ENGH 321 Spring 2025

Textbook for this class:

The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Sixteenth and Early Seventeenth Century (Volume B), 11^th edition. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt et al. (ISBN: 978-1-324-06263-9). Please order the print edition!

Course requirements:

Regular attendance and participation, readings, a visit to the Folger Shakespeare Library (or alternative), quizzes, three written assignments, two preliminary exams, and a final.

Participation and Attendance:
Contribution to class discussion will be reflected in your participation grade. If you aren’t in class, you can’t participate in discussion, nor will active class participation wholly excuse excessive absences. Careful and thoughtful attention to instructor presentations and to the comments of class members is also part of class participation.

Readings: 
The readings for each class are due on the date listed above. Approach each assignment actively by always reading with a pen or pencil in hand.  This habit will help you come prepared to discuss the readings in class and get the most out of class discussion; it will also help you become a more skillful reader of literary texts in general. 

Please read and annotate physical texts, unless you can use a stylus to takes notes on your computer or tablet. Your boomer instructor requests that you do not read anything on your phone.

Written Assignments: 
Written assignments are due just before the beginning of class.  Late written assignments will be graded down a half grade for each 48 hours late. Written assignments should have standard margins, spacing and type size.  Pages should be numbered. Each assignment will have more specific instructions.  The assignments are as follows.

• Methods Project. In this project, you’ll use some resources for the study of the period to learn more about a text and practice the close reading of it. This project will not take the form of a traditional essay, but instead demonstrate your application of the tools to the text, as well as some thinking about the text. However, there will be a short, 1 -2 page synthesis of the work that will take a traditional expository form.
• Editorial Project. In this project, you’ll work as a team with a partner on one section or aspect of a longer text that the entire class will edit. Since this work will take different forms, there is no set length for your work, which will be measured in other ways.
• Reflective project. This project will have the form of a conventional formal essay, but will require you to incorporate work that you did in one of the two previous projects in relation to one of the readings for our class. It will be about 5 pages.

Written Assignment Help:
I encourage you to come see me at my office hours or to make an appointment to see me. When we meet, try to have a draft of the paper you are working on. This will give us something more concrete to talk about. There is also available a Writing Center in the Johnson Center, Room 227E that can provide you with further individual attention to your writing. I encourage you to take advantage of this excellent facility. 

I would also suggest that you give yourself plenty of time to work. Writing a paper at one sitting is, for most people, unpleasant, and the results are not likely to be satisfactory. Start early! 

Plagiarism: 
Since this class emphasizes the development of your own close reading and interpretive skills, you are, unless otherwise noted, not encouraged to consult secondary sources. If you do choose to look at such work, however, you must cite, using a standard citation format, all the articles, books or other sources that your own writing draws on, either directly or indirectly. Such sources include any kind study aid (e.g. Sparknotes, Chegg products, Reddit), or any AI. For more information on the use of AI in this class, click here.

Uncited sources will constitute plagiarism even if they ended up in your work without your conscious knowledge (e.g. you forgot you read the material; you confused your own notes with notes on a source), since part of the scholarly responsibility that comes with using secondary sources is keeping track of which words or ideas were yours and which came from a source. If you do not wish to take on this responsibility then you should not consult secondary sources. 

I will take all suspected cases of plagiarism to the Academic Standards Committee.   

Quizzes:
Quizzes will be given randomly through the semester at the beginning of class. They will consist of around 5 questions easily answerable if you have done the day’s reading with care. They are meant to encourage you to come to class having read carefully beforehand.

Exams:
There are two preliminary exams, and one comprehensive final. The preliminary exams are in class.  The first preliminary exam will cover course readings and content from the beginning of the semester to February 26. The second preliminary exam will cover course readings and materials from March 5 to April 7.  The final for this class is on Wednesday May from 10:30 am to 1:15 pm. The final will cover course content and readings from the entire semester, but emphasize the material from April 9 to the semester end, as that material will not have been covered in previous exams.

Grading: 
The grade weights for the course are listed in the assignments section and in the right column of this page.

I grade on a 4.0 scale, as follow:

A+ = 4.3; A = 4.0; A- = 3.7

B+ = 3.3; B = 3; B- = 2.7

C+ = 2.3; C = 2; C- = 1.7

D+ = 1.3 D = 1 D- = .7

F = 0

Each assignment can be computed as the grade number value times the grade weight.  For example, a B+ on the final exam would count for .66 of your final grade (3.3 x 20% = 3.3 * 0.2 = .66). Each grade times grade weight summed gives a total between 0 and 4.3. That total, converted back into a letter grade, is your final grade.

Important Dates

Jan. 28: Last day to officially add this class

Feb. 4: Last day to drop this class with 100% tuition refund

Feb. 11: Last day to drop this class with 50% tuition refund

Feb 25: Last day to drop this class with no tuition refund

Mar 31: Last day to drop this course using the selective withdrawal option and no tuition refund 

University Policies

These four policies affect students in all courses at George Mason University. This Course Policy Addendum must be made available to students in all courses (see Catalog Policy AP.2.5).

