Courses

ENG 4333.50

Introduction to the Study of World Literature

Spring 2007

Course Name, Number, and Description:  ENG 4333.50.  Introduction to the Study of World Literature. The Texas Woman's University General Catalog 2005-2007 describes ENG 4333 in this way: "Study of representative masterpieces of ancient, classical, medieval, and modern literature in translation.  Stress on intercultural relationships as well as individualizing characteristics of works analyzed.  Prerequisites: Nine hours of English.  Three lecture hours a week.  Credit: Three hours."  Our special focus this semester will be on "banned books" or books in modern literature that have created controversy in their culture.

This course has not been approved to fulfill the requirements of the core curriculum.  In most degree plans (such as the degree plans for the BA in English and some degree plans for degrees in Education), it fulfills the requirement for an upper-level English or world literature course.  Often it is taken as an elective. 

Please note that this course is taught entirely asynchronously online.  If you have never taken a Blackboard course before or have questions about the format of the class, please contact me at rgreer@mail.twu.edu and arrange for an individual orientation with me during my office hours.  Please note also that there is no in-class final examination for the course, but I do require that you post a capstone final examination project (which includes a ten-page research paper that uses multiple sources) in the final examination week forum that I will provide on Blackboard.

Faculty Contact Information: Office Location, Phone, Hours:
Russell Greer, Ph.D.  Associate Professor.  Office: CFO 803.  E-mail: rgreer@twu.edu. Fax: (940) 898-2297 (English Department).  Office telephone: (940) 898-2346. Website: www.russellgreer.com

Most students find they can communicate with me quickly through the course itself online or by e-mail (rgreer@twu.edu).  In addition, I will host office hours by appointment in CFO 803 from 9-noon and 1-4 p.m. on Fridays throughout the Spring 2007 semester unless otherwise indicated.  If I cannot hold regular office hours on a particular day or time, I will make an announcement on my web site.  I am typically not available in my office at other times, but I am available by phone and online.  You may also leave me a voice mail at (940) 898-2346.  I usually check for messages once a day (often in the evenings) and try to return calls promptly.

Course Goals

1.  The student will engage with the discourse of several major contemporary traditions in world literature:  Islamic, Asian, Hispanic, and postcolonial (African).  In addition, the student will consider the concept of world literature itself in theoretical terms.

2.  The student will study six important works of world literature in their intercultural and literary contexts, a major recent book on world literary theory, and examine how to engage in the discourse of this subject by using a textbook that teaches practical methods.

3.  The student will conduct research with primary and secondary sources in contemporary world literature. 

Student Learning Outcomes:

1.  In six reading tests, students will demonstrate their understanding of six major works of world literature.

2. In weekly postings to discussion forums and other informal assignments, the student will demonstrate critical and aesthetic understanding of world literature and six important world literatue texts.

3. The student will submit a research paper of at least ten pages as part of a capstone final examination portfolio that uses primary and secondary sources effectively and demonstrates critical understanding of the assigned reading.

List of textbooks and supplies: 

1.  Paradise of the Blind (Vietnam) by Duong Thu Huong (1991. Harper Perennial.  ISBN: 0060505591);

2.  Children of the Alley (Egypt) by Naguib Mahfouz (1959. Anchor Books. 0385264739);

3.  Snow (Turkey) by Orhan Pamuk (2002. Vintage International. ISBN: 0-375-70686-0);

4.  Purple Hibiscus (Nigeria) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (1993. Anchor. ISBN: 1400076943);

5.  The House of the Spirits (Chile) by Isabel Allende (1982. Dial Press Trade Paperback.  ISBN: 0553383809).

6.  The August Sleepwalker (China) by Bei Dao (published in 2001. New Directions. ISBN: 0811211320).

7.    They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (W.W. Norton. ISBN: 0393924092).

8.  What is World Literature? by David Damrosch (Princeton University Press.  2003. ISBN: 0691049866)

Suggested: A Guide to MLA Documentation by Joseph Trimmer (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.  ISBN: 0618338055) or an English handbook with MLA style information such as The Bedford Handbook by Diana Hacker (ISBN 0-312-44337-4).

