ELL111 SURVEY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE - I

SYLLABUS

Instructor E-mail
Dr. Arda Kıpçak arda.kipcak@istun.edu.tr

Aim and Scope

The aim of this course is to introduce the early literary works that form the basis of Modern
English Literature. The course covers literary periods beginning from the Early Middle Ages
until the end of the Elizabethan Period. By examining the historical tradition of English
Literature the course aims to provide students with general information about the society in
which English literary works were produced, to introduce the works of important literary figures
within the context of their historical background and their own period, and to enable students
to acquire the necessary critical faculties and interpretive skills. In addition, learning about the
progress that English Literature has taken from the past to the present gives students the ability
to comprehend literary continuity and intertextual connections.

Course Requirements
According to the university regulations, class attendance is mandatory and %70 percent.
Students who do not attend more than %30 percent of the courses will fail due to absence.

Grading
Midterm: %40, Final: %60.
AA 90-100 4,00
BA 85-89 3,50
BB 80-84 3,00
CB 70-79 2,50
CC 60-69 2,00
DC 55-59 1,50
DD 50-54 1,00
FF 0-49 0,00

Suggested Reading
A Brief History of English Literature Ed.: John Peck, Martin Coyle, Palgrave.
A History of English Literature Ed.: Michael Alexander, Macmillan.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature Volume I (8th Edition), Ed.: Stephen Greenblatt,
M. H. Abrams, W. W. Norton.
The Complete Old English Poems, Trans.: Craig Williamson, University of Pennsylvania
Press.
Beowulf Wordsworth Classics.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Penguin.
The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer, Penguin.
Edmund Spenser, Complete Poetical Works.
Additional material will be provided by the instructor through either being uploaded to
Blackboard or sent via e-mail.

Course Schedule
Week 1: What is English Literature?
Week 2: OLD ENGLISH PERIOD
Week 3: OLD ENGLISH PERIOD
Week 4: Close Reading: Beowulf
Week 5: Close Reading: Beowulf
Week 6: Close Reading: Widsith, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Wife’s Lament, The
Husband’s Message, The Dream of the Rood
Week 7: MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD
Week 8: MIDTERM EXAM
Week 9: MIDDLE ENGLISH PERIOD
Week 10: Close Reading: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Le Morte D’arthur
Week 11: Close Reading: The Canterbury Tales and Piers Plowman
Week 12: RENAISSANCE PERIOD and 16th CENTURY TUDOR PERIOD
Week 13: ELIZABETHAN ERA
Week 14: ELIZABETHAN ERA
Week 15: FINAL EXAM