SPRING 2009
ENG 121: WORLD LITERATURE II
COURSE SYLLABUS

Professor: Fidel Fajardo-Acosta
Course: ENG 121, Section R, CRN 10247
Class Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:45 PM
Classroom: Creighton Hall (Old Administration Building) Room 432
Course Dates: Thursday January 15 - Thursday, May 7 2009
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00-3:00 PM and by appointment
Office: Creighton Hall (Old Administration Building) Room 139 B
Office Telephone: (402) 280-2522
email: fajardo@creighton.edu
Web Home Pages:

http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/fajardo/
http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A study of representative works of world literature from the seventeenth century to the present. The course emphasizes the study and consideration of the literary, cultural, and human significance of selected great works of the Western and non-Western literary traditions, including women's, minority, and ethnic literature from around the world. 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.

TEXTBOOKS (available at the Creighton Bookstore; texts and other materials may also be acquired from other sources):

Required:

• Paul Davis, Gary Harrison, The Bedford Anthology of World Literature, Package B (Volumes 4, 5, 6) (Bedford / St. Martins, 2003). ISBN 0–312–40482–4

Recommended (NOT required):

Ron Hansen, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Harper Perennial, 1997). ISBN-10: 0060976993, ISBN-13: 978-0060976996

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1) One 5-Page paper written in two stages, draft and final copy (25%)

Papers will respond to a question or questions provided by the instructor and must offer close reading and analysis of the literary or other passages supplied with the assignment. All papers must be clearly focused on the development and proof of the student's own original and personal thesis interpreting the given passages and constructively building on ideas and perspectives relevant to the course. The methodology should be primarily close reading, textual analysis, and personal commentary rather than research or reporting on the ideas of others. Research may be incorporated into the papers to support certain ideas or establish facts but it cannot constitute the focus or the bulk of the paper. Any outside ideas and sources cited or consulted (including the source of the text under analysis) must be clearly acknowledged and included in an alphabetically-arranged list of WORKS CITED at the end of the paper as well as page or other references placed in parenthesis after the material quoted or paraphrased in the body of the paper. Direct quotation and detailed commentary on the text under analysis are essential but long, block quotations should be avoided. The paper will be developed in TWO STAGES: FIRST DRAFT and FINAL COPY. All drafts will be submitted electronically through the appropriate drop box in the "Lessons" area of Blueline (Microsoft Word .doc or Rich Text Format .rtf). The instructor will offer comments, corrections, and suggestions for the revision of the draft. The final copy will be submitted as a paper printout. Only the grade of the final copy will be taken into account in the calculation of the course grade (if the grade of the revision is lower than the grade of the draft, the latter will be used in the calculation of the course grade). DO NOT EXCEED THE MAXIMUM 5-PAGE LENGTH IN EITHER THE DRAFT OR THE FINAL COPY (1 page = approx. 250 words). All papers 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. See schedule below for deadlines.

2) Quizzes (25%)

At least three quizzes will be administered during the semester testing students' observance and completion of the reading assignments as well as knowledge of dates, names, facts, terminology, contextual information, and ideas presented in lectures and/or discussed in class. Students will be allowed about 10-15 minutes for the completion of each quiz.

3) Term project and presentation (25%)

All students are required to design and complete a term project which may be an original paper or a creative work such as a short story, play, a set of poems, original art work (paintings, drawings, collages, dance, music, film, web sites, performance pieces, etc.). The projects will be evaluated on the basis of relevance, insight, thoughtfulness, effort and significant engagement of some aspect of the issues, ideas, or materials studied in the course. All work must be original, personal and clearly relevant and related to the class materials. Each student will make an in-class presentation describing and/or performing her/his project. Use of audiovisual materials in presentations is encouraged. All projects must be approved by the instructor in advance (see Schedule below for Project Proposal deadline). Students choosing to write a paper for their term project 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. Suggested minimum length of written works is about 5 typewritten, double-spaced pages (1 page = about 250 words). Written work must be submitted in paper printout form.

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, and constructive engagement of the course materials and ideas.

5) Attendance to two out-of-class events

All students in the course are required to attend at least TWO 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. Satisfaction of this requirement will be taken into account in the attendance calculation (each event counts as one class session) and in the "Participation and Other Performance" grade category. For each event attended students must write a one-page paper reporting and reflecting on the significance of the experience and its relevance to the course (approx. 250 words).Events for this fall include the following:

• Lecture, Ron Hansen, author of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Friday, April 3rd, 3:30 PM, Harper Center Auditorium. Attendance to this lecture is required. If you are not able to attend, a videotaped version of the lecture will be available sometime after the event. It is recommended that students read the novel prior to the lecture. NOTE: No writing will be required for this event if the student signs the instructor's attendance sheet at the time of the lecture.
  
  
• Other events (to be announced) (one page of writing is required reporting on the event attended)

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 such as documented participation in official University academic or service events (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). 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 from regularly scheduled classes, regardless of the reason, will be taken into account in the calculation of the attendance percentage.

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.) These and other relevant documents can be found on the web pages of the Creighton Center for Student Integrity. 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 misrepresentation, concealment, distortion, or lack of acknowledgment of authorship, source, origin, or collaboration with others will be considered a form 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, and disruptive or disrespectful behavior will adversely affect attendance and/or the class participation grade. Seriously disruptive or disrespectful 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 Office of Disability Accommodations and also inform the instructor.

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:

CLASS SCHEDULE

All reading is due on the date indicated. Click on the author name and the text title in the online syllabus for outlines of background facts and study questions. In addition to the online materials, students are urged to read the introductions and background materials in the textbook.

