Students

ENGL204 – Medieval Literature: Dreams and Debates

2014 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Professor Marea Mitchell
Contact via marea.mitchell@mq.edu.au
W6A 634
Thursday 1-3pm. Please email me to make an appointment.
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
ENGL120
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit examines the imaginative content and literary style of key early texts in the English literary tradition. It focuses on the use of two different modes – the dream vision and the reasoned debate – to create imaginary worlds and to present logical argument. Students are encouraged to analyse the multiple levels of meaning in a wide range of early texts from the Anglo-Saxon period to Chaucer and his contemporaries. We consider the impact on meaning of both the medieval context of composition and also the later critical reception of individual works. Discussion includes not only the content and narrative techniques of these texts but also their rhetorical and aesthetic qualities, wit, and cross-cultural intelligibility.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • learn how to improve writing style to aid communication
  • develop research skills using a wide range of printed and electronic resources

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Due
Assignment 1 20% 29th August 2014
Assignment 2 40% 10th October 2014
Assignment 3 40% 21st November 2014

Assignment 1

Due: 29th August 2014
Weighting: 20%

1,000-1,500  words. The objective of this assignment is to prepare for the major assignments by compiling a list of references from the library and the internet that will help you put together your essays. Please decide which text you are going to write on for your second assignment, and then identify six works of criticism (books/articles/websites, at least one of each) that you think will be useful to you. This assignment should consist of:

1. 100 words on why you have chosen the literary text.

2. Full bibliographical details for each of your six chosen references, with a note on why you have chosen it.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • develop research skills using a wide range of printed and electronic resources

Assignment 2

Due: 10th October 2014
Weighting: 40%

2,000- 2,500 word Essay.

How does either  The Book of Margery Kempe or one of Chaucer's texts use dreams or visions to address issues that might be seen as contentious in the period? 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • learn how to improve writing style to aid communication

Assignment 3

Due: 21st November 2014
Weighting: 40%

2,000-2,500 words. Please choose one of the following. Whichever one you choose you MUST include 100 words on how you have incorporated the written and personal feedback you received from your first two assignments feedback

Either:

1. The human guides to the dream world are open, sympathetic, and naive, performing the role of educating the reader. Discuss with reference to any two texts studied on this unit. (You may not use the text that was the focus of your second assignment).

2. Ideas can be presented in dreams that cannot so easily be put otherwise. Discuss with reference to any two texts studied on this unit. (You may not use the text that was the focus of your second assignment).

3. You may construct a topic of your own choice, in consultation with the unit convenor. (You may not use the text that was the focus of your second assignment).


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • learn how to improve writing style to aid communication

Delivery and Resources

Delivery

For times and locations of lectures and tutorial see

http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au

 

Required Texts:

 

Author: William Morris Title: A Dream of John Ball Author: ed Lynn Staley Title: The Book of Margery Kempe Publisher: Norton Author: ed M J Swanton Title: Dream of the Rood Publisher: University of Exeter Press Author: Chaucer Title: Dream Visions and Other Poems Publisher: Norton Piers Plowman by  William Langland, ed Elizabeth Robertson Publisher: Norton.

 

Additional recommendations can be found in the ENGL 204 Handbook on iLearn.

 

 

Technology Used and Required:

 

This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/ Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient. - For technical support go to: http://mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/informatics/help - For student quick guides on the use of iLearn go to: http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/guides.htm  

Essays must be submitted only  through iLearn, and they will be returned through iLearn. There is no need to submit a hard copy.

 

Lecture recordings are available in ECHO. Please access iLearn for further details and resources.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy  http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html

Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html

Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Late submission of written work without prior approval and documentation will atrract a penalty of 2% per day (includiing weekends). Please consult the convenor if you are having difficulties, before the due date for written work.

 

Word Lengths for essays MUST be observed. There is a 2% penalty for essays that are 10% above or below the limit. The word limit includes notes and bibliography.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • develop research skills using a wide range of printed and electronic resources

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • learn how to improve writing style to aid communication
  • develop research skills using a wide range of printed and electronic resources

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • develop research skills using a wide range of printed and electronic resources

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • understand how dreams, visions and debates are represented in medieval literature
  • learn how to improve writing style to aid communication

Assessment tasks

  • Assignment 1
  • Assignment 2
  • Assignment 3