This project functions as the public-facing component of the culminating activity in Prof. Justin P. Shaw’s ENG 140: British Literature I survey course. Here are the course description, land acknowledgment, course books, and learning outcomes:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
What does it mean to belong? What does it mean to have an identity? This course serves as an entry point to the study of early British literature and its historical contexts. We examine texts written from the 7th to the 17th Centuries that comprise a portion of what we call British literature. This survey engages with poetry, prose, and drama that reimagine the complexities of intersectional identity, render the nation part of a global stage, and challenge conventions of sexuality and gender. It traces early texts written by and about people on the margins of “Britishness” such as women, people of color, religious exiles, and political refugees. We will read these writers alongside traditionally canonical ones as we reconsider what canonicity and historicity mean within evolving cultural and political landscapes. Sessions mix the lecture with student-led asynchronous discussions, presentations, and writing workshops.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course, you would be able to:
- Develop a working knowledge of the major movements in British literary history from the medieval through the early modern periods;
- Demonstrate knowledge and awareness of the canon while also problematizing canonicity;
- Examine emerging and competing notions of nation and identity in literary texts through historical contexts;
- Demonstrate facility with primary text, literary terms, and cultural theories;
- Demonstrate facility with open access and educational resources relative to literary studies;
- Advance written and oral skills in summary, analysis, and argumentation based on a literary text.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Our classroom at Clark University, in Worcester, Massachusetts, occupies part of the territorial homelands of the Nipmuc Nation. They have called this land home for centuries, and we acknowledge them as the original caretakers of this unceded land. We recognize them and their intimate relationships with other Native and enslaved peoples who inhabited and were oppressed on this land we call New England, especially as we embark on a study of “old” England.
COURSE BOOKS
Readings for this class come at no additional cost to students. They are curated from a variety of accessible sources and will be made available to students via the course management software:
- An Open Companion to Early British Literature (https://earlybritishlit.pressbooks.com/), ed. Allegra Villarreal (CC BY-NC 4.0), will be the primary open access textbook for our class. You may access these readings via laptop or any other device. You may also print them out.
- Silence: A Thirteenth-Century French Romance (Le Roman de Silence), ed., trans., and introd. by Sarah Roche-Mahdi. Michigan State University Press, 1992: see library for e-book.
- Further content comes from across the web. These include mostly open access articles, books, plays, podcasts, and videos from sources such as:
- The British Museum Images (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection
- Luminarium Renascence Editions: https://www.luminarium.org/renascence-editions/ren.htm
- Global Medieval Sourcebook (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://sourcebook.stanford.edu/content/about-us
- John Milton Reading Room (CC BY-ND 3.0 US): https://milton.host.dartmouth.edu/reading_room/contents/text.shtml
- The Folger Shakespeare (CC BY-NC 3.0): https://shakespeare.folger.edu/
- Folger Digital Image Collection (LUNA) (CC BY-SA 4.0): https://luna.folger.edu/luna/servlet/FOLGERCM1~6~6
- Folger Early Modern English Drama collection (CC BY-SA 4.0): https://emed.folger.edu/
- History Today magazine (content copyrighted): https://www.historytoday.com/terms-of-use
- Open Access Companion to The Canterbury Tales (CC BY-NC): https://opencanterburytales.dsl.lsu.edu/
- Open Yale Courses (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0): https://oyc.yale.edu/terms
- WikiSource (CC BY-SA 3.0): https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Main_Page
- The Public Medievalist online scholarly magazine (content copyrighted): https://www.publicmedievalist.com/wtfaq/
- Podcasts: Stuff You Missed in History Class, The Rest is History, History Extra, #SuchStuff
I have also created a (constantly evolving) public timeline of British history for the class: https://time.graphics/line/691128
CONTENT WARNING
Representations of racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and xenophobia (and violence these cause) are hallmarks of early British literature. As you navigate the course, you may find some texts and historical events to be disturbing and/or traumatizing. If this is the case for you, I would be happy to discuss your concerns and brainstorm alternative ways to engage with the course content. You are also free to step outside of class if necessary.
(Image Credit: Ortelius’ Map of England, Wikimedia Commons)
This syllabus is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
