Some or all of the following methods will be used:
- Lecture/discussion
- Group work
- Peer editing
- Instructor feedback on students’ work
- Individual consultation
All first-year English literature courses share the following features:
- Students are instructed in the writing of critical essays on literary subjects.
- Students are taught to recognize and understand a variety of literary devices and textual elements, such as metaphor, symbolism, distinctions between author and narrator/narrating persona, and issues of language and of structure, as appropriate to the genres and texts studied.
- Readings and topics vary among sections of the same course, according to each instructor’s selection; however, all course materials are consistent with the objectives of the course.
In English 1107, students will
- examine selected classical and biblical literary texts, both in their own right and as sources for subsequent works of literature in the later English and/or European traditions; and
- examine some modern works of literature that reflect these classical and/or biblical sources.
Upon completion of any first-year English literature course, the successful student should be able to
- read receptively and reflectively, with sensitivity to the subtleties of language;
- recognize and understand literary devices;
- practice writing as a process involving pre-writing, drafting, revising and editing;
- write an essay of literary analysis that develops an interpretive thesis supported by appropriate and correctly cited evidence; and
- give and receive constructive criticism on written work.
Upon complete of English 1107, the successful student should also be able to understand
- the traditional literary forms, such as epic, psalm, parable and apocalypse; and
- the ways in which traditional stories, themes, and motifs inform subsequent literature.
- A minimum of two formal academic essays, with a combined value of at least 40% of the course grade, and a minimum of two other evaluations.
- A minimum of 80% of the course grade will be based on writing assignments (essays, essay-based exams, journals, paragraphs); a maximum of 20% of the course grade may be based on informal writing (quizzes, short answer tests); oral reports/presentations; participation/preparation grades; and/or other non writing-intensive assignments.
- A minimum of 15% of the course grade will be based on in-class writing (essay or exam).
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students
Sample Reading List:
- The Epic of Gilgamesh
- Fitzgerald (trans.), The Odyssey
- Frazier, Cold Mountain
- The Holy Bible, Oxford King James Authorized Version (Old and New Testament selections)
- Coursepack, containing selections from the following:
- Dante, Inferno
- Homer, Iliad
- Milton, Paradise Lost
- Virgil, Aeneid
- Selected 20th and 21st century poems
A minimum score on the Douglas College writing assessment, or equivalent, as per the College calendar.
In combination with another 1100-level English or CRWR course or with English 1200 (as per College calendar requirements), this course may serve as a prerequisite for any 2300-level English course.