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Department of English
Class:
ENGL 4250 – Modern British Literature
Semester:
Fall 2015
Credit Hours:
Professor:
Dr. Eugene Ngezem
Office:
Arts and Sciences, G-110R
Phone:
678-466-4734
Office Hours:
TR, 9-11 a.m. & 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Email:
[email protected]
Webpage:
http://faculty.clayton.edu/engezem
Class Meeting Times & Venue:
Online
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I. Course Number: ENGL 4250
11. Course Title: Modern British Literature
111. Required Texts:
Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Pinter, The Homecoming
Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Shaw, Major Barbara
Osborne, Look Back in Anger
Churchill, Top Girls
Winterson, Oranges are not the only Fruits
Selected poems (I will post them online)
1V. Catalog Description
A study of major works of British poetry, prose, and drama from 1900 to the present
V. Purpose
The course is intended to give a critical and an insightful perception of some major modern
British poets, dramatists and novelists. As we study this course, we will consider not only the
distinctive nature
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of modern British poetry, drama and prose but also how they influenced and were influenced by
the social, political, cultural and economic facets of the modern era.
V1. Course Objectives
The class objectives include,
 Enabling students to be conversant with some prominent modern British poets, dramatists
and
novelists;
 Ensuring that students grapple with the concept of modernism;
 Help students to perceive the extent to which modern British Literature reflects the
realities of the modern world;
 Encouraging students to closely engage poetry, drama and prose as they explore the usual
matters of setting, plot, theme, character, language, structure, point-of-view and tone;
 Urging students to think, speak, and write logically and analytically as they make indepth discussions and/or presentations in class, and to submit thoroughly researched
papers.
Content Outline: The course reading will deal, roughly in chronological order and thematic
similarity, with modern British poetry, drama and prose.
VI11. Instructional Activities
Students will be expected to read critically (i.e. “reading with double pairs of eyes”), to analyze
diligently, and to communicate their insights in both oral and written forms. The teaching
methodology would feature postings, PowerPoint presentations, videos, etc. Coursework will
include tests, examinations, papers, discussions and/or presentations.
1X. Resources: Library and Internet
X. Grading Procedures
Your general grade in the course, which will be converted to 100%, will be determined as
follows:
i) Online discussion board = 50 pts.
ii) Test one= 50 pts.
iii) Test two = 50 pts.
iv) Test three = 50 pts.
vi) Paper one (4 pages) = 100 pts. ----------------------6 pages for ENGL 5800 students
vii) Paper two (6 pages) =100pts ------------------------8 pages for ENGL 5800 students
viii) Paper three (8 pages) = 100pts-----------------------12 pages for ENGL 5800 students
ix) Critical Review paper for ENGL 5800 students only 100pts -------------------4 pages of critical
review of a journal article on Modern British literature
x) Final =100pts
I will round up average scores within a half-point of the next higher letter (e.g. an average of
89.5 would earn you an A)
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While several factors would determine the grade you earn in this course, the description of the
following grade scale should serve merely as a guide to what constitute each letter grade.
A (90-100)-Extremely lucid thesis statement, strong supporting paragraphs, clear topic and
transitional sentences, excellent internal and physical organization, and strong writing quality;
B (80-89)-Clear thesis statement, good supporting paragraphs, use of topic and transitional
sentences, good organization, and good writing quality;
C (70-79)-Unclear thesis statement, use of weak supporting paragraphs, weak organization, and
fair writing quality;
D (60-69)-Bad or unclear thesis statement, weak paragraphs, bad organization, and bad writing
quality;
F (50 or lower)-No thesis statement or extremely unclear thesis statement, extremely weak
paragraphs, poor organization, very bad writing quality, plagiarism, and off topic
Because I may not have enough space to write on your papers, the following abbreviations may
be used for grading:
T = Thesis statement.
T?-Is this your Thesis, or where is your Thesis?
t.s = Topic sentence (for paragraphs)
t.s?, t.s. is not clear
trans? = Where is the transition between paragraphs or ideas.
awk = Awkward phrasing.
cit = Citation problem.
om = Omitted word.
