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Masterpieces
of World Literature 271 Syllabus Both a
"D" and a "W" Course Winter 2013
Syllabus Instructor: Jim Roth Office Number: 211T School
e-mail: jroth@scc.spokane.edu Office Phone: 533-7058 School website: http://ol.scc.spokane.edu
/jroth Required Text:
The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, Eighth Edition,
Volume 1 Other: Regular access to the Internet A
Caution concerning World Masterpieces 271 This
literature course offers different views on potentially controversial
subjects, most particularly religion.
The authors and cultures we will read held as fervently to their
“truths” as we do to ours. If you are devoted to your “truth” in such a way
that hearing or reading ideas that seemingly challenge it might offend you or
distress you, I suggest you drop this course immediately. OVERVIEW
Catalog Description: This course explores the fundamental works
of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and European civilizations from the dawn of
literacy to the Renaissance.
Prerequisite: Sophomore
standing and/or English 101. SCC ENGLISH DEPARTMENT COURSE OUTCOMES—please
read Requirements: When you glance through the text, you
will immediately see that the material will require advanced reading
skills and a good amount of time to prepare for each class. Please assess your reading level
immediately and find an alternative course at once if you feel your reading
skills are not advanced enough.
Please remember that all students will be responsible for a close
reading of all assignments. WHAT’S A “HYBRID” or “BLENDED” COURSE? Our
course is a “hybrid” or “blended” course because it mixes both on-campus
class meetings and online activities.
This course structure attempts to take advantage of the best features
of both face-to-face and online learning, with each form of instruction
complementing and reinforcing the other.
The dynamics of “hybrid” or “blended” courses are still in their
infancy, so I ask for your patience, feedback, and advice. Though
our course does not meet on campus Mondays or Fridays, these two class hours
are replaced by equivalent online activities which will include independent research,
journal writing, quizzes, postings, and other activities. NOTE: Perhaps the most
important key to doing well in our course is to follow our ANGEL course
calendar CLOSELY. I update the
calendar often and use it to plan and announce assignments and
activities. Please check the calendar
DAILY for changes in due dates, activities, and the next few days’ reading
assignments. Class time will include both small-group and
general discussion. Please remember
that this is not a lecture course, and so, to profit, always read assignments
in advance and come to class willing to discuss them; please do not attend if
your intention is only to have other class members or me tell you what we
think the assignments mean. Expect
an occasional pop quiz to encourage participation and reward those who
complete assignments on time. EXPERIENCES
(EXAMS) (100 points each--three during the term) There
will be three of these, roughly dividing the course into thirds. All questions will be short essay or
objective. Each experience is worth up
to 100 points and cannot be taken late unless you make arrangements in
advance. Because this course
provides a "W" credit, your success on these experiences (exams)
will depend upon your use of written English as well as upon your mastery of
course content. FORMAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS (MLA
format) Occasionally
I will ask you to write a one to two-page formal reaction to one or more of
our readings. Be ready to share your
reaction and turn it in at the beginning of the class. NOTE: These writing
assignments
are due at the beginning of class and will not be accepted later during the
class that day for any reason. This is
because they only have value if they are written before the discussion and
the writer then participates in the discussion. The
keys to success are the following: ·
Read the assignment carefully and answer the
specific question the assignment poses. ·
Always have your assignment written before class. I will be calling on each of you to share
your entries throughout the quarter. ·
Be honest.
Write what you really feel, not what you think you are supposed to
say. ·
Show respect for the English language—use it
correctly. Because this course
provides a "W" credit, the points you earn on these assignments
will in part be determined by your use of written English. PORTFOLIO
FOLDER
Please
keep all returned assignments in your portfolio folder. Producing a returned, graded assignment is
the ONLY WAY to verify that you
have completed the assignment if my records indicate otherwise. FIRST THREE DAYS ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT In
order to be eligible to receive a course grade of 1.0 or higher, a student must have
attended regularly the first three days of the quarter or have made
arrangements with the instructor in advance. VOLUNTARY ATTENDANCE POLICY I do not take attendance because I believe that at the college
level, attendance is the student’s responsibility. Unlike earlier, required
school participation, enrolling in college is a choice you freely make; in
addition, it is a privilege, not a requirement. Therefore, it is up to
you whether you will take advantage of it or not. However, a student who misses too many
classes may become ineligible to pass the course because excessive absence
brings into question whether the student attempted the course at all. Please
be aware that a blended course with voluntary attendance is easy to forget
about. CLASSROOM CONDUCT and BEHAVIOR No student has the right to interfere with
another student’s opportunity to learn.
