Required Texts

Bronte, Jane Eyre (1847) - Bedford edition
Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret (1862) - Penguin Classics
Hardy, Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) - Penguin Classics
Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891) - Norton edition
Stoker, Dracula (1897) - Norton edition

Course Policies

Office Hours:
All students in ENGL 364/564 should take advantage of office hours. I do not schedule paper conferences during class, but I highly recommend that you come talk to me about your research and rough drafts. Our meetings can be very casual or very formal; I am willing to bounce around ideas or discuss a complete rough draft. It is your decision. Use the one-on-one time to your advantage.

Class Participation and Attendance:
Although at times I will lecture in order to present background information, I expect class participation in discussion and in other in-class activities. I expect you to keep up with the reading and to prepare for class. Class attendance in a literature class is essential for a good grade, especially since I do not allow you to make up quizzes and in-class work; therefore, I expect you to attend class regularly, to be prepared for class, and to participate when you are here.

After three absences, one of your quiz grades will become a "O." After six absences, another quiz grade will become a "O." And so on, and so on, and so on.

Reading the newspaper, holding private conversations, studying for other classes, and allowing cell phones to ring are inexcusable.

Late Assignments and Plagiarism:
You may not make up quizzes or group work. All late essays will drop one letter grade for each class period they're late. My ability to detect plagiarism is eerie. Don't plagiarize. You can always re-write an awful original paper; however, if you plagiarize, you will fail both the assignment and the course.

Discussion Papers:
Each of you will write at least one discussion paper this semester. The goal of the discussion paper is to spark discussion and friendly debate about the day's reading assignment. You should bring a typed copy of your 2-page paper for each of your colleagues. Feel free to include outside sources or media, but your presentation should last no longer than ten minutes. I will evaluate your paper for the clarity and originality of your argument, the quantity and quality of your support, and your ability to create a lively and academically solid dialogue in class.

Short Papers:
The short paper is a brief (2 full double-spaced pages) analysis of one specific idea or element of a class reading (i.e., feminist reading of the final chapter of Jane Eyre, or the use of dialogue in Dorian Gray). For this class, some of your short paper assignments will require you to respond to one of the critical readings, or to evaluate the argument or relevance of a critical reading. In either case, a successful short paper has three components: you offer a clear interpretive thesis about your issue or idea, you support your thesis with a close analysis of one or two specific pieces of evidence, and you offer some explanation as to why the subject with which you are dealing matters (i.e., what does your argument help the reader understand about the nineteenth-century novel?).

British Film Series:
You are required to attend at least one of the films presented as part of the British Film Series. I highly recommend that you attend more than one, and I am willing to offer extra credit for attending additional screenings.

Grading Criteria