Syllabus
British Literature B Course Overview British literature is the study of the language and written works associated with the United Kingdom and surrounding areas, including England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. It follows the development of the English language throughout history. The sequence of the lessons in this course corresponds to the sequence of the major historical movements of Great Britain. The course will take you from the literature of the Industrial Revolution, written in the mid-18th century, through the 20th-century works of modernist writer, Virginia Woolf.
Course Goals By the end of this course, you will be able to do the following:
Identify the effects of the Industrial Revolution on British society. Describe the main characteristics of Neoclassical literature. Grow your vocabulary by determining the meaning of unfamiliar words. List the main characteristics of Romantic literature. Analyze imagery, theme, and structure in a variety of Romantic poems. Construct a logical argument to support an opinion. Summarize the characteristics of the Victorian era. Identify the importance of the theater in Victorian society. Outline and compose a research paper using various sources. List the historical, social, and political factors that brought the Victorian era to a close. Evaluate the effects of World War I and World War II on literary thought. Explain the key features of the Modernist movement in art and literature in the 20th Century. Distinguish between Modernism and Postmodernism.
General Skills To participate in this course, you should be able to do the following:
Complete basic operations with word processing software, such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs. Perform online research using various search engines and library databases. Some course readings may require a visit to the school library or public library.
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For a complete list of general skills that are required for participation in online courses, refer to the Prerequisites section of the Plato Student Orientation document, found at the beginning of this course.
Credit Value British Literature B is a 0.5-credit course.
Course Materials
Notebook Computer with Internet connection and speakers or headphones Microsoft Word or equivalent
Course Pacing Guide This course description and pacing guide is intended to help you keep on schedule with your work. Note that your course instructor may modify the schedule to meet the specific needs of your class. Day 1 day: 1 6 days: 2–7
Activity/Objective Syllabus and Plato Student Orientation Review the Plato Student Orientation and Course Syllabus at the beginning of this course. Long-Term Reading Assignment—Hard Times
Summarize the events of the Industrial Revolution. Identify the effects of the Industrial Revolution on British society. List the characteristics of early novels. Trace the evolution of the novel over time. Summarize the life and background of Charles Dickens. Explain the importance of time management skills. Summarize the plot elements in Hard Times. Identify themes, motifs, and symbols in Hard Times.
2
Type Course Orientation Lesson
Day 6 days: 8–13
Activity/Objective Neoclassicism I
Neoclassicism II
14–19
Lesson
Summarize key developments in 17th- and 18th-century politics. Identify the main philosophical influences on society at the turn of the 18th century. Explain how increased pride in British culture led to increased interest in the English language. Describe the evolution of Great Britain’s first dictionaries. Describe the main characteristics of Neoclassical literature. Analyze the works of 17th-century authors, including John Dryden and Samuel Pepys. Explain the emerging language movement and how it relates to Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary. Define new vocabulary terms.
6 days:
Lesson
Identify societal changes in 18th-century Great Britain, including the rise of the middle class. Identify the driving forces behind societal change in 18th-century Great Britain, especially population growth and the print explosion. Explain how 18th-century literature reflects changing societal opinions about freedom of the press, class, and the purpose of reading. Explain how cultural trends contributed to the emergence of grammar texts. Analyze the works of prominent 18th-century authors, including Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, and Alexander Pope.
5 days:
Language—Growing Your Vocabulary
20–24
Type
Use context to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Explain the importance of word choice and word variation in writing. Distinguish between connotation and denotation. Use roots, affixes, and cognates to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. Define and distinguish between homophones, homographs, heteronyms, and homonyms. Distinguish between commonly confused and misused words.
3
Lesson
Day
Activity/Objective
5 days:
Introduction to Romanticism
25–29
Byron, Shelley, and Keats
30–34
Lesson
Identify the historical roots of Romanticism. List the basic characteristics of Romantic literature. Analyze various literary devices in Romantic poetry. Identify common themes in Romantic poetry. Compare and contrast the poetry of William Blake, Thomas Gray, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Coleridge. Define new vocabulary terms.
