Empire Academy
British Literature Course Syllabus (1st
Semester)
Class Meets: Monday, Wednesday
from 1:45-3:15 pm
Instructor: Cassandra Pereira
E-Mail: Cassandra@empire-academy.com
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday
3:15-3:45 pm in Room 1, and by appointment
Website: You’re on it.
Required Supplies:
Ø
1-1/2 inch binder with divider tabs.
Ø
Journal (Can be a notebook or any other bound book).
Ø
Notebook (not your journal): Must be college-ruled with
perforated sheets that rip out or loose binder paper.
Ø
Pens, Pencils, Erasers etc.
Ø
Beowulf. Preferably the Seamus Heaney translation.
You can also buy this from the student store for $14.
About the Course:
Our content will cover the entirety of British Literature, from Beowulf (c. 1100 C.E.) to present day authors.
The specifics of discussions and lectures will largely be decided on by the class. Assignments will range from daily journals
to comprehensive research papers, to PowerPoint and other audio/visual presentations. It is my goal to interest you in the
readings, to help you understand their context, and to apply them to modern life. The class will be based much more on discussion
and activities than lectures, so it is important that you come to class prepared to talk about the readings. It is also important
that you let me know what interests you, so that we can pursue it in depth.
Expectations:
I have very few “expectations” for you in this course. I would like you to show up, to actively participate
in the lecture, and to do your homework. The most important thing, as far as I’m concerned, is that you respect everyone
in the class, and that you try your best to enjoy yourself. Expectations beyond these, as well as your expectations
for me as a teacher, will be discussed in class on Friday, September 3rd.
Discussion, Reading, and Assignment Schedule, 9/1 –10/20
(Subject to Change)
Wednesday, September 1st
Cassandra gone.
Intro to the course. Overview of
syllabus. Introduction to Beowulf (PowerPoint lecture, on the class website).
Friday, September 3rd:
Special day. Discussion of/changes to syllabus. Community building activities.
Monday, September 6th:
Labor Day Weekend. NO CLASS.
Wednesday, September 8th:
Cassandra gone.
Heroes and Villains. Dichotomy of Christian/ Pagan values.
Reading Due:
Beowulf to Part 2
Monday, September 13th:
Interpolation.
Kenning. Fate.
Heroes
and Villains Writing Assignment Due
Reading Due:
Beowulf
to Part 3
Wednesday, September 15th:
Cassandra gone.
Mock Trial
Assignment and Preparation.
Monday, September 20th:
Cassandra gone.
Leftover themes/ concepts. Mock Trial Preparation.
Reading Due:
Finish
Beowulf.
Wednesday, September 22nd:
Beowulf
Mock Trial. Intro to Arthurian period. Begin Tale of Two Cities.
Monday, September 27th:
Lanval and the Arthurian Legend. Arthurian ideologies and the Knight’s
Code of Honor.
Reading Due:
Lanval.
Wednesday, September 29th:
Transition
from Beowulf to Sir Gawain. Heroes and heroic values.
Reading Due:
Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, Part 1.
Friday, October 1st:
Special Day.
Topic TBA.
Reading Due:
Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, Part 2.
Monday, October 4th:
NO CLASS.
INSERVICE.
Wednesday, October 6th:
Alliteration, Symbolism, Parallelism, and other poetic/literary devices in Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight.
Reading Due:
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Part 3.
Monday, October 11th:
The Symbology
of beheading. Leftover themes/concepts.
Character
Analysis Writing Assignment Due.
Reading Due:
Sir
Gawain and the Green Knight, Part 4.
Wednesday, October 13th:
TBA fun activity related to Beowulf or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Work on Beowulf/Sir Gawain paper.
Beowulf/Gawain
Paper Thesis Due.
Monday, October 18th:
Work on Beowulf/
Sir Gawain Paper. Discuss expectations and writing styles.
Beowulf/Gawain
Paper Rough Draft Due.
Wednesday, October 20th:
Introduction to Chaucer and the Canterbury tales. Practice with Chaucer’s language.
