English 450: Chaucer

 
 
 
Professor Candace Barrington
315-1 Willard Hall
860-832-0022
BarringtonC@ccsu.edu

 

Description

Undergraduate Catalog:  “Readings in Chaucer, with special emphasis on The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde.  Irregular Mode 3.  3 credits”.

In this course, we will focus on reading Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in fourteenth-century Middle English and becoming familiar with the cultural context of his work.  As we do so, I want us to attempt an impossible but nevertheless important task:  to understand what Chaucer meant when he wrote his poems, what the poems meant to the society within which they circulated, and how the poems connected to larger patterns of social practice and ideology.  To do so, we will look at the literary traditions influencing Chaucer, at his political, economic, social and cultural environment, and at the ways in which his poetry—in both form and content—related to the local context of late fourteenth-century life and to the larger historical processes, specifically the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. 

Goals

My overall goal for the course is for you to have both an understanding and an appreciation of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.  I have designed this course to help you become:

 

COURSE POLICIES 

 

Required Textbooks

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales: Fifteen Tales and the General Prologue, ISBN 0393925870 (CT)

Lee Patterson, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: A Casebook, ISBN 0195175743 (CB)

§   Be sure to buy these particular editions of the texts.

§   Also be sure to buy both books early, since the bookstore begins to return unsold books to the publisher 1 March 2008, and you could be caught without the necessary texts. 

 

Attendance

Regular attendance—including your full participation—is imperative.  You have a responsibility to me and to the other students to show up, fully prepared and on time; this is a discussion class and you often work in small groups, so the other students rely on your being fully prepared as much as I do.  If you’re not ready or able to work hard this semester, please come see me immediately. 

§   At each class meeting, a sheet with a space for your signature will circulate.  Your signature is the only way to record your class attendance in this course—so make sure you arrive promptly and sign the attendance sheet.

§   By signing the attendance sheet, you are attesting not only to your physical presence but also to your preparedness:  by signing your name, you attest that you have

§   completed and thought about ALL of the assigned reading, 

§   completed any written assignments, and

§   brought the requisite texts with you.

§   Because I understand that some days it’s nearly impossible to achieve 100% preparedness, you can opt to take a bye: simply do not the check the boxes on the attendance sheet.

§   You may take up to two (2) byes without penalty.  Subsequently, coming to class inadequately prepared or without your text counts as an absence, and you may be asked to leave that day’s class.

§   In summary, the following count as an absence:

§   not coming to class,

§   leaving a blank on the attendance sheet,

§   not completing the assigned reading (after the third time),

§   not bringing the appropriate texts (after the third time),

§   arriving late or leaving early more than twice (keep for unforeseen circumstances, not traffic or parking problems)

§   stepping out of the classroom for reasons other than an emergency (make restroom trips before class begins)

§   Please review CCSU’s policy regarding absences (CCSU Undergraduate Catalog 33).  In this class, each absence over three (3) will lower your final grade by fifty (50) points. See “Grading,” page 5.

§   An excused absence [illness or absence “for official University trips to conferences, intercollegiate athletic events, musical performances and other events …authorized in advance by the Student Affairs Office” (CCSU Undergraduate Catalog 43)] is still an absence; it simply means that you have the opportunity to make other arrangements for submitting the assignments.  Here’s how:

§   If you know you must miss a class (school trip, athletics, etc.), inform me in writing and turn in any work in advance. 

§   If you are sick and cannot attend class, arrange to have your work delivered for you.

§   Check our class wiki for any announcements or updates made on the day you miss so you can turn in all assignments on time.  

§   Do not email me to ask what you missed. I’ll be happy to discuss it with you beforehand, but afterward I expect you to get notes and other information from your fellow students.

§   Remember, much of the information you will need to complete this course successfully will be discussed in class and not repeated again. Though I will do my best to post any changes to the class wiki, after-the-fact electronic exchange cannot substitute for being in class.  It is your responsibility to attend class in order to remain informed about assignments and class work.

In any event, please DO NOT FALL BEHIND in the reading; if you do, you will be lost in class discussion. 

