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Syllabus
ENGL 200 A: Reading Literary Forms
Tractarian Literature
Instructor: Laura Gehrke
Class days/times: MTWTh 9:30 – 10:20 a.m.
Class location: SMI 305
Email: lgehrke@uw.edu
Course Information
Course description:
In early-nineteenth-century Britain, there were two main ways to be Christian: either you took your faith seriously and were Evangelical, or your faith was merely a cultural decoration and not something you really believed or practiced. At Oxford University in the 1830s, a group of theologians set out to change that by publishing the Tracts for the Times, a series of essays arguing for serious, pious, high-church Christianity. They argued not only that it was possible to be a serious Christian without being Evangelical but even that Evangelicalism actually undermined what it meant to be Christian. The Tracts for the Times set in motion the Oxford Movement (named after the place where it started), which also became known as Tractarianism (named after the Tracts for the Times).
This quarter, we will delve into the literature that came out of this movement, including fiction, poetry, and essays. By narrowing our focus to a particular time, place, and social group, we will be able to see more clearly how literary forms shape meaning. This is both a literature course and a writing course, so be prepared to do a lot of reading and writing.
Course Outcomes
By the end of the quarter, the student will be able to:
- articulate the main philosophical and aesthetic principles that shaped Tractarian literature.
- recognize how genre and form affect the meaning of a work of literature.
- practice close reading to observe, analyze, and interpret a work of literature.
- compose an original, persuasive, well-structured, articulate argument essay that applies a particular literary theory to a particular work of literature.
Textbook and Materials
Required materials:
- 3x5 white index cards
- a device that can access the Internet in class (for viewing readings)
Optional materials:
- The Heir of Redclyffe by Charlotte Mary Yonge.
All required readings will be provided in digital form on Canvas.
Grading and Assignments
Assignments:
Pre-Paper 1: Idea List due Saturday, April 13 at 11:59 p.m.
Paper 1: Close Reading Essay due Saturday, April 20 at 11:59 p.m.
Pre-Paper 2: Annotated Bibliography due Saturday, May 11 at 11:59 pm.
Paper 2: Literary Argument Essay due Saturday, May 25 at 11:59 p.m.
Each assignment will be accompanied by a 1-paragraph writer’s memo of at least 3 sentences, which may reflect on your writing process, give background information you’d like me to know, or ask for feedback on something specific. Type it into the Comments box when you submit your assignment.
Detailed instructions for all assignments are available on Canvas. All assignments should be formatted according to MLA format (guidelines and examples are on Canvas). You will submit all assignments on Canvas. There is no final exam for this course.
Your grade will be based on:
Papers (2 x 200 points) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 400 points (40%)
Pre-papers (2 x 100 points) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 200 points (20%)
Little tasks (20 x 10 points) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 200 points (20%)
Participation (30 x 5 points) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 150 points (15%)
Note taking (1 x 50 points) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 50 points (5%)
TOTAL - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1,000 points
Papers (40%):
The assignments that count for the biggest portion of your course grade are your two papers. Each paper will be 5-7 pages long (not counting the Works Cited page), double-spaced, and formatted in MLA format. Each should follow the conventions of academic argument essays, including an introduction, thesis statement, body paragraphs that support the thesis, conclusion, and Works Cited page. When you submit a paper, also submit a writer’s memo of 3+ sentences in the Comments section on Canvas. The first paper will be a close reading essay, in which you choose a short portion of text from what we have read so far in the class, study it closely, and generate an interpretation based on your observations and analyses. The second paper will be a literary argument essay that applies a literary theory of your choice to one of the texts we have read in class, making a claim based on a reading of the text through the lens of the literary theory. More detailed instructions for both papers are available on Canvas. We will also talk about the papers in class before they are due.
You may revise and resubmit either or both of the papers for a higher grade if you have a grade below 90% (180 points). See the revision policy below for details and deadlines. If you resubmit a paper, leave a comment on the assignment on Canvas briefly explaining what you changed.
Pre-papers (20%):
Before each paper, you will submit a pre-paper, which is a smaller assignment designed to help prepare you for the paper. Pre-papers will be formatted in MLA format. When you submit a pre-paper, also submit a writer’s memo of 3+ sentences in the Comments section on Canvas. Pre-paper 1 (the assignment coming before Paper 1) will be an idea list: a list of ten observations, five analyses, and one interpretation of the text you’ve chosen to close read for Paper 1. Pre-paper 2 (the assignment coming before Paper 2) will be an annotated bibliography, listing five sources you plan to use in Paper 2 with a summary for each one. More detailed instructions for both pre-papers are available on Canvas. We will also talk about the pre-papers in class before they are due.
