English 250

Literatures in Other Englishes

Jeffrey W. Timmons, Ph.D.

Graybeal Hall G6

jtimmons@vwc.edu

www.vwc.edu/~jtimmons

757.455.3390

Office Hours: M 3-5, T 415-500, W 10-1, and by appt.

Course Description: An introduction to literature written in English by writers outside of England and the United States. As English is an increasingly global lingua franca, its use by writers beyond the usual boundaries of the Anglo world warrants our attention as native speakers of the language. Exploring the history, development, and distribution of English, as well as how, why, and to what ends English is used by writers from around the world, this course aims to defamiliarize what many of us take for granted: that English is a permanently fixed linguistic system whose users employ it in exactly the same ways as us. As we will discover, English’s past reveals that it has always been a heterogeneous, highly malleable language; and its present usage suggests that English will inevitably be transformed by variations and varieties created by its global users. Mostly, though, we’ll be reading good books and writing about them.

W Course: W courses require that at least 20 pages of writing be completed, that some writing assignments be eligible for revision, and that 70% of the student’s final grade be based on writing assignments. In this course, two of your major essays are revisable, and the three major essays, the written essay exams, short writing assignments, and quizzes add up to more than 70% of your total grade.

200-Level English Course: You must pass English 105 with a C or higher to take a 200-level English course (or receive consent from the instructor). Having successfully completed English 105, students in 200-level English courses should have, at least, a basic competence with appropriate essay format, citation style (including use and incorporation of secondary sources and a works cited page), tone, sentence and paragraph structure.

Required Texts:

Dabydeen, David. Turner: New and Selected Poem. 1995. Great Britain: Peepal Tree, 2002.

Selvon, Samuel. The Lonely Londoners. 1956. Longman Publishing Group: New York, 2001.

Roy, Arundhati. The God of Small Things. 1997. New York: HarperCollins, 1998.

Welsh, Irvine. Trainspotting. 1993. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.

CoursePack: English 250: Literatures in Other Englishes

Each student is expected to have a copy of every text, which should also be brought to every class, as specified in the reading schedule below. Failure to bring the assigned text will result in an automatic absence, without notification by or from the instructor.

Course Requirements:

Three Major Essays (two revisable) 375pts

Written Essay Exams: Midterm (50pts), Final (100pts) 150pts

Exams: Mid-Term (50pts), Final (100pts) 150pts

Three Short Writing Assignments 150pts

Three Readings 75pts

Attendance 50pts

Quizzes 50pts

Attendance: You cannot miss six or more classes for any reason and pass this course. Chronic lateness and/or early departures will constitute absences. Your attendance grade is determined by the total number of classes missed: A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, and D = 4, F = 5. The student is responsible for any material and/or assignments missed during an absence.

Quizzes: These are given during the first five minutes of class to those students who are present in class. They can not be made up nor are they given to students who arrive late to class.

Essay Grading: As batches of essays can take up to two weeks for the instructor to grade, you should take this into consideration when planning your own work and schedule. As a general rule, essays are returned as soon as possible, but in almost all cases before the end of two weeks from the official submission date. Spring Break and other holidays are exempt from the two week rule.

Grading Scale for Final Grades: A = 950pts; A‑ = 900; B+ = 875; B = 850; B‑ = 800; C+ = 775; C = 750; C‑ = 700; D+ = 675; D = 650; D‑ = 600; and F = anything below the D‑ grade.

Late Work: All assignments must be completed by their respective due dates. Late assignments are unacceptable. Except in the most extreme of circumstances, and only when it is deemed legitimate and verifiable, this instructor refuses to accept work not submitted by stated due dates. At the very least, assignments submitted late suffer penalties, and they are not guaranteed to be read or graded. They also go to the bottom of any current stack of essays, including those from other classes.

Completion: All assignments must be completed to pass this course.

Course Policies: Students are responsible for knowing the course policies and responsibilities as they are stated in this syllabus. The instructor reserves the right to revise the policies, schedules, and assignments contained herein. Any changes are announced in advance, and with timely notice.

Accommodations: Any student needing accommodations should speak with Fayne Pearson in the Learning Resource Center. Accommodations must be arranged in advance.

Plagiarism: Representing someone else’s work as your own constitutes grounds for failing this course.

Honor Code: Students are expected to be familiar with and abide by the honor code found in the Student Handbook and Catalog.

tth

Date	Topic Reading Assignment	Due
Aug. 29	Introduction Pack: Norton Anthology, “The Persistence of English”: xlvii-xli Discuss Short Writing Assignment #1
31	Pack, Oxford Companion, “History of English”: 472-477 Pack, English Languages, Charts: 90, 91, 81, 85, 87, 89 Pack, Oxford Companion, “Old English”: 722-723 Pack, Norton Anthology, “Bede and Cædmon’s Hymn”: 23-26 Pack, Oxford Companion, “Scandinavian”: 889 Discuss Presentations/Readings Assignment
Sept. 5	Verse: Rhyme, Meter, and Citing the Stuff Pack, Norton Anthology, “Medieval English”: 14-15 Pack, Norton Anthology, Chaucer, “The General Prologue,” “The Miller’s Tale”: 210-215, 235-252	Short Writing Assignment #1
7	Chaucer Presentations/Readings
12	Presentations/Readings Chaucer Pack, Oxford Companion, “Great Vowel Shift”: 453 Pack, English Languages, Charts: 96-97 Pack, English Languages, “A Universal Resource”: 30-39, 53-55 Pack, English Languages “Organized Babel”: 1-22 and Scan 23-29
14	English Languages Roy, The God of Small Things: 3-34
19	Roy, The God of Small Things: 35-129 Discuss Short Writing Assignment #2	Essay
21	Roy, The God of Small Things Presentations/Readings
26	Roy, The God of Small Things: 130-225
28	Roy, The God of Small Things	Short Writing Assignment #2
Oct. 3	Roy, The God of Small Things: 226-321
5	Roy, The God of Small Things Presentations/Readings
10	Exam
17	Pack, Oxford Companion, “Scots”: 893-895, 897, 899 Pack, English Languages, “Scots and Southern”: 138-150, 156-159 Welsh, Trainspotting: 3-84 (See the Glossary: 345-349)
19	Welsh, Trainspotting Presentations/Readings
24	Welsh, Trainspotting: 84-181 Discuss Short Writing Assignment #3	Essay
26	Welsh, Trainspotting Presentations/Readings
31	Welsh, Trainspotting: 181-273	Short Writing Assignment #3
Nov. 2	Welsh, Trainspotting Presentations/Readings
7	Welsh, Trainspotting: 273-344
9	Welsh, Trainspotting
14	Pack, Oxford Companion, “Pidgin,” “Creole”: 778, 780, 270-272 Pack, English Languages, “Substrates and Superstrates”: 160-167, 173-177 Dabydeen, Turner: 43-76
16	Dabydeen, Turner Presentations/Readings
21	Dabydeen, Turner:7-42	Essay
28	Selvon, The Lonely Londoners: 23-83
30	Selvon, The Lonely Londoners Presentations/Readings
Dec. 5	Selvon, The Lonely Londoners: 83-142
7	Selvon, The Lonely Londoners Presentations/Readings

*Holidays (No Class): September 4, October 12-13, November, 22-24

*Final Exam: Thurs., Dec 14, 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.