• Response Papers x3 (6.66% each) 20%
• Midterm Paper (5-6 pp.) 20%
• Final Paper (7-8 pp.) 30%
• Middle English Presentation 15%
• Active Seminar Participation 15%

REQUIREMENTS:

Midterm and Final Papers: You must write two formal papers for this class. The first paper, due October 10 should be five to six pages in length; the second paper, due December 10, should be seven to eight pages in length. I will distribute broad subject guidelines at least 2 weeks before each paper is due, but you can know now that you will have a wide range of options when considering what to write about. Secondary sources are not required for the midterm paper, but if you choose to use them you must cite them correctly. I do want to see evidence of research in the final paper; therefore, I require that you cite at least five secondary sources. Please use MLA style for your citations and bibliography.   I will collect papers at the beginning of class on the day they are due. A paper will be considered late if it is turned in after that time, and it will lose one full letter grade for each additional calendar day it is not submitted. Please double-space your text and use a plain font such as Times New Roman in 12 point. Also, align your text on the left margin only (i.e. do not “justify” your text), and leave one inch margins top, bottom, left and right on each page. Finally, please number your pages, and staple them together.   A few words on academic dishonesty: I have no tolerance for plagiarism. Any student caught using sources without appropriately citing them or passing off another person’s work or ideas as his or her own will receive a zero for the assignment, and the incident will be reported to both the department and the university.  

Response Papers: You will be asked to complete four response papers over the course of the semester, due on 9/17, 10/1, 10/31, and 11/19. I will keep your highest three grades. This means that you can either opt out of one response paper or recover from an unhappy grade on an earlier response paper by doing better on a later one. These short papers must be submitted to me in class the day they are due. I will not accept late papers without a valid excuse, nor will I accept them electronically without advance permission.   In brief, what I want to see in these response papers is a miniature argument, one which demonstrates both original thought and concrete engagement with the primary text. I also encourage you to draw connections between texts that we’ve considered individually in class. For example, you might consider how Langland’s “fair field full of folk” resonates with Chaucer’s assembly of pilgrims, how a “private” poem like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight might take on “public” dimensions, and so forth. You should not use additional secondary sources for these short papers; rather, you should engage thoroughly with the primary texts, citing specific passages to support your ideas.  

Middle English Presentation: Each of you will be required to read aloud to the class a brief passage (Between 25 and 35 lines) from either Chaucer or Gower in the original Middle English. Following your reading, you will discuss why these lines are important to the work as a whole, particularly in light of the social, cultural, and theoretical contexts we’ve discussed in class. After your discussion (about 4-5 minutes), I will open the floor for questions and discussion. I will provide more details on this assignment in the first few classes.  

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory, and you are expected to arrive to class on time. Repeated absences will be reflected in your participation grade. If you miss class for a valid reason (illness, family emergency university sanctioned absence), any work due on the day of your absence must be submitted on your first day back. If you fail to turn in work because of an unexcused absence, that work will be considered late and treated accordingly. Please contact me if you have specific questions regarding this policy.  

Participation: This is not a lecture class. Your thoughtful participation during our meetings is crucial, and your willingness to engage in discussion, to ask questions, and to share your insights with your classmates is taken as a given. Failure to participate at a basic level will result in the diminution of your participation grade, as will negative or inappropriate participation. Certainly, you are free to disagree with your peers – these are difficult and ambiguous texts that invite critical disagreement – however, it is essential that you express such critical disagreement respectfully.