Syllabus for ENGL 3413 (CRN 31245): World Literature Spring 2012

This syllabus is subject to announced changes. You are responsible for all such changes whether or not you are present when they are announced.

CLASS DAY, TIME, AND ROOM: Wed. 4:30-7:10 p.m., BALA 226

INSTRUCTOR: Dr. John Mercer, Professor of English, Department of Languages and Literature, College of Liberal Arts, Northeastern State University

Mailing address: NSU-BA, 3100 E. New Orleans St., Broken Arrow, OK 74014

Office phone: 918-449-6541 NSU-BA switchboard: 918-449-6000

Office: BALA 280 Office hours (all times p.m. unless labeled otherwise): Mon. 11:30 a.m.-12:50, 3:50-5:30; Tues. & Wed. 3:00-4:20, 7:20-7:40; Thurs. 5:30-7:10, 10:10-10:30

Fax for faculty in BALA: 918-449-6571 (Faxes must include cover sheet with my name.)

Mailbox: Box 4 in BALA 261 (Give items for my mailbox to staff assistant in BALA 267.)

E-mail: mercer@nsuok.edu or mercer25@att.net

Instructor’s faculty Web page: http://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer

Alternative path to faculty Web page: www.nsuok.edu > Current Students > Academics > Faculty Web sites > Mercer

E-MAIL POLICIES:

(1) You don’t need to send the same message to BOTH of my e-mail addresses; my NSU e-mail is automatically forwarded to my ATT account.

(2) To receive e-mail announcements relevant to this class, please enable your e-mail to receive messages from my ATT account. If you don’t, my messages may go to your spam folder.

(3) Please do NOT submit a completed assignment by e-mail unless I specifically ask you to do so or unless it is the only way you can submit it on time. If you must submit a completed assignment by e-mail, send it by attachment, but also submit it in hard copy (to me, my office, my mailbox, or by fax) at your first opportunity.

PREREQUISITES: None.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: “A survey of masterpieces of European, Asian, South American, African and other literature in English translation.” (Excludes literature written in English.)

COURSE PURPOSE: This course is required for a B.A. in English Education and counts as an advanced English elective for a B.A. in English. The course also counts toward a minor in English, the general-education humanities requirement, and teacher certification.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of this course you should be able to

(1) Identify basic facts of the historical background of each literary period, author, and work studied.

(2) Identify authors and titles of assigned works by nationality, literary period, genre, reputation, and subject matter.

(3) Identify distinguishing characteristics of each literary period, culture, genre, author, and work studied.

(4) Apply literary terms to the assigned works.

(5) Compare and contrast the assigned works, characters, authors, literary periods, genres, and literary terms.

(6) Interpret and analyze the form and content of important passages from the assigned works.

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS:

(1) Please bring the required textbook to every class meeting: Mack, Maynard, ed. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Expanded ed. in one vol. New York: Norton, 1997.

(2) Please print from the instructor’s Web page at arapaho.nsuok.edu/~mercer and bring to each class meeting the study guide and any other documents that relate to the assignment.

COMPUTER FORMAT AND MANUSCRIPT FORM: Use a computer to produce documents for this class. Carefully follow the guidelines in “Computer Format and Manuscript Form” on the home page of my faculty Web site under “Documents for all classes.”

DAILY AVERAGE: Your daily average will be the percentage of points you earn out of the number possible for the following activities:

(1) QUIZZES: Near the beginning of each class period, after you have had an opportunity to ask questions, you will take a quiz on that day’s assigned reading. To take quizzes, you must be present in class; you cannot make up missed quizzes for any reason. Each quiz will be worth ten (10) points.

(2) STUDY GUIDES: Each week, except when an exam is scheduled, you are expected to earn a minimum of five (5) points by answering questions from the study guide for that week’s assignment. (Fully answering all questions on a single study guide could be worth as many as twelve [12] points.) Additional study-guide points you earn beyond those required will help compensate for any other daily points you may miss during the semester.

(3) VIDEO CRITIQUE: In unit 1, you will be required to watch out of class and write a video critique of Oedipus the King. This critique counts for ten (10) daily points.

STUDY GUIDES: A comprehensive study guide for each week’s assignment will be posted on the class Web page. Please use each study guide as follows:

(1) As you read each assigned work, read the corresponding part of the study guide, and look for the answers to the questions.

