Fall 2024
 Calendar
of Assignments PLEASE NOTE that the on-line course calendar (not any print-out you may make) is authoritative. Assignments may be modified in the course of the quarter. Check the on-line course calendar regularly (before each class) to ensure that you are completing the correct assignment.
Finally, I hope that your study of modern Arthuriana will pique your interest in the medieval sources that inspired them -- and that some of you will choose to read more medieval literature, whether on your own or with me in another class!
Also Recommended:
Films:
All students are required to screen five Arthurian films
and to read assigned critical assessments of these films:
We will also discuss 1-2 works: Wagner's Parsifal opera (possibly) and (definitely) the Broadway musical Spamalot, adapted from Monty Python's Holy Grail. The required films are the equivalent of readings and must be viewed prior to the class meeting at which they will be discussed. NOTE 1: Videos and DVDs on reserve do not
circulate outside the library; they must be screened in
the library during normal library hours.
Group screenings will be scheduled in Kennedy Library
and/or at Dr. Schwartz's house (dates and times will be
posted on the course calendar), or you may see them on
your own time.
You are expected to have an email account and to check it regularly. Important announcements will be posted in Canvas and/or sent over the class email alias. The class email alias is automatically generated using the email address of each enrolled student found in the Cal Poly Directory server. If your Cal Poly email account is NOT your preferred email address, you must
Each student starts out with a 4.0 for attendance. This component of your final grade drops by .1 for the first EXCUSED absence (4.0 to 3.9) and .2 for the second excused absence (3.9 to 3.7). Additionally, it drops .3 for the first UNEXCUSED absence; the penalty increases by .1 for each subsequent unexcused absence (from A [4.0] to A- [3.7] to B+ [3.3], to B- [2.8], etc.). Excused absences in excess of two (a full week, 10% of the class) count the same as unexcused absences. Please note that only absences resulting from illness, a family emergency, or circumstances truly beyond your control count as excused. Absences taken for personal convenience are a matter of choice rather than necessity; they will be recorded as unexcused. Please note that deadlines for other courses, work conflicts and job interviews are NOT valid reasons for missing class. Exception: a graduating senior will be granted ONE excused absence for an out-of-town job interview. FOR AN ABSENCE TO BE EXCUSED, please email me, putting "ENGL 459 absence" and the date missed on the subject line; in the body of your email, please repeat course number and date missed and provide an explanation of the circumstances leading to your absence.
Participation, Intellectual Engagement, and Collaboration: in addition to attendance, this component of the class grade will reflect two sorts of online participation.
Preparation:
Be prepared to discuss readings in class. Note that the length and difficulty of assignments vary, so look ahead in the reading list when you are planning your time. You will be responsible for ALL the assigned readings, whether fully discussed in class or not, as well as for the additional background material presented in lectures, online readings, or in student presentations and in class discussion. Finally, get started on your research early, even if your presentation date falls towards the end of the quarter. To get started, come to an Office Hour (or make an appointment to see me) by the end of week 3 at the latest. Failure to do so will result in an "F" being averaged into the Research Report component of your final course grade. We will use this initial meeting to brainstorm, to discuss possible topics and approaches, to help you get the hang of some of the library research tools, and/or simply to get acquainted. After this initial meeting, feel free to come back! This means: if you feel confused about a research assignment, let me help you troubleshoot!
