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INSTRUCTOR:
Wellman.
OFFICE: L 201. Voice Mail: 577-6654. E-mail:
wellman@dwc.edu.
OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Thurs. 2:30-4, Weds. best by appointment.
In this course the student will
encounter a variety of genres and themes associated with world
literature, especially the world literature of the modern period.
Instruction emphasizes effective and creative reading strategies that
will enhance student appreciation of literature. All sections of World
Literature include instruction in how to read analytically for purposes
of appreciation and enriched understanding.
The focus of this semester is modern and
contemporary writing from emerging or postcolonial cultures in the Caribbean and Latin America. We will read novels
that explore identity from a historical and social basis. Often this
literature is written in a magical or surrealistic style. Issues of
liberty and community are very much in evidence in the chosen works.
Outcomes:
1.
Students will demonstrate the ability to read for form and
structure: they will be able to describe the structure or plot of works
studied.
2.
Students will acquire a vocabulary that enables them to discuss
aesthetic concepts like form or shape.
2.
Students will demonstrate understanding of the importance of
character in novels and other forms of literature.
3.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of
style in the composition of works of literature.
4.
Students will be able to describe the relation between literature
and one or more relevant cultural or social concepts, for example:
alienation, subjectivity, gender, race or social justice.
5.
Students will meet second-year writing, research, communications
and humanities outcomes for General Education.
General Education
Outcomes:
Students will demonstrate the ability to:
1.
Distinguish between evidence and opinion.
2.
Work with different kinds of evidence.
3.
Recognize our connectedness with others.
4.
Understand the internal logic of an argument.
5.
Appreciate the value of theory and apply theories in a variety
of contexts.
6.
Understand topics in their historical and social contexts.
7.
Write accurately, clearly, and critically in a range of genres,
including reflective, analytical, and argumentative writing.
8.
Analyze their reading.
9.
Communicate effectively in a variety of contexts: participation,
presentations, groupwork, panel discussions.
10.
Discern forms of individual works.
11.
Understand figurative and symbolic expressions.
12.
Examine the details of expression.
Required texts:
Kamu Brathwaite. Middle Passages. NY: New
Directions, 1994. NY: New Directions,
0811212327.
Aimé Césaire. Notebook of a Return to the Native
Land. Hanover: Wesleyan U P, 2001.
0819564524.
Aimé Césaire. Discourse on Colonialism.
Monthly Review Press; New Ed edition
(January 1, 2001). 1583670254.
Patrick Chamoiseau. Texaco. NY: Vintage,
1998. 0679751750.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of
Solitude. NY: Perennial, 1998.
0060929790.
William Shakespeare. The Tempest. Ed. Peter
Holland. The Pelican Shakespeare. NY:
Penguin Putnam, 1999. 0-14-07.1485-5
On-line texts and handouts: Sor Juana, Federico
Garcia Lorca, Octavio Paz, Nicholas Guillén, Jorge Luis Borges, Wilson
Harris, Derek Walcott.
Assignments:
Three required responses of varying lengths and a
portfolio are identified on the calendar. Two responses require
research. I will also assign short creative writing exercises
periodically. You are encouraged to keep a notebook of creative
reflections and poems. I will offer some suggestions for notebook
topics. For the hybrid version of the course, this notebook will be in
the form of a blog. Six initial threads have been
established and identified as such in the course calendar.
Your response writings and your creative work are the sources of the
portfolio which will be available on line for response and comments by
other students My evaluation and your grade will reflect your learning over
the term. I will weigh grades earned after midterm proportionately more
than grades earned before. The first response has a value of 10% of your
term grade; the second 20%, the third 30%. This leaves 30% for the
portfolio and 10% for participation. Your participation is documented
through collaborative assignments and by
threaded responses to the blogs of your classmates.
Housekeeping:
I use a point system to penalize late work or
absences. The same system allows you to earn rewards. As many as 8 points
can be added to your class average. Points will be deducted from your
class average for absence and late work. Absences beyond the two that I
will allow at your discretion will cost you 2 penalty points Any late work will
also cost 2 points. You are responsible for posting to your blog and
other assignments in a timely fashion. You are also responsible for
responding to comments generated by your posts.
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is any attempt to pass off another’s work as your
own. The penalty is at least an ‘F’ on the assignment. For
deliberate plagiarism or cheating, such as purchasing or copying a
paper from a web-based term paper mill, the penalty is an ‘F’ in the
course. Another form of deliberate plagiarism is the practice of
“pastiche,” the cutting and pasting together of paragraphs and
sentences that were taken from different authors and submitting this
work as your own.
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