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World Lit 1 Syllabus

ENG 2310--SURVEY OF WORLD LITERATURE I: Beginnings to 1650 Spring 2007

Instructor: Teri Maddox
22 Broadfield
Trenton, TN 38382-2902
Home phone (731) 855-0564
Office C247--Office Hours posted on door
Office phone (731) 424-3520 or 1-800-355-JSCC ext. 217
e-mail address: WebCT
Home page address: http://faculty.jscc.edu/tmaddox/

I. Course Description
A survey of selected world literature from ancient times to the early seventeenth century, reflecting the changes within civilizations, exploring the struggle with universal problems, and analyzing the influence of the past upon the present. Literature courses may be taken in any order. Prerequisite: ENGL 1010; Recommended: ENGL 1020.

II. Textbook and Supplies
l. The Norton Anthology of World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650 2nd Edition
2. Large manila envelope for research paper

III. Course Objectives
l. To give the student a broad background of the literary, philosophic, and religious heritage of world literature.
2. To acquaint the student with specific literary works, terminology, and periods.
3. To deepen the student's understanding and awareness of general human problems.
4. To lead the student to understand literary works and periods in relation to our own time and situation.

IV. Course Requirements
1. One oral/written report on a film or outside reading selection (10%). Must be typed.
2. One research paper/project, including topic selection, working bibliography, peer review, rough draft, final draft, and oral presentation (20%). Must be typed
3. Three exams (10% each)
4. Reading Log--daily homework responses to readings (40%). Must be typed

V. Grading Scale:
95-100 95-100 A
85-94 B
75-84 C
65-74 D
below 65 F

1. A grade of C will be given to work meeting minimum standards. In order to make above a C, work must meet higher standards.
2. Reading responses and papers are due at the beginning of class. Late work will lose a letter grade. Anyone working on a response when class begins will get a late grade.
3. Except in an emergency situation, tests may not be made up.

LATE WORK
If you are absent, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed by calling the instructor or another student in class. It would be a good idea to exchange phone numbers with one or two students in the class so you can contact each other if necessary.
All reading responses are due at the beginning of class. If you are working on an assignment in class, it is late and will lose a letter grade. Late work turned in within a week of its due date will lose one letter grade; work turned in within two weeks of its due date will lose two letter grades, and work turned in within three weeks of its due date will lose three letter grades. Any late work tuned in the last two weeks of the semester will automatically receive a D.

ATTENDANCE
Attendance is a must because class discussions and lectures cannot be made up. Because emergencies do occur, three absences (a week's worth of classes) are allowed. However the student’s final grade will be lowered by 1/3 after each successive absence. Therefore on the third absence a final grade of B- will be lowered to a C+. Extenuating circumstances should be discussed with the instructor.

INCLEMENT WEATHER
In case of inclement weather, one of the following three decisions will be made:
1. 1. Open on regular schedule. No announcement on the radio or television means the college is open. Students should use their own discretion.
2. 2. Open on "Snow Day" schedule. Students should use their own discretion. Radio and television will be notified. Students should listen to a Jackson station for information. This class will meet from 10:15-10:55 on snow schedule.
3. 3. Classes canceled (for severe weather)
Radio and television are normally notified in the pre-dawn hours of the day involved because it is usually necessary to wait until then to determine the appropriate decision.

CONFERENCES
Students are encouraged to arrange an appointment if the need arises. If regular office hours posted on my office door are not convenient, other times may be arranged.

OTHER CLASSROOM POLICIES
1. A discussion class depends on civility. We will treat each other’s comments with respect.
2. In order to maintain confidentiality and accuracy, grades will not be posted or available by telephone. Discussion of your grade is encouraged at any point during the semester. If you wish to know your final grade at the end of the semester, you may leave a stamped, self-addressed envelope with me and I will mail your grades.
3. The instructor reserves the right to clarify or amend this syllabus as necessary.

Some important dates
Jan 16 Classes begin
Jan 22 Last day to Register Late or add a class on campus
Jan 29 Last day to receive a 75% refund
Feb 11 Last day to receive a 25% refund
Feb 20 Last Day to File Graduation Proposals for Summer
Mar 5-9 Spring Break
Mar 22 Last day to drop a class or withdraw from college
Ap 2-13 Priority Registration for Summer and Fall 2007
Apr 6-8 Final day for classes
Apr 30 Final exam. 8-10 am

Students with documented disabilities should meet with the instructor as soon as possible to discuss alternatives to normal policies.

