British Studies: Literary Perspectives

British Studies: Literary Perspectives - Syllabus

BRIT 230/330/330H – Fall 2024

Instructor

Dr Oliver Haslam

E-mail

oh48@evansville.edu

Course Meeting Days and Time

Two sessions per week (Please see individual timetable)

Required Experiential Learning Dates

There are no required experiential learning dates for British Studies: Literary Perspectives

Office Hours

By appointment

Catalog Description:

This course introduces students to a range of literary perspectives in relation to the development of modern Britain. The cen tral

theme of the course is the development of a sense of national identity within the British Isles and the ways in which literature

has both shaped and questioned British identity. We will consider how national identity intersects with other key themes

including gender, race, class and belonging.

Moving broadly chronologically, the course will examine a variety of literary styles and genres (including plays, poetry, nov els

and slave narratives) to explore how different writers responded to a changing Britain and sense of what it means to be

“British”. We will look at a selection of literary works including some classic British literature alongside texts and voices

previously marginalised or left out of the canon. These include writers such as William Shakespeare, Aphra Behn, William

Wordsworth, Mary Shelley, Virginia Woolf, Sam Selvon, and Mohsin Hamid. How have these different writers articulated what

it means to be British? How were these works shaped by, and how did they respond to, the changing historical, political and

cultural contexts in which they were written?

Credit Hour Policy Statement:

“This class meets the federal credit hour policy of 1 hour of class with an expected 2 hours of additional student work outside

of class each week for approximately 15 weeks for each hour of credit, or a total of 45-75 total hours for each credit.” (Def 1)

General Education Requirements:

University of Evansville students enrolled on BRIT 230; BRIT 330; BRIT 330H are eligible for General Education credit for

Outcome 2 and credit for Components A and E.

• Outcome 2: Engagement with imaginative expressions of the human condition

• Component A: Global diversity: International component

• Component E: Writing across the curriculum

Non-UE students will need to determine with their home campus how their course credit transfers.

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites for students wishing to enroll in BRIT 230.

Prerequisite for BRIT 330: Sophomore status or permission of instructor.

Students are eligible to enroll for BRIT 330H (Honors) if they are enrolled in the University of Evansville Honors program, or

their own School’s Honors program; or should their School not have an Honors program, if they meet the criteria for

admission to the UE Honors Program (www.evansville.edu/accepted/honorsprogram.cfm). In which case, they would not be

required to apply to the UE Honors Program but would be admitted to BRIT 330H at Harlaxton.

University of Evansville students are encouraged to consider adding the course to a Minor in British Studies

All students are encouraged to consider adding the course to a Certificate in British Studies

https://www.evansville.edu/majors/british-studies/

Course Learning Objectives:

BRIT 230/330/330H focuses on a selection of major literary works and trends that have shaped modern British identity. The

course aims to situate you within a complex multinational and multicultural society, challenging you to identify issues and to

affect change within your new home and community through:

a. Inquiry, research, and analysis

b. Intercultural knowledge and understanding

c. Critical and creative thinking

d. Cultural competency

e. Written and oral communication

f. Information literacy

g. Teamwork and problem solving

Methods of Instructions:

A combination of in-class discussion of literary texts, short lectures, and class-related activities.

Textbooks and Required Reading:

William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Aphra Behn, Oroonoko

Wordsworth and Coleridge: Lyrical Ballads*

Mary Shelly, Frankenstein

Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway

Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners

Mohsin Hamid, Exit West

(* this text will be made available to you as a handout. Other longer works should be accessed by students independently)

Course Schedule:

Week One:

Seminar 1: Introduction. How does literature reflect changing British identity?

