Assignments

Quizzes. Generally five questions on the work involved. Often includes literary terms and concepts. Short answer. [10 points each]

Alternate Essays. After each quiz I will post an Alternate Question. You can respond to one of these if you either miss a quiz or do poorly on it. By "poorly," I would say any score under a 7. You are to answer the question in a formal, typed 3+ page essay. I will then grade your essay and substitute that grade in place of your low or missing quiz grade. Note: these are purely optional. 

Reflection Essays. 3+ pages essays on works we read in class. The questions for each assignment can be reached from the Schedule. [25 points each]

Article Abstracts. One-page summary of a scholarly article included in the Norton Critical Editions. [10 points]

Annotated Bibliography. Summaries and critical assessments of four scholarly sources on one literary work. [75 points]

• Each source should be the length of a standard scholarly article (10-35 pages); book chapters count as one source.


• One of the articles may come from the Norton Critical Edition of the work you're studying.


• The annotations, each of which runs 3-5 pages, should include a full, correct bibliographical citation, a summary of the main arguments, your critical assessment of the case being made, and suggestions for further critical inquiry and discussion.


• Following the four entries should be a conclusion of 3-5 pages in which you draw together the themes of the articles and discuss what questions or insights they raise.


• You can do the bibliography on any of the works for which we are using a Norton Critical Edition: Beowulf, The Merchant of Venice, Oroonoko, Gulliver's Travels, or Journal of the Plague Year. [75 points]

Final Exam. In-class short answer and essay exam. [35 points]

Participation. Full participation means coming on time to every class, reading the works in advance, and joining in class discussions.