As part of the College of Arts and Sciences' Core Curriculum requirements, students must complete the six-hour sequence of courses ENG 120-121: World Literature I and World Literature II (also listed as CLC 120-121 and, in the Honors Program, as ENG/CLC 122-123). Utilizing English originals and translations of foreign-language texts, the two courses cover, respectively, the literature from antiquity to the Renaissance and from the seventeenth-century to the present. While including many canonical works of the Western and English literary traditions-such as Homer's Odyssey, Dante's Inferno, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Cervantes's Don Quixote, Flaubert's Madame Bovary, and T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land-the courses also stress the importance of non-Western texts and works by women and minorities. In addition to issues of literary history, terminology and concepts, the courses emphasize the close reading, analysis, and interpretation of the texts as well as the development of students' oral and written expression. In order to encourage personalized instruction, classes in the program are kept small, to a maximum of 25 students per section. Close attention is given to students' individual needs and interests through faculty-student conferences and intensive student participation in class discussions. In its present form, the program numbers 31 faculty serving about 700 students each semester. While all sections of the courses teach a core of required texts-providing a common literary experience-individual instructors are given substantial freedom to choose and experiment with optional and additional readings from broad lists of texts. Through those lists, the program strives to recognize the breadth, diversity, and ever-changing character of the literary canon. While the World Literature Program is administered by the English Department, , its teaching staff includes faculty from English, Classics, and Modern Languages. In addition to regularly scheduled classes, students and faculty are encouraged to attend special out-of-class events-such as lectures by guest speakers, poetry and fiction readings by distinguished writers, films, plays, art exhibits, concerts, and other live performances-specifically designed to enhance the understanding of the courses' materials and facilitate the accomplishment of the program's goals.
Congruent with the purposes, goals, and character of Creighton University and the English Department, the main objective of the World Literature Program is to promote, through the study of literature, the intellectual, academic, professional, moral, and spiritual development of students. Encouraging consideration of the idea that literature offers-in addition to entertainment and aesthetic enjoyment-important insights concerning human nature and the human experience, the program strives to generate a dialogue revolving around the definition, character, and potential practical consequences/applications of literature and literary study. Important tasks and purposes of the program are to promote an understanding of individual literary works in their cultural/historical contexts; to engage in comparative and interdisciplinary thinking; and to characterize the norms and constants, in method and content, which unite the different literary traditions with each other and with other epistemological, scientific, artistic, and practical endeavors. Students in the program are expected to become familiar with selected literary texts, history, concepts, and terminology; to develop substantial reading, analytical, critical thinking, and writing skills; to gain an appreciation of the value and significance of cultural/artistic achievements; and to demonstrate awareness and understanding of the common and different values, ideals, and insights often expressed in works of literature from different cultures and historical periods.
In the preparation of the syllabi for their sections of the courses, instructors follow the guidelines defined in the World Literature Program's Master Syllabi (World Literature I Master Syllabus and World Literature II Master Syllabus). The master syllabi is not given directly to students. The individual section syllabi are prepared by instructors and include at least a course description; list of textbooks; detailed reading list and schedule; dates and times for exams and quizzes; detailed and explicit description of length and character of, as well as deadlines for, papers and other assignments; explicit statement on instructor's philosophy, expectations, and methods in the teaching and evaluation of writing; explicit and detailed policies and criteria on grading, attendance, late work, plagiarism, make-up exams, expected behavior in and out of class; as well as information on the instructor's name, office hours, and office telephone. In addition to any copies required by the departments, instructors are asked to provide the World Literature Program with a copy of their syllabus by the end of the first week of classes.
