SPRING 2011
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A study of
representative works of world literature from Antiquity, the Middle
Ages, and the Renaissance. The course emphasizes the study and consideration of
the literary, cultural, and human significance of selected 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. The
course's pedagogy gives special attention to critical thinking and writing
within a framework of cultural diversity as well as comparative and
interdisciplinary analysis.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AND OTHER MATERIALS
Texbooks available at the University
Bookstore:
Online outlines on
authors and texts studied in the course available at: http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES
1) Two ONE-HOUR Exams (15 % each)
The exams will include questions engaging historical and cultural information,
events, dates, geographical places, authors, texts, genres, characters, plots,
interpretation, and other facts and details. Question formats may include
multiple choice, short answer, short essay, map identifications, and other.
Exams will cover the information offered in lectures, readings, and in the course's
web outlines (available through the links in the online syllabus). Questions
will test students' comprehension of the assigned readings and lectures, as
well as command of textual and contextual facts as well as of historicized
interpretations discussed in class. BOTH EXAMS WILL BE TAKEN BY STUDENTS ONLINE THROUGH THE BLUELINE
SYSTEM. Students will be able to choose the specific time when they want to
take the exam within an assigned range of days (see schedule below for EXAM 1 AND EXAM 2). NOTICE HOWEVER THIS
IS A TIMED EXAM
WHICH THE STUDENT MUST COMPLETE WITHIN A CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF ONE HOUR (ONCE
YOU START IT YOU HAVE TO FINISH IT WITHIN AN HOUR)-- NO RETAKES ALLOWED
EXCEPT IN CASES OF DOCUMENTED TECHNICAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS INTERNET CONNECTIVITY
FAILURES OR COMPUTER CRASHES -- NOTICE ANY RETAKES WILL BE ASSESSED A POINT
PENALTY (in order to avoid problems and grade penalties, it is strongly
recommended you take the exam using a reliable computer and internet connection
such as those provided by the university in computer labs and in the library). YOU ARE ALLOWED TO USE YOUR NOTES, ONLINE
OUTLINES, AND TEXTBOOKS WHILE TAKING THE EXAM BUT YOU MAY NOT GIVE OR RECEIVE
ASSISTANCE TO/FROM ANYONE AS THAT CONSTITUTES ACADEMIC DISHONESTY. ALL STUDENTS
WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIGN A PLEDGE OF ACADEMIC HONESTY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
EXAM.
2) Essay (20%)
The essay assignment
will ask 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, or class discussions. For essay grading criteria see "Grading
of Essays and Other Written Work". Students must follow the guidelines
provided by the instructor (click here for details). For further
information on the writing and grading of papers see Grading
Standards and Procedures, and Grading
of Essays and Other Written Work. Essay length will be around 3-5 pages (approximately 250 words per page,
double spaced). Students will be offered the option of re-writing the essay after
the first grading (see deadlines for Essay
and Revised Essay -- the revision is not required
-- the essay grade will be the higher of the two). All
essays must be submitted electronically through Blueline
in Word .doc or docx or Rich Text Format .rtf
3) Term Project &
Presentation (25%)
Each student will design and complete a term project on any aspect of the
materials and fields of study of the course. Projects
may take the form of PAPERS
(5-10 PAGES), CREATIVE WRITING (ALSO 5-10 PAGES OF ORIGINAL FICTION OR POETRY),
PAINTING, MUSIC, SCULPTURE, FILM, DANCE, PERFORMANCE PIECES, DOCUMENTARIES,
WEBSITES, ETC.). Students are encouraged to be creative and
imaginative and to choose material and media which are interesting and
stimulating. Art works of all kinds are acceptable and encouraged provided they
are relevant and provide insight into some aspect of the materials and
historical periods studied -- written reflections accompanying creative
projects and clarifying their nature and significance are welcome though not
required. ALL PROJECTS MUST
BE PERSONAL AND ORIGINAL AND MUST BE PRODUCED BY THE STUDENT FOR THE SPECIFIC
PURPOSES OF THE CLASS. Recycling projects from other classes or
attempting to use work not produced specifically for this course will be
considered forms of academic dishonesty (see policy below).