If class is ever canceled, please come to the next one prepared for both that class and the canceled one. 

 

Cancellations and Delays

Whenever inclement weather forces delays or cancellations, the most accurate information for Central Connecticut State University will be made available on the Snow Phone: (860) 832-3333 and on the Web: http://www.ccsu.edu/cancellation. These services will be updated twice daily at 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., and more often as weather conditions warrant.

The University will notify the broadcast media of delays or cancellations. WTIC-AM 1080 is the principal radio outlet. WFSB-TV 3, WTNH-TV 8 and WVIT-TV 30 are the principal television outlets. However, radio and television stations are geared heavily toward broadcasting delay and closing announcements for public elementary and secondary schools. Since the most accurate and reliable information about CCSU's closings or delays will be found on the Snow Phone or on the Web, I recommend that you rely only on these services.

 

Classroom Etiquette

I expect you to be courteous in this class.  Some, but not all, of the basic rules of classroom courtesy are:

§   Come to class on time.

§   Treat all members of this class with respect.

§   Bring your textbooks, paper/pen and completed assignments.

§   Have necessary books and materials out and on you desk when class begins.

§   Do not leave the classroom early or for short breaks.

§   Do not eat in class.

§   Listen attentively.

§   Speak distinctly.

§   Turn off cell phones and pagers.

§   Do not send or receive text messages.

§   Do not check to see who called or sent a text message.

§   Do not read or work on material not related to this course.

 

Class Wiki and Blog

I will post all class documents and information to the course’s wiki accessible at barrington.pbwiki.com. Please consult this site regularly for announcements, updates, corrections, study guides, submission of wiki assignments, to retrieve hard copies of assignments and class handouts.

E-mail

I check my email frequently, and it is the best way to reach me. 

Three points you should keep in mind.

1.       My primary mode of communicating with you outside of class will be through announcements at barrington.pbwiki.com and by e-mail. To ensure that I can reach you by email, you must keep your CCSU e-mail preferences up to date. Go to http://accounts.ccsu.edu, access your BlueNet ID, and choose either a CCSU e-mail box or e-mail forwarding. Please take of this by the end of the first week of classes.

2.       Please take your e-mail communication with me as seriously as you would face-to-face communication. Whenever you write to me, you should be conscious of more than the explicit message you send. You should also be aware of the implicit message you send. Therefore, before you hit “Send,” proofread your e-mail for word choice, for tone, and for grammatical and mechanical (spelling and punctuation, primarily) errors.

3.       If, for some unforeseen reason, you are unable to print out and deliver an assignment, I will temporarily accept emailed assignments only as formatted attachments in Word. If you email me an assignment, I should have it before class on the due-date. Please indicate “English 203 assignment” on Subject Line, and ask me to respond to your email to make sure I received it and that I could open the attachment.  (If I do not respond, assume that I have not received your email. It’s your responsibility to make sure I receive what you send. “I emailed it to you; I don’t know what happened” is not an acceptable excuse.) Then, as soon as possible, print and deliver a hard copy to my mailbox (Willard 303), again emailing me to make sure I have found it.  


Conferences

My office is in Willard 315-1.  My officemate and I have extra chairs for students needing a quiet escape and a candy bowl for those needing a sugar fix.  Please feel free to drop by anytime. 

If you have a question, comment, complaint, suggestion, excuse, observation—or if you want just to talk—you can usually find me at my desk during my office hours.   I’ll also schedule short individual meetings before mid-term, so you and I can discuss your progress.

 

Special Needs

Please contact me privately to discuss your specific needs if you believe you need course accommodations based on the impact of a disability, medical condition, or if you have emergency medical information to share.  I will need a copy of the accommodation letter from Student Disability Services in order to arrange your class accommodations.  Contact Student Disability Services, room 241, Copernicus Hall if you are not already registered with them.  Student Disability Services maintains the confidential documentation of your disability and assists you in coordinating reasonable accommodations with your faculty.

