Course Title: ENG 685 Comp Lit
Forms & Themes. Topic: Key Literary forms: Epic
Term: Spring 2008
Course Schedule: http://www.nku.edu/~rkdrury/685forms/ENG_685_sched.html
Professor: Dr. Roxanne Kent-Drury
Department
of Literature & Language
Northern
Contact Info: LA543
Office:
(859) 572-6636
Fax:
(859) 572-6093
Class
Blog: http://rkdrury.english-nku.org/ENG685/
Online Office
Hours: Virtual Office Hours as posted
on the class schedule:
Course Description:
This web-based course is designed to provide an overview of the study
and analysis of a key literary form—epic or heroic literature, a form that
ultimately evolved into tragic drama, the novel, and even some forms of film
today. References to these works are everywhere in popular culture today, yet
we don't always recognize their origins or what part they play in the fabric of
our contemporary culture.
We will consider one particular chain of influences, along with
contemporary responses to these works, in writing, film, and art. Many of the
works we will discuss are considered so important by contemporary poets that
they published one of the translations you will read during the course.
We will begin with two of the earliest classical Greek epics, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, which narrate legendary and mythic events occurring during
and after the Greek siege of
This is not, however, the end of the tradition. All of the works we will
read are themselves parodies or extensions of the earlier works, made new to
meet the needs of a different culture and time. And the works are still
studied, parodied, satirized, and updated today. Consider this film (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs3SfNANtig)
and this film (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ)
on YouTube today.
Other works are included because they are central to the work of
literary scholars in general, and you should be aware of them. Two plays we
will discuss briefly are Sophocles' Oedipus
Tyrannos and Antigone. One respresentative
Anglo-Saxon epic that belongs more to the Norse saga tradition than to
Anglo-Saxon epic is Beowulf.
This course is open to graduate students from different backgrounds and
with different research interests; consequently, during the first week you will
also post a profile on the course blog identifying
your interests and area of focus for the course. Also, some of you have
considerable experience with the materials, whereas others may never have read
them. Consequently, each unit in Blackboard will incude
include background materials that review of important concepts and of
historical contexts as we work toward developing a common critical language,
level of analytical skill, and confidence.
Extremely important aspects of epic poetry are its origins in oral
performance (implying the existence of a performing poet and an audience) and
its ability to express cannot be expressed in everyday language, both in
particular times and places and across time. In addition, as you will see,
virtually all of the literature we wil consider this
term is written in the predominant poetic line and form of the time.
Consequently, we will need to review these features as well.
Textbooks and
Other Materials
Textbooks
Homer. The Iliad.
Tr. Robert Fagles.
Homer. The Odyssey. Tr. Robert Fagles.
Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Tr. Robert Fagles.
Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays. Tr. Robert Fagles.
Virgil. The Aeneid.
Tr. Robert Fagles .
Ovid. Metamorphoses. Tr. Charles
Martin.
Alighieri, Dante. The Inferno of Dante. Tr. Robert Pinsky.
Anonymous. Beowulf. Tr.
Seamus Heaney.
Milton, John.
Software, Readers, etc.
You may need to view or listen to materials encoded in a variety of
formats. Please ensure that the following are operational on your computer by
the second week of classes:
|
Software/Function |
Format/Download
Information |
|
Word processing |
If you are not using MS Word, please save any work you submit in rich
text format (*.rtf). |
|
Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1 |
Reads PDF files. Download free at http://www.adobe.com/
|
|
Adobe Flash Player 9.0 |
Video viewer. Download free at http://www.adobe.com/
|
|
Quicktime |
View and hear media in encoded Apple formats. Download it free at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/player/
|
|
Windows Media Player |
View and hear media http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.mspx
|
|
Real Player |
View and hear media |
|
PowerPoint Viewer |
If you have PowerPoint on your system, you don’t need this viewer. If
you do not have PowerPoint, however, the viewer will allow you to view
presentations without actually creating them. Download it free at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/orkXP/HA011362871033.aspx
|
|
Java Chat Utility |
If you have not used the chatroom within
Blackboard, you will need to download it before participating in online
chats. When you log onto the chatroom (listed under
Communication),
you will be provided with a link to the chat utility. |
|
Trailfire |
Trailfire is a free plugin
for Internet Explorer that enables users to construct trails through a series
of internet sites, add commentary, and share it with others (download the
toolbar at http://www.trailfire.com/pages/download.php). |
If you do not already eliminate spyware from
your computer on a regular basis, the following free software programs are
recommended:
|
Ad-Aware |
|
|
Spybot |
Learning Objectives
& Assessment
In this course, you will develop and practice skills that will enable you to
|
Learning Objective |
Assessment |
|
· Read and understand epic literature and construct a close reading of passages, taking into account its cultural context |
· Participation on class blog · Seminar Paper |
|
· Explain and apply terms and concepts used by literary scholars in analyzing poetry |
· Participation on class blog · Seminar Paper |
|
· Understand the general development of epic as a genre, tradition, and antecedent to contemporary forms |
· Participation on class blog · Seminar Paper |
|
· Practice engaging in analysis with others with similar research interests |
· Participation on class blog · Creation of internet site trail |
|
· Gain a deep understanding of a particular topic and construct an original argument assing how it fits within the |
· Final research project |
Online Courses
Taking an online course requires substantial commitment and initiative. We will not be meeting for in a traditional classroom setting; however, you can expect to spend at least as much time working on the course as you would in an offline graduate seminar in literary studies. Typicially, such courses meet in the classroom for 3-4 hours; undergraduate courses require an additional 2 hours outside the classroom for every hour spent in the classroom. Graduate courses require even more.