Beowulf/ Gawain Final Draft Due!!!
Schedule for 10/20 to 1/12 TBA
Journals:
You will be asked to begin each day with a journal entry. There will be a question posted on the board that you will
be asked to answer in your writing. These entries will not be read, but I will glance over them in order to grade you. For
some entries, you will be asked to share your answers with others, in order to foster discussion; if I ask you to do this,
however, I will tell you beforehand. If there is something else that has been bugging you, even if it’s not related
to school, I would ask you to include this in your entry, because your mental well-being is more important than answering
questions. If you miss a day of class, you will need to see me about the topic when you return and complete the journal on
your own time. Your journal must remain in class at all times. It will only be used for entries, so don’t
confuse it with your notebook.
Assignments:
All written homework assignments must be typed, unless you have a really good reason. I don’t terrifically
care which font you use, just keep it readable and 12 point (By the way, writing assignments in Courier so that they look
longer is not a good idea in this class. I was a student too.). Margins should be one inch, and the assignment should be double-spaced.
Assignments completed in class should be legible and in pen. If you need extra time on an assignment, please, please, please
see me about an extension. It’s not that scary and it can really help.
Cheating:
I want you to work together on assignments…I really do encourage collaboration, answer-sharing, etc. However,
there are lines that can be crossed. If you are helping someone understand the reading, that’s okay. If you are filling
him or her in because he or she has not done the reading, that’s crossing the line. Likewise, you can help someone improve
a paper, but the point where you start writing it is definitely crossing the line. Speaking of plagiarism: don’t
even think about it. Besides having access to programs that root out plagiarism, this class maxes out at twelve students.
I will know you and know your writing style by the time the first major paper is due. If, in spite of these warnings, you
choose to plagiarize, you will fail the assignment and be asked to attend a meeting with Sinda, your parents, and myself.
The second offense will result in failing the course. Trust me: it isn’t worth it.
Reading:
Most of your reading assignments will be in the form of handouts. I will provide them to you with hole punches
and it is your responsibility to put them in your binder. Please put them in your binder immediately so that you do not lose
them. If I have to make you another copy, it will cost you 25 cents per page. There is only one book that you will
be responsible for purchasing: Beowulf. Please do all of your reading
before it is due. There is not too much of it, but it can really add up if you fall behind.
A Tale of Two Cities:
Beginning the 22nd of September, we will begin reading A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens,
as a class. More accurately, however, I will be reading it to you. This is an experiment that I would like to conduct
which takes us back to Dickens’ time, when most people could not read and had stories read to them. This project will
span almost the entire year, and you will be asked to complete many small assignments related to it. For the most part, however,
I would like you to think about the difference in understanding that results from hearing a text, rather than reading it.
More information about the Tale of Two Cities project will come as we progress.
Grading:
I don’t have a completed grade sheet for you to see because I want to be flexible with your assignments.
I do have point values for each type of assignment, however. They are as follows:
- Participation: 10 points (per day)
- Journal Entries: 5 points each
- Written Homework: 25 points each
- Activity Assignments: Between 15 and 50 points each
- Papers and Essays: 200 points each
Grades will be given out about every other
week so that you can keep abreast of your progress.
Communication:
I really want to make this class work for all of us, so if you have a problem with any aspect of this course, please
tell me. You can leave me an anonymous note if you want. For my part, I will try my best to keep lines of communication open
within the classroom. Remember: I can’t do anything about it, if I don’t know about it.
Vocabulary:
The students who were here last year will remember that vocabulary was a weekly occurrence. I am somewhat reticent
about reinstating the program in the same manner this year. I would like you all to have advanced vocabularies by the end
of the year, but I am unsure of what the best method of learning would be. This will be something that we will discuss in
class on Friday, September 3rd, so please come with some idea of what you want (or don’t want).
Questions? Comments? Concerns?
Bring any these things up in class, e-mail them to me at Cassandra@empire-academy.com, see me during office hours, or write me a note with letters cut out of magazines. Just
let me know, okay?