Disability Statement:

”Texas Woman's University seeks to provide appropriate academic adjustments for all individuals with disabilities.  The University will comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines, specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), with respect to providing appropriate academic adjustments to afford equal educational opportunity.  It is the responsibility of the student to register with and provide medical verification and academic schedules to Disability Support Services (DSS) at the beginning of each semester and no later than the second week of school in a timely manner to arrange for appropriate academic adjustment.  For further information regarding Disability Support Services or to register for assistance, please )contact the office at 898-3835 (voice, 898-3830 (TDD)), or visit CFO 105” (Texas Woman’s University Office of Academic Affairs).

Grading Policy, Major Course Assignments and Examinations and Attendance:

1.  Capstone Final Examination Project: (1) Individual Research Paper; (2) Individual PowerPoint; (3) Bibliography; (4) Self Assessment; and (5) Summary of Dialogues: 45% Due no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 2007 (the end of Week FOURTEEN) on the assigned forum and www.turnitin.com.  I will be giving you more specific information about this assignment frequently throughout the semester.  Please note that I will give you a grade for this project on your final feedback, but I require you to meet with me face to face in my office during office hours after the semester for in-depth feedback if you desire it.  Note: I will be available for these optional conferences with you all summer since I am teaching in June, July, and August 2007.  If you would like this feedback and cannot meet with me during the summer (because, for example, you are graduating), I can try to meet with you during final examination week itself or immediately afterwards.  Please contact me at rgreer@twu.edu to make these arrangements after posting your capstone project.   

2.  Group PowerPoint 1% (Week FOUR)

3.  Group Essay 2% (Week NINE)

4.  Group Annotated Bibliography 1% (Week TWELVE)

5.  Reading Quizzes: 6%.  Six quizzes, one on each text.  Ten questions each.  Each quiz is worth 1%.

6.  Participation (Online Attendance): 45%. Credit is given for postings to the discussion questions, anything posted in your group’s forum for a particular week, special assignments, and the weekly summary.  Almost half of your grade will depend on your regular participation online.  You must post a minimum of TEN times a week on the discussion question forums (including the weekly summary) and in your groups, when applicable, and once before Wednesday of each week.  Some of these postings will be responses to the study questions; others will be preparation of group responses; others will be responses to your classmates.  If you do not post at least ten times in the assigned week, do not expect a good participation grade for that week.  I will give you a participation grade weekly, but I will announce them only six times: in Week TWO, Week FIVE, Week EIGHT, Week ELEVEN, Week THIRTEEN, and for your final grade in final exam week.  Your grade will be determined by (1) the amount of postings and (2)the quality of the postings (equally weighted).  I calculate participation for a week that begins on Monday and ends at midnight on the following Sunday.  Your postings do not need to be long (100-240 words for a primary answer to a discussion question is adequate, and responses can be shorter), but they DO need to advance the discussion helpfully. Postings only count in the week they are due; in other words you cannot “make up” late postings after the week is over.  Postings only count in the following places: (1) the discussion question forums; (2) the weekly summary forum; and (3) your group forum for the week in question (if applicable).  Note: Each week you will be asked to answer three discussion questions, one of which will may occasionally be a group question (after the first week) and/or a question about writing the research paper.  These discussion questions will allow you to earn participation credit and share ideas with your classmates.  At the end of the week you will also post a summary message and attach a Student Summary Form with your best ten postings pasted into the forum.  You may revised these postings for spelling, grammar, style, etc. but they should essentially be the same postings that you made in the forums. Please note that I will grade the postings you submit in your summaries carefully for spelling and grammar beginning in the first week, so proofread them carefully!  I will use your attached form to calculate your participation grade for the week. If you do not attach a summary form, you cannot get participation credit for the week.

Miscellaneous

Midterm Conference: Please note that if you have a failing grade after you receive your feedback in Week FIVE, I would like to meet with you in person in my office to discuss ways to improve your grade

Instruction

Each week (for fifteen weeks), you will find instruction files, assigned online articles, or web page links tied to specific weeks and readings that will help you understand the literature, answer the discussion questions, or prepare for the research paper. Some of these instruction files may be lecture notes written by me.  Others will be assigned articles that you can access through the TWU library (on JSTOR). Others may be web page links.