WORLD LIT I ORAL REPORTS

Requirements:

1. Each student will select a subject from the master list.

2. The student will prepare a one or two-page handout that should include:

a. Student's name

b. Title and author of selection

c. The setting (time and place)

d. Main characters' names and a short description

e. For videos only

1) Director's name

2) Date of release

3) Rating

4) Actor's names

f. A brief summary of the story (do not use the blurb on the video cover)

g. An evaluation (should be longer than summary)

1) How the selection fits into the genre we are studying

2) Length of time you spent watching or reading the selection

3) Whether class time should be spent studying the selection and why or why not

4) A brief critique of the selection

a) what you liked or didn't like and why

b) what was done well or done poorly

c) what could be improved and how

d) how it compares with other works and ideas we have discussed

3. Handout should be typed. Information may be in outline form, list form, or in paragraph form.

4. The oral report should not be more than 5 minutes. You should provide a brief summary and then give evaluative comments--what you liked or did not like about the movie and why. Compare it to the works and ideas we have discussed in class. Do not merely read your written handout.

5. Oral reports will be graded on how interestingly they are presented and on how informative the handout is. Late reports due to absence or lack of preparation will lose a letter grade.

6. Even if your presentation date is later in the semester, you should make plans early in the semester to check out the video and prepare your report. If you wait until a few days before the report is due, your video may be checked out and you will be unable to complete your report on time. If you are dissatisfied with the selection, please see the instructor for a possible alternative.

7. Write down the title, where the video is available, and when your report is due:

_______________________________________________________________________

LIT 211 READING LOG

A reading log is a summary and/or response to assigned material. To make a C, you must type at least 200 words(about a ½ page) for each log. To make an A or B, the log must be at least 300 words. Logs that are mere summaries will not receive any higher grade than a B. To make an A, you should also write about how the reading compares with other selections, give examples of how the reading relates to your own experiences, or some of the suggestions below. Each log should be typed and dated and should include at least one direct quotation from the reading. The reading log is 40% of your final average.

During any class you might be asked to hand in the log for that day, you might be asked to exchange logs with another student, or you might be asked to read it aloud.

Suggestions for what to write about:

l. If the material is difficult or if you're having a hard time concentrating, keep a running log as you read of what's happening (e.g., lines 1-22: Wordsworth is talking about returning to Tintern Abbey after five years' absence; 22-57: He's talking about what nature can do for man.) At the end of such a log, write down ideas or feelings you've had while reading.

2. Keep a running log of questions that occur to you as you're reading. Skip several lines between each question. When you're finished reading, go back and see how many you can answer. For those that you still can't answer, guess (that is, write what you think the answer might be.)

3. Keep a list of characters and key information about each. Choose one or more of the characters and discuss something that interested you about him or her, or discuss why the author presented the character in that particular way.

4. Keep a list of images or a list of all the occurrences of a particular image. Speculate on why the author used those images.

5. Discuss the author's word choice. Choose a passage you liked or were interested in. Underline several words in it. Think of other words the writer could have chosen. Then, try to give the reasons the author chose to use those particular words.

6. Discuss the theme of the material. What's the author trying to say?

7. Write about anything that interested or moved you.

8. Copy lines you liked and tell why you liked them.

9. Complete the blanks in the following: While reading (name a specific part of the text), I was struck by ; OR I was surprised by ; OR I was confused by .

10. Write about something that either raises a question or provokes a response in your classmates (that is, say something that you think most people would disagree with).

11. Write exactly what you thought and felt as you were reading.

12. Do you like this material? Why or why not?

13. Do you feel there is an opinion expressed by the author through this work? What is it? How do you know this? Do you agree? Why or who not?

14. If you were an English teacher, would you want to share this work with your students? Why or why not?

15. How does this selection fit into the overall genre; that is, what makes it romantic? or realistic?

16. Use suggestions given by the teacher.

RESEARCH PAPERS

Students will be asked to select a topic up to the year 1692, gather information from a minimum of four (4) sources including video tapes and other a/v materials, interviews, the text book, reference books, journals, etc. The paper should include a minimum of 1,000 words and a works cited page with at least four sources, not including the textbook or encyclopedias. Papers that meet these minimum requirements will receive a C. Higher grades will be given to papers that exceed the minimum requirements.

