Mhussey-ENGL2850-Spring 2017-KMA
Baruch College, Spring 2017
ENG 2850 (Hybrid): Great Works 2; Section: KMA
Monday 2:55-4:35, Room 6-140 (VC)
Professor Miciah Hussey: [email protected]
Class Blog: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/eng2850kmaspring2017/
Office Hours: Mondays 1:00pm-2:00pm, or by appointment
English Department Vertical Campus 7th floor: 7- 290 Cubicle H
Required Texts: (available at Baruch College Bookstore)
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre (4th Edition). New York: Norton, 2016
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. London: Dover
Thrift, 1995
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. London: Dover Thrift Editions,
1996
Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. New York: Norton, 1998
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. New York: Mariner Books, 1990
*Other REQUIRED texts will be posted on the class blog.
Course Description: In this class we will survey the diverse body of world literature written between 1700 to the present. The course will cover many different literary forms, philosophies, and movements as we span the globe looking at how historical context and regional/national identities relate to literature. Throughout the semester we will focus on how prose, fiction, and poetry urge self-exploration and kindle human connection. Beginning with religious and philosophical texts from the East and the West and moving through to our global present, we will consider how subjectivity (our unique point of view influenced by our different social experiences) is always evolving through moments of introspection and through sympathetic and empathic encounters with others. Periods of especial examination include: vernacular Buddhist literature of Asia, European Enlightenment thinking, Romanticism in Great Britain, pre-Civil War America, Modernism across Europe, and Post-Colonial literature of Africa, the Caribbean, and South Asia.
As a hybrid course, we will only meet once per week for a face to face session, and then have asynchronous independent projects/assignments that we will share and collaborate on using various technologies to achieve the learning goals of the course.
Course Learning Goals:
- The ability to interpret meaning in literary texts by paying close attention to an author’s choice of detail, vocabulary, and style;
- The ability to discuss the relationship between different genres of literary texts and the multicultural environments from which they spring;
- Increased confidence in offering a critical evaluation and appreciation of a literary work’s strengths and limitations;
- Increased confidence in the oral presentation of ideas; and
- Increased ability to write critical essays employing a strong thesis statement, appropriate textual citations, and contextual and inter-textual evidence for your ideas.
Course Requirements
Attendance at every class (As we only meet once per week, 2 absences will result in withdraw). Tardiness is unacceptable and will result in a lowered daily participation grade.
Preparedness in class, having read the assignment and brought it to class ready to discuss and participate. (Pop quizzes and in-class writing assignments on reading will be given throughout the semester.) You MUST bring all readings scheduled for the day to each class meeting. We will use them for group and individual analysis during class. Not bringing materials to class will result in a 0 for your daily participation grade (treated as unexcused absence).
Turn in all assignments on time and complete according to instructions.
Conference with professor either to prepare for or review a paper or prepare for an exam at least once in the semester. (I will provide extra time for appointments in advance of papers and exams. Feel free to stop by my office hours or schedule an appointment at another time.)
Respect for yourself, classmates, instructor, and the ideas discussed in class.
Full presence and active participation in class: Be alert and engaged with in the discussion. Speak at least once per class. Limit bathroom breaks. Never use cellphones during class.
Assignments:
Reading Responses – 30%
These are 250-word essays based on a given topic and posted on the class blog. They are due at noon on the day noted on the syllabus. These assignments are a chance for me to read your “gut reaction” to a text or an idea in advance of our class discussion. I expect these pieces to be clearly written, implementing correct grammar, the use of direct textual quotation, and correct citation.
Paper – 25% (each; total of 50%)
These midterm and final assignments are 1,250 word essays (approximately five pages) answering a given prompt.
Midterm Paper: For this paper, analyze one of these readings: Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West , Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Douglass’s Narrative of a Life, or Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and compose an essay answering the following question. It is a cliché to say that life is a journey, but in these texts the protagonists certainly embark on a journey that provide insights into themselves and the world. How does difference in one’s experience of the world—whether social, biological, or philosophical—become opportunity for self-knowledge and human connection.
Final Paper: Read the following short stories on the blog—Achebe’s “Chike’s School Days,” Kincaid’s “Girl,” or Diaz’s “Drown”—and after selecting one write an essay in which you compare it to another text we have read this semester. Focus on how the two texts elucidate one of the key themes of the course.
Papers MUST include a strong thesis statement, quotations from the literary texts, and proper citations. Follow MLA style for citations and Works Cited pages. If you are not familiar with proper citations, please review: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/02/
Participation – 20%
Engaged participation involves coming to weekly discussion and actively speaking and asking questions, having a copy of the text with you (hard copy, e-reader, or computer NOT your phone), and completing the online work marked with P on the syllabus.
Late Work:
Late work not turned in by its due date will be penalized. Responses will lose a whole grade if not turned in by 5pm on the due date. After 24-hours responses will not be accepted and will be given a 0. Papers final projects will lose a third of a letter grade for each day it is late. After five days, papers will not be accepted and will receive a zero.
