English 311: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
Fall 2006
Contact Information
Dr. John Halbrooks
Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday, 11:00-12:30; Tuesday, 4:00-5:00; and by appointment
Office: Humanities 278; email: jvhalbrooks@usouthal.edu
Class Blog: http://jvhalbrooks.wordpress.com/
“The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne . . .”
–Chaucer, from The Parliament of Fowls
Course Description
This course will introduce students to Chaucer in the original language; no prior knowledge of Middle English is required. We will concentrate on linguistic, aesthetic, and cultural aspects of Chaucer’s poetry. Our reading will include selections from the Tales, The Book of the Duchess, a few of Chaucer’s short poems, and some secondary material. Assignments will include response papers, three exams (including the final), a short critical paper, and a brief presentation and bibliography.
Goals and Objectives
1. Students will develop a reading knowledge of Chaucer’s Middle English.
2. Students will become familiar with The Canterbury Tales and the other assigned texts and will be equipped to discuss and write about Chaucer’s poetry from a variety of perspectives.
3. Students will be prepared to pursue advanced study in Middle English language and literature.
Required Texts
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Book of the Duchess and shorter poems (Albert C. Baugh’s edition). On electronic reserve.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Man of Law’s Tale (Albert C. Baugh’s edition). On electronic reserve.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Physician’s Tale (Albert C. Baugh’s edition). On electronic reserve.
Davis, Norman, et al. A Chaucer Glossary. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1979.
Kolve, V. A. and Glending Olson, ed. Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2005.
Nota Bene: other texts on the course schedule will be available in handouts or electronically, TBA.
Course Requirements and Grading
Students may accumulate up to 500 points during the semester (450 points = A; 400 points = B; etc.). Requirements and point distribution follow:
1. Course Blog. You should check the blog (http://jvhalbrooks.wordpress.com) several times a week. I will post assignments, vocabulary, response questions, reminders, and changes to the syllabus on the blog.
2. Response papers (up to 5 points each = 60 points total). I will give response questions and/or prompts for each class meeting. During the course of the semester, you must respond to twelve of the questions/prompts. Responses should be at least one page long (approx. 250 words), typed, and double-spaced.
3. Tests (up to 80 points each = 240 points total). There will be three tests, including the final. Tests will include identification, short answer, essay, and translation. All tests will be cumulative, but they will emphasize the material covered most recently. Test one: September 26th. Test two: November 14th. Final: December 12th, 1:00.
4. Critical paper (up to 100 points). You will write one 5-7-page paper. I will give you more details about this assignment soon. Due December 5th.
5. Presentation and bibliography (up to 100 points). You will compile a short annotated bibliography about a specific scholarly topic. Late in the semester, you will present your bibliographical findings to your peers. I will give you more details about this assignment soon. The bibliography will be due November 7th, with presentations to follow in subsequent class meetings.
6. Class participation: discussion and reading aloud. I will expect those who have written response papers for a given day to participate in discussion more actively than normal. Of course, all students are encouraged to participate daily. Furthermore, we will practice reading Chaucer’s Middle English aloud each day. For each class meeting I will assign a few lines (usually about twenty) for you to practice reading aloud. Refusal or failure to participate will result in a deduction of points.
Attendance Policy and Late Work
You are required to attend all class meetings. For each absence after your second, your final grade will be reduced by ten points. All late work will incur a penalty. I will not accept late response papers.
Disabilities
All syllabi at the University are required to include the following statement: “If you have a specific disability that qualifies you for academic accommodations, please notify the professor and provide certification from Disability Services. (OSSS is located in Room 270 of the Student Center; 460-7212).”
Plagiarism
Plagiarism will result in failure of the class after one warning. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me.
Electronic Devices
All cell phones must be switched off before class begins. You may not “text message” or catch up on your email in class under any circumstances. Students who do not comply with this policy will be asked to leave and counted absent for the day.
Course Schedule (subject to change!)
In order to save paper, I will post the complete preliminary course schedule online. Meanwhile, here are the reading assignments for the first two weeks:
Tuesday, August 22nd: Introduction to the course
Thursday, August 24th: lines 1-18 of The General Prologue; lines 1-486 of The Book of the Duchess; “To Rosemounde”
Tuesday, August 29th: lines 487-1334 of The Book of the Duchess
Thursday, August 31st: lines 19-269 of The General Prologue; Giovanni Boccaccio, selection from The Decameron (Norton, pp. 312-26)
After this point we will read the following tales, in addition to some short supplementary texts from your book and some short poems. I will give more specifics as we go along:
The remainder of The General Prologue, Knight, Miller, Reeve, Cook, Man of Law, Wife of Bath, Friar, Summoner, Clerk, Merchant, Franklin, Physician, Pardoner, Prioress, Sir Thopas, Melibee, Nun’s Priest, Manciple, Parson, and Retraction.
Update (August 29th):
Tuesday, September 5th: the remainder of The General Prologue; E. Talbot Donaldson, “Chaucer the Pilgrim” (pages 503-11)
Thursday, September 7th: The Knight’s Tale, part 1 (lines 859-1354)
Tuesday, September 12th: The Knight’s Tale, part 2 (lines 1355-1880); “Truth,” from the shorter poems
Thursday, September 14th: The Knight’s Tale, parts 3 and 4 (lines 1881-3108)
Tuesday, September 19th: Finishing The Knight’s Tale
Thursday, September 21st: The Miller’s Tale
Tuesday, September 26th: The Miller’s Tale
Thursday, September 28th: Test
Tuesday, October 3rd: The Reeve’s Tale/The Cook’s Tale
Thursday, October 5th: The Man of Law’s Tale
Tuesday, October 10th: The Man of Law’s Tale
Thursday, October 12th: The Wife of Bath’s Tale
Tuesday, October 17th: Discussion of research tools and optional test
Thursday, October 19th: The Wife of Bath’s Tale
Tuesday, October 24th: The Friar’s Tale
Thursday, October 26th: The Summoner’s Tale
Tuesday, October 31st: The Clerk’s Tale
Thursday, November 2nd: The Clerk’s Tale
Tuesday, November 7th: The Merchant’s Tale; bibliographical assignment due
