Survey of British Literature: Beginning-1785

To learn about this course, scroll down to continue reading or visit the course pages in the dropdown menu at the top of the page

About the Course

This course surveys the literature written in the British Isles up to the last quarter of the 18th century. Through close-reading and text-based writing, students will grapple with the literary movements spanning from Beowulf to Gulliver's Travels with consideration of the historical, social, political, and religious influences that shaped this period of British literature.

Additional Course Information

As this course covers a huge breadth of time, we cannot hope to cover everything, but we will strive to delve into some of the most influential works and authors of the time period. We will gain an appreciation for these works’ contributions to and participation in the English literary tradition and attain a basic understanding of the cultural, intellectual, historic and artistic trends of the period.

In addition to an emphasis on close-reading and literary analysis, this course will also delve into the cultural, socio-political, and religious contexts from which the studied works emerge.

English 231 demands that you give over much of your time these next 16 weeks to the solitary and sometimes exhausting task of puzzling through a wide variety of literary works. Most students will need to spend at least six hours a week reading; many will have to devote eight or ten. Some of what we read is likely to frustrate, confuse, and/or bore superficial readers, and even attentive readers are likely to find some of what is assigned annoyingly opaque.  

It is in the nature of a survey course to give students the somewhat dizzying experience of reading more broadly than deeply.  There are advantages and disadvantages in trying to get through so much literature. Part of the rationale is to give you points of reference for further reading, in other courses or in your free time.  

I expect all students to make an honest effort to read carefully the works that are assigned.  But don’t worry too much when you don’t understand something; you’re almost certainly not alone.  

And one more thing: There will be several readings assigned each week.  While, ideally, you should read them all, I understand that sometimes life happens and some weeks are busier than others.  But again, please strive for completion each week. When major, long works are assigned (for example, complete plays) alongside shorter works, if you cannot complete everything, you should strive to prioritize the major work. Weekly discussions will offer a variety of topics about which to write or will be based around broad conceptual topics that will allow inclusion of any number of the assigned readings.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 

1. Compose formal written analyses of texts that demonstrate appropriate academic discourse and the conventions of literary analysis.

2. Define, identify, and analyze literary and dramatic techniques in the works.

3. Identify key elements of literary genres in order to analyze and interpret texts.

4. Read actively and critically a selection of literary works of English literature from Anglo-Saxon times to the end of the Eighteenth Century.

5. Relate literary works to their historical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts.

6. Research appropriate primary and secondary sources and apply documentation skills without plagiarism.

Positive Attendance, Participation, and Drop Policy

Drops: Please note it is the student’s responsibility to drop a course that he/she does not plan on completing. You will receive a grade if you do not drop the course before the drop date.

Since 2013-2014, the Cerro Coso Community College Catalog has included the following statement about participation and attendance. Please read the following insert very carefully, noticing my clarifications in parentheses:

• Regular active participation is expected of all students enrolled in the college. Students not actively participating may be dropped from the course. A student shall be dropped by the instructor for lack of active participation prior to the census (20%) date and any time up to the 60% date when the student is not actively participating. A student also shall be dropped by the instructor anytime up to the 60% date when he or she has been absent from or not actively participating in class for the total of two consecutive weeks. Students also may be dropped when non-consecutive absences number the equivalent of two (or more) weeks of the course. 

• In my ENGL C231 students will be dropped when they fail to participate for a total of two weeks (either consecutively or non-consecutively). Remember that it is not enough for students to merely log on to Canvas. They have to actively participate in the class, i.e., engage in the course’s designed learning activities: participate in discussions, submit homework and papers, ask for feedback, etc. Please note that submission of plagiarized work does not constitute “active participation” and students who plagiarize repeatedly may be dropped for lack of participation in class activities.

• It is the responsibility of the student to be aware of his or her current attendance/participation status. Students who have not been actively participating in a course should notify the instructor of the reason. Notification in no way relieves the students of responsibility for work missed. Students are responsible for officially withdrawing from any course in which they no longer wish to be enrolled. Non-attendance/non-participation does not release the student from this responsibility.

• Drop dates for this semester can be found in the Important Dates section of the course syllabus

Academic Honesty

For an explanation of this course's expectations regarding academic honesty, please visit the "Academic Honesty" page in the drop-down menu above

Getting Started

To get a jump start on your readings for Week 1, visit the "Getting Started" page in the drop-down menu above.