Student Participation Summary Form

You will post a summary to a forum provided after you have completed all your week's postings and attach a "student participation summary" form.  You can find this form under COURSE INFORMATION.  In this form, you will cut and paste your "top ten" postings from the week.  You may edit your postings for grammar and spelling (in fact you SHOULD edit them for grammar and spelling) but not for content (I will check occasionally to make sure that the they represent your actual work from the week).  I will use this summary form to assign your participation grade.  If you do not submit a summary form, you cannot get credit for the week's work even if you fully participated otherwise.

No Final Examination Required: In lieu of a final examination, you will be required to post a final capstone project and comment on the projects of your classmates during final examination week.  You must post your capstone project to www.turnitin.com and the assigned forum no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 2007 (the end of Week FOURTEEN).  I will be giving you more specific information about this assignment frequently throughout the semester.  Please note that I will give you a grade for this project on your final feedback, but I require you to meet with me face to face in my office during office hours after the semester for in-depth feedback if you desire it.  Note: I will be available for these optional conferences all summer since I am teaching in June, July, and August 2007.  If you would like this feedback and cannot meet with me during the summer (because, for example, you are graduating), I can try to meet with you during final examination week or immediately after.

Academic Dishonesty:

“Honesty in completing assignments is essential to the mission of the university and to the development of the personal integrity of the student. Cheating, plagiarism, or other kinds of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in appropriate sanctions that may include failing an assignment, failing the class, or being suspended or expelled.  Suspected cases in this course may be reported to Student Life. The specific disciplinary process for academic dishonesty is found in the TWU Student Handbook.  Tools to help you avoid plagiarism are available through the TWU Libraries’ “Quick Links” under “Research Help” (http://www.twu.edu/library/literacy/index.htm)” (This statement was authorized and mandated by the TWU Provost.  November 10, 2005).

Plagiarism:
The following definition of plagiarism appears in Joseph F. Trimmer’s A Guide to MLA Documentation (Sixth Edition), published by Houghton Mifflin Company (2004): “Plagiarism is theft.  It is using someone else’s words or ideas without giving proper credit—or without giving any credit at all—to the writer of the original.  Whether plagiarism is intentional or unintentional, it is a serious offense…You can avoid plagiarism by taking notes carefully, by formulating and developing your own ideas and by using quotes responsibly to support, rather than replace, your own work” (25).  Note that I have used this quotation from a source and have given it full attribution.  You should do the same with your sources.  I strongly urge you to read the discussion of academic dishonesty that appears in Section Four of The Student Handbook and Planner 2005-2006 (pages 133-135).  I intend to follow TWU policy as outlined in this handbook exactly.  It defines plagiarism in this way: “Plagiarism occurs when a student obtains portions or elements of someone else's work, including materials prepared by another person or agency, and presents those ideas or words as her or his own academic work.  The intentional or unintentional use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement shall constitute plagiarism.  Students are responsible for following guidelines of the appropriate course or discipline (ie; MLA, APA)" (133).  In this course, we will use the Modern Language Association (MLA) format.  Penalties for first-time offenses include, at the instructor’s discretion, any of the following: (1) “Written reprimand”; (2) “Assignment of a lower grade on the test/paper/project in question, with an explanation from the instructor”; (3) “Assignment of a 0 on an assignment"; (4) “Assignment of a grade of F in the course" (134). A discussion of the more severe penalties for second offenses appears on pages 134-135.  If you have any questions about whether or not a practice constitutes plagiarism, please contact me before you turn in the assignment. 

To have the ability to teach courses online, we must protect the integrity of the course.  I am able to teach the course and not require an in-class final examination because I check student work on a plagiarism-checking website.  When you submit your group and individual essays to digital dropbox, you will also need to post it to www.turnitin.com; that website, in turn, will generate a report for me.  I will give you instructions about how to do this on Blackboard.  If you have any questions as to whether or not you have used another person's work and not given proper credit, please see me before you submit the work or use www.turnitin.com to check your work BEFORE submitting it to me. You have that option with this program.  If you would prefer not to have your work checked by this plagiarism website, that is your right.  You would, however, need to make arrangements with me to write your capstone project under my supervision in my office during office hours.  If I cannot check your work with the plagiarism-checking website, you must do the work in my presence.

Tentative calendar of classes, assignments.