To this end, I expect all of
my students to act like responsible, socially-skilled adults or they will be
asked to leave the class and/or drop the course. In addition, please turn off all electronics including cell phones and
I-pods. Since attendance is voluntary,
if you would rather be calling, texting, chatting or listening to music
during class time, please do it elsewhere.
Please see the S.C.C. Student Code of Conduct for more information. MAKING UP LATE ASSIGNMENTS There are no
make-ups unless you make arrangements in advance. However, to allow for the
unexpected, you may make up one assignment without penalty as long as you make
it up within one calendar week of its due date. These make-up guidelines do NOT
apply to the three major exams, to the in-class writing
assignments, or to
the occasional pop quizzes. Please remember that once you have used this one late
assignment option, no more late assignments will be accepted no matter the reason unless you made earlier, prior arrangements to submit the assignment late. No excuses and no exceptions, so
please don’t ask.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING Plagiarism and Cheating: Plagiarism is knowingly using
someone else's words or ideas as our own. The temptation to plagiarize is
great because writing is difficult. Remember that plagiarism is stealing and
will NOT be tolerated. Cheating covers a variety of different methods, but
generally turning in work that is not our own. Please read the Arts and
Sciences Dean’s Letter before
continuing. OTHERS Registered sex offenders
(RSO’s) may be enrolled in SCC classes. Persons interested in seeking the
identity of these person(s) may obtain further information from the Campus
Security Office. At all times, whether on
campus or taking online courses, be cautious of your personal safety and be
very careful of any relationships or attachments you form with others you
meet through college courses and activities. Students in online courses must
be particularly careful since there is no opportunity to screen others in
person. Community Colleges of
Spokane is committed to the safety and well-being of students, faculty, and
staff. The entire community is responsible for maintaining a healthy and safe
learning environment. Please report any suspicious activities to the Campus
Security Office immediately. PROPER
ENGLISH AND COURTESY IN COURSE COMMUNICATIONS Whether we like it or not,
others judge us by how well we use the language. In addition, the use of
Standard Written English demonstrates respect for ourselves,
our language, our readers, and our message. Because of these facts, part of
your grade this quarter will be determined by the quality of English you use
is all course communication, including e-mails and postings. Please be aware that I
will not respond to e-mails nor will I accept or grade any essays written in
substandard English. In addition, I will not read nor will I respond to
e-mails written in Textlish (“texting English”). Finally, I will
not read nor will I respond to communications that are impolite or
discourteous. CHECKING YOUR GRADES I
keep all of your grades on ANGEL.
Please check them regularly and let me know of any discrepancies. YOUR FINAL GRADE: S.C.C.
uses the decimal grading system. I
will first convert your grade to percentage by dividing you total points by
the total points possible. I will then
convert your percentage grade to a decimal grade using the chart below. The decimal value will appear on your grade
sheet and transcript.
COURSE JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT World
Literature 271 is a ‘W’ course because one of its goals is to help you
improve your writing. Regardless of
what writing instruction I can give you, the best way to improve your writing
is to write and write often. Simply writing lots of words, sentences, and
paragraphs can lead to surprising improvement in your writing--the more
words, the better. The magic is that the words you write don’t have to be
read by anyone else to help your writing skills improve. To understand how this works,
compare writing a great number of words to practicing the piano between
piano lessons. The piano teacher does not have to listen to each practice
session in order for the student to improve; in the same way, someone else
(an instructor) does not have to read the words written for the writer
to improve. But in each case the student will improve in
proportion to the practice time that he or she invests. Therefore,
dedicating yourself to this assignment can do more to improve your writing
than anything I or any book can do.
GOALS The goal of a Course Journal entry
is to consider the literary work in question and write as many sentences and
paragraphs as possible within the time limit.
