Description:

In this survey course, the student will study British literature written from 1800 to the present. Major authors from the Romantic, Victorian and Modern eras, such as Austen, Blake, Wordsworth, the Shelleys, Dickens, Tennyson, the Brownings, Eliot, and Woolf, will be included. The course will emphasize the relationships among influential writers, their lives and times. Additionally, the student will explore the literary differences between the British culture and one other culture that was governed by the British Empire. Such non-British literary works may be chosen from the traditions of Australia, India, Asia, various regions of Africa, or the Middle East. British Literature I is NOT a prerequisite for this course. 3 hrs. lecture/wk.

Supplies: Refer to the instructor's course syllabus for details about any supplies that may be required.

Textbook(s): For information see - http://bookstore.jccc.net

Course Fees: NONE

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. Identify and describe numerous works of British literature written after 1775.
2. Identify important themes reflected in selected works of British literature that speak to British values, ideals and culture.
3. Sketch the historical setting for selected works of British literature.
4. Define several literary genres and literary devices employed by British writers.
5. Speculate on the influence of the lives of selected British writers on their literary works.
6. Evaluate the artistic and aesthetic achievement of individual works of British literature.
7. Discuss the development of the British Empire after 1775.
8. Compare British literature to several literary works from one other culture which was at one time controlled by the British Empire.

Content Outline & Competencies:

I. The Romantic Era (Early Romantic Poets)
   A. Recount the wars for independence and the rise of Napoleon.
   B. Explain the significance of the printing press to the history of
fiction.
   C. Recount the expansion of the British Empire into Africa and the
Middle East.
   D. Discuss the advances in science and the problem of alienation.
   E. Discuss major literary works from the Romantic era, including the
writing of Blake, Wordsworth, and Coleridge.
   F. Discuss a major work by Jane Austen.
   G. Speculate about the influence of the poets’ lives on their
writing.
   H. Define the idea of “Romanticism” and locate various literary
devices and styles that give it expression. 
 
II. The Romantic Era (Later Romantic poets) 
   A. Discuss the connection of the literary lives of these poets to
Europe.
   B. Recount the reign of Napoleon and his defeat.
   C. Define the “sublime” and the “gothic” as aspects of
literature. 
   D. Identify the major political ideals of Byron and Shelley.
   E. Speculate about the influence of Keats’ life on his poetry.
   F. Discuss the major literary works of the later Romantic era, such as
poetry by Byron, Shelley, and Keats. 

III. The Victorian Novel and Essays 
   A. Discuss the rise of industrialism and the growth of cities.
   B. Describe Queen Victoria and recount major events in her life.
   C. List the important aspects of the Victorian novel.
   D. Discuss a Victorian novel, by a writer such as Dickens, Emily
Bronte, Elliot, Stevenson, Kipling and Carroll. 
   E. Describe the expansion of the British Empire in the Victorian era.
   F. Discuss Victorian essays, such as those by Macaulay, Arnold, Darwin,
and Mill. 

IV. Victorian Poetry
   A. List some of the social and scientific advances in England with
which Victorian poets struggled.
   B. Identify and describe specific poetic techniques used by Victorian
poets.
   C. Discuss the poetry of the major poets of the Victorian era, such as
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Tennyson, and Hopkins.

V. The Late 19th and Early 20th Century Drama and Fiction
   A. Describe Wilde’s social milieu and major biographical events.
   B. Discuss late Victorian plays, such as those by Oscar Wilde and
George Bernard Shaw.
   C. Recount events leading up to England’s entry into World War I. 
   D. Identify and discuss the poetry of the Great War, such as works by
Brooke and Owen. 
   E. List experimental techniques in fiction employed by such writers as
Lawrence, Woolf, Joyce, and Mansfield. 
   F. Discuss works of early 20th century fiction by such writers as
Lawrence, Woolf, Joyce and Mansfield. 
   G. Discuss the poetic techniques and poetry of T. S. Eliot. 

VI. Voices from the Empire 
   A. Recount the shrinking of the British Empire over the course of the
20th Century. 
   B. Research the contemporary literary milieu of one of the cultures
once ruled by the British, such as Australia, India, various regions of
Africa, or the Middle East, paying particular attention to
“marginalized” literary voices and languages.
   C. Identify and discuss several literary works from this other culture.

   D. Compare the British literary culture to another literary culture in
the former British Empire.

Methods of Evaluation of Competencies:

Evaluation of student mastery of course competencies will be accomplished using the following methods:

Essay Examinations        40% to 60% 
Paper                     20% to 40%
Quizzes  	          10% to 20%  
Discussion                10% to 20%
Total grade based on the above ranges adding up to 100%

Grade Criteria:
  A = 90--100%  	 
  B = 80--89%		
  C = 70--79%		
  D = 60--69%		
  F =  0--59%	  

Caveats: NONE

Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Access Services. Access Services will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your professor and his/her director. The professor and director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.

JCCC provides a range of services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational programs and activities. If you desire support services, contact the office of Access Services for Students With Disabilities (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.