(2) Before you come to class, answer as many of the questions as you can. Copy and paste the text of the study guide into your own document; retain the numbers, letters, and questions from the study guide; and insert your answers in highlighting or color so they will stand out from the questions and explanatory material. At the top of each study guide you submit, report the amount of time you spent answering the questions, not including time spent merely reading the assigned works.

(3) If you spend thirty (30) minutes or more answering any study-guide question marked “extra credit,” submit your answer separately from the rest of the study guide and with a completed “Extra-Credit Submission Form” on top. (See “Documents for all classes” near the top of my home page.)

(4) Bring to class a hard copy of your study guide with your answers inserted.

(5) In class ask about any study-guide questions you can’t answer and, if you wish, make handwritten additions to your study guide. Unless you tell me otherwise, I will assume that all handwritten answers have been added in class.

(6) At the end of each class period, submit your study guide. I will assign daily points to your answers and return your study guide to you the following week.

(7) If you are not able to attend class but have a study guide to submit, please leave it at my office the next time you are on campus. Do NOT submit study guides by e-mail.

EXTRA-CREDIT DAILY POINTS: You may earn an unlimited number of extra-credit daily points for answering study-guide questions (beyond the five [5] points required per week) and for doing other activities listed below. Your daily average, however, cannot exceed 100%.

Place a completed “Extra-Credit Submission Form” on top of each extra-credit item you submit. Carefully follow the “Instructions for Extra-Credit Submissions.” Both of these documents are found near the top of the home page of my faculty Web site under “Documents for all classes.” Of the various ways to earn extra credit listed and explained under “Other Types of Extra Credit” in “Instructions for Extra-Credit Submissions,” the following apply to this class:

• PERFORMANCES: For a list of videotapes, audiotapes, and DVDs relevant to this class that are available in the NSU-BA library and elsewhere, see the document “Extra-Credit Performances” on the class Web page.
• CLIPPINGS OR INTERNET MATERIAL

· ADDITIONAL READING: Reading 200 pages or more, however, counts as “OUTSIDE READING,” which is described later in this syllabus.

• ANALYSIS
• RESEARCH
• CREATIVE WRITING: Write stories, poems, plays, or other creative works related to the works, genres, poetic forms, historical periods or events, etc., studied in this class.

OUTSIDE READING: Outside reading is required for an A in the course but otherwise is optional. Satisfactory completion of outside reading can raise your final course grade approximately one (1) to three (3) percentage points, depending on your other grades. Choose one (1) of the following:

(1) Read at least 200 unassigned pages that you have not previously read from the textbook. Do NOT choose any work originally written in English. (See the list entitled “OUTSIDE READING FROM TEXT” on the class Web page.)

(2) Read an approved work (at least 200 pages but preferably the entire work) that you have not previously read from outside the text. (See the list entitled “OUTSIDE READING NOT IN TEXT” on the class Web page.)

The outside-reading grade will be based on a 15-minute oral exam, which must be taken in my office no later than Thursday, April 20. The criteria for the outside reading grade will include:

• the difficulty and length of the book or books (you may read more than one book and take a separate exam on each),
• the date by which you complete the assignment (the earlier the completion, the higher the grade is likely to be), and
• most importantly, the degree to which you demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the book.

EXAMS: The three (3) exams will be multiple choice. You must be present for the exams, the dates of which are listed below under ASSIGNMENTS. If you cannot take an exam at the scheduled time, you must make other arrangements with me in advance or, in case of emergency, leave a message on my voice mail before the exam. Otherwise, you cannot make up a missed exam and will probably need to drop the course to avoid making an F.

ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: In this class, academic misconduct includes but is not limited to cheating on quizzes or exams, submitting work that is not your own, failing to identify a source whose exact words or ideas you have used (for example, on a study guide or extra-credit submission), copying a source’s exact words without using quotation marks, or assisting others in these actions. The consequences of academic misconduct are described at http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx.

ATTENDANCE: Enrollment in this course obligates you to attend class regularly. Absence from any class period is serious because it causes you to miss an entire week of class work. Absence from more than two (2) class periods is considered excessive, indicating that you are not likely to do well in the class. If you enroll late, you will be counted absent for each period you have missed from the beginning of the semester.