 

Academic Honesty

Cheating and plagiarism subvert the purpose of the University and the experience students derive from being at CCSU and in this class.  They are offenses that harm both the offender and the students who do not cheat.   As a member of the CCSU community, therefore, I pledge to do all in my power to prevent cheating and plagiarism, and to impose impartial sanctions upon those who harm themselves, their fellow students, and the entire community by academic dishonesty.

Your responsibility is to

I have no patience with fraud: downloading or copying partial or complete sections of a written source passed off as your own work.  When I SUSPECT plagiarism, I will follow the university’s Academic Misconduct Policy, which requires that I

§   initiate a conference with the student, and

§   complete a University Academic Misconduct Report, which will be sent to the student, the English department chairperson, the Arts & Science Dean, and the University Judicial Officer.

If I determine that academic misconduct has occurred, the student must attend an Academic Integrity Workshop, and I will impose any or all of these sanctions:

§   a grade of “F” for the course,

§   a grade of “F” for the material being evaluated,

§   a reduced grade for the material being evaluated,

§   additional course work.

For further information on the Academic Misconduct Policy, including your rights and responsibilities, see http://www.ccsu.edu/MisconductPolicy.htm .

 

                                               

GRADING  and ASSIGNMENTS

 

Grading

I will calculate your final grades on the following basis:

For each absence over 3                                                                               =           -50 points                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Required

1. Participation/Preparation                                                                          ≤          100 points        

2. Written Assignments

12 Analytical Reading Questions, 12 x 25 points                                      ≤          300 points

      3. Web Assignments

4 Word Analyses, 4 x 25 points                                                              ≤          100 points

3 Passage Analyses, 3 x 50 points                                                          ≤          150 points

4. Self Evaluation                                                                                        ≤          100 points

5. Exams, 2 x 125 points                                                                              ≤          250 points

≤        1000 points

 

Extra-Credit: Tale Wiki-Worksheets (Group Projects)                                   +            50 points

 

At the end of the semester, I will total your points and calculate your grade using this scale:

 

·         925 - 1000               = A

·         900 - 924                = A-

·         866 - 899                = B+

·         833 - 865                = B

·         800 - 832                = B-

·         766 - 799                = C+

·         733 - 765                = C

·         700 - 732                = C-

·         666 - 699                = D+

·         633 - 665                = D

·         600 - 632                = D-

·            < 600                  = F


           

All components are required.  To pass this course, you MUST post to class wiki (twice), submit the self-evaluation, and take the midterm and the final exams, plus complete 3 Passage Analyses, 4 Word Analyses, and 12 of the 26 Reading Worksheets. Failure to do so, no matter what percentage of your grade is involved, will result in an “F.”

 

It is your responsibility to keep up with all returned and graded work.  If you have any questions about your final grade, you will need all of your graded assignments to verify my calculations.

Remember, after 5 absences (or their equivalent), your grade automatically falls 50 points for each additional absence (or its equivalent).

 

Try this:

Go to www.FreeRice.com and play its word game: you not only will build your vocabulary, but you’ll be helping donate rice through the United Nations World Food Program.

 

1. Daily Preparation and Participation. You will be assigned a grade on your preparation and participation in the course -- you’ll see me taking notes on this throughout the class.  This grade will be 10% of your final grade.

Preparation. Successfully reading Chaucer means learning to read Middle English, understanding late-medieval culture and society, and approaching literature from a non-modern sensibility.  Achieving these capabilities requires a steady diligence in your preparation for class.  To encourage your consistent study habits, I have developed some basic techniques for preparing for each class and will assign a grade based on the quality of your preparation. 

A Note on Middle English.  No previous experience with Middle English is expected; we will supplement the standard text with a “Reader-Friendly edition” for the first part of the Canterbury Tales to help you get accustomed to Chaucer's language.  (See http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/webcore/murphy/canterbury/  .) We will turn exclusively to Middle English in the tenth week.  Our edition glosses lots of words at the beginning, but assumes later on that you have seen the more common words, so keep up with the readings. Although you may find the Middle English selections initially difficult, please persevere.  We will practice in class, and you’ll also have three very basic handouts to help: 

A Short Word List provides you with some words that you’ll encounter over and over; the sooner you learn the list, the sooner you’ll achieve reading proficiency. 

