Prof. Richard F. Johnson
LIT 231-002: Summer, 2007
MW 1:10 pm - 3:40 pm
L302

Beowulf manuscript,folio 179rDigital Dragons and Technologic Texts

Literature 231 surveys British literature from 900-1800 C.E., an extensive time span that includes several historical and literary periods. We will pay particular attention to the first two-thirds of that survey period, and even more particularly to the Middle Ages, and to the changes in literacy practices from the oral to the written, or from speech to text-changes that are still being examined today.

Just as interesting (at least to me, your instructor) are the parallels between changes in literacy practices from the tenth to sixteenth centuries and those changes of the late-twentieth century. For instance, in "Electrifying Rhetoric," the classical rhetoric scholar Kathleen Welch argues for the concept of "secondary orality," or a change in literacy that has been driven by the development of computer technology in the United States and that has placed renewed emphasis on the classical rhetorical canons of Memory and Delivery. Related to this, in "From Horseback to Monastic Cell: The Impact on English Literature of the Introduction of Writing," the Anglo-Saxonist Jeff Opland has noted that the change from an oral to a written culture in the Middle Ages was not immediate and reactionary, but gradual and accommodational. We might combine these observations to suggest that at the beginning of the twenty-first century we, too, are in the midst of a gradual change in our conception of rhetoric and literature.

Accordingly, a primary theme of this course will be texts (rhetorical and imaginative) and technology (mechanical and digital). To explore this theme, we will use not only traditional methods of research and scholarship, but also methods and techniques that are enhanced by the use of multimedia and digital technology. For instance, for the first part of the semester we will use the Grendel web site, a web site designed by your instructor and a colleague in the English department to study Beowulf within the context of digital technology. Also, we will encourage you to pursue final projects that use multimedia and digital technology to enhance scholarship of the literature.

Contents

Class Guidelines

Required Textbooks:

Course Requirements:

  1. Attend all classes and arrive punctually to class.
  2. Complete and submit all assignments (reading, written assignments, drafts, final revisions) in class on the day they are due.
  3. Write FIVE three-page Position Papers on assigned topics.
  4. Complete a Transliteration/Translation exercise.
  5. Complete a Critical Abstract and Oral Report assignment.
  6. Compose a Take-home Midterm Exam.
  7. Create and present to the class a Final Project.
  8. Lead one Shared Inquiry Discussion on a class text.
  9. Prepare for class each day and participate in discussions and workshops.

General Course Guidelines:

Students are urged to participate enthusiastically and consistently. Attendance is mandatory at all classes. You are allowed TWO absences during the term. Upon the third absence, five (5) points will be deducted from your semester total of points. For every absence after the fourth, five (5) additional points will be deducted. If you have five absences before mid-term, you should strongly consider dropping the course. A pattern of unexcused absences may result in failure of the course. Failure to complete assignments on time or to prepare for class will result in lowered grades. There will be no make-up assignments except in extreme cases.

Academic Honesty:

Plagiarism constitutes grounds for failure of the course. Familiarize yourself with Harper College's Academic Honesty Policy, which is found on page 26 of the Harper College Catalog. According to Harper's Academic Honesty Policy, "Plagiarism involves the presentation of another person's words, ideas, or work as one's own. It includes but is not limited to copying any material (written or non-written) without proper acknowledgement of its source, and paraphrasing another's work or ideas without proper acknowledgement. . . . Any form of academic dishonesty as defined by the faculty member or department is a serious offense requiring disciplinary measures. Discipline for academic dishonesty involving a specific course shall be first determined by the instructor of the course and may include failure of the specific assignment, project or test or failure of the course" (26).

Late Assignments:

Formal essays written outside class will be accepted until the end of the class session on the day they are due. The scores of essays submitted after that time will be reduced by 25% of the total possible points. Late essays are due within two weeks of the original due date; no essays will be accepted after that two-week period. All other assignments, including online exercises, are due at the beginning of the class period. There is no extra credit work.

Course Grading:

Your final course grade will be based on the follwoing criteria:
Performance: Attendance at every class meeting. Prompt arrival to class. Regular and active participation about the reading assignments and about the student's own work consistently at every class. Papers and homework handed in on time. Demonstration of engagement in the course and in the student's own personal writing development.

Product: Completion of formal paper for each unit demonstrating an understanding and application of the writing concepts and techniques introduced in the course.

Control of Process: Completion of in-class and home assignments of a quality demonstrating serious and reflective critical thought and attention. Includes whether the student experiments with pre-writing techniques; writes perceptive and thoughtful peer and self evaluations, and reading responses; understands the concept of revision and demonstrates this understanding by revising drafts substantially; resourcefully locates necessary documents for research, and demonstrates ability to synthesize and evaluate them; carefully edits and proofreads documents.

A student's final grade will be based according to the following breakdown of points:

Assignment Possible Points Your Score
5 3-page Position Papers (5 pts. each) 25 ____
Transliteration/Translation Exercise 10 ____
Critical Abstract and Oral Report 10 ____
Take-home Midterm Exam 15 ____
Final Project 25 ____
Shared Inquiry Discussion 15 ____
Total Points 100 ____

Final Grades are computed by letter, not numerical, grades. The instructor reserves the right to manipulate these grades as he sees fit.

Finally, your success in this class is important to me. If you have a disability and may require some accommodations or modification in procedures, class activity, instruction, requirements, etc., please contact me early in the semester so we can discuss and arrange for necessary accommodations and/or modifications with the Center for Students with Disabilities (Building D, Room 119, Extension 6266).

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Daily Schedule:

Week One:

June 4:

June 6:

Week Two:

June 11:

June 13:

Week Three:

June 18:

June 20:

Week Four:

June 25:

June 27:

Week Five:

July 2:

July 4:

Week Six:

July 9:

July 11:

Week Seven:

July 16:

July 18:

Week Eight:

July 23:

July 25:

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Useful Links for LIT 231

There are a number of useful internet resources available to you, many of them right here at Harper. The following is a very eclectic, but by no means exhaustive, list of links I think you might find useful. Many of these sites include links to other sites as well.

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Last Updated: 5-25-07.
Richard F. Johnson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and
Co-Chair, English Department
William Rainey Harper College
1200 W. Algonquin Road
Palatine, IL 60067
Office: L229
Phone: (847) 925-6429
Fax: (847) 925-6039
Email: rjohnson@harpercollege.edu