All projects must be approved by the instructor in advance (see
Schedule below for project proposal deadline ). ALL PROJECTS MUST BE PRESENTED TO THE CLASS
AT THE END OF THE TERM DURING THE WEEK OF FINAL EXAMS. PRESENTATIONS MUST BE NO
LONGER THAN FIVE MINUTES(see
Schedule below for dates of presentations). For
their project presentations, students are encouraged to use media such as powerpoint slides or other
audiovisual materials. NOTICE
HOWEVER THAT A FIVE-MINUTE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BY ITSELF IS NOT ACCEPTABLE
AS THE ENTIRE PROJECT -- Powerpoint
is a fine medium for a presentations accompanying a project and also the medium
for the project itself but it must extend beyond the materials shown during the
presentation. Notice this limitation does not apply to live performance pieces,
though it is also recommended that students submit an outline or other written
reflection clarifying the significance, connections, and relevance of the work
to the materials studied in class. Students choosing to write a paper must
follow the instructor's "Guidelines
for Papers"). For further information on the writing and grading of
papers see Grading
Standards and Procedures, and Grading
of Essays and Other Written Work. ALL PROJECTS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ELECTRONIC FORM AND SHOULD BE
UPLOADED TO BLUELINE -- UPLOADED PROJECTS WILL BE VIEWABLE TO ALL STUDENTS --
STUDENTS DOING ART WORK LIKE PAINTINGS, SCULPTURES, POSTERS, OR OTHER VISUAL
DISPLAYS MUST SUBMIT DIGITAL PHOTOS OF THE WORK INCLUDING VARIOUS VIEWS OF THE
ENTIRE WORK AND OF SIGNIFICANT DETAILS. Acceptable project
e-formats include: Word docs, .rtf files, Powerpoint presentations,
Excel spreadsheets, digital photos, .pdf files, links
to websites, digital audio or video recordings, etc. -- if your file is very
large (i.e. over 50 megabytes) you should post it online to a site of your own
or a public site like YouTube or Prezi.com.
4) Participation and
Other Performance (25%)
In addition to other grades, the instructor will assess and grade each
student's overall accomplishment, development, and involvement in the course.
This grade will take into account aspects of a student's performance such as
class participation, preparation, contributions, effort, attentiveness, interest,
improvement, responsibility, etc.
5) Out-of-Class Events
All students in the course are encouraged to attend recommended out-of-class
events such as lectures, poetry/fiction readings, films, plays, exhibits,
performances, etc. relevant to the understanding and appreciation of the course
materials. Recommended events include the following:
6) 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 (it will be up
to the instructor to determine and decide on the acceptability of an excuse).
Otherwise, students must meet all deadlines specified in the syllabus.
Attendance Policy: 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 a
student attended only 75% of the total class time, the course grade may not be
higher than 75 or C according to a 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 instructor, any student missing more than 30% of
the total class time may fail the course. All absences, regardless of the
reason, are taken into account in the calculation of the attendance percentage.
NOTICE THIS POLICY HAS A
BUILT-IN MARGIN OF TOLERANCE BUT ALL ABSENCES, REGARDLESS OF THE REASON, COUNT
TOWARD THE ATTENDANCE POLICY. STUDENTS ARE WELCOME TO PROVIDE
EXCUSES/EXPLANATIONS FOR AN ABSENCE AS A COURTESY TO THE INSTRUCTOR.
Academic Honesty and
Class Conduct Policy: All students in the class are expected to observe the
University's guidelines on student conduct as described in the Code of Conduct and Creighton University's Student Handbook
(especially the section on "Academic Honesty Policy" dealing with
problems of plagiarism, cheating, etc.). All work turned in for credit in this
course must be personal and original, produced during the course of the
semester and for the specific purposes and according to the guidelines of the
given assignments. Any misrepresentations, concealments, or distortions of
source, origin, collaboration or authorship of such materials will be
considered forms of academic dishonesty and will result in failing the given
assignment or, at the discretion of the instructor, the entire course. Problems
such as repeated lateness arriving to class (or departing early),
inattentiveness, or disruptive behavior will adversely affect attendance and/or
the class participation grade. Seriously disruptive behavior can also result,
at the discretion of the instructor, in more severe penalties, including
failing the entire course.
Email Communication: The
University considers a student's Creighton email address the official means of
communication with faculty and administrators. All students are responsible for
checking their email messages as they might contain important and
time-sensitive information relevant to the course, including notifications on
changes to reading and other assignments, deadlines, class cancellations or reschedulings, etc. A student who prefers to receive email
at a different address must inform the instructor.
Special Needs or
Accommodations: Any student requiring special arrangements or other accommodations,
due to disabilities and or other special circumstances, is encouraged to
request such arrangements from the instructor and the Office of Disability Accommodations.
Disruption of Normal
Classroom Activities: In the unlikely event of disruption of normal classroom
activities due to epidemic outbreaks or other dangerous medical conditions,
natural disasters, severe weather conditions or other causes, the class will
relocate to a vritual classroom in Blueline Blueline
(https://blueline.creighton.edu) where lectures and discussions will
continue as normally as possible. The instructor will contact students by email
with specific instructions and details of the online class setting. Students
are obligated to check their email and log on to Blueline
regularly, and specially when unusual circumstances
develop, to look for announcements in this respect.
Grading
All aspects of the course will be graded on a 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. For
further information on grading see 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 grades at the end of the term.
The course grade will be calculated according to the following formula:
|
Two Exams |
30% |
|
Essay |
20% |
|
Term Project and Presentation |
25% |
|
Participation and Other Performance |
25% |
|
Total |
100% |
All reading is due on the date indicated. Click on the
author name and the text title in the online syllabus for factual information,
terminology, and study questions. In addition to the online materials, students
are also required to read the introductions and background materials in the
textbook for all authors and texts studied.