Middle English Syntax charts the most basic elements:  pronouns and verb forms; keep it handy while you read. 

Pronunciation of Chaucer’s English guides you to some of the basics of 14t-century pronunciation; this, along with web resources, will help you reconstruct something akin to Chaucer’s English.

 

§ Allow at least three to four hours per class to read all primary (Chaucer’s Middle English works) and secondary sources carefully and thoroughly by the time class begins and to prepare for each class discussion. 

§   As you read, practice becoming more than a passive reader.  Become an interactive reader.  For a witty introduction to this skill, see Mortimer Adler’s “How to Mark a Book” (blue handout). 

§   During and after reading, reflect on what you’ve read; work to place it in the larger context of Chaucer’s other tales and of late-medieval English culture.

§  Answer the Analytical Reading Question posted on the class wiki for every reading assignment.

§  Begin a Tale Worksheet covering basic information about each tale.  (A template is posted at class wiki.)  Besides preparing you for class discussion, the worksheet will prepare you for the exams.

Although we will clarify any of these basis questions in class, you are responsible for coming to class with at least most of them answered or ready to ask.  If you are not fully prepared (which means not only having read the entire text, but also having thought about it), you will not be able to participate productively in class discussion.

If you have trouble fully preparing for class, come see me during my office hours.

 

Participation. Because this is a discussion class, it is vital that we share our ideas and talents with each other.  Never be afraid to ask a question, offer a comment, take a stand on an issue, or disagree with me or anyone else.  It is through free and lively exchange that we will refine our views. Writing and speaking are very closely related forms of communication, and working on one inevitably helps the other.

 

You will be assigned a grade on your preparation and your participation in the course—you’ll see me taking notes on this throughout the class and at the end of each class.  The grading scale will be as follows:

 

Excellent (100 points) 

Good (85 points) 

·          Contributes good -spiritedly to nearly all class discussions without dominating them; and

·          states ideas clearly; and

·          supports opinions with general evidence from the text or elsewhere;

·          maintains an active presence in the class; and

·          rephrases accurately what others say; and

·          engages others in dialogue. 

Average (75 points) 

·          Listens attentively to others, but contributes sporadically to class discussion;

·          offers relevant ideas and opinions, but sometimes digresses from the point easily;

·          does not always support ideas and opinions with evidence from the text;

·          little follow-up or refinement of ideas;

·          engages others in dialogue to some extent. 

Below Average (65 points) 

·          Physically present and actively listens;

·          contributes very little to class discussion, or offers unproductive comments;

·          does not exhibit control of the material or reading assignment under discussion;

·          does not ask genuine questions;

·          usually speaks only when called on. 

Failing (50 or fewer points) 

·          Frequently unprepared or regularly inattentive;

·          often says nothing, or offers unproductive comments;

·          sometimes either contributes in disrespectful way or discourages group discussion. 

I will let you know in private if I feel that you are not preparing as well or contributing as much as you can, or it will come up in the course of class discussion. I would suggest you err on the side of preparing and contributing too much, and leave it up to someone else to say whether you are carrying on too much (which does not happen too often). If at any time you are unclear about where you stand, raise the issue with me in private or after class.

 

 

2. Written Assignments. As with any course, you should keep either a hard or electronic copy of each assignment you turn in, and then keep the graded copy once it is returned.

 

Though short, these assignments should be completed with care.

§   Use complete, grammatical sentences, and spell correctly.

§   If your work prints on more than one page, staple the sheets in the top left-hand corner.

§   Do NOT place your name on the front side of the assignment. Instead the following identifying information should be typed on the back side of the last page in the top right-hand corner (that is, near where the staple will be):

Your Name

ARQ #x

Eng 450.01

Date due

Be sure this information is in this order on the back of the last page.  (This is the only place your name should appear.) 

Have your assignment stacked on my classroom desk by the beginning of class on the due date.

 

Analytical Reading Questions (ARQ). At the beginning of many classes, you can submit an Analytical worksheet available at the class wiki.  There will be twenty-six (26) worksheets. You need to complete and submit twelve (12) worth 25 points apiece, for a total of 300 points.  Follow the instructions carefully.

