Syllabus

CLASS HOURS: W: 16:20-18:50 AM, JR354, Ticket #61573
OFFICE: 803 Sierra Tower
TELEPHONE: 677-0901
E-MAIL: scott.kleinman@csun.edu
OFFICE HOURS: M 2:00-3:00 pm
ONLINE OFFICE HOURS: Th 10:00-11:00 am, Friday 4:00-5:00 pm | Login to WebCT | Instructions for Using Web CT

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will examine the development of literature about King Arthur and his knights during the Middle Ages. We will look at texts written in English, French, Latin, and Welsh from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, including some of the great works by authors such as Chrétien de Troyes, the Gawain-poet, and Sir Thomas Malory. We will read texts written in Middle English in the original language, and you will be expected to acquire some fluency in reading Middle English over the course of the semester. Other texts will be in translation.

TEXTS

• King Arthur's Death: The Middle English Stanzaic Morte Arthur and Alliterative Morte Arthure, ed. Larry D. Benson (TEAMS 1974, rev. 1994): online at http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/allitfrm.htm.
• Sir Percevalle of Galles and Ywain and Gawain, ed. Mary Flowers Braswell (TEAMS 1995): online at http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/percfrm.htm and http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/ywnfrm.htm.
• The Complete Romances of Chrétien de Troyes, trans. David Staines (Indiana University Press, 1990).
• The Romance of Arthur: An Anthology of Medieval Texts in Translation, ed. James J. Wilhelm, expanded edition (Garland, 1994).
• Geoffrey of Monmouth, History of the Kings of Britain, trans. Lewis Thorpe (Penguin, 1966). Click here for an important message regarding this text.
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, ed. James Winny (Broadview, 1992).
• In addition to the texts scheduled above, we will read numerous shorter texts to be assigned in the course of the semester. There will also be a number of handouts.

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

Note: This timetable may change depending on the pace of the class. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what the assigned work was.

Class Cancellations

COURSEWORK

Your grade is based on weekly response writings (10%), one web report (25%), one translation test (10%), an annotated bibliography (10%), and one long essay (45%). Guidelines for this work will be given to you in the course of the semester, but note that all texts not studied in translation MUST be cited in the original Middle English or I will not accept it.

OFFICE CONSULTATIONS AND HOURS

Office hours ensure that there is a time when you can always find me, but I encourage you to come and see me at any time. Either make an appointment or just drop by to see if I am in.

ATTENDANCE AND ACADEMIC HONESTY

Regular attendance is essential for success in this course. Frequent absences will be noted and may be reflected in your final grade. It is also extremely important that all aspects of your work are come by honorably. Efforts to gain an advantage not given to all students are dishonest and regarded as an extremely serious matter by the academic community. Consequences range from probation to expulsion. If you have any questions about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration, please consult me.

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOUR POLICY

A wide variety of activities can disrupt a class and put learning in jeopardy. I reserve the right to take whatever action I feel appropriate to prevent any activities I deem to be disruptive. The most common activities of this type are cell phones ringing or buzzing and students getting up in the middle of class. Please work actively to prevent such disruptions.