Please check here for the Academic Calendar for Spring 2007. Also, please note that this daily syllabus is for planning purposes only and is subject to change. Page numbers for assigned reading (when applicable) are provided.

Week ONE (16-21 January 2007)

Reading:

1.  The August Sleepwalker (China) by Bei Dao. 

2.  Instruction: Lecture Notes on the Asian literary tradition.

3.  They Say/I Say: Preface (x-xviii), Introduction (1-14).

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Introduction: Goethe Coins a Term" (pages 1-36).

Assignments:

1.           Post your autobiography.

2.           Form learning teams by the end of Week ONE (if you have no preference, I will assign you to a group at the beginning of Week TWO).

3.           Answer three discussion questions, post weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week TWO (22-28 January 2007):

Reading:

1.  The August Sleepwalker (China) by Bei Dao. 

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter One: "They Say" (17-27).

3.  Instruction: "Problems and Possibilities in Translating Contemporary Chinese Literature" by Bonnie McDougall in The Australian Journal of Chinese Affairs > No. 25 (Jan., 1991), pp. 37-67.  You can find this article in JSTOR on the TWU Library databases.  

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 1: Gilgamesh's Quest" (pages 39-77).

Assignments:

1.  Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Quiz on The August Sleepwalker.

Note: I will return Week ONE feedback this week.

Week THREE (29 January - 4 February 2007)

Reading:

1.  Paradise of the Blind (Vietnam) by Duong Thu Huong

2.  Instruction: TBD

3.  They Say/I Say: Chapter TWO: "'Her Point Is' The Art of Summarizing" (28-38).

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 2: The Pope's Blowgun" (pages 78-109).

Assignments:

Answer discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week FOUR (5-11 February 2007)

Reading:

1.  Paradise of the Blind (Vietnam) by Duong Thu Huong

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter THREE: "As He Himself Puts It" (39-47).

3.  Instruction: TBD

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 3: From the Old World to the Whole World" (pages 110-144).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Group PowerPoint due: 1%.  For this assignment, you will offer a critical perspective (as a group) on how to read and understand some aspect of either Paradise of the Blind or The August Sleepwalker.  You may use outside sources, but they are not required.  Your PowerPoint must have ten slides and a clear, strong thesis.  I will grade it primarily on the basis of its thesis.  Does it create an argument about how to read and understand some aspect of either work?

3.  Quiz on Paradise of the Blind.

Week FIVE (12-18 February 2007)

Reading:

1.    Purple Hibiscus (Nigeria) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter FOUR: "Yes/No/Okay, But" (51-63).

3.  Instruction: Lecture Notes on the African Literary Tradition (Weeks FIVE and SIX)

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 4: Love in the Necropolis" (pages 147-169).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for weeks TWO, THREE, and FOUR this week.

Week SIX (19-25 February 2007)

Reading:

1.  Purple Hibiscus (Nigeria) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter FIVE: "And Yet" (64-73).

3.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 5: The Afterlife of Mechthild Von Magdeburg" (pages 170-186).     

Assignments:

1.  Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Quiz on Purple Hibiscus.

Week SEVEN (26 February-4 March 2007)

Reading:

1.  The House of the Spirits (Chile) by Isabel Allende

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter SIX: "Skeptics May Object" (74-87).

3.  Instruction: For our instruction this week, I would like for you to look at one of these biographies and discussions of Isabel Allende. To find it, go to the TWU web site and choose "library." Then Choose "Reference Shelf." Then chose "Biographies." Then scroll down to the bottom of the screen and choose "Women." One of your options is "Literature Resource Center." Choose it, type in Isabel Allende, and you will see three options. Please choose one of these to read:

1. "Isabel Allende", in Contemporary Authors Online. (A profile of the author's life and works)
2. "Isabel Allende," in Contemporary Literary Criticism-Select. (A brief review of the author's life, works, and critical reception)
3. "Isabel Allende," in Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 145: Modern Latin-American Fiction Writers, Second Series. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Edited by William Luis, Vanderbilt University and Ann Gonzalez, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The Gale Group, 1994, pp. 33-41.

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 6: Kafka Comes Home" (pages 187-205).

Assignments:

Answer all discussion questions, and complete all participation requirements.

