You will be required to read every text and attend every class for the sake of contributing to our collective understanding of the text. In other words, "what did I miss?" is the wrong question; the right question is "what did I fail to contribute?"
You are required to have a copy of the text under discussion in front of you at all times. For emphasis, let me repeat: you are required to have a copy of the text under discussion in front of you at all times.
You are required to write one short paper during the course of the term. For this paper, you may pick any of the course readings, whether we have discussed it or not, and write a three or four page paper in which you posit a convincing reading of the text. On Tuesday, Sept. 14, as part of the course introduction, I will explain what it means to offer a written "reading," what an explication is, and what a research paper entails. Your short paper will be due on a date of your choosing, before Hallowe'en.
You are required to write a research paper, that is due November 18. The real answer to the length question is that it needs to be as long as is required for a thorough discussion of your research topic. For example, if your topic and title are "A Life of Sir Thomas More" I'll expect something in excess of 200 pages. So, unless you think you can write a 200 page work of high quality between now and November 18, you should avoid choosing such a large topic. I don't give the artificial answer to the length question (that answer being a specific number of pages) for reasons I'll provide if asked. On Tuesday, Sept. 14, as part of the course introduction, I will explain what it means to offer a written "reading," what an explication is, and what a research paper entails.
There will be a midterm and a final exam.