ENGLISH 840C · ENGLISH ROMANTIC LITERATUREAUTUMN 2003
COURSE TEXTS AND REQUIREMENTS
Call No.08632-8
TR 9:30 - 11:18 a.m.
312 Denney HallProf. Les Tannenbaum
Office: 456 Denney
Mailbox: 421 Denney
Office phone: 292-4641
Email: tannenbaum.1@osu.edu
Web page: www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/English/People/Tannenbaum.1
Office hours: TR 11:30 a.m. - 1:18 p.m., and by appointmentCOURSE DESCRIPTION:
The topic of this computer-enhanced graduate seminar will be Romantic Visionary Art, and we will be exploring the various claims and manifestations of works that purport to represent spiritually privileged, unmediated, extra-sensory or divine points of view. We will also be examining the theories and literary-historical contexts that enabled the creation of these works. A necessary corollary of this kind of study will be the cultural/political implications of such claims to vision. Equally important will be a consideration of the aesthetics of vision, especially in terms of visionary art as a commentary on the possibilities and limits of specific media, as well as Romantic attempts to transcend such limitations (as in Blake's illuminated works and in Wagner's concept of a total art form or Gesamtkunstwerk).
This class will meet in a computer laboratory, and besides reading traditional texts, we will also be looking at Romantic graphic works (such as Turner's paintings) and hypertext versions of primary and secondary sources on the World Wide Web (especially since Romantic scholars have taken the lead in this area, creating such sites as The William Blake Archive). Also, we will be engaged in a number of computer-based activities (such as online discussions and web research) in and outside of class. No special technical competence is required for this class-only the computer skills that most of our undergraduates possess and access to a computer (on campus or at home).
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS (Books are available at SBX):
William Blake, Blake's "America: A Prophecy" and "Europe: A Prophecy (Dover)
William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (Dover)
Mary Shelley, The Last Man (Oxford UP)
Duncan Wu, Romanticism: An Anthology, 2nd ed. (Blackwell)
Online e-texts assigned in class and on Course Calendar
At least three HD 3.5" floppy diskettes, IBM-formattedREQUIREMENTS:
Research Paper 60%
Collaborative Project 20%
Oral Report 10%
Class participation and
online discussion 10%Your research paper will be posted on the web and then read and discussed by everyone in the class. After all of this feedback, you will have an opportunity to revise the paper and hand it in for a grade during finals week.
In order to pass this course, you must complete all of these assignments. All assignments must be handed in or posted on the date they are due. Late work will be downgraded unless you have a legitimate excuse and notify me at least 24 hours before the due date. A computer problem is not a legitimate excuse; back up your material and allow enough time for computer/printer errors. Because it is disturbing to everyone, NO printing of papers will be permitted during class-time.
ATTENDANCE:
Attendance is mandatory. Since this is a discussion and activity-based course, there is no way of duplicating what you miss in class. Also, your absence deprives other students of your input. Cuts totaling more than two will be reflected in your final grade, and missing more than two weeks of class will result in a failing grade. Also, if you cannot come to class on time or feel the need to leave class early, please consider taking another course. You will be penalized for not being present during the full class period. Regardless of your reasons for being absent or late, you are responsible for all assignments and for all the material covered in class.
COMPUTER COMPONENT:
We will work with a number of computer applications this quarter, including a web browser (Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer), a web-based discussion page, and Microsoft Word. For your collaborative project, you will be using Netscape Composer or other software for constructing a web page. If you are a Macintosh user at home, you may have to spend additional time converting documents to MS Word for the PC for peer responding sessions, so be prepared. Also, if you use a different word processing program, you will have to convert that document into MS Word format from time to time.
You will definitely be spending time outside of class for online research and for written assignments that you will be sending via e-mail or posting on a web-based discussion page. And this course is heavily dependent on online communication among all its members. You are expected to check your email on a daily basis (if not more often) and also check the course web page regularly for links to reading assignments, announcements, and for online resources relevant to your work in the course.
Thus, the requirements for this course are based on the assumption that you will have access to a computer outside of class (at home, in your dorm or at the OSU Student Computer Centers). For information about the Student Computer Centers, see the OIT web page.
Do not take this course if you cannot make the commitment to using the technology. I will not excuse late or missed assignments that result from your inability to gain access to the materials or to the hardware that you need to complete an assignment.
PRESENTATION OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:
All formal writing assignments should have a title and should be word processed in 11 or 12-point font, double-spaced, with 1" margins all around. Your name, my name, the class and the date should appear in the upper right-hand corner of the FIRST page. Each subsequent page should have your last name and the page number in the upper right hand corner. Pages should be separated, and essays should be stapled. All papers should follow MLA format for in-text citations and have a separate "Works Cited" page at the end. Finally, spelling, syntax, and punctuation are an important part of your final presentation, and repeated errors undermine your argument by confusing or irritating your reader. In this sense, significant problems in this area will affect your grade, and a paper with major problems cannot receive more than a C.
CLASS DISCUSSIONS:
I expect everyone to participate in class discussions, as well as to show respect when listening to the ideas of her or his peers. I welcome debate and open discussion of differing points of view, but I do not tolerate personal attacks or dismissive attitudes.
COMPUTER LAB BEHAVIOR: SOME DO'S AND DON'TS
Most of these should be matters of common sense and common courtesy in a computerized classroom, but it's a strange irony that these machines sometimes bring out the animal in some of us.
DO
--engage in course-related discussion online and face-to-face
--share your technical expertise with fellow students.
--share your discoveries of online material that is relevant to the course.
--use your initiative and creativity in pursuing online course assignments.
--give your real name when you post to an online discussion-take responsibility for your statements.
DON'T--engage in any online activity that is not related to this course (which includes reading personal email, engaging in social chat on the web with people inside or outside the classroom, or doing recreational web surfing).--do any typing or other computer work when we are having face-to-face discussions or when someone in the class is addressing the group.
--engage in any "flaming" in online discussions: disagree with each other, but don't be abusive.
--use an assumed name when you post to an online discussion