Seminar 2: Shakespeare and Nation Building

Week Two:

Seminar 1: William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Seminar 2: William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Week Three:

Seminar 1: Group presentation preparation session

Seminar 2: Group presentations - Exploration in Shakespeare

Week Four:

Seminar 1: Aphra Behn, Oroonoko

Seminar 2: Aphra Behn, Oroonoko

Week Five:

Seminar 1: Representations of the Slave Trade

Seminar 2: Romanticism

Week Six:

Seminar 1: Wordsworth and Coleridge: Lyrical Ballads

Seminar 2: Review

Week Seven:

Seminar 1: Writing and Research Workshop

Seminar 2: Writing and Research Workshop

Friday: Assessment 1 deadline: photo-essay

Mid-Semester Break

Week Eight:

Seminar 1: Gothic Response to Industrialization

Seminar 2: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Week Nine:

Seminar 1: Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Seminar 2: Modernism

Week Ten:

Seminar 1: Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway

Seminar 2: Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway

Week Eleven:

Seminar 1: The Windrush Generation

Seminar 2: Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners

Week Twelve:

Seminar 1: Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners

Seminar 2: Mohsin Hamid, Exit West

Week Thirteen:

Seminar 1: Review

Seminar 2: Writing and Research Workshop

Friday: Assessment 2 deadline: research paper

Content Warning:

The texts and contexts taught on this module present a range of potentially confronting issues and content. If you have any

concerns or requests for content warnings regarding specific contexts or texts, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and I’ll

be happy to provide further detail.

Grading Criteria:

Photo-Essay (7 pages): a critical-creative assignment combining carefully selected images (taken by the student-author) with

substantive captions (short paragraphs) in relation to one of the texts we have studied. The photo-essay must provide an

introduction giving an overview of the essay and include a thesis statement articulating the overall point of the essay. Your

primary text should be different from those discussed in the research paper assignment. This must be submitted through

Blackboard.

Research Paper (8 pages): a research paper responding to a provided essay question considering how the texts that we have

studied contribute to an understanding of British identity and culture. Your primary text must be different from the text chosen

for your photo-essay. This must be submitted through Blackboard and LiveText.

BRIT 230 research papers require a minimum of four scholarly sources.

BRIT 330 research papers require a minimum of five scholarly sources.

BRIT 330H research papers require a minimum of five scholarly sources and analysis of an additional primary text.

Students will be assessed through a combination of tasks – see Schedule of Assignments for details of due dates.

BRIT 230

BRIT 330

BRIT 330H

Photo-essay

30%

Research Paper

60%

Class participation

10%

Grades Scales:

93+

C+

77 - 79

A-

90 - 92

73 - 76

B+

87 - 89

C-

70 - 72

83 - 86

D+

67 - 69

B-

80 - 82

60 - 66

Late Submission Policy:

Late submissions without explanation on the day of the deadline will receive a 5% grade penalty. Late submissions after this

date within one week of the deadline will receive a 10% grade penalty. Submissions after this point will not be graded.

Deadline extensions may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis if there are extenuating circumstances.

Honor Code:

All students at the University of Evansville agree to the University honor code: I will neither give nor receive unauthorized aid,

nor will I tolerate an environment that condones the use of unauthorized aid.

AI may be used only with prior permission or direction by the instructor.

• All work submitted in this course must be your own.

• The use of generative AI composition tools, such as those offered by ChatGPT, Google Bard etc. is prohibited in this course

except for specific assignments and subject to the instructor’s guidelines.

• Work generated by such tools without proper attribution is plagiarism and, thereby, a breach of the University’s Plagiarism

and Academic Honesty policy.

Withdrawal and Attendance policies:

Harlaxton College expects regular class attendance by all students. Students are considered sufficiently mature to appreciate

the necessity of regular and punctual attendance, to accept this personal responsibility and to accept the consequences of

failure to attend. When absences occur due to emergency or medical reasons, students are expected to notify their instructors

of the absence prior to class or to seek the assistance of the College nurse or a member of the Student Support Team for help

in notifying instructors.

Instructors have the authority to grant excused absences for medical, psychological, or personal reasons upon review of

appropriate documentation and professional recommendation supporting such a request.

The Principal has the authority to grant excused absences for medical, psychological, or personal reasons.

