ENGLISH 4312.01: MILTON

Summer II 2018

Instructor: Dr. Clay Daniel Office: COAS 233; E‑mail: clay.daniel@utrgv.edu

Place and Time: ONLY TWICE A WEEK 6:00-9:45PM Tuesdays and Thursdays

Internet Site: faculty.utrgv.edu/clay.daniel

I.Course Description: A study of the major poems and selected prose and minor poetry. Area(s): Single Author & Pre-1800. Prerequisites: 6 hours of English.
3.000 Credit hours
3.000 Lecture hours

Instructor's Course Description: Milton will be studied from a number of angles: the last major figure‑‑‑literary and historical‑‑‑of the Renaissance, a Puritan, a participant in the English Civil War, the greatest individual influence on British poetry for the next two hundred years, one of the few successful writers of epic, and one of the world's greatest writers.

II. Course Requirements: Basic facts about Milton should be learned (see Course Goals, below). Also, the students should be able to synthesize these facts to make generalizations concerning seventeenth‑century British history, literature, and religion. Research and writing skills also will be important in determining your grade, which will be calculated as follows:

III. Grading:

1.Three tests 1/3 each. Exams will be like regular semester exams except 1) Exams 1 and 2 are combined in the summer into a single Test 1; and 2) no essay is required for exam 3: Test 1: Milton’s Life and Early Poetry; Test 2: Samson Agonistes and Paradise Regained. Test 3: Paradise Lost. Exams are now available on my internet site.

2. Many Extra Credit Assignments are available. For example, complete Blackboard quizzes (required during the longer semester) and up to 18 points can be added to one of your tests. Up to 8 points can be added for an essay analysis assignment. Maximum Bonus pts: 40

IV. Text: John Milton: the Oxford Authors, ed. Orgel and Goldberg (2003). You can use other texts. Many of them are on the internet. I can also lend you a text. Also, there is a course study guide that you can obtain by

1) Duplicating the copy in the Reserve Room

2) Giving me a computer disk; I'll copy notes from my computer.

3) Copying it from my internet site. This site contains much course information, including a sample essay.

V. Course Policies: All course policies are subject to change to accord with university policies.

1.Attendance: Attendance is flexible. But you should be sure to attend for major exams.

2. You can make up one missed major exam. The make‑up tests will be given after the final exam.

3. You can provide suggestions or questions to me throughout the semester in person, during conferences or by posting anonymous comments through Blackboard/Class Forum.

4. Do not sit in the row closest to the door. This is reserved for late students.

5. Be aware of current university policies on drops and changes-of-grade. Be particularly aware that you are responsible for having the course dropped by the appropriate date.

6.Post-Course Policy: The material taught in this course is covered by a kind of informal "warranty." If you pass this course with a "C" or better, please feel to ask me any questions---throughout your academic career---on any material covered in this course---especially material whose lack of understanding interferes with your doing well in other classes.

7. University policies concerning cheating/plagiarism will be enforced. These penalties are severe, and you should be aware of them:

CODE OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

v The first confirmed violation of academic dishonesty (as defined in HOP section 5.5.2) by an undergraduate student will result in the following action:

Ø The recommended penalty will be an F for the course and completion of an educational program on academic integrity. If the matter is taken to a hearing officer, the academic penalty imposed will consider any recommendation of the faculty member involved.

Ø The student will be informed that a second violation may result in suspension or expulsion.

Ø A copy of the sanction letter will be forwarded to the student’s academic chair.

v The second confirmed violation of academic integrity by an undergraduate student (or first by a graduate student) will result in the following action:

Ø The recommended penalty will be an F for the course and suspension or expulsion. If the matter is taken to a hearing officer, the academic penalty imposed will take into consideration any recommendation of the faculty member involved.

Ø If expelled, the student’s transcript will contain the notation, “Expelled for Academic Misconduct,” along with the applicable date.

Ø A copy of the sanction letter will be sent to appropriate academic officials.

Also be aware of “the Bronc Honor Code: As members of a community dedicated to honesty, integrity, and mutual respect in all interactions and relationships the students, faculty and administration of our university pledge to abide by the principles in The Bronc Honor Code.”

8. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Disability Services office for a confidential discussion of their individual needs for academic accommodation. It is the policy of the University of Texas-Pan American to provide flexible and individualized accommodation to students with documented disabilities that may affect their ability to fully participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. To receive accommodation services, students must be registered with the Disability Services office (DS), University Center #108, 665-7005 9. Avoid phone calls. Email me. If you must call (not a good idea), leave message with dept. (956-665-3421)

10. If you email me, either with questions or material, expect an answer within 48 hrs., except on weekends. If I don’t respond, I didn’t receive it. Try again, or, if you emailed me material, do both of the following: submit one copy of the material to the English Department (ask them to place it in my mailbox). Get a receipt from the person to whom you submitted it. Also slip a copy under my door.