P = Punctuation error.
par? = Is this an acceptable paragraph?
sp = Spelling mistake.
t = Tense problem.
ww = Wrong word.
^ = Something is missing
X. Attendance Policy
a) University Attendance Policy
Per the university standing policy, students are expected to attend and participate in every class
meeting. While instructors establish specific policies with respect to absences in their courses,
CSU
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reserves the right to determine that excessive absences, whether justified or not, are sufficient
cause for institutional withdrawals or failing grades.
b) Course Attendance Policy, Late and Incomplete work
Students must adhere, strictly, to regular participation in class and late postings and/or
submission of required worked will be sanctioned accordingly. Each unexcused late assignment
or posting will cost you ten points for each day it is late. Incomplete assignments will be
penalized accordingly.
X1. Academic Honesty Policy
Cheating in any form is an acute academic and moral transgression and may result in a zero
and/or other consequences. For more, see Clayton State University Student Code of Conduct, 1.
E (in the Student Handbook.)
XII. General Class Conduct
To create a good atmosphere in class, I strongly and respectfully discourage the following
behavior in classes:
a) Rude postings.
b) Inappropriate postings.
e) Disruptive or rude interruption of online discussion
XIII. Pre-Requisites: ENGL 1102 with
a minimum US grade of C
And
ENGL 2111 with a
minimum US
grade of C
Or
ENGL 2112 with a
minimum US
grade of C
Or
ENGL 2121 with a
minimum US
grade of C
Or
ENGL 2122 with a
minimum US
grade of C
Or
ENGL 2131 with a
minimum US
grade of C
Or
ENGL 2132 with a
minimum US
grade of C
XIV. Late and Incomplete work: Each unexcused late assignment will cost you five (05) points
for each day the paper is late. Incomplete assignments will be penalized accordingly.
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XV. Missed Exams: Should you miss any exam, it is your responsibility to contact me within 24
hours to convince me that missing the exam was beyond your control. A make-up exam may be
arranged for you if you contact me within the foregoing time and I am convinced by your
explanation. Except in a case of emergency, you may be given a zero if no contact is made
within 24 hours.
XVI. Extra assistance: Students with disabilities may need special consideration. They may
bring that to my attention or contact the appropriate office at CSU. In all, any student who needs
assistance may schedule a meeting with me during office hours or contact the appropriate CSU
office for help.
XVII. General Guidelines for papers
While the rubric for each essay will be defined in separate handouts, consider the following
guidelines as you compose your essays:
1. Structure
a) Formulate and provide a specific title that clearly points to what the essay is about if given a
chance to formulate a title.
b) In a very organized manner, write a critical and an insightful essay that provides an
unambiguous thesis statement in an introductory paragraph that does not exceed half of a page.
c) For purposes of organization and clear sense of purpose, include a telling essay map in your
introductory paragraph
d) Retain full authority over your essay by not starting or ending it with quotations. The first and
the last word in your essay should be yours.
e) Use clearly written paragraphs that comprise topic and transitional sentences to separate each
idea/work.
f) Do not write your essay as though you are composing short notes. That is, do not use subtitles
– use paragraphs and let ideas flow into each other. There must be coherence.
2. Technical considerations
a) The essay strictly adhere to the latest MLA format
b) The essays must be thoroughly researched and/or critical and should reflect a detailed
understanding of the works/contexts in question.
c) Avoid generalizations and ensure that each idea is substantiated from the texts/contexts in
question.
d) Your essay should be doubled-spaced and should follow the MLA format where necessary.
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e) Note that quotations that exceed three typed lines must be indented (see MLA for proper
indentation).
3. Grammar/punctuation
a) Use Standard English; do not use casual English or slangs.
b) Glue your essay to the use of active voice. That is, use passive voice sparingly.
c) Do not use contractions (e.g. can’t, isn’t)
d) Do not use indirect references such as “this,” “you.”
e) Avoid trite such as “the bottom line,” “the fact of the matter.”
f) Do not use dashes for punctuation marks.
g) Do not use confusing pronouns and number concord. For example, everyone loves their job.
h) Demonstrate tense consistency. Do not vacillate between two tenses.
