Louise M. Bishop, voicemail 346-0733,
308 Chapman Hall
Office hours Please note that these office hours
are shared with the Clark Honors College undergraduates; you may take your chances,
or you may reserve office hour time via sign-up sheets on my office door
(sign-up sheets list hours for the entire term); make an appointment if these
hours don't work.
Monday 10:00 am to 11:00 am; 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm |
Wednesday 10:00 noon to 11:00 am; 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm |
Class hours: Monday and Wednesday, 4:00 pm to 5:20 pm in 214 Mackenzie
Note: in case of inclement weather and class cancellation, I will leave a message on my voicemail, 347-0733. Since I live close to campus, I do not anticipate cancelling class because of bad weather.
Please also note that plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course.
Requirements | Sign-up list for words | Guidelines for annotations and presentation | Daily reading assignments | "My Mystic" | Web resources | Group presentation evaluation | Paper format
1. A brief exercise in Middle English language
2. "My mystic," for your midterm paper and group presentation. You'll sign up to research and give a short group presentation on one of the following eight mystics. My Mystic sign-up list
- St. Bridget of Sweden's Revelations: BX4700.B62 E5 2000
- Walter Hilton's Scale of Perfection : BX2349 .H54 1991
- Mechthild, The Flowing Light of the Godhead : BV5091.V6 M43413 1998
- Walter Hilton's Stimulus Amoris: 242 B64
- Ancren Riwle: PR1808 .W48 1993
- Aelred of Rievaulx's Spiritual Friendship: LBX2349 .A4513 1994
- The Cloud of Unknowing : BV5080 .C5 1978
- Marguerite Porete Mirror of Simple Souls: BV5091.C7 M5713 1981
Your research into that mystic will serve not only for your midterm paper, but can also inform your term paper for the class: you may compare "your mystic" with one of the three Middle English mystics we're reading this term. Both your midterm and term papers will include bibliographies. Each bibliography should include at least three sources and, while you may use Internet resources to narrow your search for articles and books (and you can use articles/books I have on reserve), YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY must be of TRADITIONALLY PUBLISHED articles and books. Granted, some journals now include Web versions. Our library, in fact, subscribes to J-STOR and Project Muse, both of which reproduce paper articles in PDF format, making them available to your desktop. But article must be from "peer-reviewed" journals and have passed through tighter intellectual rigors than information available only on the Web. You can ask me or any librarian about the status of an article.
I'm happy to help you with your research during office hours; you can also gain much from the reference librarians at the Knight library. Don't wait for the last minute to begin this assignment.You would be well served to write "annotations" for each research article you read. Here are some guidelines for annotation (with thanks to Prof. Lisa Freinkel):
Guidelines for group presentation During the last week of class, each group will give a brief 10 to 15 minute presentation on their mystic. You can also be the "expert" on your mystic whenever s/he seems appropriate to the discussion. The purpose of your presentation is to give you classmates a sense of your mystic. What's the most important thing the rest of the class should know about your mystic? Be organized. Do not summarize in detail essays you've read; make copies of relevant information for the class. Your presentation's goal is to help us understand your mystic, in light of our work during the term. Each group be will evaluated by the rest of the class: see the Group presentation evaluation Back to top of page, back to top of "Requirements"
3. A midterm paper (1000-1500 words) on your "outside" mystic. Due Wednesday, February 8. Be sure to use proper citation form.
4. A term paper (2000-3000 words, exclusive of footnotes and bibliography), comparing your mystic with one or all of our Middle English mystics, or treating one of our primary topics with evidence drawn from our three Middle English mystics. Due Wednesday, March 15.
5. Periodic surprise quizzes to make sure you're keeping up with the reading.
The Middle English language exercise constitutes 15% of your grade; the midterm paper, 20%; the term paper, 30%; the presentation of My Mystic, 15%; the quizzes, cumulatively, 15%; contribution, 5%. N.B.: there is no final exam in the class. Please note the University's "grade point value" system effective 9/90, as I will be using this system to grade your work (unless otherwise noted):
A+ = 4.3 |
B+ = 3.3 |
C+ = 2.3 |
D+ = 1.3 |
A = 4.0 |
B = 3.0 |
C = 2.0 |
D = 1.0 |
A- = 3.7 |
B- = 2.7 |
C- = 1.7 |
D- = 0.7 |
Note that a grade of "C" is, according to academic regulations, "satisfactory," while a "B" is "good." That means that a "B" is better than average, better than satisfactory, better than adequate. The average grade, then, is a "C"; a grade of "B" requires effort and accomplishment.
January 9
St. Adrian of Canterbury (d. 710) |
January 11 Blessed
William Carter (d.
1584) Read Introductions to Julian and Richard Rolle. Read the
first three chapters of Julian, pp. 37-41
and Rolle, end of "Form of Living,"
pp. 181-3. For Julian, the question is,
what does sickness have to do with mysticism? For Rolle,
the question is, why differentiate the active from the contemplative
life? |
January 16 NO CLASS: MLK jr. Day |
January 18 Due-- a brief exercise in Middle
English language Christina
Ciccarelli, virgin |
January 23 Raymond
(of Peñafort), monk |
January 25 Paul,
apostle (Conversion) |
January 30 Bathildis,
queen (of France) |
February 1
Bridget, virgin, abbess, martyr |
February 6 Barsanuphius,
anchoret Rolle "The Form of Living" Julian chapter 54-55: what is the wellspring of mystic vision? |
February 8 Cuthman
Midterm paper due |
February 13 Kentigern
|
February 15 Sigfrid,
bishop, confessor (sometimes martyr), Apostle of Sweden |
February 20 Mildred, abbess Margery Kempe, chapters 12 through 32
(Chapter 18: Margery meets Julian; Chapter 28, she starts her crying) |
February 22 Chair
of Peter the Apostle Margery Kempe, chapters 33 through 45,
including chapter 35, Margery's marriage with Jesus; and chapter 36,
"thinking, weeping, high contemplation" |
February 27 Nestor,
bishop, martyr |
March 1 St.
David of Wales (d. 589?) |
March 6 Colette,
abbess |
March 8
Felix, bishop (of Dunwich,
Suffolk), martyr
|
March 13 Gerald,
bishop |
March 15 DUE: term paper
Longinus, martyr
|
The Orb | The Labyrinth | The Richard Rolle Page | Julian of Norwich Page, Julia Bolton Holloway | Mapping Margery Kempe
General resources