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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN/GDR 350"
COURSE NAME: "Jane Austen: In Her World and Ours"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2026
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Shannon Russell
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 and one previous English literature class
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
What is it about Jane Austen’s fictional world that makes her novels so popular, and why do we continue to adapt her work on screen? This course considers the enduring appeal of Austen’s novels from within and beyond their historical contexts. A particular focus of the course is her engagement with gender, but students will also consider how her novels respond to contemporary debates about emotion and mental health, the slave trade, war and empire, new money and class mobility, education, imagination, and the dangers of reading. Students will understand both Jane Austen’s debt to previous writers and her own significant contributions to the genre of the novel. They will read all of Austen's major novels and selections from the Juvenilia and letters. They will also work in groups to critique a film version of a novel, analyzing what contemporary adaptations do with Austen and why. By the end of the course, students will appreciate the cultural and literary contexts from which these novels emerge, and will possess the critical capacities to address why they continue to speak to us today.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

JANE AUSTEN:  In Her World and Ours

Students will read all of Austen's major novels and selections from the Juvenilia and letters, and will be expected to critique film adaptions of these books, as well.  They will be exposed to a variety of critical approaches to Austen's work and will engage with these in class and in their research papers.  Students will also have the opportunity to work with a Digital Humanities tool, Voyant, to explore and analyse Austen's linguistic universe. 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The course aims to have students understand both Austen’s debt to previous writers and her own significant contributions to the genre of the novel. By the end of the course, students should be able to appreciate the cultural and literary contexts from which these novels emerge and should have developed critical capacities to understand why they speak so enduringly to us today.  Students should also become aware of the act of reading and the process of translation of Austen's work from the page to film in their critique of a number of adaptations of these novels.

HONORS OPTION:  Students have the option to take this course for Honors credit, providing they meet the required GPA.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Mansfield ParkJane AustenBroadview Press139781-55111-098-1 or latest Broadview edition   Almost Corner Bookshop 
Pride and PrejudiceJane AustenBroadview Press1-5511-028-8   Almost Corner Bookshop 
Northanger AbbeyJane AustenBroadview Press13.978-1-55111-479-8   Almost Corner Bookshop 
PersuasionJane AustenBroadview Press13.978-1-551110131-5   Almost Corner Bookshop 
EmmaJane AustenBroadview Press1-5511-321-X   Almost Corner Bookshop 
Sense and SensibilityJane AustenBroadview PressISBN: 9781551111254/155111125X   Almost Corner Bookshop 
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
3 Essays Essays should be 1,500 word research papers and follow MLA style guidelines. Use no more than 2-3 peer-reviewed sources. At least one of these essays will involve the use of the Digital Humanities text mining tool, Voyant.60% (20% for each essay)
Group Seminar Presentation involving a film critique of an adaptation of one of the novels.A rubric for this assignment will be provided on the Moodle. 10%
Participation  10%
Final Exam 20%
Honors Component Assignment for those who are registered as Honors students onlyHonors students will do an extra project or assignment, to be devised together with the professor by week 3 of the course.Pass/Fail

-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
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. Students who miss more than three classes will receive an overall reduction of the grade by 5% for for each additional absence.  Where a third absence involves a meaningful conflict (see below) students will be required to produce makeup work. Should absences exceed six, students will receive a failing grade for the class.  Students must notify the professor by the beginning of the second week of classes if they know they will be absent from class for religious or other excusable reasons. Two late arrivals count as one absence.Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday must notify the instructor in writing by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. 

 Exam absences:  You cannot make up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. 

 

 
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

JANE AUSTEN:  IN HER WORLD AND OURS 

 

NOTE:  There is NO mid-term exam in this course. 

HONORS STUDENTS: Those who take this course for Honors will have extra work, typically involving 5,000 more words of critical writing and a presentation. The nature of those assignments are to be devised and agreed between student and professor by the third week of class. 

WEEK 1

Tuesday

Introduction to course and its requirements: Who was Jane Austen and who is she now?

Thursday

Read Lady Susan and selections from the Juvenilia on the website, particularly those writings Austen compiled in Volumes 1, 2 and 3: 

http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/juviscrp.html

WEEK 2

Tuesday

 Playing with the gothic novel and the novel of sensibility


Read:  Chapters 1-10 of Northanger Abbey    

Appendix C:  Examples of Jane Austen's reading
Appendix D: Catherine Morland's reading 

Thursday

Read: Northanger Abbey Chapters 11-20

WEEK 3

Tuesday

Read:  Northanger Abbey Chapter 21-end

Thursday

Read:  Volume I of Sense and Sensibility

WEEK 4  

Tuesday

Read:  Volume II of Sense and Sensibility

Thursday

 
Read:  Volume II-III of Sense and Sensibility

WEEK 5      

Tuesday  First Essay Due today



Read:  Volume III of Sense and Sensibility


Thursday

View film version of Sense and Sensibility

Seminar Group 1:  Critique of film version of Sense and Sensibility 

WEEK 6 

Tuesday

Read:  Volume I of Pride and Prejudice

Appendix B:  From the Conduct Books
Appendix C:  Burke on the French Revolution
Appendix D:  Discussion of Women’s Role after the French Revolution

 

Thursday

Read:  Volume II Pride and Prejudice

WEEK 7

Tuesday

Read:  Volume II-III of Pride and Prejudice 

 

Thursday

Read:  Volume III of Pride and Prejudice

 

WEEK 8 SPRING BREAK

WEEK 9

Tuesday

Read: Volume 1 of Mansfield Park

Appendix A: The Theatricals at Mansfield Park
Appendix B: Religion 

Thursday

View film version of Pride and Prejudice  

Seminar Group 2: Critique of film version of the novel.  

 

WEEK 10

Tuesday

Read: Volume 2 of Mansfield Park

Appendix C: Ideals of Femininity

Appendix F: A Woman’s Education
Appendix D: “The Improvement of the Estate”

Thursday Second Essay Due

Read:  Volume 3 Mansfield Park

Appendix E: The West Indian Connection

WEEK 11

Tuesday

Volume 3 Mansfield Park

 

Thursday

Group 3: Film critique of Mansfield Park 

WEEK 12

Tuesday

Read:  Volume I of Emma 

Appendix A:  The Composition and Reception of the Novel
Appendix B:  Social Class and Landed Society
Appendix C:  The Landless:  Gypsies and Bastards

 

Thursday

Read: Volume II of Emma

WEEK 13

Tuesday

Read: Volume II-III of Emma

Thursday

 Read: Volume III Emma

WEEK 14

Tuesday   Third essay due today

 View films Emma and Clueless


Seminar Group 4:   Critique of film versions of the novel.

 

Thursday

Read:   Volume I  Persuasion

Appendix G  From Thomson’s The Seasons
Appendix H  From Walter Scott’s Marmion
Appendix I  From Byron’s “The Gaiour”

  

WEEK 15

Tuesday

Read Volume 2 of Persuasion

Thursday

Persuasion Volume 3 and Summing up

View film version of Persuasion 

Final Exams