4. Quotations/Works Cited page
a) As mentioned above, use the MLA Style Sheet where necessary, including citations.
b) Appropriate citations must be placed in appropriate spots in your essays. Your essay must not,
of course, be a replete of quotations. Your own ideas should overwhelmingly dominate your
essay. Quotations should be used to buttress your ideas and not to replace them.
c) Use a critic’s full names the first time you mention her/him, but use just her/his last name in
the rest of the paper. Similarly, you may use full titles of the texts the first time you mention it,
but use abridged titles later on in your essay.
d) Your critical works for essays must not all be off the Web. Use journals and/or critical books
from the library.
e) The www.org and www.edu sites are almost always more reliable than the www.com.
Anonymous publications lack credibility and cannot be relied on.
f) Arrange the list of works cited in strict alphabetical order on your work-cited page.
Class Schedule, Fall 2015
Readings must have been completed by the class date on which they appear. That is, come to
class ready to discuss the scheduled reading(s) for that day. This syllabus serves as a contract
between students & professor, but professor may make necessary changes to ascertain full
objectives for which the course is intended.
Week 1. 8/17-21 Course introduction; Background (social, political, cultural and economic
backdrop of modern British literature, etc.)
Discuss characteristics of modern literature vis-à-vis traditional literature
Week 2. 8/24-28 Discuss Look Back in Anger
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Week 3. 8/31-9/4 Discuss Look Back in Anger & Theatre of Revolt
Week 4. 9/7-11 Discuss Waiting for Godot; discuss Theatre of the absurd and of Cruelty
Week 5. 9/14-18 The Homecoming
Week 6. 9/21-25 Discuss Eliot’s The Waste Land , “Gerontion,” “The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock”; Hardy’s “Hap,” “A Broken Appointment,” “The Ruined Maid,”
“Channel Firing,” “Ah, Are You Digging on My Grave;”
Week 7. 9/28-10/2 Discuss Yeat’s “No Second Troy,” “September 1913,” “Easter 1916,” “The
Second Coming,” “Leda and the Swan”; Owen’s “Anthem for Doomed Youth,”
“Dulce Et Decorum Est,” “Strange Meeting;”
Week 8. 10/5-9 Discuss Major Barbara
Week 9. 10/12-16 Read Messianic Revolt online and discuss it
Week 10. 10/19-23 Discuss Major Barbara; Paper two due
Week 11. 10/26-30 Discuss Oranges are not the Only Fruit
Week 12. 11/2-6 Discuss Oranges are not the Only Fruit
Week 13. 11/9-13 Discuss Top Girls
Week 14. 11/16-20 Discuss Top Girls
Week 15. 11/23-27 Discuss A Portrait of the Artist as a Youngman
Week 16. 11/30-12/7 Discuss A Portrait of the Artist as a Youngman
Final Exam Date:
Note: This course information constitutes a contract between the student and the instructor
after students receive it. Nevertheless, the instructor reserves the right to effect slight and
necessary changes that would lead this course to the goals for which it is intended
Critical Deadlines
i) Online discussion board = 50 pts. Weekly
ii) Test one= 50 pts; 9/4/15
iii) Test two = 50 pts; 10/11/15
iv) Test three = 50 pts; 11/20/15
vi) Paper one (4 pages) = 100 pts; 9/20/15 --------------6 pages for ENGL 5800 students, 9/20/15
vii) Paper two (6 pages) =100pts: 11/1/15---------------8 pages for ENGL 5800 students, 11/1/15
viii) Paper three (8 pages) = 100pts, 12/4/15------------12 pages for ENGL 5800 students, 12/4/15
ix) Critical Review paper for ENGL 5800 students only 100pts -------4 pages of critical review of
a journal article on Modern British literature, 12/7/15
x) Final =100pts, 12/10/15