§   Unless instructed otherwise, you should not use any resources except course texts and a dictionary. Do not use any other electronic, printed, written, or human resources.

§   You should download and type in your answers before printing the Analytical Reading Question.

§   Be sure to select a font and/or format clearly distinguishing your answer from my question.

§   Your answers should be concise and to the point (no more than 175 words), while still drawing upon specific references to the text for support.  You must follow this format: one-paragraph format:

§   Your first sentence should be a claim that is interpretive and arguable.

§   Your thesis should be followed by evidence in the form of supporting quotations—be sure to cite lines numbers for verse, page numbers for prose.

§   Once you have presented your evidence, you need briefly to demonstrate how that evidence supports your thesis.  This is your explanation. 

§   This three-part structure of claim-evidence-explanation is NOT OPTIONAL if you wish to do well on these written assignments.

§   They will be graded:

§   Strong (25 points) = Addresses the assignment, but goes beyond the original question by bringing into play pertinent texts and issues, such as previously covered literary terms, information presented in the introductions and head notes, and other poems, plays, and prose works.

§   Good (21 points) = Addresses the assignment: obviously read the text, engages with the question in a thorough manner, supports assertions with specific references to the text, and correctly quotes and cites evidence.

§   Weak (15 points) = Fails to address the assignment: does not engage with the question beyond the most perfunctory or obvious way, or cites no specific references from the text, or exceeds 175 words, or does not follow MLA guidelines for quotations.

§   No Grade (0 points) = Assignment not submitted in time, or does not follow one-paragraph format, or contains more than five (5) mechanical or grammatical error.

These questions and answers will help you prepare for class discussion and for the exams. (Over 50% of the exams’ analytical questions will be based on these reading questions.) As you prepare for exams, you’ll want to revise your answers according to the interpretations we develop in class discussion.  The Interpretative Reading Guide (blue handout) explains the quality of answers I’m wanting you to develop. 

 

3. Web Assignments. On the class wiki, you’ll find three web assignments. To find them, go to barrington.pbwiki.com , click on Chaucer.  There you will see links to the three Web Assignments.  One connects you to our class’ personal pages; the other two connect you to two wiki assignments I have developed to help you uncover the richness of reading Chaucer in the original Middle English

 

Personal Pages.  Your personal page needs to be completed before class on Wednesday, 30 January.

Word Analyses (WA).  You will use the Middle English Dictionary (MED)—also called the Middle English Compendium—to develop a detailed analysis of a word selected from the day’s reading. For best results, your analysis should include information using word’s base or root form.  You are required to complete four (4) word analyses, each worth up to twenty-five (25) points.

Passage Analyses (PA).  Using the skills your developed in the Word Analyses, you will next develop detailed analyses of passages four to seven lines long.  You need to complete three (3) passage analyses, each worth up to fifty (50) points.

 

4. Self Evaluation. A paper of 5-6 pages (approximately 1250-1800 words) in which you assess your strengths and weaknesses, your successes and failures, in this course throughout the semester is due on the last class day. You must explain and offer evidence for your claims to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, drawing on the criteria established in this course. (Remember that participation and hard work are par for this course, so you get no bonus for either one.) I will grade this paper on the effectiveness of your argument, so do not try to persuade the Dean of a strength or weakness you exhibited unless you’re convinced of it.  It will be worth 15% of your final grade.

 

5. Midterm and Final Exams. The two exams will have short identification questions (based on tale worksheets and assigned secondary readings),passages to translate and analyze (taken primarily from word and line analysis lists), and, analytical questions, drawn primarily from Analytical Reading Questions.

 

 

Extra Credit

v  On Tuesday, 29 April 2008, the English Department will host a Poetry Reading Marathon.  Read a poem by your favorite poet, and you’ll earn forty points to add to your final total.  If you drop by and listen, you’ll add twenty points to your final total.

v  Sign up at class wiki to complete a Tale Worksheet as a group.  Each correctly completed Tale Worksheet is worth 50 points.