All students in World Literature courses are uniformly evaluated according to the methods, standards, and guidelines established by the College of Arts and Sciences (see "Creighton University Letter Grading System"), the English Department, and the World Literature Program. All written work is graded according to the criteria set forth in the document "Grading of Essays and Other Written Work." Outcomes-assessment final exam essays are graded using a special grading sheet (see "Grading Sheet for Outcomes-Assessment Essays"). Instructors are asked to take all of the following factors into account in the calculation of a student's grade:
A central concern of the World Literature Program is the development of students' writing skills. For that reason, all students in the program are required to write a minimum of 20 to 25 pages in the form of analytical, interpretive, and critical thinking essays. This requirement may be satisfied through a combination of formal papers, in-class essays, essay exams, reflective journals, and other writing which, in the instructor's and the program's judgment, qualifies as a rigorous exercise in writing and reasoning. Faculty give individualized attention to each student's writing and take appropriate measures to provide for its development through a process of revision and rewriting focusing on the mechanical, rhetorical, and intellectual aspects of the endeavor. Each instructor's syllabus specifies the number, character, and length of the individual assignments making up the 20-25 page writing requirement. Syllabi also explicitly discuss the instructor's methods/philosophy of teaching writing and the specific ways in which writing is evaluated. Instructors are encouraged to develop a system which allows students to become involved in and work through the various stages of the writing process-including the development of original paper topics, the writing and revision of drafts, and the submission of final copy. Such systems may encourage students to keep journals embodying early stages of reflection and analysis which can later be developed in formal papers. While instructors are free to determine the specific sort of writing to be required, it is strongly recommended that at least half of the assigned work (i.e. 10-12 pages) be constituted by formal, typewritten papers embodying the final stage of the writing process. Journals, paper drafts, in-class essays, and essay exams-provided they are subjected to careful reading, correction, and commentary from the instructor-constitute acceptable writing exercises which, in combination with formal papers, may be counted toward the 20-25 page total. As an additional way of receiving personalized attention and working through the writing process, students are encouraged to take advantage of the services of the tutors in the Writing Center (appointments with tutors may be made by calling 280-4707). In determining writing assignments and grade weights, instructors must be aware of the possible problem of conscious and unconscious plagiarism in student papers. In order to minimize the potential for and the impact of plagiarism, instructors are encouraged to combine writing and assignments performed in class with those to be undertaken at home. Instructors formulate and enforce a plagiarism policy in each section of the course. In an effort to crack down on plagiarism, the program maintains a file of 'suspicious' student papers which can be consulted by faculty during plagiarism investigations. The identity of the authors of such papers is kept confidential by means of a number code system.
All students in the program take a final exam. As part of that exam,
students are asked to write an outcomes-assessment essay connected to the
readings, themes, and ideas discussed through the term (see "Guiding
Themes, Methods, Approaches"). Instructors are encouraged to formulate
their own exam questions in a way which challenges the students to think
critically and creatively (see "Final Exam Sample").
Outcomes-assessment exams generally ask students to propose and discuss
a thematic thesis and support it with evidence from the readings; such exams
may also ask for a close reading of a particular passage and the articulation
of a theme-based thesis and supporting argument. It is expected that, in
addition to the development of particular themes, students' essays will
demonstrate competence in reading and writing; sophistication and accuracy
in the use of literary terminology and concepts; precision and accomplishment
in reasoning and interpretation; and the ability to integrate the contents
of the course. The outcomes-assessment portion of the exam must account
for at least 30% of the final exam grade.
In addition to the evaluation of each student's work, outcomes assessment
essays are also used by the World Literature Program in the evaluation of
its ability to meet its stated goals. For this reason, faculty are asked
to keep such essays and eventually turn them in to the program administrators.
The faculty ensure that the essay is detachable from the rest of the exam
by instructing students to write it on separate sheets or blue books. Each
outcomes-assessment essay is graded according to the program's established
criteria and accompanied by a grading sheet (see "Grading
Sheet for Outcomes-Assessment Essays"). A grading sheet is filled
out by the instructor and attached to the front of each essay. After being
graded by the instructors and taken into account in the calculation of students'
course grades, all essays and grading sheets are kept in the instructors'
files for one semester; students wishing to see their graded final exam
are allowed to do so. If a student requests to have her/his exam back, a
photocopy is made and kept in the instructor's files. At the end of the
semester following that of the exam's administration, all essays and grading
sheets are turned in to the World Literature Program. In order to preserve
the anonymity of students and instructors during assessment operations,
outcomes-assessment essays are not identified by student, instructor, or
section; before turning in the essays to the program, instructors blot out
or erase names or section identifiers appearing on the essay sheets. Once
submitted to the program, essays cannot be returned to instructors or students.
In addition to, or in conjunction with, the required writing, essay or objective quizzes and exams are recommended as a means of monitoring student compliance with the reading assignments, assessing reading comprehension, and testing command of literary concepts and terminology. In-class essays and essay examinations are also used for the purpose of providing additional writing practice and assessing writing and critical thinking skills. It is also strongly recommended that instructors combine lecturing with a variety of activities permitting students to engage in discussion and voice personal points of view. Small-group discussions, student presentations, and individual and group projects are examples of some of the ways in which this is achieved. Class participation as well as attendance to class and designated out-of-class events are taken into consideration by instructors in the calculation of a student's grade.