You may revise and resubmit either or both of the pre-papers for a higher grade if you have a grade below 90%. See the revision policy below for details and deadlines. If you resubmit a pre-paper, leave a comment on the assignment on Canvas briefly explaining what you changed.
Little tasks (20%):
Throughout the quarter, you will complete various small, in-class writing assignments and activities. I’m calling these “little tasks.” They might include things like quizzes over the assigned reading, writing a reflection on a recent assignment, or working with a group to create an outline of an essay. This is how you earn points for completing the assigned readings; if you don’t do the assigned readings, then you will not be able to do well on the quizzes. You don’t know when there will or will not be a reading quiz, so in order to ensure you get these points, you’ll need to do the assigned readings every day and show up to class every day. Little tasks cannot be revised/resubmitted. Up to three little tasks can be made up in the last week of class; beyond that, no little tasks can be made up. Little tasks are worth 10 points each, and they’re graded as either satisfactory (10/10), somewhat satisfactory (5/10) or unsatisfactory (0/10). There will be twenty-two little tasks this quarter; the two with the lowest grades will be dropped.
Participation (15%):
Participation points are based on being present in class, paying attention, and doing the tasks and activities you are instructed to do. Each day of class is worth 5 points, and you can receive 0/5, 3/5, or 5/5, depending on how engaged you are. You don’t have to talk a lot in class to receive full points; you just have to be paying attention and doing as you’re told. Things that could negatively affect your participation grade include skipping class, being late, sleeping in class, distracting your classmates, or using your device for non-class-related activities in class. Your participation grade for the quarter is divided into two halves: Weeks 1-5 (up through April 25), which covers twenty class days, from which the lowest four grades will be dropped, and Weeks 6-9, which covers sixteen class days, from which the lowest two grades will be dropped. The dropped six grades give you leeway to miss class if you need to for sickness or other valid reasons (though you might miss little tasks, not to mention important information about readings or upcoming assignments). I do not excuse participation points, even for valid reasons, so save those six days for when you need them. Up to three participation grades can be made up in the last week of the quarter. Your participation grade will be uploaded to Canvas after Week 5 and again after Week 9. If you ever want to know what your participation grade is before that, do not hesitate to ask me in person, via email or Canvas message, or on your index card.
Note taking (5%):
At the start of the quarter, each student should sign up to take notes in class on one class day. Sign up by adding your name next to the date on which you want to take notes. On the day for which you sign up, it is your responsibility to take notes in class on that day and add them to the same Google doc underneath your name for that day. You may type them directly into the Google doc, type them into a different document and copy and paste, or write them by hand and then take a picture and insert it into the Google doc. Your notes must be there by 11:59 p.m. that day in order to get full credit. If you sign up and then later realize that you will not be able to make it to class on that day (e.g. you are sick or have a conflict), it is your responsibility to change your name on the sign-up sheet or to contact your classmates and find someone willing to switch with you. If you complete your notes satisfactorily, you will receive 50 points. You may also receive partial credit if you complete them but not satisfactorily.
Class Policies
Revision policy:
You may revise and resubmit any of the papers or pre-papers for a higher grade if your current grade on the assignment is less than 90%. Once your grade is at 90% or above, you may no longer resubmit the assignment. If you submit, for example, Paper 1 and get 72% on it, you can look over my comments, revise it accordingly, and resubmit it. Then, perhaps, your revisions will be sufficient to raise your grade to an 86%. If you are still not satisfied with your grade, you could revise again and perhaps get a 92%. Now that your grade is above 90%, you are no longer allowed to revise. This means that the grade you get on each paper or pre-paper is not necessarily final. You can always revise your papers and pre-papers and resubmit them. Of course, the amount your grade increases depends on how much better your assignment actually is; if you do not substantially improve your assignment, then your grade will not substantially improve. I promise not to give you a lower grade on your revisions, so you don’t have to worry about reducing your grade. Points lost for late submissions of papers or pre-papers cannot be made up by revising and resubmitting. If you lost, for example, 30% by submitting your paper three days late, then you will still have 30% docked from the resubmission. That said, my revision policy should enable you to never have to submit assignments late. If the deadline approaches, and you aren’t done with your assignment, just submit what you have and then revise and resubmit it later. If you resubmit an assignment, leave a comment on the assignment on Canvas briefly explaining what you changed.
The deadline to resubmit Pre-paper 1 and Paper 1 is Saturday, May 4 at 11:59 p.m. The deadline to resubmit Pre-paper 2 and Paper 2 is Monday, June 3 at 11:59 p.m. After these deadlines, resubmitted assignments will not be accepted. (June 3 is also the last day to submit late work.)