5 days:
Lesson
Distinguish between Romanticism and Neoclassicism. Analyze imagery, theme, and structure in a variety of Romantic poems. Explain how the lives, careers, and works of Byron, Shelley, and Keats reflect aspects of Romanticism. List key elements of the Gothic style. Define new vocabulary terms.
6 days:
Language—Using Language to Think Logically and Critically
35–40
The Victorian Era I
41–46
Lesson
Distinguish between facts and opinions and bias and reason. Assess the validity and objectiveness of a written work. Identify the elements of a successful argument. Recognize common logical fallacies. Evaluate the range and quality of evidence used to support or oppose an argument. Construct a logical argument to support an opinion. Distinguish between appreciative, reflective, comprehensive, and critical listening.
6 days:
Type
Lesson
Summarize the characteristics of the Victorian era. Explain the impact of industrialization and colonization on Britain during the Victorian era. Define key concepts of the Victorian era such as laissez-faire theory, reformist liberalism, and socialism. Analyze imagery, figurative language, and structure in Tennyson’s poetry. Respond in writing to Victorian literature. Define new vocabulary terms.
4
Day
Activity/Objective
6 days:
The Victorian Era II
47–52
Lesson
Identify characteristics of Victorian literary movements, including Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism. Explain how the philosophy of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood contributed to Aestheticism. Analyze figurative language, structure, tone, and subject matter in a variety of Victorian poems. Recognize the characteristics of dramatic monologues. Summarize the characteristics of the Victorian novel. Discuss the background and writing styles of a variety of Victorian authors. Define new vocabulary terms.
5 days:
Victorian Drama: The Importance of Being Earnest
53–57
1 day:
Type
Lesson
Identify the importance of the theater in Victorian society. Recognize characteristics of a comedy of manners. Discuss Oscar Wilde’s background and significance as a playwright. Summarize the plot of The Importance of Being Earnest. Identify the literary devices used in satires, such as irony, sarcasm, paradox, and puns. Recognize central themes in The Importance of Being Earnest. Define new vocabulary terms.
Midterm
Assessment
58 6 days:
Writing—Research Papers
59–64
Lesson
Choose a research topic. Evaluate sources of research for reliability. Develop a thesis statement. Outline a research paper. Compose a research paper using various sources. Compile and format a works cited page according to MLA format.
5
Day
Activity/Objective
6 days:
The Decline of the Victorian Era
65–70
War Literature
71–76
20th Century Poetic Revolution
77–82
Lesson
Evaluate the effects of the two world wars on literary thought. Identify the main parties involved in WWI and WWII. Define the term “lost-generation.” Analyze the war-influenced poetry of Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Rupert Brooke, Robert Graves, and Dylan Thomas. Compare persuasive and motivational speeches by political leaders. Define new vocabulary terms.
6 days:
Lesson
List the historical, social, and political factors that brought the Victorian era to a close. Recognize anti-Victorian sentiment in British poetry and prose in the late 19th century. Analyze language, tone, and themes in the poetry of A. E. Housman and Thomas Hardy. Identify Rudyard Kipling’s contributions to Victorian literature. Identify Kipling’s opinions on colonization, class, and race, as reflected in his novel Kim. Define new vocabulary terms.
6 days:
Type
Lesson
Summarize cultural trends in early-20th-century Great Britain. Identify the key scientific theories that inspired Modernist thought. Explain the key features of the Modernist movement in art and literature. List the characteristics of Modernist poetry. Explain the significance of WWI on the Modernist movement. Identify major artistic sub-movements, including Imagism, Symbolism, and New Criticism. Categorize influential Modernist poets. Define new vocabulary terms.
6
Day
Activity/Objective
6 days:
The Modern Novel
83–88
1 day:
Type Lesson
Relate the devastation of the world wars to changes in British politics and society. Identify the impact of the world wars on academic thought, especially literature. Identify the defining features of Modernism such as stream of consciousness, cynicism and pessimism, classical allusions, and unconventional use of metaphors. Contrast Modernist literature with Victorian literature. Distinguish between Modernism and Postmodernism. Identify themes and motifs in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. Define new vocabulary terms.
Semester Review
89 1 day:
Final Exam
Assessment
90
7