English 2210: World Literature II

The goals of the World Literature courses are:

‣ to provide a program of guided reading of works acclaimed in different times and cultures from antiquity to the present
‣ to provide a very broad framework of cultural history in which to read the works
‣ to explore methods and assumptions of literary and cultural analysis
‣ to help students develop the related skills of careful reading and effective writing

These general goals lead to the following specific student learning objectives:

‣ to develop the ability to read literary texts carefully and closely
‣ to develop understanding of the methods and assumptions of literary and cultural analysis
‣ to gain a good working knowledge and understanding of the texts read
‣ to gain a good understanding of the literary and cultural contexts of the texts read and be able to interpret them within these contexts
‣ to gain a general but clear sense of the literary and/or cultural history of the periods covered in the course and be able to situate the readings chronologically within that history
‣ to develop the ability to write well-supported and persuasive interpretations of literary texts

Schedule of Readings & Assignments

Texts

There is one required book for this class, available at the University Bookstore:

‣ The Longman Anthology of World Literature - Volume II (D,E,F) - Second Edition

The textbook is also available on Amazon, but if you go that route, make sure you will receive your book in time for class. When I provide electronic readings, I expect that you bring some paper-based form to class to annotate and make reference to.

General Class Policies

Course-specific Guidelines

Grade Breakdown

30%

Exams

20%

Final

10%

Midterm

20%

Short Weekly Responses

30%

Papers (2, 15% each)

10% In-Class Discussion Leading
10% Class Attendance, Discussion, and Participation



Exams
You will be evaluated periodically for your mastery of content knowledge, i.e. your understanding of points of fact (time periods, vocabulary, etc.) which will have been presented in the readings and in class. I reserve the right to include pop quizzes, if necessary.

In-Class Discussion Leading
At the beginning of the second week, I will pass around a signup sheet listing days for in-class presentations, which will occur at the beginning of class. You (and a partner, if you choose) will be responsible for a 10-20 minute presentation on one of the texts for the day's class. Your presentation should aim to explain the work, situate it in its author’s larger body of work and in its moment, and evaluate it in some way (see my rubric here). You should prepare typed notes for your presentation; these should not be in essay or script form but rather should be an outline that allows you to structure your remarks, refer to particular passages (if necessary), and remember what the hell it was you were just talking about. These notes will be collected, along with an annotated works cited sheet. If our classroom is "smart," you may choose to take advantage of our ability to show DVD clips, pages of text, and the like.

Formal Papers
Formal writing in this discipline must conform to a consistent citation format (MLA, Chicago, etc.), in 12 point clear font, double-spaced, with 1 inch margins. Work is due by 5 PM on the specified due date, via the Blackboard site's "Paper Assignments" turn-in. We will run a test prior to the first submission. Extensions on formal paper assignments (including drafts and proposals) will only be granted with more than 48 hours' notice. Late work without a prior extension will not be accepted.

A complete grading rubric is included in this syllabus. Remember: I grade you on the work I see, not on your good intentions. I expect that you will have personally proofread (and ideally, had someone else read over) your formal writing prior to handing it in. Egregious grammar errors, typos, improper citation, formatting errors, etc. are unacceptable on formal writing assignments, as they imply sloppy thought and hasty writing. Papers with such errors will be marked down a letter grade.


Informal Weekly Writing
On weeks where we meet as a group, you will write once a week in response to each other and to our assigned readings, using Blackboard. Your responses should be at least 250 words in length and should demonstrate that you have read and carefully thought about the assigned reading.

You will be assigned one of two due dates - either Monday or Wednesday at 9 PM (in other words, the night before one of our class periods.) You should use this forum to:

‣ask substantive questions about the text assigned for the next class
‣to make connections among texts
‣to identify the central arguments of a given piece
‣to identify what you see as important themes and issues

I am less interested in what you liked or disliked about the reading (although that may be relevant to your response) than in what issues you found central and why. You might also think of these pieces as useful practice for your formal writing.

As we proceed, I will point out questions and responses that I think are particularly strong (and you can check some out from a prior class here), so that you may consider them as models for your future work. I will also provide additional feedback about your individual progress in this area when you request it. Each week, I will grade your online contributions as excellent (A/90-100), good (B/80-90), satisfactory (C/70-79), poor (D/60-69), and not adequate (F/below 60). You will be able to keep track of your grades via Blackboard.

Late work in this category will be accepted up to one week afterward but will not be graded higher than a C. Missed work is automatically recorded as an F. Multiple weeks of missing questions and responses will jeopardize your ability to pass the course.