You should use the MLA format for your documentation as outlined in the Harbrace College Handbook or other sources. Internet links to MLA are found at the end of this syllabus or from the JSCC library.

Subjects for the paper or project may be varied. The only requirements are that the topic must fall within the time period of the course and it must be of interest to the class and to the reader. Topics may reflect the student's major, such as education in early Greece, medicine in the Middle Ages, the influence of the Crusades on trade and business, music of the Renaissance, or the architecture of the Romans. They may also reflect the student's interests, such as early inventions, comparing creation myths of the Egyptians and the Hebrews, Renaissance fashion, slavery among the Hebrews, the brutality of the Spanish Inquisition, or women's issues.

Please pick another culture besides the United States to research. Our focus should be on learning about cultures other than our own.

Your success with this paper will be determined by the topic you choose--so choose something you are interested in learning more about because of your major, career choice, or personal interest.

You might want to look at art or sports in a particular time period, marriage or education in the Middle Ages, how a cathedral was built, the genealogy of a family name, how religion impacted music, or any other subject that would combine your own interests with the time period.

Avoid the following:

1. Topics that are too broad—almost anything about Shakespeare, any mere biography or history paper. These papers are too boring.

2. Topics that are too technical—if you are interested in mechanical engineering, you may write a paper about the topic only if you can make the topic interesting to the rest of the class and teacher. Avoid using jargon or vocabulary that normal adults would not be familiar with.

You may opt to do a project of some kind in lieu of the paper, but you must meet all the paper requirements possible. Students may submit original artwork or creative writing, perform a musical or dramatic work, construct models, or develop any other project that reflects the time period as long as it is discussed with the instructor in advance. In the past students have done the following:

Prepared a Medieval feast and shared information and food with the class
Created and modeled a Medieval costume
Built a castle
Drawn women's fashions of the Renaissance
Designed clay figurines of characters in the
Built a Trojan horse

For help with topics, examine the time lines in your text before each major section, glance through the table of contents, or consult with the instructor, your major professor or librarian. A brief oral presentation will accompany the final draft of the paper.

The paper, rough drafts, and photocopied sources should be put in a large envelope to hand in. Do not put your paper in a report holder; just staple it in the top left hand corner.

Due dates:
Fri Jan 26--tentative topic due
Fri Feb 16--working bibliography due
Fri Mar 2--highlighted sources due
Mon Mar 26--peer draft copy due
Mon Ap 9--rough draft due
Wed Ap 18--oral presentation, final copy, rough drafts, and all notes due

Format of Research Paper

Double space with 1 inch margins. Use 12 point Times New Roman font. Do not have a separate title page—put a heading on the first page with your name, the class, the teacher name, and the date in the top left-hand corner. Center the title on the next line and begin the paper. Do not put extra double spaces anywhere in the paper. Pages should be numbered in the top right-hand corner. Your Works Cited Page should be a separate page at the end of the paper and should also be double spaced. Do not double space twice after end punctuation; use a singe space after commas and periods.

Do not put your final draft in a report cover. Merely staple it in the top left-hand corner and put it in your manila envelope with the rest of your work. When you turn in your completed paper, all drafts, copies of sources, and topic selection sheet should be included in the envelope.

Other Considerations

MLA (Modern Language Association) format for citations should be used. Most writing handbooks have examples of the correct style for MLA. If your handbook does not have examples of how to document Internet sources, check my web page or the JSCC library web page. One link is: http://www.mla.org/www_mla_org/style/style_index.asp?mode=section and click on “Frequently Asked Questions”.

Always put a citation (author’s last name and page number in parenthesis) after each quote or after material you have paraphrased which is not your own idea. Always introduce each quote in some way—never just begin a sentence with a quote. For example:

John Forsythe suggests, “ Johnson’s poem is often misunderstood by the elite” (22).

Note that since the author’s name was used in the introduction, only the page number is in parenthesis. Also notice that there is no period until after the citation itself.

When quoting a source that is longer than three lines in your paper, indent the quote two tabs and omit quotation marks. However try to avoid over-quoting. Paraphrase or summarize most of your sources and use long quotes sparingly.