Every effort has been made to provide pathways through the
materials in the course, as well as to provide flexibility so that participants
can work according to their own schedules, within the constraints of the class
modules. You are expected, however, to complete each course module and its
assignments on schedule. Failure to
do so will prevent your work from being included in the course discussions. Please ensure that you remain on the course
schedule
Also, a separate blog posting
schedule has been created for your
convenience. It is recommended that you
print out the blog posting schedule, mark your
participation days with a highlighter, and post it in a prominent place so that
you do not forget to post. The course is designed so that you can work
ahead, but we will not be able to make accommodations for late posts. On this blog, late posting is considered poor community
citizenship. If you post late, your classmates are under no obligation to go back
and respond to your post.
Also as a matter of courtesy, you are also expected to interact with your classmates and the instructor thoughtfully and respectfully through both asynchronous and synchronous means. In this course, asynchronous interaction (where not everyone is online at the same time) will take place through the blog assignments and through e-mail. You are expected to e-mail me immediately whenever you need assistance or clarification. Synchronous interaction (where everyone is online at the same time) is also available through scheduled chat sessions. As soon as I know your schedules, I will choose one hour each week during which I will be available to chat in Blackboard (the online chat tool is located in the Communication area of Blackboard. Log onto the course, click the Communication tab, and proceed from there). Most of you have been in web courses before and so have downloaded the free chat reader. Please note that if you have not previously used the online chat feature, you will be prompted to download a free chat reader from within the Blackboard site. Depending upon your internet connection, this download can be fast, although on at least one occasion last term, it took three hours. Don't worry—if you have trouble logging on, send me an email with a phone number, and I'll get back to you.
Grading and
Assignments
The course is divided into several modules. Each week’s assignments will become visible on Monday of that week; assignments will be due incrementally during the week. The modules are designed to be completed in sequence; however, you should look ahead to the final project early in the term. In addition, you can work ahead if you are confident of the materials by referring to the blog post schedule.
Graded assignments are as follows.
|
Assignment |
Grade |
|
Rough responses (250-500 words each) |
20% |
|
4 Blog Posts (500-750 words) @ 10% each |
40% |
|
Comments Posts (100-200 words each) |
20% |
|
Seminar Paper (20 pages) |
20% |
|
Total |
100% |
Please note that students
must complete every segment of every assignment to pass the course.
General descriptions of each written course component follow.
Written Component
Overview
In most graduate seminars in literary studies, students engage in extensive oral discussion of both texts and written materials. In a web course, most of this discussion must take place in writing, whether it is conveyed through formal written work or less formal written formats, such as online chats, discussion board posts, and e-mail.
This course is writing intensive. The assignments have been planned both to create an online community discussion and to develop more formal writing skills at the graduate level. The assignments are structured to culminate in a final paper that will represent your original thought on a particular genre of literature. In the process, you will generate a large body of writing, upon which your grade will be based. The course will take a holistic, developmental view of your writing; writing that you generate earlier in the course may be weighted differently than writing you generate later in the course.
Please note that
although the blog is set so that it does not report
to search engines, it can be read by the outside world.
Blogging and Blog
Demos
Before beginning to blog, please familiarize yourself with the blog environment. A set of interactive screen shots is available in Blackboard, on the class blog, and at http://www.nku.edu/~rkdrury/685forms/Course Introduction. After viewing the screen shots, proceed to the blog at http://rkdrury.english-nku.org/ENG685/blog_inst.pdf. Log in and begin by updating your profile and exploring the site. Then introduce yourself to the class through an introductory blog post (tag: intro; category: intro)..
Whether you are a featured author or a commenter, please
don't wait until the last possible moment to post. Allow yourself and the
technology some leeway.
Theme/Topic
During the first week of the course, you are expected to identify a single theme or topic of interest during the first week in the term. If you choose wisely, you will be able to write about all your chosen theme or topic all term as you consider the works on the schedule. Ideally, what you write will then serve as the rough-draft basis for your final seminar paper. Please e-mail me when you begin to focus in on a topic so that I can offer some advice. This will allow me to suggest secondary sources.