Study outlines may also be reached by visiting:
http://fajardo-acosta.com/worldlit/

Thu Jan 15

• Introduction to Literature and the Enlightenment
• Read:
  • Understanding Literature (click on the link to access the document)
• Definitions of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment (look up these terms in your Glossary)
• "The Eighteenth Century" (Bedford Anthology, Book 4, pp. 2-9)
• Read: "Europe: The Age of Enlightenment" (Bedford Anthology, Book 4, pp. 11-17)

Tue Jan 20

• Read:
  • Jean Baptiste Poquelin Molière's Tartuffe, text and introduction (Bedford Anthology, Book 4, pp. 17-87)
  • Author Study Outline: Jean Baptiste Poquelin Molière
  • Text Study Outline: Tartuffe (click on each of these two links to access the outlines and study questions)

Thu Jan 22

• Tartuffe

Tue Jan 27

• Tartuffe

Thu Jan 29

• Read:
  • François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire's Candide, text and introduction (Bedford Anthology, Book 4, pp. 269-338)
  • Author Study Outline: François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire
  • Text Study Outline: Candide

Tue Feb 03

• Candide

Thu Feb 05

• QUIZ # 1
• Candide

Tue Feb 10

• Read:
  • Definition of Romanticism (look up the term in your Glossary)
  • "The Nineteenth Century" (Bedford Anthology, Book 5, pp. 2-11)
  • "Europe: Industry and Nationalism" (Bedford Anthology, Book 5, pp. 13-21)
  • Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust (Bedford Anthology, Book 5, pp. 23-178)
  • Author Study Outline: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
  • Text Study Outline: Faust

Thu Feb 12

• Faust

Tue Feb 17

• Faust

Thu Feb 19

• Read:
  • Definition of Realism (look up the term in your Glossary)
  • "The Nineteenth Century" (Bedford Anthology, Book 5, pp. 2-11)
  • "Europe: Industry and Nationalism" (Bedford Anthology, Book 5, pp. 13-21)
  • Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard
  • Author Study Outline: Anton Chekhov
  • Text Study Outline: The Cherry Orchard

Tue Feb 24

• PAPER DRAFT DUE (do not exceed 5-PAGE limit [1 PAGE = APPROX. 250 WORDS], submit in electronic form, Microsoft Word .doc or.rtf format via drop box in "Lessons" area of Blueline; follow guidelines provided by the instructor)
• The Cherry Orchard

Thu Feb 26

• QUIZ # 2
• The Cherry Orchard

Tue Mar 03

• Read:
  • Emily Dickinson (Bedford Anthology, Book 5, pp. 906-918)
  • Additional poems by Emily Dickinson in handout (see Blueline)
  • Author Study Outline: Emily Dickinson
  • Text Study Outline: selected poems

Thu Mar 05

• Emily Dickinson

Tue Mar 10

• SPRING BREAK

Thu Mar 12

• SPRING BREAK

Tue Mar 17

• Read:
  • "The Twentieth Century" (Bedford Anthology, Book 6, pp. 2-29)
  • Definition of Modernism (look up the term in your Glossary)
  • T. S. Eliot 's "The Waste Land " (Bedford Anthology, Book 6, pp. 473-481, 486-501)
  • Author Study Outline: T. S. Eliot,
  • Text Study Outline: "The Waste Land"

Thu Mar 19

• "The Waste Land"

Tue Mar 24

• Read:
  • Lu Xun's "The Diary of a Madman" (handout, see Blueline Lessons)
  • Introduction to Lu Xun (Bedford Anthology, Book 6, pp. 331-334)
  • Author study outline: Lu Xun
  • Text study outline: "Diary of a Madman"

Thu Mar 26

• PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE (brief one-paragraph descriptions of project, including topic, medium/materials, ideas to be explored; may be emailed or submitted in print)
• "Diary of a Madman"
  

Tue Mar 31

• Read:
  • Samuel Beckett's Endgame, Online text: (click here or here)
  • Introduction to Samuel Beckett (Bedford Anthology, Book 6, pp. 770-774)
  • Author study outline: Samuel Beckett
  • Text study outline: Endgame

Thu Apr 02

• PAPER FINAL COPY DUE (do not exceed 5-PAGE limit, submit in PAPER PRINTOUT form; follow guidelines provided by the instructor)
• Endgame

Fri Apr 03

• Lecture, Ron Hansen, author of The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. 3:30 PM, Harper Center Auditorium. Attendance to this lecture is required. If you are not able to attend, a videotaped version of the lecture will be made available sometime after the lecture. It is recommended that students read the novel prior to the lecture.

Tue Apr 07

• Read:
  • Naguib Mahfouz's "Zaabalawi" (Bedford Anthology, Book 6, pp. 797-811)
  • Author study outline: Naguib Mahfouz
  • Text study outline: "Zaabalawi"

Thu Apr 09

• "Zaabalawi"

Tue Apr 14

• Read:
  • Definition of Postmodernism (look up the term in your Glossary)
  • Jorge Luis Borges's "The Garden of Forking Paths" (Bedford Anthology, Book 6, pp. 648-659)
  • Author study outline: Jorge Luis Borges
  • Text study outline: "The Garden of Forking Paths"

Thu Apr 16

• "The Garden of Forking Paths"

Tue Apr 21

• Read:
  • Leslie Marmon Silko's "Yellow Woman" (handout, see Blueline Lessons)
  • Introduction to Leslie Marmon Silko (Bedford Anthology, pp. 1327-1332)
  • Author study outline: Leslie Marmon Silko
  • Text study outline: "Yellow Woman"

Thu Apr 23

• QUIZ # 3
• "Yellow Woman"

Tue Apr 28

• STUDENT PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

Thu Apr 30

• STUDENT PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
  
• ALL OUT-OF-CLASS EVENT REPORTS DUE
• ALL PROJECTS DUE IN FINAL FORM

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last updated: 01/11/2009