English 370.101: Renaissance Poetry in Context
3409 Mason Hall | T/Th 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Spring 2001

Instructor: Amanda Watson
Office: 3023B Tisch Hall
Office hours: Tuesday 3-5 p.m. and by appointment
Phone: 764-0418
E-mail: alwatson@umich.edu

Table of contents: Course description | Texts | Requirements | Policies and procedures | Schedule of readings and assignments | Grading standard | Useful links

	Woodcut from Edmund Spenser's The Shepheardes Calendar (1579)

Course description:

How many times have you heard poetry described as "timeless" and "universal"? In this course, which focuses on the poetry of the English Renaissance, we'll take a different approach and explore the many ways in which a poem arises from and intervenes in its own time. Using the political, social, and religious history of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as a background, we'll read a wide range of poems (some short, some long) by a variety of authors (some familiar, some less familiar), together with a selection of related prose texts from the period. We'll consider how the often turbulent history of the period affected both what poets wrote about and how they wrote--how, for instance, the politics of the English court took a cue from love poetry (and vice versa), or how the devotional lyric participated in impassioned debates over the Protestant Reformation. You can also expect to hone your poetry-reading skills through a lot of close analysis, both in written work and in our class discussions. Poets studied may include Anne Askew, Richard Crashaw, John Donne, Queen Elizabeth I, George Herbert, Ben Jonson, Aemilia Lanyer, Andrew Marvell, John Milton, William Shakespeare, Sir Philip Sidney, Rachel Speght, Edmund Spenser, Lady Mary Wroth, and Sir Thomas Wyatt.

Required texts:

The Norton Anthology of English Literature, vol. 1B: The Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Centuries (available at Shaman Drum Bookstore)

Coursepack of additional readings (available at Accu-Copy on East William St.)

Course requirements:

Weekly response papers (1 1/2-2 pages each); one longer paper (6-8 pages); final exam; regular attendance and participation.

Course policies and procedures:

Weekly response papers (5% each): 30%
Longer paper: 30%
Final exam: 30%
Attendance and participation: 10%

Schedule of readings and assignments

Please note: Readings from the Norton Anthology are designated "NA" on the syllabus; readings from the coursepack are designated "CP." This syllabus is subject to change. Some readings are linked to online texts.

Grading standard

This grading standard is adapted from Maxine Hairston's Instructor's Manual: Contemporary Composition, 4^th edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986).

The "A" paper

This paper is outstanding. It goes beyond a merely adequate response and addresses the topic perceptively and thoughtfully. Its innovative analysis has allowed for the development of a finely-tuned and well-organized argument, which is strong but also subtle. This paper provides the reader with provocative examinations of specific and highly relevant evidence. It has few or no mechanical errors and its composition is coherent and compellingly vigorous. "A" papers also grapple with complex ideas and demonstrate original thinking that goes beyond developments that come out of class discussions.

The "B" paper

This paper is a strong one that does more than fulfill the assignment. It shows evidence of thought and planning, and thoroughly develops its analysis into a clear and interesting point. Although the logic of the analysis may need further clarification, it is generally well-organized with plenty of detailed supporting evidence and fluid transitions. Because the writer is dealing in the specific rather than the general, he or she has been able to demonstrate successfully why his or her argument should be important and relevant to the reader. To cross the border into the "A" realm, this paper needs to push its thinking and analysis further, beyond common knowledge or well-worn definitions and opinions into fresher intellectual ground. The paper is stylistically adept, does not have too many mechanical errors, and is a pleasure to read.

The "C" paper

The "C" paper comes in many different forms. In general, such a paper fulfills the assignment in a routine way, shows some evidence of engagement with the topic, and sets forth an argument that isn't quite analytical enough. As it stands, this paper does not fully make clear the importance or relevance of its argument; upon finishing it, the reader is left to ask "So what?" or "What's the point?" Such questions are signs that the point the essay is trying to make is too simplistic, never going beyond a black/white, yes/no, either/or framework in order to engage more complex ways of thinking about the issues at hand. This paper is usually stylistically adequate, and generally (but not completely) avoids glaring platitudes and distracting word choice.

A "C" might also describe essays which either have fresh, complex ideas that are unfortunately buried beneath the mechanical and stylistic problems or that express common and relatively uninspired ideas with perfect diction and style.

The "D" paper

This essay has many weaknesses, but at least attempts to fulfill the terms of the assignment. The writer has attempted to formulate some sort of argument and may even posit a thesis (although usually not clearly); however, no evidence of real or effective engagement or innovation exists. Numerous mechanical, syntactical, expressive and organizational problems mar the development of an effective and easy-to-follow argument in this paper. Clichés, unexamined assumptions, and unsupported assertions are also the rule here, but the paper is comprehensible in a general way.

The "E" paper

This paper is full of mechanical, syntactical, and grammatical errors. It reads like it was written during an all-nighter the night before. It makes little or no effort to think analytically, relying instead on far too many clichés, unexamined assumptions and unsupported assertions. The rare idea is presented haphazardly. The "E" paper may not adhere to the assignment, or may be a plagiarized paper.

Useful links

Donne's poems (1633) reproduced as digital images: the closest thing to flipping through a first edition.
An Aemilia Lanyer home page with complete text of Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum.
The Luminarium: a gorgeously designed medieval and Renaissance literature site.
Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet: definitive source for all things Shakespearean on the web.
Norton Topics Online: a companion website for the Norton Anthology; see especially their 16th century and early 17th century pages.
Representative Poetry: a virtual anthology from the University of Toronto.
Sonnet Central: an online archive of more sonnets than you can shake a stick at.

Up to the English Department, the main U of M gateway, and the University Library.

This site designed and maintained by Amanda Watson (alwatson@umich.edu). Last update: May 4, 2001.