NAME: "English Literature III: The Victorians to the Modernists"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2024
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Livia Sacchetti
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Considering major British and Irish writers since 1832, this course deals with, among other concerns, the various ways in which the Victorians and selected writers of the first half of the 20th century responded to the inheritance of Romanticism. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

A continuation of ENG 231, this course aims to shape the students' understanding of the ways in which literature responds to and portrays deep societal changes. The course covers the movement from Victorian literature to Modernism. Changes in the conceptualization of class, gender, science, technology and the meaning of realism are crucial within this time span and carry us to the way we narrate the human experience today. Literature gives voice to the increasing concerns of the time, changing as these change over the course of two momentous centuries, dubbed by historians the long century (1800's) and the brief century (1900's) respectively. Literary form across genres redefines its tenets to reflect: changing working conditions; new inventions; the fall of imperialism and two world wars; a second scientific revolution; the birth of psychology.

Students will be engage in the discussion of a wide variety of texts across genres to understand such changes. This is a reading intensive course; students will be expected to come to have class having completed the required reading.

 

 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completing the course, the students will have developed the ability to identify the key elements in Victorian literature and Modernism, and to develop an interpretation of a text accordingly. They will have expanded their knowledge of the poignant relationship between history (and the history of ideas) literary form.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
The Norton Anthology: The Victorian AgeStephen Greenblatt (editor)Norton9780393603064   Almost Corner Bookshop 
The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Twentieth Century Stephen Greenblatt (editor)Norton978039360371   Almost Corner Bookshop 
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
First Essay 20%
Second Essay 20%
Third Essay 20%
Final Exam 20%
Class Participation and smaller assignments/ outlines 20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance is mandatory. You are allowed 3 absences per term, beyond which your final grade will be affected.  Three late entries will be counted as one absence. You are considered late if you come to class after attendance has been taken.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Week 1: The Victorian age: realism, photography and the rise of the middle class

  • Rags to riches; the Victorian novel
  • Focus author: Charles Dickens

Week 2: The Victorian age: realism, photography and the rise of the middle class

  • Rags to riches; the Victorian novel
  • Focus author: Charles Dickens

Week 3: The Victorian age: femininity and desire

  • Female authors
  • Focus author: Emily Bronte

Week 4: The Victorian age: femininity and desire

  • Female authors
  • Focus author:George Eliot(Genetics & Darwinism)

Week 5: The Victorian age:science 

  • Focus author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Week 6:  The Victorian age:poetry

  • Focus authors: Elizabeth Barrett-Browning; Robert Browning

Week 7: The Victorian age:the theater as a middle class activity

  • The well-made play
  • Focus authors: George Bernard Shaw; Oscar Wilde

Week 8: The Brief Century: Angst and identity

  • Psychology; Relativity; World War I
  • The Modernist novel
  • Focus authors: James Joyce and Virginia Woolf

Week 9: The Brief Century: Angst and identity

  • Psychology; Relativity; World War I
  • The Modernist novel
  • Focus authors: James Joyce and Virginia Woolf

Week 10:The Brief Century: Angst and identity

  • Psychology; Relativity; World War I
  • The Modernist novel
  • Focus authors: James Joyce and Virginia Woolf

Week 11: The Brief Century: Angst and identity

  • Psychology; Relativity; World War I
  • Modernist poetry
  • Focus authors:TS Eliot

Week 12: The Brief Century: Angst and identity

  • Psychology; Relativity; World War I
  • Modernist poetry
  • Focus authors:TS Eliot

Week 13 : The Brief Century: Angst and identity

  • Psychology; Relativity; World War I
  • Absurdism
  • Focus authors:Samuel Beckett

Week 14:

The Brief Century: Angst and identity

  • Psychology; Relativity; World War I
  • Absurdism
  • Focus authors:Samuel Beckett

The final exam will be in two parts and consist in a detailed and cogent analysis of two extracts; students will have to be able to identify and contextualize both-