Attendance will be taken from quiz papers. To be marked present, you must submit a quiz paper with your name, the course number, and the date. If you arrive after the quiz or do not attempt to answer any of the questions, submit a quiz paper with these three items so that you will be counted present. If you must leave class immediately after the quiz or before the break, write "ABSENT" in LARGE LETTERS beside your name on the quiz paper (but you will receive any quiz points you earn). If you must leave early or during the break, please tell me.

CLASS CANCELLATION: If all NSU-BA classes are canceled because of bad weather or any other reason, cancellation will be announced on Tulsa area radio and television stations—and usually on the home page of the NSU Web site and the telephone greeting for NSU-BA. If all classes are not canceled, it is my responsibility and intention to hold class. You, however, must make your own decision about whether it is safe for you to drive to class. In the unlikely event that my class is canceled when other NSU-BA classes are meeting, you should be notified through the class calling tree. See additional information concerning NSU’s INCLEMENT WEATHER / DISASTER POLICY at http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx.

ADDITIONAL SYLLABUS INFORMATION ON NSU WEB SITE: Additional syllabus information on the Academic Affairs page of the NSU Web site is to be considered part of this syllabus. Please read carefully the information that appears on the following topics at http://offices.nsuok.edu/academicaffairs/SyllabiInformation.aspx:

· ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT [including plagiarism]

· ADA COMPLIANCE [for students with disabilities]

· INCLEMENT WEATHER/DISASTER POLICY [class cancellation]

· TEACH ACT [copyright protection of instructional materials]

· TEXTBOOK INFORMATION

· RELEASE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION [privacy rights]

WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS:

· If you drop a class by January 23, you will receive a 100% refund of tuition. If you drop a class after January 23, you will receive no refund.

· If you have never attended the class by the end of the third week of classes, you will be withdrawn from the course for non-attendance and will receive the grade of NA (never attended), which does not affect your grade-point average.

· During the sixth through the tenth weeks of the class, if it would be impossible for you to make a satisfactory grade because you are not attending class, submitting assignments, taking exams, and/or otherwise making a reasonable attempt to be successful in the course, I will have you administratively withdrawn from the course. If you are administratively withdrawn, you will receive a grade of AW (administrative withdrawal), which does not affect your grade-point average.

· If you drop a class by April 8, you will automatically receive a W, which does not affect your grade-point average. To drop a class, you must process an official drop slip. Be sure to keep a copy of your drop slip to prove that you have officially dropped.

· If you drop a class after April 8, you will receive a W if you are passing or an F if you are failing at the time you drop.

· The last day to drop a class is May 2.

ENGLISH EDUCATION PROJECT: If you are an English Education major, be sure to save electronically all the documents you produce in required English classes and internships. You will need these documents later to complete the required English Education Project. For more information, see “English Education” on the Web page of the Department of Languages and Literature on the NSU Web site or contact Ms. Connie Henshaw, NSU’s English Education Specialist (henshacc@nsuok.edu or 918-444-4502).

CHILDREN ON CAMPUS: According to NSU-BA policy, children under age sixteen (16) cannot be left unattended anywhere on the campus, including the library, café, and student lounges. If you feel that you need to bring a child to class with you, please ask my permission in advance. The appropriateness of a child’s coming to class depends on the child’s age and behavior and on the content to be covered in class.

CLASSROOM COURTESY: Out of courtesy to your classmates and me, please do NOT

(1) talk when another student or I am addressing the class.

(2) eat in class (unless you bring food to share with the entire class). Drinks with lids or caps, however, are permitted.

(3) bring children or other visitors to class without my prior permission.

(4) allow your cell phone to disrupt class. Please turn off cell phones in class.

(5) repeatedly get up from your seat during class.

(6) use a notebook computer or other electronic device in class for any purpose other than to take notes or to look up information on the Internet to share with the class.

(7) send or read text messages in class.

(8) leave class early or during the break without telling me in advance.

STUDENT EVALUATION (COURSE GRADE): Subject to announced changes, the course grade will be figured in one of two ways, depending on whether you choose to do the optional outside reading assignment.

with no outside reading with outside reading

Daily average (incl. quizzes, study

guides, & extra-credit points) 22.2% 100 points 20% 100 points

First unit exam 22.2% 100 20% 100

Second unit exam 22.2% 100 20% 100

Final comprehensive exam 33.4% 150 30% 150

Outside reading 0% 0 10% 50

100% 450 100% 500

points possible points possible

A = 90-100% and successful completion of outside reading

B = 80-89%

C = 70-79%

D = 60-69%

F = 0-59%

ASSIGNMENTS: These assignments are subject to announced changes. You are responsible for all such changes whether or not you are present when they are made. If a class meeting is canceled and you receive no instructions to the contrary, you should continue to follow the assignment dates that appear below.