Late work policy:
You may submit papers and pre-papers late for reduced credit. For each day an assignment is late, you will lose 10% of the assignment points up to 50%. For instance, papers are worth 200 points, so if a paper is due on Saturday, and you turn it in the following Tuesday evening, that is three days late, so you lose 30% of the assignment points or 60 points. That means that a paper good enough to earn a 92% would only earn a 62% if it were submitted three days late. Once a paper or pre-paper is more than five days late, I stop increasing the number of points docked; in other words, you won’t lose more than 50% for a late submission. A paper submitted eight days late still loses just 50%. The deadline to submit any assignments is 11:59 pm on Monday, June 3. After this deadline, no work will be accepted. Please see my revision policy above to see why you should never have to submit an assignment late; just submit what you have on time and then revise it later. Papers and pre-papers are the only assignments that can be submitted late; little tasks and class notes cannot be submitted late or made up.
Academic Honesty:
In American universities, it is unacceptable to include the words or ideas of others in your writing without properly indicating where you got them from. To do so is plagiarism. In your work for this class, you are often encouraged to use the ideas of other authors as long as you cite them appropriately. All of the following are examples of plagiarism:
- Finding a pre-written paper on the internet and using it for an assignment
- Having someone else write an assignment for you
- Having someone else translate an assignment for you
- Assembling a paper by copying and pasting paragraphs from various sources
- Borrowing a single paragraph from a source and not citing it
- Incorporating a quotation and forgetting to put it in quotation marks
- Copying and pasting an article’s abstract when the assignment is to summarize
- Getting ChatGPT or a similar program to write part or all of your paper for you
A student cannot earn credit for a plagiarized assignment, and if the plagiarism is significant or intentional, the student may be referred to the college administration for disciplinary action. A pattern of plagiarism is grounds for failure in the course.
If you are having trouble completing an assignment, please seek my help before or after class or schedule an appointment. If you are unsure when or how to cite your sources, ask me; I will be more than happy to clarify.
Class Etiquette:
Please be courteous and respectful to your instructor, peers, and self. Being respectful means being considerate of others’ perspectives, listening when others speak, coming to class prepared to learn, and using appropriate language.
Diversity Statement:
It is my personal mission to practice respect for all of my students and to respond to differences with curiosity rather than judgment. It is important to me that students of all cultures, nationalities, races, abilities, ages, religions, gender identities, and sexual orientations feel welcome in this classroom and supported in their learning. I invite you to let me know if something in your course experience interferes with your progress or participation. I am still learning how to promote diversity and equity in my classes, and I need your help creating the kind of classroom environment where everyone can feel safe, supported, and respected, so don’t be afraid to reach out to me.
Resources
Communication and Support:
If you have an issue or emergency that threatens your achievement in this class, I encourage you to talk to me as soon as possible. I want to help you succeed.
Office Hours:
Office hours are times when you can talk to me without an appointment. Throughout this quarter, I will be holding office hours. You can drop by my office during these times if you have questions, want help with anything, including feedback on a draft, or just want to talk about this class, an assignment, school, or life. I want to provide you with the support you need, so please take advantage of my office hours. I am also available to meet with you in person or on Zoom at other times if you make an appointment. To make an appointment, send me an email or Canvas message.
Campus safety clause:
Preventing violence is everyone's responsibility. If you're concerned, tell someone.
- Always call 911 if you or others may be in danger.
- Call 206-685-SAFE (7233) to report non-urgent threats of violence and for referrals to UW counseling and/or safety resources. TTY or VP callers, please call through your preferred relay service.
- Don't walk alone. Campus safety guards can walk with you on campus after dark. Call Husky NightWalk 206-685-WALK (9255).
- Stay connected in an emergency with UW Alert. Register your mobile number to receive instant notification of campus emergencies via text and voice messaging. Sign up online at www.washington.edu/alert.
For more information visit the SafeCampus website at www.washington.edu/safecampus.
Tech support:
If you are having problems or need help with technology, including Canvas or Zoom, please contact UW IT at https://itconnect.uw.edu/help/. Their email address is help@uw.edu, and their phone number is 206-221-5000.
Access and accommodations:
Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.
If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.
Religious Accommodation Clause
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).
Writing Centers:
You are encouraged to meet with writing tutors throughout this quarter. Tutors can work with you on any stage in the writing process, from brainstorming ideas to polishing syntax. The Odegaard Writing and Research Center offers appointment-based tutoring, and the CLUE Study Center offers drop-in and appointment-based tutoring both in-person and online. For more information, visit their web sites (linked above).