ENG 120-G: WORLD LITERATURE I

SPRING 1999

ENG 120-G: WORLD LITERATURE I

COURSE SYLLABUS

Click here for an index of names and pictures of students in this course

Professor: Dr. Fidel Fajardo-Acosta
Course: ENG 120, Section G, Call # 1807
Class Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:45 AM
Classroom: Instructional Technology Classroom, Reinert Alumni Library Building (RL), Room L02
Course Dates: Thursday, January 14-Monday, May 3, 1999
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00AM-1:45 PM and by appointment
Office: Hitchcock Communication Arts Building (CA) Room 304A
Office Telephone: (402) 280-2522
e-mail: fajardo@creighton.edu
WWW Home Page: http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/fajardo/

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A study of representative works of world literature from Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. The course emphasizes the study of the literary, cultural, and human significance of selected great works of the Western and non-Western literary traditions. An important goal of the class is to promote an understanding of the works in their cultural/historical contexts and of the enduring human values which unite the different literary traditions. Readings include originals and translations; works of prose and poetry; epics, drama, lyric poems, and novels.

TEXTBOOKS

Maynard Mack, et al, eds., The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces , Expanded Edition, Volume 1, (Norton, 1995).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES

1) Writing Portfolio (25%)

Students will be required to write a minimum of 1 page (approx. 250-300 words per page) for each of the works studied (14 total). The writing should be in essay style. While the precise emphasis of the writing will be up to each student, the instructor will provide a variety of questions intended to motivate thought and reflection. Students are invited to answer any or all of those questions and to formulate and pursue questions of their own. All writing however must be clearly relevant to the assigned readings and the concerns of the class. All essays must be neatly typewritten according to the guidelines ("Writing Papers: Some Rules") provided by the instructor. The portfolio of essays must be brought to class and submitted to the instructor whenever required. Students should keep a copy of all work submitted. In addition to the required writing, students are welcome and encouraged to write further and to expand, clarify, or develop given ideas, lines of reflection, or trains of thought. Also encouraged is the inclusion of other materials (creative writing, art work, drawings/sketches, clippings, and any other relevant items). Portfolios will be graded on the basis of content, effort, thoughtfulness, understanding, analytical accomplishment, creativity, and presentation. For further information on the grading of essays see "Grading of Essays and Other Written Work."

2) Midterm Exam (20%) and Final Exam (25%).

The midterms and final exams will be essay examinations asking students to read closely, analyze, and interpret a particular passage from one of the texts studied and/or develop a theme/issue related to the readings, lectures, and class discussions. The same criteria which apply to papers will be used in the grading of exams. Students should expect to do a substantial amount of writing (4-6 handwritten pages) during an exam and must bring paper and pens to each examination (no pencils please). All handwriting in an exam must be neat and easily legible. No credit will be given for illegible exams.

3) Presentations (20%)

Students in the course will be divided into small groups which will take turns throughout the semester making presentations about the literary texts and authors studied (see Schedule below in this syllabus for specific group assignments). Teams will be responsible for researching relevant facts, background, and context and presenting their findings to the class. In addition to essential facts (content, history, authorship, cultural significance, etc.) presentations may also offer analysis and interpretation of the texts. All information presented must be relevant to the understanding of the texts--materials not clearly useful in the interpretation of the literature should not be included in the presentations. Highly encouraged, whenever possible, is the use of audiovisual materials (pictures, slides, videotapes, audio recordings, computer presentations, web pages, etc.). Presentations may also include creative work by the presenters such as play skits, readings, performances, art work, etc. In general, students should strive to deliver clear, well-developed, lively, creative and interesting presentations. Group presentations should range in length from around 30 minutes to a maximum of one class period (individual group members should plan to speak for about 5-15 minutes). While the members of a group will work together in the preparation of the presentations, performance will be evaluated individually.

4) In-Class Work, Participation, and Out-of-Class Special Events (10%)

In addition to other work, the instructors will assess and grade each student's overall accomplishment, development, and involvement in the course. This grade will take into account all aspects of a student's performance, including attendance, class participation, class preparation, contributions, effort, attentiveness, interest, improvement, responsibility, etc.

In addition to scheduled classes and examinations, all students are required to attend at least two out-of-class events such as special lectures, poetry/fiction readings, films, plays, exhibits, or live performances relevant to the understanding and appreciation of the course materials. Unless otherwise directed by the instructor, students must write a report/analysis (at least one page) of each of the events attended. Special events arranged for this semester are the following:

The Brigit Saint Brigit performance of Tennessee William's The Glass Menagerie (April, details to be announced)
Professor Summiko Otsubo's lecture on Japanese history and literature ( April, details to be announced)

Students unable to attend the events listed above can satisfy the requirement by attending the alternative events listed in the document "World Literature Program Special Events" or by using the videotapes on reserve at the library for the World Literature courses. Students may also make suggestions for alternative out-of-class events (events suggested by students must be approved by the instructor in order to count toward satisfaction of the requirement). Special efforts by students attending more than two events will be taken into consideration in the grading of this category. Notice that students using alternative or videotaped events must write a one-page report/analysis for each event.

5) Deadlines, Attendance, Grading, and Other Policies

Deadlines: Make-ups/extensions for a missed deadline will only be given in cases of documented serious illness or other valid, non-frivolous excuse such as documented participation in official University sports or academic/service events (it will be up to the instructors to determine and decide on the acceptability of an excuse). Otherwise, students must meet all deadlines specified in the syllabus.
Attendance: An attendance measurement will be calculated equal to the percentage of total class time attended. The course grade may not exceed that percentage (i.e. if the student attended only 75% of the class time, the course grade may not be higher than 75 or C, on a 0-100 point scale where 90-100 = A, 87-89 = B+, 80-86 = B, 77-79 = C+, 70-76 = C, 60-69 = D, and 0-59 = F). Notice also that, at the discretion of the instructors, any student missing more than 30% of the total class time may fail the course.
Student Conduct and Academic Honesty: All students in the class are expected to observe the University's guidelines on student conduct as described in Creighton University's Student Handbook (see "Code of Conduct," and especially the section on "Academic Misconduct" dealing with problems of plagiarism, cheating, etc.). Plagiarism-- the unacknowledged use of outside help and sources (Cliff notes, books, articles, other student papers or ideas, etc.)--will result in failing the assignment and/or the entire course.
Grading: All aspects of the course will be graded on a 0-100 point scale where 90-100 = A, 87-89 = B+, 80-86 = B, 77-79 = C+, 70-76 = C, 60-69 = D, and 0-59 = F). The course's policies and standards on grading are specified in the documents entitled "Grading Standards and Procedures" and "Grading of Essays and Other Written Work." At the discretion of the instructor, a normative curve may be applied to the cumulative grade averages at the end of the term. The course grade will be calculated according to the following formula:

Writing Portfolio	25%
Final Exam	25%
Midterm Exam	20%
Presentations	20%
In-Class Work, Participation, etc.	10%
Total	100%

COURSE SCHEDULE

All reading is due on the date indicated. Read the introductions and preliminary materials as well as the literary texts for all assignments. Click on the individual subjects for study questions.

Thu Jan 14