Unit 1: The Ancient World

January 11

Introduction to course

In-class viewing of beginning of video of Oedipus the King

January 18

Study Guide 1 is due.

Homer, The Odyssey 86-89(m), 94-100, 139-51

Handout (available in hard copy only): “The Theater of Sophocles”

“Aeschylus” [history of Greek drama] 339-40(t)

Sophocles, Oedipus the King 388-433(m)

Aristotle, Poetics 520(m)-24

Watch the rest of the video of Oedipus the King, and submit a video critique no later than February 15. The most widely available version is the 1984 made-for-television production directed by Don Taylor and starring Michael Pennington, Claire Bloom, and John Gielgud. It is on reserve for checkout on DVD and VHS from the NSU-BA library, and it can be viewed on YouTube. On the class Web page, follow the instructions in “Writing a Video Critique.” Length: 1-2 pages. Daily points possible: 10.

January 25

Study Guide 2 is due.

Aristophanes, Lysistrata 89(m)-91(t), 466-99(t)

Plato, The Apology of Socrates 91-92, 499-520(m)

February 1

Study Guide 3 is due.

Virgil, The Aeneid 626-31, 636-41(t), 648-68(t)

Ovid, Metamorphoses 683-99

February 8

Study Guide 4 is due.

Confucius, Analects 528(b)-30(t), 545(m)-55

Chuang Chou, Chuang Tzu 555(b)-65

Bhagavad-Gītā 566-75, 612(m)-24

February 15

First half of period

Last day to submit video critique of Oedipus the King

Study Guide 5 is optional for extra points. Whether or not you have answered any questions, please print this study guide and bring it to class.

Sappho, lyric poems 336(b)-39(t)

Catullus, lyric poems 632-36(t)

Second half of period

Unit 1 exam

Unit 2: Middle Ages through 18th Century

February 22

Study Guide 6 is due.

“Islamic Literature” 860-67

The Koran (Qur’an) 868-74(m), 884(m)-88

Dante, The Divine Comedy 950-55, 1010-36(t)

February 29

Study Guide 7 is due.

The Thousand and One Nights 923-48

Boccaccio, The Decameron 1142-65

March 7

Study Guide 8 is due.

Machiavelli, The Prince 1474-83, 1488-99

Montaigne, Essays 1502-21(m)

March 14: Class will not meet unless a previous class meeting has been cancelled.

March 21: Spring break. No class.

March 28

Study Guide 9 is due.

Cervantes, Don Quixote 1523(m)-51(b)

Extra-credit video: Man of La Mancha

Molière, Tartuffe 1888-97, 1898-1900, 1907-56(t)

Extra-credit video: Tartuffe

April 4

First half of period

Study Guide 10 is optional for extra points. Whether or not you have answered any questions, please print this study guide and bring it to class.

Voltaire, Candide 2034(b)-53(t)

Second half of period

Unit 2 exam

Unit 3: 19th and 20th Centuries

April 11

Study Guide 11 is due.

Goethe, Faust 2159-98(t), 2202(t-m)

Tolstoy, The Death of Iván Ilyich 2432(m)-76(m)

Extra-credit video: Biography – “Tolstoy” (A&E)

April 18

Last day to take oral exam on outside reading

Study Guide 12 is due.

Ibsen, Hedda Gabler 2476(m)-2537

Extra-credit videos: Hedda Gabler (2 or 3 different versions on reserve)

Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard 2537(b)-78

Extra-credit video: The Cherry Orchard (2 different versions, one with Judi Dench as Anya, the other with Judi Dench as Lubov)

April 25

Study Guide 13 is due.

The Night Chant 2614-18(t)

Proust, Remembrance of Things Past 2674(b)-2713

Kafka, The Metamorphosis 2746(b)-84(t)

May 2

Last day to submit extra credit and study guides

Study Guide 14 is due.

Akhmatova, Requiem 2802(m)-2812

Extra-credit video: The Story of Anna Akhmatova

Mahfouz, “Zaabalawi” 2881(m)-93

Kojima, “The American School” 2893(b)-2919(m)

May 9

Final exam (unit 3 & comprehensive)