BTAN22009BA URECZKY ESZTER
MODERN BRITISH LITERATURE OFFICE HOURS: AND CULTURE SEMINAR 2 Place: 105
SECOND YEAR B.A. Time: Mon. 15.00-16.00, Tue. 13-14
2 credits email:
Monday 10.00-11.40, 16.00-17.40 (II)
Tuesday 14.00-15.40 (II)
The purpose of this seminar course is to introduce students to some aspects and features of 20th-century British literature and culture. Since the fundamental cultural institutions are dealt with in a previous course, in the second term, besides discussing classic twentieth-century literary texts from a cultural studies point of view, the course will focus on investigating issues like the 60s, Thatcherism and the 1980s, postmodernism, multiculturalism, and heritage culture. Whereas the course will primarily rely on written texts, it will have visual components as well, both in the form of film viewing, and by introducing complementary visual material, too. Literary texts will include Samuel Beckett’s Endgame, Lloyd Jones’ Mister Pip, Kate Atkinson’s Behind the Scenes at the Museum, films like Billy Elliot, The Englishman Who Went up a Hill, But Came down a Mountain, Hunger, Dirty Pretty Things, The King’s Speech, and the poems of Philip Larkin.
REQUIREMENTS:
Presence at classes: no more than three absences are allowed. In the case of a longer absence (either due to illness, or official leave), the tutor and the student will come to an agreement of how to solve the problem.
Assigned reading: The seminar format and the reading requirements suppose that the assigned texts are read for the classes. Tests on the assigned readings can be expected at each seminar (plot-related questions in the case of novels, vocabulary tests in the case of poetry). The result of these tests contributes to the seminar grade (“minor tests”: 10%). If your overall achievement in these tests is less than 60%, your seminar is a failure (the grade is a one). You’ll be granted, though, one chance to make up for the failure of these minor tests as agreed with your course tutor.
Reader’s journal: the student is required to keep a reader’s journal in a separate notebook, recording opinions, impressions and raising questions. The journals are to be in class, and to be used for facilitating discussions.
Participation in classroom discussions: the student is expected to take part in classroom discussions, and this activity contributes to the final seminar grades by 20% of the overall achievement. (The reader’s journal can be of great help in this respect.)
Endterm test: an objective test on the works discussed during the term (35%). The test must be written at the time scheduled in the syllabus. Failing to do so will count as course failure, and only one re-sit test will be scheduled to make up for the failure. The test will have a pass limit: 50%. Failing the test will count as course failure, and only one re-sit test will be scheduled to make up for the failure. If you fail both the minor tests and end-term test, the grade is one; it is possible to rewrite only one of these.
Term essay (research paper): a take-home essay of 1,800 to 2,000 words is to be written on any topic related to the themes of the course (35%). The instructor will suggest certain topics to write on, but other titles can be invented by the students. Preliminary consultation with the instructor on the topic of your essay is not compulsory but strongly recommended.
Please note that each and every course component above is obligatory: the failure to meet any of these requirements (class attendance, small tests, home essay/research paper, end-term test) will jeopardise the completion of the course. Out of three course components - small tests, research paper/essay submission, end-term test - only one re-sit or re-submission will be granted; failure to meet more than one requirement will automatically result in overall failure. Please also note that there is no make-up for insufficient class attendance or in case you fail to submit your research paper (term essay) by the defined deadline.
The essay should meet the formal and academic requirements of a research paper. Secondary reading and scholarly documentation, conforming to the requirements of the MLA Style Sheet, are required (MLA style sheets and handbooks are available in the department library). In their research papers students are required to cite at least TWO books, book chapters and/or journal articles of academic standard, that is, referenced secondary material should either be borrowed from the library or downloaded from an online database that meets scholarly requirements, such as JSTOR, Arts and Humanities Full Text (ProQuest), or EBSCO. Quotes taken from printed or online sources such as Wikipedia, Enotes, York Notes, etc. will NOT be accepted as relevant secondary material.
Plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be penalised as described in the Academic Handbook of the Institute (see below). The essay is to be submitted by the defined deadline, otherwise the grade will be lowered (see below). The essay will only be accepted in a wordprocessed (typed) format.
The cover sheet of the essay must contain the title of the essay, the name of the student, the name of the tutor, the name of the course, the date of submission, the following statement: “Hereby, I certify that the essay conforms to international copyright and plagiarism rules and regulations,” and also the signature of the student.
Essay style-sheet (for other cases check the full MLA handbook or its longer style sheet abstract) ; available online:
http://ieas.unideb.hu/index.php?p=104&l=en):
for simple page references use brackets in the body of the text;
use notes only if you mean to add information that would seem a deviation in the text;
sample references in brackets:
(Smith 65); if there are several works by the same author choose a key word of the title of the book: (Smith, Good 65), or if it is an article: (Smith, “Further” 65).
sample bibliography entry:
referring to books: Smith, John. Good Ideas. Place: Publisher, Year.
referring to articles, poems, etc.:
in volumes: Smith, John. “Further Good Ideas”. Editor of volume (if relevant). Volume Title. Place: Publisher, Year. pages
in journals: Smith, John. “Further Good Ideas”. Title of Journal 2.4 (1996): pages.