Additional policies affecting this course, and additional resources or guidance regarding these policies, may be provided to students by the instructor.

Academic Standards

Academic Standards exist to promote authentic scholarship, support the institution’s goal of maintaining high standards of academic excellence, and encourage continued ethical behavior of faculty and students to cultivate an educational community which values integrity and produces graduates who carry this commitment forward into professional practice.

As members of the George Mason University community, we are committed to fostering an environment of trust, respect, and scholarly excellence. Our academic standards are the foundation of this commitment, guiding our behavior and interactions within this academic community. The practices for implementing these standards adapt to modern practices, disciplinary contexts, and technological advancements. Our standards are embodied in our courses, policies, and scholarship, and are upheld in the following principles:

• Honesty: Providing accurate information in all academic endeavors, including communications, assignments, and examinations.
• Acknowledgement: Giving proper credit for all contributions to one’s work. This involves the use of accurate citations and references for any ideas, words, or materials created by others in the style appropriate to the discipline. It also includes acknowledging shared authorship in group projects, co-authored pieces, and project reports.
• Uniqueness of Work: Ensuring that all submitted work is the result of one’s own effort and is original, including free from self-plagiarism. This principle extends to written assignments, code, presentations, exams, and all other forms of academic work.

Violations of these standards—including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication, and cheating—are taken seriously and will be addressed in accordance with university policies. The process for reporting, investigating, and adjudicating violations is outlined in the university’s procedures. Consequences of violations may include academic sanctions, disciplinary actions, and other measures necessary to uphold the integrity of our academic community.

The principles outlined in these academic standards reflect our collective commitment to upholding the highest standards of honesty, acknowledgement, and uniqueness of work. By adhering to these principles, we ensure the continued excellence and integrity of George Mason University’s academic community.

 Student responsibility: Students are responsible for understanding how these general expectations regarding academic standards apply to each course, assignment, or exam they participate in; students should ask their instructor for clarification on any aspect that is not clear to them.

 Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Disability Services at George Mason University is committed to upholding the letter and spirit of the laws that ensure equal treatment of people with disabilities. Under the administration of University Life, Disability Services implements and coordinates reasonable accommodations and disability-related services that afford equal access to university programs and activities. Students can begin the registration process with Disability Services at any time during their enrollment at George Mason University. If you are seeking accommodations, please visit https://ds.gmu.edu/ for detailed information about the Disability Services registration process. Disability Services is located in Student Union Building I (SUB I), Suite 2500. Email: ods@gmu.edu. Phone: (703) 993-2474.

Student responsibility: Students are responsible for registering with Disability Services and communicating about their approved accommodations with their instructor in advance of any relevant class meeting, assignment, or exam.

 FERPA and Use of GMU Email Addresses for Course Communication

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) governs the disclosure of education records for eligible students and is an essential aspect of any course. Students must use their GMU email account to receive important University information, including communications related to this class. Instructors will not respond to messages sent from or send messages regarding course content to a non-GMU email address.

Student responsibility: Students are responsible for checking their GMU email regularly for course-related information, and/or ensuring that GMU email messages are forwarded to an account they do check.

Title IX Resources and Required Reporting

As a part of George Mason University’s commitment to providing a safe and non-discriminatory learning, living, and working environment for all members of the University community, the University does not discriminate on the basis of sex or gender in any of its education or employment programs and activities. Accordingly, all
non-confidential employees, including your faculty member, have a legal requirement to report to the Title IX Coordinator, all relevant details obtained directly or indirectly about any incident of Prohibited Conduct (such as sexual harassment, sexual assault, gender-based stalking, dating/domestic violence). Upon notifying the Title IX Coordinator of possible Prohibited Conduct, the Title IX Coordinator will assess the report and determine if outreach is required. If outreach is required, the individual the report is about (the “Complainant”) will receive a communication, likely in the form of an email, offering that person the option to meet with a representative of the Title IX office.

For more information about non-confidential employees, resources, and Prohibited Conduct, please see University Policy 1202: Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct and Other Forms of Interpersonal Violence. Questions regarding Title IX can be directed to the Title IX Coordinator via email to TitleIX@gmu.edu, by phone at 703-993-8730, or in person on the Fairfax campus in Aquia 373.  

Student opportunity:  If you prefer to speak to someone confidentially, please contact one of Mason’s confidential employees in Student Support and Advocacy (SSAC), Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Student Health Services (SHS), and/or the Office of the University Ombudsperson.

Please come see me if you have any questions about grading, the syllabus or the class. I look forward to having the chance to meet you. Best wishes for a good semester! 

Please note that links, including to reading detail and assignment particulars, are available only on the Canvas version of this syllabus.