Examples of viable themes/topics considered by literary scholars today include include constructions of gender (or, more narrowly, masculinity or femininity, etc); heroism; national identity; political organization; leadership; uses of figurative language; religion; attitudes toward war; morality; loyalty; marriage; the family; good government; democracy; authority; issues involved in translation; film criticism of adaptations of epic in film today; satire and parody; honor, etc.
Structure & format
Informal Responses
Frequency: weekly, beginning in week 2.
Length: 250-500 words
Due: on Sunday of the week due
Submission: in MLA format,
submitted to rkdrury@nku.edu as an attachment
Beginning in the second week of the course, you are expected to write a 250-500 word response addressing the materials on the schedule for that particular week as they relate to the theme/topic you have chosen to pursue throughout the term. Informal responses should be formatted in MLA format, as should your final paper. (If you are not sure what MLA format looks like, see the sample at http://www.nku.edu/~rkdrury/685forms/MLA_format.pdf and refer to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue).
Once you are satisfied with your informal response, e-mail
it directly to me as an attachment. (Please note that I can receive materials sent
in MSWord formats, including
Also—if you don't do as well as you expect on your first response, don't despair—I'm interested in what you learn and how your work develops over the whole term.
Blog
Posts
Frequency: four times during the course, as posted on the schedule.
Length: 500-750 words
Due: on Thursday of the week due
Submission: Pasted directly
into the
In addition to your weekly informal responses, you are required periodically to integrate your work into a more formal, thoughtful, 500-750 word blog post that you will submit to the class blog at http://rkdrury.english-nku.org/ENG685 . Your integrated blog post should demonstrate higher level work than your informal posts, including your ability to analyze literary texts through close reading; to use and integrate quoted evidence from literary texts; to discuss relevant secondary texts; and to explain your ideas in an articulate manner.
Blog dates have been chosen and rotated as fairly as possible.
Please assign appropriate tags to your blog post (e.g., a blog post about issues of masculinity in Homer's Iliad should be given at least the blog tags, separated by commas, of "iliad, masculinity, gender, homer."
Please note that your classmates who are not writing blog posts in a given week will be commenting on your blog post. Consequently, if you don't file your blog post on time,
your classmates will have nothing to write about. Late posts will be eligible
for no more than 50% of the possible points. In addition, commenters
are not required to respond to late blog posts.
Comments Posts
Frequency: 12 posts, on weeks when you are not
responsible for a blog post
Length: 100-200 words
Due: on Sunday of the week due
Submission: Pasted directly
into the blog as a comment
During any week in which you are not required to write a 500-750 word blog post, you are required to post a substantive, helpful, critical 100-200 word comment in response to each 500-750 blog post.
Writing helpful comments is an art and requires preparation and thought. You need to have read the work before attempting to post, as well as the blog post itself. Comments of the following types are rarely helpful and will receive few (if any) points:
Instead, consider some combination of the following strategies:
Seminar Paper
Frequency: Once
Length: 20 pages
Due: Friday of Finals Week
Submission: e-mail to
rkdrury@nku.edu
Your final project will be a seminar paper,
formatted in MLA style, that is 20 pages long (including
Works Cited). Your paper must advance an original argument about some aspect of
the works that we will read during the term, as viewed from the unique
perspective you have gained by viewing the work through a particular theme,
topic and what it tells us about, for example, one of the following: (1) epic
literature as a genre; (2) cultural views in a particular time and place; (3) epic
literature as it has influenced or been adapted in later times; (4) epic
literature as it speaks to audiences today; (5) another idea you propose and
discuss with me. You need to discuss what you plan to write about once you
begin to narrow dodwn a topic.
Course Grades. Assignments will be graded
according to these categories:
|
Truly outstanding, unique, exceptional achievement |
A |
90-100% |
|
Exceeds all or most expectations |
B |
80-90% |
|
Meets all or most expectations |
C |
70-80% |
|
Meets some or few expectations |
D/F |
69% and below |
Disability & Accessibility
Every effort has been made to design this course so
that it is accessible for students with disabilities; however, further
accommodation will be considered for students who explain early in the term. Students with
disabilities who require accommodations (academic adjustments, auxiliary aids
or services, etc.) for this course must register with the Disability Services
Office (DSO). Please contact the DSO in the
Plagiarism
The use of sources (ideas, quotations, argument structures, and paraphrases) must be properly documented. In addition, all work submitted for this course must be written exclusively for this course unless written permission is given by instructors in both courses. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will result in assignment of a grade of “F” for the entire course.
The Honor Code is a
commitment to the highest degree of ethical integrity in academic conduct, a
commitment that, individually and collectively, the students of