Graded Work:
Students are encouraged (but not required) to develop the presentation topic more fully in the final research paper. Please note: you are NOT expected to become a world expert on your assigned topic; you are merely responsible for helping to introduce it to your classmates! Click on link for ORAL PRESENTATION SCHEDULE.On the day of the oral presentation, Presenters will prepare and distribute an ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY of at least five secondary sources dealing with the primary reading/film and/or (for modern works) one or more of its medieval sources. The Annotated Bibliography will be graded for complete and correct bibliographic citations; for the distribution of items over the required types of sources and modes of access; and for the expression and quality of the summary. Your Oral Presentation and Annotated Bibliography count toward your in-class work grade. Please note: you will need to start researching your topic well in advance of your presentation date in order to obtain materials through LINK+ and Interlibrary Loan. You should meet with Prof. Schwartz (and other presenters on same day, if applicable) no later than the third week of class for some research guidance and to discuss the focus of your presentation (possible topics, approaches, etc.). MIDTERM EXAM: a closed book, two-hour exam in class on day 1 of week 8 (T ). The exam will consist of some combination of the following: factual questions (from lectures, assigned introductory materials, online readings and handouts, including film criticism); chronology of works studied; identification of key characters, events, objects and motifs; identification of significant and representative passages from readings; choice of essay questions. A Scantron may be required for portions of the objective exam.PAPER PROSPECTUS: Normally ungraded; to be turned in to me as an emailed .docx attachment by MIDNIGHT on Sunday, . Please save your document under the filename: [yourlastname]459prospectus.docxYour Prospectus must include a working title which clearly identifies the work(s) discussed as well as topic of your paper; a fully articulated statement of claims (not just a statement of general topic); a tentative outline of paper; and a working bibliography of at least eight sources (alphabetized and in traditional bibliographic citation format). NOTE: If an acceptable Prospectus is submitted on time, it will be used solely for feedback to help you write a stronger final research paper. But if no prospectus is submitted or the prospectus does not fulfill the requirements of the assignment, it will be graded and will count for 5% of your final course grade. In that case ONLY, the Research Paper component of your final grade will decrease to 25%. (Note: failure to submit a prospectus will result in 5% of your final course grade = F.)
FINAL ORAL EXERCISE: In lieu of a traditional final exam, there will be a required final oral exercise: a brief presentation to your classmates of the premise and conclusions of your final research paper. While the presentation will be ungraded, failure to complete the Final Oral Exercise will result in a grade of "F" being averaged with your Midterm Exam score. I hope that this final conversation of the quarter can take place in conjunction with a Class Lunch or Dinner at my home, to be scheduled at a mutually convenient time no later than Wednesday of exam week. If we are unable to schedule a final meeting at my home, our final conversation of the quarter will take place in our usual classroom at the scheduled exam time: 4-7 PM on Tuesday, 3/19/19. Please note that while it will be graded Pass/Fail, this "final conversation" is a required component of the class. Failure to participate in the final oral exercise will result in an F being averaged into the 30% of the course grade that is based on exams. NOTE: I do not typically include reading quizzes in my 400-level seminars. However, should it become apparent that students are not keeping up with assigned readings, I reserve the right to start! Reading quizzes in my classes typically consist of a combination of passage IDs; factual questions (based on assigned background readings, as well as character or event IDs); and content-specific questions based upon primary material (readings, films and artwork: significant plot developments, roles played by various characters, etc.) There is typically an element of choice on my quizzes, and they are typically unannounced. In the (unlikely) event that reading quizzes prove necessary, they will be incorporated into the in-class work component of your final course grade.
Last updated 1/7/19 |
Class
meetings: TR 2-4, 26-123
Dr. Debora B. Schwartz
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This
READING-INTENSIVE seminar explores how writers and
artists in other media have used Arthurian legend to
convey different messages and meanings. We will
examine 19th- and 20th-century literary works,
paintings and illustrations, films, an opera, and two
Broadway musicals as products of
their specific historical and cultural contexts and
consider how they shed light on the values and
goals of the artists which produced them and the
audiences which enjoyed them. 
Attendance Policy: Due
to the twice-weekly seminar format, any absence causes
you to miss a substantial chunk of material. Regular
and punctual attendance is required.
Please note that EVERY absence will affect the 20% 
Readings listed on the Calendar of
Assignments are to be completed BEFORE coming to class
on the date for which they are assigned. Readings
are found in the required textbooks, as .PDF files on
e-reserve in Canvas, or as .HTML files accessible
through a weblink on the calendar of assignments.
Short background assignments should normally be read
first, since they provide a context within which the
primary readings will be more meaningful. But when time
is short, concentrate on getting through the primary
readings which will be the focus of class discussion;
you can always make up the background readings later. 
