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Essential Questions:
What value does reading ancient literature hold?
How have ideas regarding good and evil evolved over the past 1,000 years?
2. As we'll discuss in class, the version of Beowulf we're reading is a translation from its original language - Old English. As you'll see from the following reading from Beowulf, Old English sounds pretty much like every other language BUT modern English. Watch the beginning few minutes of this YouTube video and see. Please continue to watch the end of the video, which can add additional insight into Beowulf and the Anglo Saxon period:
As we move into studying the Middle Ages, you'll have the chance to hear Middle English, which is considerably easier to decipher.
3. JRR Tolkien's seminal lecture: Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics
4. Grendel/Beowulf Essay Assignment:
{Grendel and Beowulf Essay.doc}

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Overview
face today.
Class Rules:
1. Be a kind and decent human being
2. Expect the best of yourself.
ELA: Writing (50%)(25%) of grade, Reading (20%(25% of grade), and Listening (20%(25% of grade) and Language (10%(25% of grade).
Each quarter, you will have multiple assignments in each category.
Your grade in class will be determined on a point system, in which tests, essays, and most presentations count 100 points each. Quizzes, essay revisions, and other small research assignments will range from 10-50 points, depending upon the time and effort required for the assignment. Homework is generally used as a formative assessment in order to determine whether you understand the material we're covering. Your grade will also be affected by your participation, as explained below.
Having said that, most of our assignments will be uploaded to Turnitin or google docs and graded electronically. I will let you know when I want a hard copy in class.
Safekeeping of Assignments
I assign. We will rewrite every essay, and you can’t do that easily if you haven’t saved a copy.
Absences
Most of you have a demanding schedule, so I don’t expect missed work to be made up the day you return, unless it was due on the day you were absent. Just check my website to find out what assignments you missed and make arrangements with me to have those assignments made up within three days of your return. If you go beyond those three days, you will receive a 50 for the assignment once it is handed in. You will not be allowed to take a zero on any major assignment. You must do it and you must hand it in, even if it's three months late.

The Study of Satire (A Modest Proposal vs. Modern Satire)
The Demise of Satire?
Obama's Plan to Pay People Enough to Eat

The Study of Satire (A Modest Proposal vs. Modern Satire)
The Demise of Satire?

WeekConcepts/Terms:
Imagery, Motifs, and Close Reading
Tragic twist - Can there be tragedy without a tragic hero? Does much of life involve tragedy minus the hero?
Shakespeare the politician - Writing Macbeth for James I
Week 1:
In order to prepare for any challenging text, orient yourself by considering some of the common questions scholars have posed about that text:
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/macbeth.html

InWeek 1:
In order to that text:
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/macbeth.html
HarvardWeek 2: Harvard Article: "The
1. Read AND ANNOTATE the first two pages of Albright's article referenced above.
2. In your journal, please select at least three sentences from the article that express opinion about the character of the witches or Lady Macbeth. Then, locate evidence that either refutes or supports those statements. (You may include no more than two sentences in the abstract at the article's beginning.)

In order to prepare for any challenging text, orient yourself by considering some of the common questions scholars have posed about that text:
http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl339/macbeth.html
Harvard Article: "The Witches and The Witch: Verdi's Macbeth"
1. Read AND ANNOTATE the first two pages of Albright's article referenced above.

LinkJunior/Senior Midterm Reading Comprehension Practice
Overview:
Midterm exams will take place from January 16-21st. In the English Department, at least one-half of the mid-term exam will consist of reading comprehension questions in order to handoutsassess your learning with respect to tackling challenging texts. In addition, your teacher may opt to add a class content portion to the exam.
In order to prepare for the reading comprehension section of the midterm, you will be taking practice tests and reflecting upon your performance. Prior to taking the test, be sure to review the reading comprehension strategies you’ve worked on in class since September.
Directions:
Using the schedule below, take the appropriate reading comprehension test on line (http://www.majortests.com/sat/reading-comprehension.php)
Print out reading comprehension test results and review explanations for wrong answers.
After taking test A, write a one-page reflection regarding your strengths and weaknesses on your comprehension on the first test.
After taking test B, write a one-page reflection regarding how you improved your score on the second test.
Junior On-Line Practice tests and Reflections
Practice A - Reflection/Results for SAT Comprehension Test 04 due: date of midterm
Practice B - Reflection/Results for SAT Comprehension Test 14 due: date of midterm
Practice C- Extra practice (optional) - Reading Comprehension Test 05
Senior On-Line Practice Tests and Reflections
Practice A - Reflection/Results for SAT Reading Comprehension Test 09 due: midterm date
Practice B - Reflection/Results for SAT Reading Comprehension Test 10 due: midterm date
Practice C- Extra practice (optional) - Reading Comprehension Test 07
In addition to these reading comprehension practice tests, review the following terms and be able to apply their concepts:
Pronoun agreement
Comma splice
Run on sentences
Fragments
Title punctuation
Syntax and phrasing
Clichés
Parallel structure
Apostrophes
Formal writing rules (contractions, colloquialisms, pronoun use, verb tense for literature, etc.)
Misplaced modifiers
Antecedent
Redundant writing
Semi-colon
Commonly confused words: (affect/effect, its/it’s, their/they’re/there, etc.)
MLA citation
Organization (including thesis, projected organization (XYZ), topic sentences, transitions)
Integrating quotations

*Warning: This tale contains anti-Semitic material - critics are divided regarding whether Chaucer was engaging in anti-Jewish sentiment or criticizing it.
170-176
Friday, December 813
25 points
“The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”
215-231
Friday,Monday, December 1316
25 points
“The Merchant’s Tale”