Your journal response might include your general reaction to the
literary work, questions you have about it, your reaction to class
discussions, or reflections on your earlier thinking after having the benefit
of class discussion and additional time to reflect on the piece of
literature. Writing a journal entry requires a special time set aside to write original
sentences and paragraphs about the readings we’ll be covering. Plan on about fifteen to twenty minutes per journal entry, with about two to
three entries per week. To make a
journal entry, first read the selection in question and then write an honest
reaction to it. What did or didn’t you
understand? What did you agree or
disagree with? What questions would
you ask the author, given the opportunity? What inferences can you draw about
the culture in which the selection was written? Did you enjoy the
selection? Why or why not? Go deeper than deciding whether a selection
appealed to you or not. What’s important
is WHY you found it appealing or unappealing.
Responding to this second-level question can refine your thinking,
your knowledge of yourself, and your values. One key to
being successful is to let the words flow quickly. Disregard spelling and punctuation; just be
sure you can make out what you have written at a later time because I may ask
you to share a general sense of a journal entry or you may want to return to
an entry to revise it. Also please
keep in mind that since I will not read in detail any of your entries, you
can be absolutely honest with yourself.
No one but you will read the content of your journal entries without
your permission. It’s best to view
your journal entries as conversations with yourself, the author, and the
selection. SPECIFICS You need not
worry about correcting spelling/readability/sentencing errors, nor be
concerned that someone else will read what you have written. Just be sure you
can make out what you’ve written. Ø A minimum of
fifteen minutes minimum per journal assignment. (Please see the tentative list of journal
assignments below). Ø You may hand-write and/or type your journal entries. Please be sure
to accurately number and date each journal entry. Ø Keep all pages
together in a notebook or on a USB thumb drive—I will ask you to show me your
journal in progress at various times throughout the quarter. Ø Please bring
journal writing materials with you to each class. Occasionally, we’ll write a journal entry
together. Ø As you write a
journal entry, please remember the goal is to produce a large quantity of
words within the time limit. Since I
will not read the content of your entries, poor spelling and punctuation will
not be a factor in your journal grade; only the number of words will. Ø At first, expect to sit a bit, waiting for
the ideas to come. If you are patient,
in time your mind will begin to generate content that your pen can
record. A fifteen to twenty-minute
writing session can yield from half a page to several pages of writing
depending upon your mood and perseverance. Ø Note: Your journal must
demonstrate that you have read the readings, attended the discussions, and
made an honest attempt to meet the requirements of this assignment.
Journals that appear "fabricated" will not be accepted. Ø No one but you will read the actual
sentences you write—only the quantity you write will be checked. Tentative Literature Journal Entries (Some of these
literary works will also provide topics for online postings. Please see our ANGEL calendar.)
You
can use the following questions as journal prompts: What
was your initial reaction to the selection? What
did or didn’t you understand? What
did you agree or disagree with? Why? What
questions would you ask the author, given the opportunity? What
inferences can you draw about the culture in which the selection was written?
Did
you enjoy the selection? Why or why
not? Where
do you think the story will go next?
Where would you take it if you were the author? What
theme does the selection suggest? In
other words, what does the selection suggest about the nature of life and
experience? Try to state this in a sentence. Does
the selection respond to any of our beginning questions? How does the world work? In-depth
responses can refine your thinking, your knowledge of yourself, and your
values. World Literature 271/272 J. Roth Reading Skills Assessment
Exercise Directions: Please read this excerpt
from our text and then take the six-question quiz that follows: The stories told in the Homeric
poems are set in the age of the Trojan War, which archaeologists (those, that
is, who believe that it happened at all) date to the twelfth century B.C.E.
Though the poems do preserve some faded memories of the Mycenaean Age, as we
have them they probably are the creation of later centuries, the tenth to the
eighth B.C.E.-the so-called Dark Age that succeeded the collapse (or
destruction) of Mycenaean civilization. This was the time of the final
settlement of the Greek peoples, an age of invasion perhaps and migration
certainly, which saw the foundation and growth of many small independent
cities. The geography of Greece-a land of mountain barriers and scattered
islands-encouraged this fragmentation. The Greek cities never lost sight of
their common Hellenic heritage, but it was not enough to unite them except in
the face of unmistakable and overwhelming danger, and even then they came
together only partially and for a short time. They differed from each other
in custom, political constitution, and even dialect: their relations with
each other were those of rivals and fierce competitors. These cities, constantly at war in
the pursuit of more productive land for growing populations, were dominated
from the late eighth century B.C.E. by aristocratic oligarchies, which
maintained a stranglehold on the land and the economy of which it was the
base. At the same time, cultural horizons were expanding. In the eighth and
seventh centuries B.C.E. Greeks (perhaps including the landless) founded new
cities (always near the sea and generally owing little or no allegiance to
the home base) all over the Mediterranean coast . . . . Many of these new
outposts of Greek civilization experienced a faster economic and cultural
development than the older cities of the mainland (4-5). Lawall, Sarah, and , ed. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature,
Volume 1. 8th ed. New York: WW.
