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Description: In this course we will engage in a leisurely and thorough examination of Jane Austen’s published and unpublished work. In addition to the novels most readers are familiar with (Northanger AbbeySense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, and Persuasion) we will also read Austen’s juvenilia. Along the way, we’ll be reading quite a bit of cultural context and contemporary literary criticism, all of which can be found on the Broadview Online: Jane Austen in Context website, for which you’ve purchased an access code. After we read Pride and Prejudice, we’ll be looking closely at that novel’s popular afterlife in literary fiction and fan fiction, so we’ll be reading Jo Baker’s Longbourn, and a selection of fan fiction. Over the course of the semester, you’ll all be creating multimedia presentations about Jane Austen, which will explore subjects ranging from fashion to the navy to the legal rights of women and enslaved peoples.

Attendance and Participation: Given that this is Spring 2021, the attendance and participation for this class requires its own page.

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. I have several websites and blogs listed on the Post-Austen Materials page.

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: ENGL4505SP21-L@listserv.uga.edu

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.