Instructors ask all students in their sections to attend at least two out-of-class events each semester. Examples of such events are relevant lectures, poetry/fiction readings, film/videotape screenings, plays, exhibits, concerts, etc. Instructors determine which events to require of their students and also provide options and make-up alternatives. Videotapes of past events on reserve at the library may be used for these purposes. Events which require admission fees may be suggested to students to fulfill the requirement but cannot be strictly required. In lieu of taking attendance at given events, instructors may require students to write reports, journal entries, analyses, or personal responses to the events. Failure by students to fulfill this requirement is counted against both attendance and class participation grades. Each semester the program offers suggestions and recommendations to instructors concerning relevant out-of-class events. Whenever the budget allows it, the program sponsors and organizes special events thought to be particularly relevant to the courses' concerns.
Program-specific student and faculty evaluations are administered at the end of every semester using the appropriate forms (see "Evaluation Forms: Faculty Evaluation and Student Evaluation" in this Handbook). Faculty evaluations are filled out by the individual instructors and returned to the program within one week after the end of final exams. Faculty make sufficient photocopies of the student evaluations and have students fill them out sometime during the last two weeks of classes. In accordance with English Department policies, these evaluations are used exclusively in the evaluation of the World Literature Program. Hence, evaluations are not identified by student, instructor, or section. In the administration and handling of these evaluations, instructors observe all the same rules and regulations as with the College of Arts & Sciences' evaluations. Thus, instructors do not read the forms before submitting course grades. Instructors are advised to place the World Literature evaluations in the same envelope as the College's yellow "Student Narrative Evaluation." After students complete the forms, they are taken by the student conducting the evaluation to the departmental secretary. Instructors retrieve and examine the forms after they turn in grades. After instructors have read the evaluations and removed/erased any name/section identifiers, they return the forms to the Secretary in the English Department Office. After they have been submitted by the Secretary to the World Literature Program, the forms cannot be identified or returned to individual students or faculty.
Instructors are asked to turn in to the program copies of all syllabi, handouts, study guides, paper topics, quizzes, exams, and any other materials used in the teaching of their sections of the courses. These materials are kept in a file available to all faculty as a bank of ideas and teaching resources. Instructors making use of these files are asked to return and carefully refile any materials consulted. Departmental policy restricts the use of these files to World Literature faculty and requires that care and professionalism, as well as respect of the authors' rights, be exercised by all users.
In response to changing imperatives and conditions in higher education, the World Literature Program is committed to the technological development of its learning, teaching, and research environments. Thus, in an effort to enhance the appeal, persuasiveness, impact, and content of classroom instruction, all World Literature instructors are strongly encouraged to use audiovisual materials, projection devices, and computer multimedia technology in the teaching of their courses. An important resource currently being developed is this World Wide Web Site, an on-line facility featuring the contents of the Instructor's Handbook as well as additional teaching and learning materials and links to other relevant/related databases.
Videotapes of selected special events
(lectures, performances, etc.) are available from the English Department's
library and are also placed on reserve at the Reinert
Alumni Library for use by faculty and students. Catalogues and call
numbers for materials on reserve at the library may be accessed by typing
"RES WORLD LITERATURE" at any computer terminal connected to the
library's on-line catalogue
(PALS). In addition, both the library and the English Department own
a number of films on videotape, slides, books, and other resources which
may be of use to instructors in their teaching of the courses. A catalogue
of selected materials and their locations is included in this Handbook (see
Films, Slides,
Audiotapes, and Books).
World Literature materials in the English Department's library are stored
in a set of special bookcases located in Room 303 of the Communication Arts
Building and may be checked out by faculty (see the English Department's
Secretary for details). A specially valuable resource in the Department's
library is the collection of MLA Approaches
to Teaching World Literature (see editor
index and subject index). See also "Selected Bibliography: World Literature I & Selected Bibliography: World Literature II"
for a listing of selected items available at the Reinert Alumni Library
(call numbers are provided).
For further information contact:
WORLD LITERATURE PROGRAM
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
HITCHCOCK COMMUNICATION ARTS BUILDING, ROOM 304
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
OMAHA, NEBRASKA 68178
TEL (402) 280-2822
FAX (402) 280-2143
PROGRAM DIRECTOR:
FIDEL FAJARDO-ACOSTA,
COMMUNICATION ARTS BUILDING ROOM 304 C,
TEL (402) 280-2522,
e-mail: fajardo@creighton.edu
WORLD LITERATURE COMMITTEE:
FIDEL FAJARDO-ACOSTA (CHAIR)
RELOY GARCIA
BRIAN S. HOOK
BRIDGET KEEGAN
JANE O'TOOLE
Webmaster: Fidel Fajardo-Acosta / fajardo@creighton.edu