History of England I  

Your book reviews must be of excellent quality the following sites provide good general advice. Use them to get more information on what a good review needs to do.

Quizzes  (15)                         45%

Short timed responses (6)       25%

Book Review One                  15%

Book Reviw Two                    15%     

Extra Credit:: 10 Key Points  (5%)                   

St. John's Library offers several essential tutorials to help you excel. The "Avoiding Literacy" is compulsory for this course. Any plagiarism will result in an immediate "F" grade for the whole course.

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,--
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

William Shakespeare, "King Richard II", Act 2 scene 1
Greatest English dramatist & poet (1564 - 1616)

1. Due the Monday after Thanksgiving - 1,200 words.

2. Look at the primary sources for one of the sections - you might want to choose a section for which you have written a book review.

3, Think of a question that will allow you to make extensive use of all five of the sources.

4. Write an essay in answer to that question - which quotes and cites from the primary sources.

Maximum extra credit 8%

1. Schama claims that, "She [Elizabeth] had charisma in bucketfuls, and she understood people, high and low, with uncommon shrewdness." Is he right?

2. Schama says of Elizabeth I, "She was not barren after all...she brought forth fruit, the fruit of her body politic...Magna Britannia: Great Britain." Is he right?

3. Why did things go so terribly wrong for Mary, Queen of Scots, that the Parliament called her, "the monstrous and huge dragon," and her cousin eventually tried and executed her?

Please provide detailed answers with examples.

1. Why did the prior of Canterbruy begin his letter to the Bishop of London in 1348 "Terrible is God towards the sons of men and by his command all things are subdued to his will"?

2. Why does Schama claim that King Death was an unlikely liberation and what were the conseuqences of that liberation on the peasants of Englnad?

3. What mistakes do you think that Richard II made during the latter years of his reign and what were the consequences?

ST JOHN'S HALL 215   1.30-2.50pm

Sept 2 (R)        Introduction

Sept 6 (M)       No classes – Labor Day

Sept 9 (R)        Origins of the British to 55BCE

                        Quiz Chapter One (Roberts)                  

Sept 13 (M)     Roman Britain 55BCE-450CE

                        Quiz Chapter Two (Roberts)

Sept 16 (R)      Anglo-Saxons 450-1066

                        Quiz Chapter Three (Roberts)

Sept 20 (M)     Video One: Beginnings

                        Read Schama Chapter One - Beginnings

                        In-class writing exercise One

Sept 23 (R)      Normans 1066-1154

                        Quiz Chapter Four (Roberts)

Sept 27 (M)     Video Two: Conquest

                        Read Schama Chapter Two

                        In Class Writing Exercise Two

Sept 30 (R)      Angevins 1154-1216

                        Quiz Chapter Five (Roberts)

Oct 4    (M)     

                         IDENTIFY FIRST BOOK TO REVIEW

                        BRING BOOK AND 150-200 WORD Rationale         

Oct 7 (R)         Quiz Chapter Six: The Thirteenth Century

Oct 11 (M)      No Classes – Columbus Day  

Oct 14 (R)      Read Schama Chapter Three

                       In-class writing exercise three

Oct 18 (M)      War and Crisis 1307-1399 :Quiz Chapter Seven (Roberts)                

 Oct 21 (R)       Video Four: Aliens and Natives: Read Schama Chapter Four

                        In-class writing exercise Four

Oct 25 (M)      Video Five: King Death Read Schama Chapter Five 

                        In-class writing exercise Five

                           BOOK REVIEW DUE 

 Oct 28 (R)      Lancaster and York 1399-1485: Quiz Chapter Eight (Roberts) 

 Nov 1 (M)       No classes – All Saints Day

Nov 4 (R)         Reign of Henry VII 1485-1509 Quiz Chapter Nine Robert

 Nov 8 (M)       War and Reformation 1509-1547 Quiz Chapter Ten Roberts

                      IDENTIFY SECONDBOOK TO REVIEW

                        BRING BOOK TOCLASS AND 150 words

 Nov 11 (R)      Protestant and Catholic 1547-1558 Quiz Chapter Eleven Roberts

 Nov 15 (M)    The Elizabethans 1558-1603 Quiz Chapter Twelve Roberts 

Nov 18 (R)      Video Seven: The Body of the Queens Read Schama Chapter seven 

                           In-class writing exercise six   

Nov 22 (M)    Time off for good behaviour

Nov 25 (R)      No class - Thanksgiving

Nov 29 (M)     Early Stuart England 1603-40

                        Quiz Chapter Thirteen (Roberts)

Dec 2 (R)        The English Revolution 1640-1660

                        Quiz Chapter Fourteen (Roberts)

Dec 6 (M)        Video Eight British Wars                  

Dec 9 (R)        Restoration and Revolution 1660-1689

                        Quiz Chapter Fifteen (Roberts)

Dec 13 (M)      War and Society

                        Quiz Chapter Sixteen (Roberts)

Dec 16 (R)      Conclusion Second Book Review Due

1. Do not miss classes, there is a quiz or graded writing exercise every class. You will only be permitted a make-up if you can provide written evidence of a legitimate reason for absence.

2. Do not skip reading. You will be accountable for every assigned reading through quizzes or short writing assignments.

3. QUIZZES: The quiz will start at exactly 1.30pm and finish at 1.45pm. If you arrive late you will only be permitted to work until 1.45pm. The quizzes will be graded in class, thus you will not be permitted to make up the quiz if you are late. If there are extenuating circumstances please see me. You will be permitted to prepare notes on one side of legal-sized paper, and consult these notes during the quiz. The quizzes pertain to various chapters of Roberts as indicated in the syllabus. Every quiz counts towards your final grade.

4. IN-CLASS WRITING: The writing exercise will start at exactly 1.30pm and finish at 1.50pm. If you arrive late you will only be permitted to work until 1.50pm. You will choose from two questions which I will write on the board as soon as I arrive, so it would pay to arrive early, though you will not begin to write until 1.30pm. You will only be allowed to do a make-up with extreme exentuating circumstances with confirmation in writing, please see me , if this applies. You will be permitted to prepare notes on one side of legal-sized paper, and consult these notes during the quiz. The question will pertain to various chapters of Schama as indicated in the syllabus. The best five out of six will count towards your final grade.

5. REVIEWS: Choose the books you will review wisely and early. Make sure it is a topic that interests you. Give yourself plenty of time to read the book you will review and write a excellent review of 600+ words. Make sure the text of your review is absolutely perfect and that you have proofread it many times and expect to go through several rewrites. Imagine that you are writing at a level which would be submitted to the New York Times. Make sure you have read other reviews of the book you have choosen in reputable journals or newspapers.

6.EXTRA CREDIT: You will work in assined pairs or groups of three to produce 10 keys points from an assigned chapter of Robinson. You must have the completed list for me by September 13. You should refer to the example given for Chapter One: Origins - which I have done for you. Note - any plagiarism will incur failure, so be careful. You need to get straight what is considered "common knowledge", how to paraphrase and when you should cite. You will awarded a collective grade for the exercise, but if it is apparent that there has been a disparity of effort and expertise I will award grades accordingly. THERE WILL BE NO OTHER EXTRA CREDIT EXERCISE.

7. I HAVE A ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY ON CHEATING. Any plagiarized work or other cheating will result in your failing the course.