English 314: British Literature After 1800

Professor Kathryn Conrad
Fall 2009
4019 Wescoe
TR 11 am-12:15 pm
Office hours:  W 1:30-3:30 pm, 3043 Wescoe
Office phone: 4-2572 

Course website hosted on Blackboard

Prerequisites (from University timetable)

Admission to English courses numbered 300 and above is limited to students who have completed the freshman-sophomore English requirements or their equivalents. All students are required to enroll in ENGL 101 and to remain continuously enrolled in ENGL 101 or ENGL 102 until ENGL 102 (or ENGL 105) has been completed.  All CLAS students, as well as students from several other schools, are also required to complete a 200-level English class.

Enrollment (from University timetable): Students may neither add nor change sections in any English course after August 26, without departmental permission. For courses numbered above 200, instructor's permission is required to add or change sections. The last day to add classes with permission is September 17.

The Department of English reserves the right to terminate administratively the enrollment of any student who misses two consecutive class meetings during the first two weeks of the semester.* Should an emergency situation cause the student to miss two consecutive class meetings, the student should contact the instructor(s) or the English Department, (785) 864-4520, immediately.

Students who decide to drop English classes should do so promptly so that other students may enroll in the class. The last day to drop classes online is September 10. The last day to withdraw from classes under any circumstances is November 16.

Drop policy (English Department statement): If you are having trouble succeeding in the course, it is especially important that you consult with me so that we can develop a plan of action that may enable you to complete the course.  If you decide to drop this class, please refer to the Registrar's website.

Recording of Classes:  At KU, course  materials prepared by the instructor, together with the content of lectures, are the property of the instructor. Video and audio recording of lectures without the consent of the instructor is prohibited.  On request, the instructor will usually grant permission for students to audio tape lectures, on the condition that these audio tapes are only used as a study aid by the individual making the recording. Unless explicit permission is obtained from the instructor, recordings of lectures may not be modified and must not be transferred or transmitted to any other person, whether or not that individual is enrolled in the course. (Adopted from KU Faculty Council statement)

Course Description and Texts

This course is a survey of British literature of the Romantic, Victorian, Modernist, and contemporary periods. We will be concerned in this course not only with close readings of the literature and literary form but also with some of the political and social issues that serve as context for the literature. Our readings will include essays, poetry, drama, short fiction, and novels. Do note that this will be a poetry-intensive course.

These books are available for purchase.

• Damrosch, David, ed. The Longman Anthology of British Literature, 3rd edition, vols. 2A, 2B, and 2C OR all-in-one edition.
• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre.  Norton.
• Recommended: Faigley, Lester.  The Brief Penguin Handbook. 3rd ed. 

Grades (consist of three major components)

1. 15%:  Attendance, participation in discussion (online and in class), group work, and short assignments.  You will be expected to access materials online and participate in Blackboard discussion blogs. You must participate in the Blake blog, any blog discussions that replace days cancelled by the University or by Prof. Conrad, and at least four others. You are responsible for keeping track of your blog postings. All readings and blog postings should be completed before class on the date listed on the syllabus.  You are expected to attend every class; contact me by e-mail (kconrad@ku.edu)  before or as soon as possible after your absence if you must miss class. Please do not attend class if you are ill with a virus. Documentation will assure an excused absence, but is not required for me to excuse an absence.  You should post on the day's readings if you must be absent, excused or unexcused; this will help maintain the rest of your participation grade. Six unexcused absences will result in failure of this course. You are responsible for keeping track of your own absences.
2. 30%:  Exams: a midterm and final examination (identification and short essay) as listed on the syllabus. (15 % each.)
3. 55%: Two papers of 1500-2000 words (approx. 5-7 pages)--this is a guide, since quality is more important than absolute word count.  Be concise and precise but also be sure to make the space needed to make your argument. Paper topics will be available online two weeks prior to the due date on Blackboard website. You should read the grading guidelines, available on Blackboard, and review the plagiarism policy below before handing in your papers.

Grading Policy (CLAS guidelines): In this course we will be using the new +/- grading scale, approved by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to describe intermediate levels of performance between a maximum of A and a minimum of F.  Intermediate grades represented by plus or minus shall be calculated as .3 units above or below the corresponding letter grade. 

Policy on Student Academic Creations (English Department statement): Since one of the aims of this course is to teach students to write for specific audiences, ungraded student-authored work may be shared with other class members during the semester in which you are enrolled in the class.  Please do not submit materials on sensitive subjects that you would not want your classmates to see or read, unless you inform the instructor in advance that you do not want your work shared with others.

Other uses of student-authored work are subject to the University’s Policy on Intellectual Property and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.  If your instructor desires to use your work outside of this class (e.g. as a sample for another class or future classes), you will be asked to fill out and sign a written form authorizing such use. 

Other Resources

Students with Disabilities: The staff of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), 135 Strong (Lawrence), 785-864-2620 (V/TTY), coordinates accommodations and services for KU courses. If you have a disability for which you may request accommodation in KU classes and have not contacted them, please do as soon as possible. Please also see me privately in regard to this course (Adopted from SSD statement).

Writing Center:  For help with your writing, I strongly encourage you to contact the KU Writing Center.  At the Writing Center you can talk about your writing with trained tutors or consult reference materials in a comfortable working environment.  You may ask for feedback on your papers, advice and tips on writing (for all your courses), or for guidance on special writing tasks.   Please check the Writing Center website for current locations and hours. The Writing Center welcomes both drop-ins and appointments, and there is no charge for their services. For more information, please call (785) 864-2399  or send an e-mail to writing@ku.edu. The website is loaded with helpful information about writing of all sorts, so even if you consider yourself a good writer, check it out!(Adapted from English Department statement).

External links:  The Blackboard website contained a list of relevant external links.

Weather cancellations:  Call 785-864-SNOW to discover whether classes have been cancelled by the University due to inclement weather.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is stealing and passing off someone else's ideas or words as one's  own or using information from another's work without crediting the source.  Any detected cheating offense--including but not limited to plagiarism; the unauthorized use of crib sheets, texts, or other materials during an examination or quiz; the copying of another student's work (even with the permission or aid of that student, who is thereby culpable); the use of prewritten essays (the student's own or someone else's); the uncredited adoption of another writer's interpretation of a work; or the unauthorized use of work written for another assignment or class--will be reported to the University. A record of each verified offense will be kept throughout the student's association with the University (Adopted from FSE statement).

Plagiarism is not a game, nor is it simply a "shortcut" when time presses.  It is a very serious form of academic misconduct and will be treated as such in this class. When you consult outside sources for ideas--through published or unpublished essays, interviews, the Internet, conversation, etc.--you must cite those sources in your work. I understand that academic work can be daunting: if you are struggling with an assignment, are unclear about my expectations, or are behind on your work, please consult me. There is always a better path than plagiarism; I can work with you to help you find your own voice while incorporating others' ideas appropriately. If after reading the statement above, you are still unclear about what constitutes  plagiarism, ask me BEFORE turning in an assignment.

A plagiarized  assignment will result in failure of the assignment (no credit given); it also impacts your larger course grade more than a paper that merely receives an F, and will usually result in failure of the course. The Department of English has a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism. Formal records are currently kept by the Department of English and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I may also send a copy of the plagiarism form to the home department or school of any student who is found to have plagiarized.