English 243
Literary Masterpieces: Fantasy, Myth, and Legend
Spring, 2006
MWF 11:30-12:20, FH 207
Dr. Jean Lorrah
Faculty Hall 7B-15
Telephone 4720
OFFICE HOURS:
MW 9:30-11:20, 12:30-1:30
F 9:30-11:20
TTh 11:00-1:00
E-mail Dr. Lorrah
Visit Dr. Lorrah's Website
Visit the Fantasy, Myth, and Legend Page
Visit Dr. Lorrah'sKiss of Death/Kiss of Life Page
TEXTS:
Burrows, Lapides, Shawcross, eds., Myths and Motifs in Literature (M&ML)
Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (Hiett & Hiett, eds.)
Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (print from WWW)
Homer, The Odyssey, any edition (it's in the HUM text)
James, The Turn of the Screw
Tolkein, The Silmarillion
Shakespeare, Hamlet
Stoker, Dracula
YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCUMULATE 500 POINTS IN THIS COURSE, AS FOLLOWS:
3 EXAMS @ 100 300 1 PAPER @ 100 100 5 QUIZZES @ 20 100 TOTAL 500
FINAL GRADES:
A 425 points or more
B 375 points or more
C 300 points or more
D 225 points or more
E less than 225 points
Keep track of your grades, and any announcements for the class, on Blackboard.
SCHEDULE OF WORK:
Jan. 17-Feb. 10
Initiation
M&ML, pp. 96-129. "The Birth and Youth of Jesus," Luke 2.
Feb. 13-March 3
The Quest (EXAMINATION Feb. 20)
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; The Odyssey, Bks. 6, 9-12;
"Of Beren and Luthien," in The Silmarrilion; M&ML, 135-177
March 6-31
The Devil Figure (EXAM, March 29)
Dracula , M&ML, 334-356
April 3-May 5
The Hero/Death/Power (PROJECT, April 19)
Hamlet ; "Of Turin Turambar," in The Silmarillion; "The Merchant's Tale"; M&ML, 221-308; The Turn of the Screw
FINAL EXAM, Tuesday, May 9, 10:30am- 12:30pm
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: A study of the literary manifestations of fantasy, myth and legend as they appear in the works of such writers as Homer, Shakespeare, Milton, Coleridge, Yeats, Tolkein.
PREREQUISITES: passing grades in Eng. 101 and 102, or having CLEP'd one or both, and the ability to write a coherent short paper. What you learned in Freshman Composition applies to the PAPER.
PURPOSE:
1. To introduce students to significant works of fantastic literature and the traditions from which they emerged.
2. To examine literary themes found in fantastic literature from a variety of perspectives.
3. To improve students' ability to read, analyze, and compare literary works and to discuss and write about the questions they suggest.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
To receive credit, a student should be able to
1. Identify some major writers and works of fantastic literature, and be able to place them in a literary context.
2. Understand and compare themes, issues, genres, and techniques used in literature.
3. Communicate that understanding effectively.
IINSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES: Class activities include discussion of readings and background lectures.
FIELD, CLINICAL, AND/OR LABORATORY EXPERIENCES: Students are encouraged to use the world and the Internet as their laboratory as well as the library.
RESOURCES: The library is obviously a primary resource for the work in this course, but so is the Internet. There are numerous free computer labs on campus where students may do word processing, access e-mail, or do research on the Internet. The instructor provides her own website, and occasionally provides audio or video material in class.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC HONESTY, p. 11 of the Undeergraduate Bulletin.
STATEMENT OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, marital status, age, or disability in employment, admission, or the provision of services, educational programs and activities, and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in all programs and activities. For information regarding nondiscrimination policies contact the Office of Equal Opportunity, 270-762-3155.
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Miss one-third or more of the class meetings (15 absences) for any reason and you have failed the course. Missed quizzes cannot be made up. It's not a pop quiz once you know there was a quiz the day you missed. Missed exams may be made up only with proof of a genuine emergency, which is your responsibility, not mine, to obtain. Some material in this course is not on the reading list; the stories your instructor tells in class are part of the course. Such material is covered on the quizzes and exams, but if you participate in class you'll hear it all and have no problems.
WRITTEN WORK: Exams contain both objective and essay questions. There is a required 1500-word PAPER (six typed pages) OR a WEBSITE with equivalent content. Content will be discussed in class, but it must demonstrate comprehension of course content. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, in plain 12-point font, with 1" margins. Please use a computer. Websites of course require computer use.
MAKEUP POLICY: Missed quizzes may not be made up. Papers drop 10 points per day that they are late (that is per day, not per class meeting—a paper due Wednesday, turned in the following Monday, has lost 50 points). The next day begins at the end of each class meeting. Talk to me (telephone, e-mail) before you miss an exam, not afterward. I am very easy about making arrangements for any sensible reason as long as you let me know ahead of time. After you miss, you must provide evidence of illness, hospitalization, or some equal emergency in order to make up the exam. Oversleeping is not an emergency. Your roommate's emergency is not your emergency. You can miss an EXAM or the PAPER (not both) and one QUIZ and still make a B, provided you do near-perfect work on everything else. The best policy is to try everything.
EXTRA WORK: A maximum of fifty (50) bonus point may be earned by teaching a twenty-minute introduction to one of the themes or authors in this course. See Blackboard for further information.
Click here to see my GRADING PROCEDURES FOR PAPERS AND WEBSITE TEXT. You will also find information on Blackboard.This page created with
Arachnophilia.
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