Paraphrased information from the same source in the same paragraph should just have a single citation unless the page number changes. If it does, put the new page number in parenthesis and omit the author’s name. For each new paragraph, include both the author name and page number in the citation.

The exception to this rule is that you do not have to cite general information, which includes anything that might be found in an encyclopedia such as facts or dates.

When referring to literature, use the present tense. “Shakespeare’s sonnet is remarkable for its use of alliteration.” Even though Shakespeare wrote the sonnet in the past, we use present tense because the poem exists in the present.

PLAGIARISM

According to Lester in Writing Research Papers, “Fundamentally, plagiarism is the offering of the words or ideas of another person as one's own. The worst violation is the use of another student's work. Also flagrantly dishonest are writers who knowingly use sources without documentation” (129).

If a student is guilty of plagiarism, the instructor has the authority to assign an F or a zero for the exercise or examination, or to assign an F in the course.

Lester suggests the following rules of conduct:

1. Acknowledge borrowed material by introducing the quotation or paraphrase with the name of the authority.

2. Enclose within quotation marks all quoted material.

3. Make certain that paraphrased material is rewritten into your own style and language. Simply rearrangement of sentence patterns is unacceptable.

4. Provide specific in-text documentation for each borrowed item. MLA style requires name and page for all in-text references.

5. Provide a bibliography entry in the “Works Cited” for every source cited in the paper.

6. Omit sources consulted but not used.

Interesting Links

Help with MLA citations
http://www.westga.edu/~library/depts/liaison/english/mla.shtml

The differences between good and not-so-good writing.
The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing by Michael Harvey at Washington College

Study Hints
http://www.dce.ttu.edu/cspkt/study.htm

Suggestions about writing papers about literature
http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar/composition/literature.html-ssi

How to search the internet
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/FindInfo.html

A Guide for writing a research paper
http://webster.commnet.edu/mla.htm

Documenting Sources from the World Wide Web
http://www.mla.org/set_stl.htm

A discussion of Old English, including examples of it read aloud
http://www.kami.demon.co.uk/gesithas/readings/readings.html

Study Hints
http://www.dce.ttu.edu/cspkt/study.htm

Study Guides and Summaries

Aeneid
Study Guide for the Aeneid
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/aeneid/

Beowulf
Beowulf summary
http://www.lnstar.com/literature/beowulf/beowulf.html

Gilgamesh
Study Guide to Gilgamesh
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gilgamesh/

Outline of Gilgamesh with Bibliography and Links
http://www.hist.unt.edu/ane-09.htm

Gilgamesh: The Study Guide
http://www.geocities.com/uniquehiddo/Gilgamesh_Study_Guide.html

Medea
    Study Guides to Medea
    http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/medea/            http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/medea/
    http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/netshots/medea.htm

Plato's Apology
Historical Background
http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/netshots/apology.htm

Outline of Plato's Apology http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwebusers.xula.edu%2Frberman%2FApology.htm

Odyssey
Odyssey: Study Guides and Background Information
http://www.geocities.com/tmartiac/thalassa/odysseystudy.htm

The Odyssey Crossword Puzzle
http://www.entrenet.com/~groedmed/greekm/ody.html

Study Guide for The Odyssey By Robin Mitchell-Boyask, Temple University
http://www.temple.edu/classics/odysseyho.html

Characters and Plot Summary of The Odyssey
http://www.enl.umassd.edu/InteractiveCourse/Homer/odyssey.html

Homer's Odyssey Resources on the Web
http://www.robotwisdom.com/jaj/homer/odyssey.html

Classical Mythology Character Glossary
http://www.classicalmythology.org/glossaries/character_a.html

Oedipus
Study Guide for Oedipus the King
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/oedipus/

The Old Testament
Study Guide for the Old Testament
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/oldtestament/

Paradise Lost
Study Guide for Paradise Lost
http://www.sparknotes.com/poetry/paradiselost/

The Ramayana of Valmiki
Study Questions
http://www.geocities.com/trpjwig/india/ramaguide.html

Islam

Sharia Law
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/nigeria/links.html

    Frequently asked questions about Islam
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muslims/etc/faqs.html

    Why Westerners are confused about Islamic rage
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/muslims/etc/zepp.html

Introduction to Islam
http://www.mideasti.org/library/islam/introislam.htm

What is the Koran?
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/99jan/koran.htm

Three Translations of the Koran
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/