Each instructor is expected to maintain an attendance policy in keeping with the nature of the Harlaxton program, and may

consider it in evaluating performance in their courses.

Policy Governing Unexcused Absences:

Harlaxton College operates an attendance policy that is binding on all faculty and students. The number of unexcused absences

that are allowed before incurring a penalty is related to the number of times a class meets each week. For courses which meet

three times a week, students are allowed a maximum of three unexcused absences during the semester without attracting

penalty points. For courses meeting twice a week two such absences are permitted, and for courses meeting once a week a

single absence is allowed. Additional unexcused absences will attract a grade penalty. This will be determined by the course

member and included in their syllabus (e.g. a full-letter grade (A to B), or a third-letter grade (A- to B+).

Covid-19 Policy: Students should not attend class if they are feeling unwell. They should seek to notify their instructors of their

absence and, if possible, participate in their classes online.

Policy Governing Excused Absences.

• Excused absences are not given to facilitate student travel independent of College -sponsored travel.

• Students may be permitted to miss class because of participation in academic field trips.

• Instructors must co-ordinate and confirm academic fieldtrips with the Dean, prior to the commencement of the

Semester to ensure their inclusion in the Semester timetable.

• Where authorization for an academic fieldtrip is requested after the commencement of the semester, the request

must be submitted to the Dean.

The following information is required:

• Purpose and brief description of the official Harlaxton event or academic fieldtrip.

• Dates, location, and times (as applicable).

• Alphabetical list of students involved [Last Name/First Name] along with their student identification number.

If approval is granted:

• Instructors affected will be notified at least one week prior to the class period during which absence is anticipated, or as soon

as possible.

• Missed class time due to student participation is to be considered an excused absence.

• The grade of a student may not be lowered in any class due to excused absences.

• It is the student’s responsibility - to take the initiative by consulting with their instructors before the absence occurs, and -

to do what is required by the instructor to make up all missed assignments and/or examinations.

• Instructors are required to assist students in these occasional situations of excused absences.

Disability Policy:

It is the policy and practice of the University of Evansville to make reasonable accommodations for students with properly

documented disabilities. Students should contact Disability Services within the Office of Counseling Services by calling 812 -

488-2663 to seek services or accommodations for disabilities. Written notification to faculty from Disability Services is required

for academic accommodations.

The University of Evansville Disability Services office will share the request for academic accommodations with the Academic

Support team at Harlaxton College. Staff members at Harlaxton will meet individually with students to discuss needs and

provide additional information related to examinations or other assessments.

Students from partner institutions should provide the appropriate letter of accommodation from their institution to the

Academic Support team at Harlaxton College.

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The University of Evansville expects all members of its community to treat each other with respect and civility. Harassing

behaviors directed towards any member of our community will not be tolerated. As part of its commitment to non -

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harassment undermines the mission of the University and negatively impacts the University community as a whole.

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The University of Evansville is committed to fostering an atmosphere free from harassment and discrimination. This

commitment includes identifying problems that may lead to sexual harassment and misconduct, as well as other forms of

harassment and discrimination, by creating an atmosphere in which the entire University community is sensitive to preventing

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experienced prohibited conduct. This commitment includes effectively responding when a student, visitor, guest or program

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All campus employees, students, and guests are required to abide by the Title IX and Other Sexual Harassment and Misconduct

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Faculty members at the University of Evansville are considered “Responsible Employees” under the applicable federal

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information to the Office of Institutional Equity.

You may choose to report the violation yourself the following ways:

Email: · Annie Sills, Assistant Director of Institutional Equity and Title IX Coordinator: cs175@evansville.edu ·

Keith Gehlhausen, Executive Director of HR and Institutional Equity: kg77@evansville.edu ·

Title IX: titleix@evansville.edu

Phone: 812-288-5261

Online: https://www.evansville.edu/safety/report.cfm

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• College Nurse: Lesley Selby, RGN, +44 01476 403027, lselby@harlaxton.ac.uk

• Counselling Services: counselling@harlaxton.ac.uk