11. Often the class, at the beginning of the semester, changes to a different classroom. Since it takes time officially to process this change, the change might not appear on the Assist system. If you can’t find the classroom (students almost always have), contact me (or the department).

12. Finally, “The new university policy requires all email communication between the University and students be conducted through the students' official University supplied BroncMail [Now Vaquero] account. Therefore, please use your university assigned account for any future correspondence with faculty and staff”.

VI. Specific Objectives: These facts and concepts are what students should have learned or encountered by the conclusion of the course. If we don't cover these items, and you want to know, ask me.

1.. The first class day I will give a Milton assessment test. I will give it again at the end of the semester. A primary course goal is that each student will demonstrate at least a 70% improvement.

2.. Specific content-area goals:

A. Key questions students should be able to answer:

1. Why did Milton exert a greater influence on English literary history than Shakespeare?

2. What is "Milton's Grand Style''?

3. How does Milton relate to the English Renaissance?

4. How does Milton relate to England's A) religious history (and Protestantism in general) and B) political development? What is especially ironic about this relationship?

5. What is the relationship between Milton's Christianity and his classicism?

6. How did Milton establish the role of the writer within English culture?

7. What is Milton's "sage/And serious doctrine of virginity''?

8. What does Milton mean by "effeminate slackness''?

9. What is Milton's concept of "things indifferent" and how does it relate to his idea of Christian liberty?

10. What is Milton's view of women?

11. How does Milton relate to a) the Baroque, b) the Age of Reason, c) the English Romantics, d) the Victorians, and e) the Modernists?

12. What are a few contemporary debates about Milton's art (e.g. his representation of reality, his concept of the function of art, his aesthetics, his models, his relation to contemporary artists, etc.)?

13. Why has Milton been interpreted so differently by so many?

14. Is there a "real" Milton? Is it possible to discover/create the "real" Milton?

15. How does Milton function as the last man of the Renaissance and the first man of the Restoration?

B. Key events students should be able to explain:

1. Milton's progression from private studies to public life.

2. Milton's concept of evil and its relation to conflict.

3. Milton's role in the Civil War.

4. The basic events of the Civil War.

5. Milton's assertion that he spent his life writing for religious, domestic, and political liberty.

6. Milton and the Restoration

C. Students should be able to summarize the characters and events of the following works: 1. A Mask 2. "Lycidas" 3. ParadiseLost 4. Paradise Regained 5. Samson Agonistes

D. Students should gain an overview of Milton's prose (he wrote much more prose than poetry).

TENTATIVE OUTLINE OF COURSE WORK: CHECK CALENDAR ON MY INTERNET SITE OR BB ANNOUNCEMENTS TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE

Week 1 July 12: Introduction to course. Assessment. Milton's Biography, pt. 1: Milton's search for a vocation: Optional readings: "Letter to a Friend''; "Letter to Diodati''; Reason of Church‑Government and An Apology for Smectymnus; Milton's sonnets: 7 and 8. "L'Allegro'' and "Il Penseroso.''

Week 2 July 16: Milton Biography, pt. 2: Milton and the Civil War. Optional Readings: Milton's sonnets 9 through 19, "On the New Forcers,'' "On the Lord General Fairfax,'' and "To the Lord General Cromwell''; Areopagitica, and selections from Eikonoklastes and Defenses of the English People; Milton and the Restoration.

Week 3 July 23: Pt 1 of Terms Test 1. A Masque; Lycidas

Week 4 July 30: Pt 2 of Terms Test 1. Samson Agonistes; Paradise Regained

Week 5 Aug 6: Terms Test 2; Essay for Test 1 due Paradise Lost

Week 6 Aug 13: Essay for Test 2 due. Conclusion. Final Exam August 17.

Course Goals:

A.Student Learning Outcomes for English (SLO’s)

SLO 1—Students will be able to interpret and analyze a text using different approaches from literary, rhetorical and/or linguistic theories.

SLO 2— Students in certification tracks will demonstrate knowledge and skills in the areas of writing, literature, reading, oral communication, media literacy, and English language arts pedagogy.

SLO 3—Recent graduates who majored in English will demonstrate satisfaction with the programs in the English Department.

SLO 4--- Students will be able to use discipline-appropriate technology applications (such as library databases, computer applications, Internet research, non-print media, multi-media applications, desktop publishing, WebCT, course-based electronic communication, etc.) in preparation and presentation of course projects.

B.English 4312: Instructor’s Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives

I. General Objectives

1.Introduce students to John Milton (SLO 2, 3, 4)

2. Introduce students to British literary history as it pertains to Milton (SLO 1, 2, 3,4)

3.Introduce students to the specialized terminology of literary studies analysis in relation to Milton (SLO 1, 2,4)

4. Increase students’ ability to read analytically and creatively, develop critical writing skills, and practice oral communication skills (SLO 1, 2, 3,4)