Course Description
Masterpieces of medieval literature, exclusive of Chaucer. Some works will be read in Modern English translation.
Athena Title
Medieval Literature
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in ENGL 4230
Non-Traditional Format
This course is writing intensive, which means that the course will include substantial and ongoing writing assignments that a) relate clearly to course learning; b) teach the communication values of a discipline—for example, its practices of argument, evidence, credibility, and format; and c) prepare students for further writing in their academic work, in graduate school, and in professional life. The written assignments will result in a significant and diverse body of written work (the equivalent of 6000 words or 25 pages) and the instructor (and/or the teaching assistant assigned to the course) will be closely involved in student writing, providing opportunities for feedback and substantive revision.
Prerequisite
Two 2000-level ENGL courses or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 3000-level ENGL course) or (one 2000-level ENGL course and one 2000-level CMLT course)
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students, having read a substantial body of medieval English literature, will be able to discuss the assigned works (orally and in writing) with a considerable degree of critical sophistication, to reread them with pleasure, to read and enjoy other works from the period, and to converse with fellow students about texts and issues related to the subject matter of the course.
Topical Outline
The choice and sequence of topics will vary from instructor to instructor and semester to semester. The topics will consist of selected works by various authors, to be read outside of class and discussed in class, examined individually and comparatively in the context of the times and the circumstances of their composition. Periodically during the semester, students will perform a number of graded tasks, including some combination of tests and out-of-class papers. A possible series of topics and assignments might resemble this: Medieval Prose: Religious: selections from AElfric and Wulfstan sermons; selections from The Ancrene Wisse, Michael of Northgate's Ayenbit of Inwit, selections from The Travels of Sir John Mandeville Philosophical: Richard Rolle's The Bee and the Stork, The Cloud of Unknowing Romance: selections from Malory's Morte d'Arthur Medieval Poetry: Romance: King Horn, Havelock the Dane, selections from John Barbour's The Bruce, Sir Orfeo, Sir Gawain, and the Green Knight Dream vision: selections from Piers Plowman, The Pearl Debate: The Owl and the Nightingale Medieval dramatic literature: selections from the Mystery Cycle plays, Everyman, The Conversion of Saint Paul