Norton & Company, 2006. Comprehension Quiz: Please circle the best answer in each of
the following. The Answers are at the bottom of p. 22) 1. According
to this article, the Trojan War is believed to have occurred approximately
how many years ago?
2.
According to this article, the poems likely were created
3. According
to this article, which of the following contributed to the breaking apart of
a single Greek culture?
4. According
to the article, one event likely to unify the otherwise independent Greek
cities was
5. The context
in which the phrase aristocratic oligarchies
occurs in paragraph 2 suggests that aristocratic
oligarchies
6.
The article suggests that
B. Often outposts
flourished
J.
Roth Rough Timeline of Periods and
Events
Romanticism
[Early 1800’s] Realism
[Mid-to-late 1800’s and on] Literary Periods Naturalism
[Late 1800’s and on]
FICTION TERMS AND DEFINITIONS PLOT The Classical Plot Line
end
of the story
beginning of the story
PLOT--continued
Ø Protagonist—the
central character Ø Antagonists—characters,
forces, etc., that oppose the protagonist Ø Conflict—where
opposing forces meet—a clash of actions, ideas, desires, or wills. Ø Suspense—the quality
in a story that makes us want to read on. Ø Mystery—an
unusual set of circumstances for which readers crave an explanation. Ø Dilemma—two
choices—neither favorable. Ø Plot
Manipulation (deus ex machina)—a plot turn unjustified
by the situation or characters. CHARACTER
Ø Direct
Presentation—we are told straight out what the characters are
like. Ø Indirect
Presentation—we are shown what the characters are like by
watching them in action and then making inferences. Ø Flat
Character—a
character about which we know little—one-dimensional. Ø Round
Character—a
character about which we know a great deal—multi-faceted, more fully
developed. Ø Stock
Character—a
character who is of a recognizable type and whose actions are predicable. Ø Static
Character—a
character that does not change significantly through the action of the story. Ø Developing
(Dynamic) Character—a character that changes
significantly through the action of the story. THEME
Ø
Theme—the
central insight or unifying generalization about life presented in a
story. Not all stories have
themes. In addition, a theme is stated
as a generalization about experience rather than specific to the story in
which it is found. NARRATIVE POINT OF VIEW
Ø First
Person Narration—a character is the narrator. Ø Limited
Omniscient Narration—the narrator is outside of the story—one
character’s thoughts are revealed. Ø Omniscient
Narration—the
narrator is outside of the story—at least two characters’ thoughts are
revealed. Ø Objective Narration—the narrator is outside
of the story—no character’s thoughts are revealed. Often called “camera eye” or
“fly-on-the-wall.” SYMBOL Ø A symbol—something
that means more than what it is. It is
something that represents itself plus something of a different kind. It is an object, a person, a situation, an
action, or some other item that has a literal meaning in the story but
suggests or represents other meanings as well. IRONY
Ø Verbal
Irony—when
the opposite of what is said is meant.
(Not to be confused with satire). Ø Dramatic
Irony—a
contrast between what the character says and what
the reader knows to be true. Ø Situational
Irony—when
the opposite of what is expected to happen happens. EASY STEPS TO READING AND UNDERSTANDING A POEM Reading, understanding, and enjoying poetry is possible for all of us.
It only requires that we follow a process. Follow these steps
for each poem you study. FIRST: SCAN
the poem for difficult words and look these up in a dictionary. Remember, every word
in a poem is significant. SECOND: READ
the poem two or three times ALOUD.
THIRD: ASK
yourself who is the speaker and what is the occasion. Do not assume the speaker of the poem is
the poet. Often this is not the case. FOURTH: PARAPHRASE the poem
line-by-line or stanza-by-stanza until you get a meaning that makes
sense. Remember, a paraphrase is a
translation into common language. FIFTH: READ the poem ALOUD
a time or two more for new understanding and enjoyment.
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SONNETS MADE EASY
A
sonnet is a poem whose structure and content meet specific
standards. Its success relies on
exactness and perfection of expression.