Week EIGHT (5-11 March 2007)

Reading:

1.  The House of the Spirits (Chile) by Isabel Allende

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter SEVEN: "So What?  Who Cares?" (88-97).

3.  Instruction: Please review this web site: http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/MagicalRealism.html

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 7: English in the World" (pages 209-230).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post the weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks FIVE, SIX, and SEVEN this week.

Week NINE (12-18 March 2007)

Reading:

1.  The House of the Spirits (Chile) by Isabel Allende

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter EIGHT: "As A Result" (101-114).

3.  Instruction: TBD

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 8: Rigoberta Menchu in Print" (pages 231-259).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2. Group Essay due: 2%. Your group will be required to write one critical essay of 3-5 pages on Purple Hibiscus or The House of the Spirits.  The essay should be typed, double-spaced, and conform to MLA guidelines.  For a topic, you may choose your own or expand one of the assigned discussion questions. I will also provide some possible additional topics.  Your primary purpose in this essay is to suggest a strong thesis, an argument about how to understand the novel or stories.  I will grade the essay in terms of content, organization, style, diction, and grammar.  You must write complete sentences, and four or more of these major errors will cause you to receive a “20” (F) on the essay portion of the examination: comma splices, fused sentences, apostrophe errors, sentence fragments, or agreement errors.  Therefore, you should make sure during the semester that you understand and can avoid these errors.  If you have questions, please see me during my office hours.  I would prefer that you work with your group for this project.  If you find that you cannot, however, you are welcome to write your own individual essay, but it will need to be at least five pages long.

3.  Quiz on The House of the Spirits. 

19-25 March Spring Holiday.  No classes.

Week TEN (26 March - 1 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  Children of the Alley (Egypt) by Naguib Mahfouz

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter NINE: "Ain't So/Is Not" (115-122).

3.  Instruction: TBD

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Chapter 9: The Poisoned Book" (pages 260-279).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Week ELEVEN (2-8 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  Children of the Alley (Egypt) by Naguib Mahfouz

2.  Instruction: TBD.

3.  They Say/I Say: Chapter TEN: "In Other Words" (123-132).

4.  What Is World Literature by David Damrosch: "Conclusion: World Enough and Time" (pages 281-303).

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks EIGHT, NINE, and TEN this week.

Week TWELVE (9-15 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  Children of the Alley (Egypt) by Naguib Mahfouz

2.  They Say/I Say: Chapter ELEVEN: "Entering Class Discussions: A Brief Appendix" (133-135).

3.  Instruction: TBD.

Assignments:

1.  Group Annotated Bibliography due: 1%

2.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

3.  Quiz on Children of the Alley.

Week THIRTEEN (16-22 April 2007)

Reading:

1. Snow (Turkey) by Orhan Pamuk

2.  Instruction: TBD.

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

Note: I will return feedback for Weeks ELEVEN and TWELVE this week.

Week FOURTEEN (23-29 April 2007)

Reading:

1.  Snow (Turkey) by Orhan Pamuk

2.  Instruction: TBD.

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

2.  Please post your capstone final examination project to the final examination week forum and www.turnitin.com no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 (the end of Week FOURTEEN).  This capstone project will include: (1) the individual Research Paper; (2) the Individual PowerPoint; (3) a Bibliography; (4) a Self Assessment; and (5) a Summary of Dialogue: 45%.  I will provide more information about this project as the course progresses.

Week FIFTEEN (30 April-4 May). Please note that this final week ends on Friday, 4 May, the last day of classes according to the academic calendar.

Reading

1.  Snow (Turkey) by Orhan Pamuk

2.  Instruction: TBD.

Assignments:

1.  Answer three discussion questions, post a weekly summary, and complete all participation requirements.

3.  Quiz on Snow.

Final Examination Week (7-11 May)

1.  Please comment on at least FIVE of your classmates' projects before Wednesday, 9 May.  Failure to comment on five projects will result in a deduction of five points from your own final grade.  When you have finished posting your comments, gather your best five and post them in the "Final Examination Week Summary" Forum.  Participation on this final examination forum functions in lieu of required attendance at an in-class final examination.

Note: I will return final grades and final feedback (Weeks THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, and FIFTEEN) by Thursday, May 10th.

Last updated: 5 March 2007