The English Renaissance

DESCRIPTION:
Representative Renaissance English prose, poetry and drama examined within the cultural contexts of Tudor, Jacobean, and Caroline England.

RATIONALE: 
This course concentrates on major writers and works of the English Renaissance as well as of the seventeenth century up to the Restoration in the context of the social, political, philosophical and scientific developments of the age.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: 
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Discuss the influence of major social, philosophical, and political ideas of the Renaissance, especially of Humanism and the Reformation, on the literature of the period;
2. Analyze the development of sixteenth and seventeenth-century English literature (poetry, drama, and prose) in relation to representative texts;
3. Display understanding of the contribution of individual authors to the development of literary forms through close reading of representative texts of the Renaissance and early seventeenthcentury periods;
4. Demonstrate ability to select appropriate secondary material in support of textual analysis of representative works of the literature of the period.

METHOD OF TEACHING AND LEARNING:
In congruence with the teaching and learning strategy of the college, the following tools are used:
• Lectures, class discussions, workshop-style pair work and group work during class meetings;
• Formative exercises and online learning tasks through the Blackboard online tools designed to help students acquire confidence and benefit from independent study;
• Additional print and audiovisual educational material posted on the Blackboard course template;
• Timely instructor feedback on assignments;
• Other relevant educational material placed on reserve in the library;
• Individualized assistance during office hours for further discussion of lecture material, additional reading, assignments and examinations;
• Close collaboration with the Library and SASS to encourage students’ effective use of academic support services.