It is an art form that truly challenges a poet’s artistry and skill. Structure: In
general, a sonnet is a fourteen-line poem where each line is written in a
particular musical rhythm called iambic pentameter. In addition, these fourteen lines have to
conform to a specific rhyme scheme. Don’t
be confused or put off by the term iambic pentameter. An iamb is simply a two-syllable unit of
sound where the first syllable is unaccented and the second is accented. Words like today, forget,
and garage are iambs. If
you say these words aloud, you will notice that you accent the second
syllable more strongly than the first. Pentameter means measure
(meter) of five (penta). So iambic pentameter simply means five
iambs to each line. Check this line
out: “Today I will forget to weep for
you” Can you identify the five iambs? On
to rhyme scheme: Rhyme scheme simply
means the pattern made by the ending sounds of each line. Consider
this: Please
listen to my voice above them all, So you, my friend,
be spared the pain and grief Of
failing, falling hard against that wall Which makes a time of happiness so
brief. We
mark the rhyme scheme of a poem by using the alphabet. The first line’s ending sound is given the
letter “A.” Any similar ending sounds
in that poem also are given the letter “A.”
The next new end-of-the-line sound is given the letter “B,” the next
“C,” and so on. The
four lines above have the rhyme scheme A,B,A,B. See? Since
there are two major types of sonnets—the Petrarchan
(or Italian) and Shakespearean (or English or Elizabethan)—there
are two major rhyme schemes. Though
rhyme scheme variations exist (particularly in the last six lines (the
sestet), the Petrarchan (or Italian) sonnet rhyme scheme usually is
B B A An OCTAVE—the first eight
lines-- A states a proposition or B raises a question. B A
D E A SESTET—the last six lines C applies the proposition or D solves the problem. E A
Shakespearean (or English or Elizabethan) sonnet is different:
B First QUATRAIN A Image or example #1 B
D Second QUATRAIN C Image or example #2 D
F Third QUATRAIN E Image or example #3 F
G Commentary on the preceding ideas Now
the hard part—a sonnet must have meaning, too. A Petrachan
sonnet presents a situation or premise in the first eight lines (the octave)
and provides some sort of resolution or statement about the situation in the
final six lines (the sestet). The
Shakespearean sonnet, in contrast, presents three four-line (a quatrain)
examples or premises, with the couplet at the end providing some sort of
closure. Examples? For a Petrarchan sonnet, how about this
masterpiece: Fourteen
lines of iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of abbaabbacdecde
and a structured message breaking at the end of the eighth line. My
college life has left me without sleep. I
study every night locked in my room. The
walls at times feel almost like a tomb; The
loneliness doth cause my soul to weep. Great
tears of sadness flow from eyes that keep Returning
to the text where answers loom, Enshrouded
in a chapter like a womb, My
eyes throughout the words do futilely creep. I
must a Big Mac eat or I will die Of
hunger gnawing at my fragile mind That
cannot read another word of this. I
also want a piece of apple pie That
Ronald has so patiently refined. I
must these eat or I will be a mess. First
note the rhyme scheme—it is one kind of Petrachan
sonnet rhyme scheme (abbaabbacdecde). Next note how the thought changes direction
after the eighth line. The first eight
lines (the octave) develop the situation; the final six lines (the sestet)
provide resolution. Now
on to a Shakespearean sonnet. Let’s
start with the same idea: Fourteen
lines of iambic pentameter with a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdefefgg
and a structured message consisting of three four-line premises and a
two-line (a couplet) resolution. My
college life has left me without sleep. I
study every night locked in my room. The
loneliness doth cause my soul to weep, The
walls at times feel almost like a tomb. My
social life has vanished in the haze That
drifts about me when I think of love, And
hours doeth creep by in a blurry daze With
hope of romance stolen from above. My
health is really starting to erode. I
cannot walk and talk ‘cause I must pant And
wheeze because my bod cannot the load Endure;
and as to run, well I just can’t. So
from the doctor I must seek some help. I
bet he will suggest I eat some kelp. A
classic? Time will tell, but while we
wait, note the structure of the thought.
The first, second, and third four-line groups (quatrains) provide
examples of the situation. The final
two lines, the couplet, provide closure. |
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Answers to Reading Skills
Assessment Quiz (page 9)
1. B 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. A 6. B