Plagiarism and its consequences
Students must be aware that plagiarism is a crime which has its due consequences.
The possible forms of plagiarism:
1. word by word quotes from a source used as if they were one’s own ideas, without quotation marks and without identifying the sources;
2. ideas taken from a source, paraphrased in the essay-writer’s own words and used as if they were his/her own ideas, without identifying and properly documenting the source.
Plagiarism, depending on its seriousness and frequency, will be penalised in the following ways:
1. The percentage of the submitted paper will be reduced.
2. The essay will have to be rewritten and resubmitted.
3. In a serious case, this kind of academic dishonesty will result in a failure.
4. In a recurring, and serious case, the student will be expelled from the English major programme.
Late submission policy
1. Deadlines must be observed and taken seriously;
2. The essay submitted more than two weeks later than the deadline cannot be considered for course work;
3. The essay submitted in less than two weeks after the deadline will be penalised by a reduction in the percentage (the extent of the reduction is defined below: see “Grading Policy”); In exceptional and well-documented cases, the extension of deadlines can be requested of (negotiated with) the course tutor well in advance (definitely not after, or on the day of, the deadline).
Assessment of the Research Papers
The essays must have a clear statement of theme, preferably in the form of a thesis paragraph, and all the further statements must be related to this central topic or question. The text (arguments, agreements and disagreements) must be organised coherently so that the point you make and your flow of thoughts must be clear for the reader. The essays must, naturally, be finished with a well articulated conclusion which is supposed to be the culmination of your proposed arguments.
The essays will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:
· the articulateness of the thesis of the paper;
· the clarity of the position you take;
· the quality of the arguments;
· the use and integration of your secondary sources into the essay;
· the coherence of the structure;
· scholarly documentation;
· the level of your language.
The essays will not be evaluated on the basis of what your tutor’s position is in a certain issue, so feel free to elaborate your own ideas—but do it in a sophisticated way.
TEXTS: available in the Institute Library or online (the latter indicated in the syllabus).
Grading Policy
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Course componentsminor tests / 10%
classroom discussion / 20%
term essay / 35%
objective test / 35%
total / 100%
Essay late submission reduction
Delay (days) / Reduction
1–2 / 2
3–5 / 5
6–9 / 10
10–14 / 15
Research paper evaluation
Statement of thesis / 3
Quality of argument / 10
Coherence of structure / 10
Scholarly documentation / 5
Level of language / 7
Total / 35
Grades
87-100% / 5
75-86% / 4
63-74% / 3
51-62% / 2
0-50 % / 1
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Week / Date / Topic1 / 20, 21 Feb / History and film
The King’s Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010)
(Students watch the film at home, multiple copies are deposited in 116/3 and the films are also available on the librarians’ computer in rm. 101)
No class for the Tuesday group!
2 / 27, 28 Feb / History and literature 1
Kate Atkinson: Behind the Scenes at the Museum (the first half of the novel until p. 255, the scanned version is also available in 101)
3 / 6,7 March / History and literature 2
Kate Atkinson: Behind the Scenes at the Museum (the second half of the novel)
4 / 13, 14 March / Heritage culture
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill, But Came Down a Mountain
(Chris Monger, 1995)
5 / 20, 21 March / Postmodernism 1
Lloyd Jones: Mister Pip (read the first half of the novel, the e-book version is also available in 101)
6 / 27, 28 March / Postmodernism 2
Lloyd Jones: Mister Pip (read the second half of the novel)
7 / 3, 4 April / Multiculturalism
Dirty Pretty Things (Stephen Frears; 2002)
8 / 10, 11
April / Spring break
9 / 17, 18
April / Tuesday group: History and film
The King’s Speech (Tom Hooper, 2010)
(Students watch the film at home, multiple copies are deposited in 116/3 and the films are also available on the librarians’ computer in rm. 101)
No class for the Monday group!
10 / 24, 25 April / The 1960s
Samuel Beckett: Endgame
http://samuel-beckett.net/endgame.html
11 / 1, 2 May / No class!
12 / 8, 9 May / Thatcherism and the 80s
Billy Elliot (Stephen Daldry; 2000)
13 / 15, 16 May / Philip Larkin’ poetry (selected poems, to be downloaded from the instructor’s Institute webpage and brought to class).
Essay deadline: all groups bring the PRINTED essays to class (at the latest: 15.00, 29 May)
14 / 22, 23
May / End-term test
Evaluation: in any of my office hours following the grade registration in Neptun.
You are welcome to take a look at your end-term test, and your term essay will be returned to you.
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