English 622-001:  Milton in Context

Fall 2013, 3 credits

• Dr. Matthew Fike

• Wednesday, 6:30-9:15

• Classroom:  Owens 209

• Office:  Bancroft 258; 803-323-4575

• Office Hours:  MW, 3:30-5:30; and by appointment

• E-mail:  fikem@winthrop.edu

• Website:  http://faculty.winthrop.edu/fikem

Course Description

This course is designed to help you understand Milton's poetry in light of his life, his prose works, the history of the 17th century, and various non-Miltonic prose and poetical works. Requirements include a term paper in multiple stages, a final examination, and regular mini-presentations to the class.

Goals

• To gain a solid understanding of Milton's major prose and poetical works.
• To deepen your understanding of Milton's historical/cultural/literary context.
• To do all of the above largely through active discussion with your classmates.
• To produce a paper at (or approaching) a level suitable for a professional or graduate student conference.
• See also goals for the M.A. program at http://www2.winthrop.edu/english/EGS/GraduateGoals.htm.

Student Learning Outcomes

Content Knowledge

 The student will demonstrate knowledge of:

• Milton's major poetry and prose
• Milton's historical/cultural/literary context
• Professional standards of grammar, mechanics, and usage accepted in the scholarly community
• Standard reference tools, methods, and forms of documentation used in scholarly research
• The standard terminology of literary analysis used in scholarly writing

Skills in Analysis, Writing, and Communication

The student will:

• Present orally the findings of research and critical analysis.
• Demonstrate the correct use of standard reference tools, the proper handling of primary and secondary sources, and proper documentation of all sources.
• Write a research paper in multiple stages on an appropriate topic in language, literature, or history.
• Achieve a level of critical examination suitable for a conference presentation.
• Sustain a high standard of written expression in a lengthy critical/researched essay.
• Demonstrate synthesizing skills through a comprehensive final examination.

Texts

• Flannagan, The Riverside Milton
• Rudman et al., The Broadview Anthology of Seventeenth-century Verse and Prose

Note: Our use of the Broadview will be limited. It is possible to get by with photocopies of the poems from resources in the library or online. The prose works will probably have to be photocopied from a classmate's book. Not having the book would be inconvenient but not impossible. Flannagan's anthology, however, is essential.

Course Requirements--Student Learning Activities (Performance Measures)

• 50%:  Paper proposal (1-2 pages, 5%), New Critical paper (5+ pages, 10%), annotated bibliography (15+ critical sources minimum, 10%), researched sentence outline reflecting a critical perspective (5+ pages, 10%; 8 critical sources minimum), full researched draft (12+ pages, 15%; submit the draft to turnitin.com)
• 20%:  Final draft (15%) with conference abstract (5%)
• 20%:  Class participation/presentations
• 10%:  Final examination

Notes: (1) Papers should be a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 pages of text plus works cited. (2) I reserve the right to have you redo work so that I can justify giving you maximum credit. I also reserve the right to raise your grade at the end of the semester if your final draft is substantially better than your previous work. (3) The researched draft should be submitted to turnitin.com. Course I.D.: 6719232; password: winthrop.

Grading System

You will be graded on a 100-point scale as follows:  A, 95-100; A-, 90-94; B+, 87-89; B, 83-86; B-, 80-82; C+, 77-79; C, 73-76; C-, 70-72; D+, 67-69; D, 63-66; D-, 60-62; F, 0-59. 

Attendance and Other Policies

Such policies as appear in this section should not be necessary in a graduate seminar; nevertheless, here they are in case we need them.

• Punctuality and attendance: You should attend all class sessions and be a few minutes early so that we can start right on time. 
• Attendance: If you miss two weeks of class, your participation grade will go down 5% for the third absence and 2% for each additional absence. I will start taking attendance at our second class session.
• How to get an F: If you miss four weeks of class (nearly 30% of the class meetings) or plagiarize in a significant way, the result will be an automatic F for the course. 
• Regarding the final examination, there will be no accommodations for travel plans.
• You may not eat in our classroom. Drinking clear water with no ice is acceptable. Please do not consume any other beverage into our classroom.
• Here is the Department of English's policy on expectations for classroom behavior: "The classroom environment should provide a safe environment for exploring ideas and challenging assumptions. Students are expected to listen respectfully to the voices of other individuals and to share their own opinions and values in a positive, respectful manner. Students and the instructor are expected to treat each member of the class with respect and civility. Classroom behavior that a reasonable person would view as substantially or repeatedly interfering with the conduct of the class will not be tolerated in this course. Students who engage in disruptive behavior will be subject to sanctions as specified in the Student Conduct Code. Turn off all electronic devices."
• Winthrop University's "Student Conduct Code": http://www2.winthrop.edu/acad/WU_StudentConductCode.pdf.
• Winthrop University's "Procedures for Conduct at Graduate Level": http://www2.winthrop.edu/public/policy/fullpolicy.aspx?pid=325.

Syllabus Change Policy

Here is the university's policy: "The version of your instructor's policy posted on her/his website, WebCT site, or www.turnitin.com site is the official policy statement for your class. This page may change during the semester, so make sure you check it frequently to keep up with changes."

Students with Disabilities

Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please contact Gena Smith, Coordinator, Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290, as soon as possible. Once you have your Professor Notification Form, please tell me so that I am aware of your accommodations well before the first assignment, test, or paper.

Student Conduct Code

As noted in the Student Conduct Code:  “Responsibility for good conduct rests with students as adult individuals.” The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the “Student Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy” in the online Student Handbook (http://www2.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf).

Handheld Devices

You may not use any electronic devices in class unless I give you specific permission or unless you have official accommodations from Services for Students with Disabilities. See the College of Arts and Sciences' policy on handheld devices at http://www2.winthrop.edu/artscience/AppropriateUseApprovedPolicyMar2010.pdf. You must have hardcopy texts in front of you at all times.

Format for Papers

Word-processed, double-spaced papers are required. Only black print will be acceptable. Print only on one side of the page and do not use the draft function. The margins should be 1.25". If you use MS Word, the required font is called Courier New, 12-point (Courier NEW, not Courier). Put your name at the top of page one, number your pages, give your paper a title, and underline your thesis statement like this; boldface your topic sentences in the body like this (note: the introduction and conclusion do not have topic sentences). Staple your pages together 1/2" from the upper left corner; do not use paper clips or bend the pages over at the top. Use the MLA format to document all sources used, including the primary ones. Even your preliminary assignments must have a list of works cited. I will ask you to redo a paper if it is not in the proper format (the main thing is to use Courier New 12-point, which looks like this). I do not accept electronic submission of written work, but you must send your researched draft to turnitin.com. Handwritten work is unacceptable, as is any font other than Courier New 12-point.