Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2019 - ENGL 420W D100

Topics in Eighteenth Century Literature (4)

Class Number: 4656

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2019: Mon, Wed, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    One of ENGL 310, 311, 313, 315, 320, 322, or 327. Recommended: ENGL 205. Reserved for English honours, major, joint major and minor students.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Addresses specific issues in 18th century literature in English. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. Students with credit for ENGL 420 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

 Alexander Pope: Poetry, Prejudice, and Persecution

This course focuses on the poetry of Alexander Pope (1688-1744), physically and socially challenged, harshly satiric, self-educated, and arguably the greatest and most influential English poet of the eighteenth century. We will begin with An Essay on Criticism and Windsor-Forest, written as a young adult, and move through The Rape of the Lock, an excerpt from Essay on Man, and various short poems to The Dunciad.

The writing-intensive nature of the course means that you will be looking at examples of scholarly argument, giving and receiving feedback on written assignments, and using feedback to revise drafts. Each student will each write 1) a book review summarizing and evaluating a work by a current or seminal critic of Pope’s poems and 2) a research essay on a topic of their choice/design, vetted by fellow students.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

This course will develop your ability to

  • read, understand, and analyse eighteenth-century English poetry
  • find, read, understand, and evaluate secondary sources (critical articles and books)
  • write academic prose clearly and concisely
  • give feedback to your peers in concise, specific, and helpful ways.

Grading

  • Book review (c. 1000 words) 25%
  • Essay proposal and outline 10%
  • Research essay (c. 3000 words) 40%
  • Participation in seminar 15%
  • Editorial peer feedback (5% for vetting proposals & 5% for editing essays) 10%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

The Major Works, by Alexander Pope, ed. Pat Rogers (Oxford World Classics, 2008) 
ISBN: 978-019-9537617

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS