Paris and Revolutionary Fever: British Writers’ Reactions
English 3350 (Literature and War)
English 8500 (Early British Romantic Literature)
Spring 2019
Dr. Melissa McLeod E-mail: mmcleod1@gsu.edu
Course Description & Objectives
This course will introduce you to British writing that responds to the political and social upheavals brought on by the French Revolution (1789-1799). As one of the most important conflicts in the history of the western civilization, examining the British reaction to it helps us to understand the event itself, but more importantly for our purposes, how the French Revolution affected British politics and culture as reflected through its writers.
Paris was “ground zero” for the revolution, so visiting Paris and the sites most associated with the revolution will provide you with a sense of place. Because most of the writers we will study at least visited and sometimes lived in Paris, we can analyze their perspective of events by reading their work in the spaces that they write about.
Through this study abroad program, you will learn how events and place influence writing—both the writing of the eighteenth-century writers we read and your own writing.
Reading List
Edmund Burke, selections from Reflections on the Revolution in France
William Godwin, Caleb Williams and selections from Political Justice
Helen Maria Williams, selected articles
Mary Wollstonecraft, Vindication on the Rights of Men
William Wordsworth, selections from the Prelude
Selected poems from British War Poetry in the Age of Romanticism: 1793-1815
Course Requirements
Blog/Journal Responses 50%
You will be required to post on the course blog (public) every day or evening of our trip. These posts will include ideas about the literature’s aesthetics, the literature’s relationship to historical and cultural events, research findings, material learned from excursions, etc. These blog posts are intended to serve as an interactive and collaborative learning tool. You will use them to share with each other ideas and findings in the expectation that your peers will learn from your work.
The journal responses are private; only I will see them (unless you choose to share them on your own). You will write six journal entries while we are out in London on our excursions. These will need to be handwritten, so you will need a paper journal for the trip. (Feel free to use this journal for your own reflections as well; just section off the entries you’ll turn in somehow.)
Final Project 50%
Choose one of the following options:
Undergraduate
1. Research Essay
Requirements:
* 6-8 pages
* MLA documentation
* 4-6 secondary sources (2 may include material from our walking tours. Cite as “Speeches, Lectures, or Other Oral Presentations (including Conference Presentations)” see OWL Purdue or the MLA Handbook 7th
Assignment:
Write a research essay on one of the texts that we read this semester, incorporating historical and cultural material into your reading of the novel.
2. Creative Piece
Requirements:
* 6-8 page story
* 3-page reflection that discusses your craft choices
* MLA documentation
* 4-6 secondary sources (Two sources may include material from our walking tours. Cite as “Speeches, Lectures, or Other Oral Presentations (including Conference Presentations)” see OWL Purdue or the MLA Handbook 7th
Assignment:
Write a story, play, or screenplay that integrates ideas, themes, or concepts from the texts that we read this semester, incorporating historical and cultural material into your piece.
Graduate
Research Essay
1. Requirements:
* 10-15 pages
* MLA documentation
* 6-8 secondary sources (2 may include material from our walking tours. Cite as “Speeches, Lectures, or Other Oral Presentations (including Conference Presentations)” see OWL Purdue or the MLA Handbook 7th
Assignment:
Write a research essay on one of the fictional texts that we read this semester, incorporating historical and cultural material into your reading of the novel.
2. Creative Piece
Requirements:
* 12-15 page story
* 5-page reflection that discusses your craft choices
* MLA documentation
* 6-8 secondary sources (Two sources may include material from our walking tours. Cite as “Speeches, Lectures, or Other Oral Presentations (including Conference Presentations)” see OWL Purdue or the MLA Handbook 7th
Assignment:
Write a story that integrates ideas, themes, or concepts from the texts that we read this semester, incorporating historical and cultural material into your piece.
Prerequisites: ENG 1101 and ENG 1102 or ENG 1103 and good written usage of standard American English.
Grading Scale:
A+ = 100-98
A=97-95
A- = 94-90
B+ = 89-87
B = 86-84
B- = 83-80
C+ = 79-77
C=76-74
C- = 73-70
Policies:
Attendance: Regular attendance to class meetings and participation in excursions are expected and necessary for good performance in the class.
Schedule changes: Occasionally, the reading schedule will change depending on the needs of the class and time constraints. Changes will be announced either electronically or in our class meetings. You are responsible for making yourself aware of these changes.
Portfolio Requirement for English Majors: All English majors must submit, as part of their graduation requirements, individual portfolios of their work as English majors. Students should collect several assignments each term to include in the portfolio. The main office of the Department of English can supply specific requirements for individual concentrations. Instructors and advisors can counsel students about portfolio inclusions.
Academic Honesty: Students are expected to abide by the University’s policy on academic honesty, which is summarized on pages 54-57 in the current undergraduate catalog. Any plagiarized or otherwise academically dishonest work will receive a grade of zero, with no chance for revision. The instructors will assign a failing grade for the course to any student who submits academically dishonest work.
Tentative Schedule & Itinerary (subject to change)
January: Two two-hour class meetings (dates TBD)
Burke, Reflections on the French Revolution
Wollstonecraft, Vindication on the Rights of Men
February: Two two-hour class meetings (dates TBD)
Helen Maria Williams & Wordsworth
William Godwin Caleb Williams & Political Justice
March: Two-hour pre-departure orientation (2nd week TBD)
March 15: Depart ATL
March 16: Paris Scavenger Hunt assignment
March 17: French Revolution Guided Walking Tour
March 18: Louvre Guided Walking Tour
Class: poetry selections
March 19: Luxembourg Palace/Museum
March 20: Pantheon
Class: poetry selections
March 21: Versailles Guided Tour
Dinner/wrap up
March 22: free day