Online outlines on authors and texts studied in the course available at:
http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/
(click on the links in the schedule
below to access the individual outlines)
Any readings not found in the textbooks or through the links
in this syllabus will be available on Blueline(blueline.creighton.edu)
(log on with your Creighton NetID as the username and
the corresponding password)
Thu Jan 13
ADVANCE WARNING: THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH IS SCHEDULED FOR
DISCUSSION NEXT WEEK AND IS A SOMEWHAT LONG TEXT -- IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED
THAT YOU START READING IT NOW AND OVER THE WEEKEND.
Tue Jan 18
Thu Jan 20
ADVANCE WARNING: HOMER'S ODYSSEY IS SCHEDULED FOR
DISCUSSION NEXT WEEK AND IS A LONG TEXT -- IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU
START READING IT NOW. EVEN IF YOU HAVE READ IT IN THE PAST, YOU MUST RE-READ IT FOR THIS
COURSE.
Tue Jan 25
Thu Jan 27
Tue Feb 01
Thu Feb
03
Tue Feb
8
Thu Feb
10
Thu Feb 17
EXAM #1: DUE MONDAY FEBRUARY 21 AT 5:PM
THIS IS AN ONLINE EXAM AND WILL BE AVAILABLE IN BLUELINE STARTING ON THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE MONDAY
DEADLINE -- NOTICE THE EXAM IS TIMED AND YOU
MUST FINISH IT WITHIN A CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF ONE HOUR (ONCE
YOU START IT YOU HAVE TO FINISH IT WITHIN THE ALLOWED HOUR)-- NO RETAKES ALLOWED EXCEPT IN CASES OF DOCUMENTED
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS INTERNET CONNECTIVITY FAILURES OR COMPUTER CRASHES
-- NOTICE ANY RETAKES WILL BE ASSESSED A POINT PENALTY (in order to avoid
problems and grade penalties, it is strongly recommended you take the exam
using a reliable computer and internet connection such as those provided by the
university in computer labs and in the library). YOU
ARE ALLOWED TO USE YOUR NOTES, ONLINE OUTLINES, AND TEXTBOOKS WHILE TAKING THE
EXAM BUT YOU MAY NOT GIVE OR RECEIVE ASSISTANCE TO/FROM ANYONE AS THAT
CONSTITUTES ACADEMIC DISHONESTY. ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIGN A PLEDGE
OF ACADEMIC HONESTY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EXAM.
Tue Feb 22
Thu Feb
24
Tue Mar
01
Thu Mar
03
ADVANCE WARNING: DANTE'S INFERNO IS SCHEDULED FOR
DISCUSSION AFTER THE BREAK AND IS A LONG AND DIFFICULT TEXT -- IT IS STRONGLY
RECOMMENDED THAT YOU START READING IT NOW. EVEN IF YOU HAVE READ IT IN THE
PAST, YOU MUST RE-READ IT FOR THIS COURSE.
Tue Mar 08
Thu Mar
10
Tue Mar
15
ADVANCE WARNING: THE TERM
PROJECT PROPOSAL IS DUE NEXT CLASS
Tue Mar
22
Thu Mar
24
Thu Mar
31
EXAM #2 : DUE MONDAY APRIL 4 AT 5:PM
THIS IS AN ONLINE EXAM AND WILL BE AVAILABLE IN BLUELINE STARTING ON THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE MONDAY
DEADLINE -- NOTICE THE EXAM IS TIMED AND YOU
MUST FINISH IT WITHIN A CONTINUOUS PERIOD OF ONE HOUR (ONCE
YOU START IT YOU HAVE TO FINISH IT WITHIN THE ALLOWED HOUR)-- NO RETAKES ALLOWED EXCEPT IN CASES OF DOCUMENTED
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS SUCH AS INTERNET CONNECTIVITY FAILURES OR COMPUTER CRASHES
-- NOTICE ANY RETAKES WILL BE ASSESSED A POINT PENALTY (in order to avoid
problems and grade penalties, it is strongly recommended you take the exam
using a reliable computer and internet connection such as those provided by the
university in computer labs and in the library). YOU
ARE ALLOWED TO USE YOUR NOTES, ONLINE OUTLINES, AND TEXTBOOKS WHILE TAKING THE
EXAM BUT YOU MAY NOT GIVE OR RECEIVE ASSISTANCE TO/FROM ANYONE AS THAT
CONSTITUTES ACADEMIC DISHONESTY. ALL STUDENTS WILL BE REQUIRED TO SIGN A PLEDGE
OF ACADEMIC HONESTY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EXAM.
Tue Apr 05
Thu Apr
07
Tue Apr
12
Thu Apr
14
Tue Apr
19
Thu Apr
21
Tue Apr
26
Thu Apr
28
Tue May 03, 08:00-10:00 AM, HARPER 4053
Thu
May 05, 10:00-11:40 AM, HARPER 4053
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