The Islamic Resurgence
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/binladen/islam/huntington.html

Roots of Muslim Rage
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/90sep/rage.htm

Web page for humanities research on topics including music, philosophy, dance, literature, women's studies, art, architecture and lots more
http://vos.ucsb.edu/

Who really wrote all those plays and poems attributed to Shakespeare?
http://www.shakespeare-oxford.com/
http://www.shakespeare-oxford.com/shakdead.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shakespeare/

Medieval Women
http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/subjects/women/women.html
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/culture/Women/femindex.html

Medieval Towns
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/culture/towns/towns.html

Medieval Science and Technology
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/culture/scitech/index.html

Medieval Music
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/culture/music/musindex.html

Topics about many different cultures in the Middle Ages and many different subjects including science, history, art, music, archeology, etc
http://www.georgetown.edu/labyrinth/

Misconceptions about the Middle Ages including children, religion, humor, medicine and more
http://orb.rhodes.edu/non_spec/missteps/Con.html

The Online Encyclopedia on the Middle Ages
http://orb.rhodes.edu/index.html

Magic and Witchcraft in the Middle Ages
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/culture/magwitch/magency.htm
http://orb.rhodes.edu/encyclop/culture/magwitch/orbmagic.htm

Spring 2007 World Lit Tentative Schedule

Wed Jan 17 Class introductions
Fri Jan 19 Discuss study techniques, sign up for videos
Mon Jan 22 Discuss “Invention of Writing” p. 3-6 and Gilgamesh p. 10-17
Wed Jan 24 Discuss Gilgamesh p. 17-24, 30-41
Fri Jan 26 Tentative Research Topics due. Discuss The Bible p. 52-64
Mon Jan 29 Discuss The Bible p. 64-77
Wed Jan 31 Discuss The Odyssey p. 114-119 and Book I
Fri Feb 2 Discuss The Odyssey Book II
Mon Feb 5 Discuss The Odyssey Book IX
Wed Feb 7 Discuss The Odyssey Book XXI
Fri Feb 9 Discuss The Odyssey Book XXII
Mon Feb 12 Discuss background to Sophocles and Oedipus p. 612-615
Wed Feb 14 Discuss Oedipus
Fri Feb 16 Complete Oedipus. Working Bibliography due.
Mon Feb 19 Discuss Confucious p. 820-831. Review for exam
Wed Feb 21 First Exam
Fri Feb 23 Discuss India’s Heroic Age p. 881-885, The Ramayana p. 890-893
Mon Feb 26 The Ramayana p. 895-911.
Wed Feb 28 The Ramayana p. 911-922.
Fri Mar 2 Highlighted Sources Due
Mon Mar 5-Fri Mar 9 Spring Break
Mon Mar 12 Discuss the Bhagavad-Gita p. 1010-1025
Wed Mar 14 Discuss The New Testament 1204-1221
Fri Mar 16 Discuss The Koran p. 1419--1432
Mon Mar 19 Discuss The Koran p. 1432-1441
Wed Mar 21 2nd Exam Objective questions
Fri Mar 23 2nd Exam Essay questions
Mon Mar 26 Peer Draft of Research Project Due
Wed Mar 28 Discuss Beowulf p. 1626-1642
Fri Mar 30 Discuss Beowulf p. 1642-1650, 1661-1669
Mon Ap 2 Discuss Dante 1826-1835. Read summaries of Cantos I-XV.
Wed Ap 4 Discuss The Inferno. Read summaries of Cantos XV-XXXIII.
Fri Ap 6 Good Friday Holiday
Mon Ap 9 Rough Draft Due. Begin Chaucer
Wed Ap 11 Discuss Chaucer p. 2045-2050. Prologue 2051-2067
Fri Ap 13 The Miller’s Tale p. 2067-2082.
Mon Ap 16 The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale
Wed Ap 18 Final Draft of Research Project Due. Presentations of Papers
Fri Ap 20 Presentations of Papers and Projects
Mon Ap 23 Discuss Cervantes 2671-2674 and Don Quixote 2680-2696
Wed Ap 25 Discuss Don Quixote 2696-2725
Mon Ap 30 Final Exam 8-10 am

JSCC Faculty

World Lit 1 Syllabus

RESEARCH PAPERS

Format of Research Paper

Other Considerations

PLAGIARISM