Syllabus: “The course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary” (OVPI for Instruction)
Course Description: In English 4490 this semester, we’ll explore the major genres of eighteenth-century literature through the lens of Jane Austen’s reading as a child and young woman. Her father’s library numbered over 500 volumes and her brother’s over 1800. The influence of eighteenth-century novels, poetry, non-fiction, and drama profoundly influenced her own writing. In Northanger Abbey, which was first drafted in the 1790s, the narrator breaks the fourth wall and entreats her readers to celebrate novel-reading and novel writing, declaring that the novel “displays . . . the greatest powers of the mind” while demonstrating “the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour . . . in the best-chosen language.” While a staunch defender of the novel, Austen’s novels also demonstrate her voracious reading in other popular eighteenth-century forms. You can expect to read widely in all the genres, with selections of poetry and essays by Addison and Steele, Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson, and William Cowper; novels and selections from novels by Samuel Richardson, Charlotte Smith, and Ann Radclife; and a play by Elizabeth Inchbald. We’ll also be reading three of Austen’s novels that most overtly demonstrate her engagement with the eighteenth-century.
Attendance and Participation: Students should attend every class, and assignments must be read before the day they are to be discussed. More than three unexcused absences before the midpoint of the semester will result in your being dropped from the roll. Excessive tardiness and absences (more than 5 over the course of the semester) will hurt your final grade. Having said that, I will be monitoring UGA’s response to the Coronavirus
Assignments must be read before the day they are to be discussed: Go over the literature attentively and, if necessary, repeatedly. Please don’t just skim the material. I would suggest that you keep an informal reading journal in which you note any questions about the assignment, as well as your responses to the material; you should also take copious notes within your texts.
Exams and Essays:I will not give make-up exams or accept late essays. If a pressing emergency arises, please contact me prior to the due date, if at all possible.
Internet Resources: There are several internet sites which should be of interest to you; the internet can serve as an invaluable resource if you use it wisely. If you do use material from the internet, please cite it appropriately by date of access and web site location. Please refer to the MLA Handbook for specifics.
A Culture of Honesty: Although all of your papers can be completed without recourse to outside sources, you may on occasion want to consult critical works. According to the Office of the Vice President for Instruction, “All academic work must meet the standards contained in ‘A Culture of Honesty.’ Students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work.” Please visit the OVPI website for more information. Suspected cases of plagiarism will be turned into the appropriate campus authorities.
Buying essays over the internet is not a wise use of its resources. I am aware of the pertinent sites and will periodically check them for available essays on the material covered in this class.
Listserv: I’ll be creating a class listserv as the best means to contact you about changes to the schedule and assignments. You should use the list to pose questions about the course and to set up study groups for the exams: Listserv Address TBD
Office Hours:Please note my office hours. I urge you to make use of them; I’ll be there every week just to answer questions, talk about papers, the reading, how the class is going, etc. If you need to speak with me and you can’t make it to my office hours, talk to me after class about scheduling an appointment.
End of term course evaluations: At the end of the semester, you’ll be asked to complete an online evaluation of this course. Please do take the opportunity to respond to the course and its content. The English department now participates in the online system. At the end of the semester, you’ll be asked to visit the Franklin College’s secure site to record your evaluation.