Note on Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of presenting another person’s ideas, research or writing as your own:
- Copying another person’s actual words without the use of quotation marks and parenthetical references (a functional limit is four or more words taken from the work of another)
- Presenting another person’s ideas or theories in your own words without acknowledging them
- Using information that is not considered common knowledge without acknowledging the source
- Failure to acknowledge collaborators on homework or laboratory assignments
My policy is to give a failing grade to any assignment that has been plagiarized or an assignment on which you have cheated. On your second offense, you will fail the course. In addition, I am required by College policy to submit a report of suspected academic dishonesty to the Office of the Dean of Students. This report becomes part of your permanent file.
Please familiarize yourself with Baruch’s academic integrity policies:
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html
Office Hours and Conferences:
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about this class or an assignment either during my office hours or via e-mail. Please use my gmail account as it is easier for me to check off campus. If my office hours conflict with your schedule, we can make an appointment to meet at another time. I will do my very best to respond to your e-mails promptly; however, a reply may take longer over the weekend.
A Note from your Teacher:
Students often ask, “What does it take to get an A in your class?” Well, in addition to the obvious answer—come to class and do well on the graded assignments—I want to stress the importance of class participation, which includes attendance, preparedness, and presence. We all have busy lives and sometimes this class, or school in general, will come second, third or fourth in a long list of priorities: work, family, and personal growth. Part of adulthood is balancing priorities for the greatest degree of success in your personal, professional, and academic lives. I understand that conflicts will come up for some of you during the course of the semester that may affect your presence in class. I trust you as adults to make the right choices to balance your priorities. Understand though, that your choices may have an adverse effect on other areas in your life and accept that responsibility with integrity. Sometimes, though, events happen beyond our control, and we need to ask for help: When emergencies come up that keep you from class or that will affect your performance, let me know immediately, especially if it will be a long-running issue. I am here to help, and we can work something out together.
I like to lead a discussion-based class so that we can learn from each other, while vocalizing our thoughts, opinions, and interpretations in a safe space. So, in addition to doing the assigned reading, I expect you to bring the materials into class and come ready to talk about it—have opinions, ideas, and questions about it. Try to speak every class. Often, I will call on students, and your saying “I don’t know” or “I have nothing to say” will bring down your daily participation grade. So, speak: Even if you think what you say many not be “right” (much of our discussion will be subjective to hone your critical thinking skills and confidence in voicing your opinion), or your question may be silly (it probably isn’t, and I am sure someone else in the class has the same query), SPEAK UP! Class will be much more beneficial and enjoyable for us all if you do.
Please respect the class as a space for a discussion of mature ideas and personal opinions. I will not tolerate racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, transphobic, anti-Semitic or other forms of offensive comments. I say this not to curtail a right to discussion, but to encourage open-mindedness, empathetic thinking, and thoughtful discourse. Arrive on time, take quick bathroom breaks if necessary only at moments when it would not disrupt the class. Do not bring in food or drinks that will distract classmates (i.e. nothing too noisy or smelly). And keep your phones off at all times.
Schedule
NOTE: Syllabus is subject to change with prior notification; readings marked with an * are available on the course blog under the “Readings” section.
January 30 Introduction; Discuss Amini, “Story”*
February 3 Read “Introduction to the Enlightenment.”* In a blog post discuss the one aspect of our contemporary life (social, political, etc.) and its Enlightenment legacy.
February 6 Discuss Descartes Discourse on Method (parts 4 & 5), and Wu Cheng-en, Journey to the West (Chapter 1) *
February 10 Read Introduction to Romanticism, Edmund Burke, A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (excerpt), and The Gothic. Respond on the blog to the concept of the sublime as you have experienced it in your daily life.
February 13 NO CLASS
February 15 Discuss Bronte, through Chapter 12
February 22 Read Audre Lorde’s “The Transformation of Silence into Action” and “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House.” In a brief response, pick a scene from Jane Eyre and show how Lorde’s analysis is helpful to explaining Jane’s oppression and resistance.
February 27 Discuss Bronte, through Chapter 27
March 3 Read the three poems Emily Dickinson: “The Soul Selects Her Own Society,” “Hope is a Thing with Feathers,” and “I Dwell in Possibility.” Select one poem and use it to analyze a scene in Jane Eyre: When would you imagine a moment that Jane may have felt something similar? How do Dickinson’s ideas help elucidate feelings Jane may or may not express explicitly?
March 6 Discuss Bronte, through end
March 10 Read Whitman’s “Song of Myself.” Respond on the blog on what you think is the “untranslatable self.”
March 13 Discuss Douglass, A Narrative of a Life (purchase); M. NourbeSe Philip, “Discourse on the Logic of language”*
March 17 Read Freud’s Family Romance.* In a brief response, explain if you agree or disagree with Freud’s thinking. Is any part of it useful or helpful to understand your own family relations?
March 20 Discuss Kafka, The Metamorphosis (purchase)
March 24 Read Introduction to Modernism on blog. In lieu of a response, focus on reading the first third of Mrs. Dalloway.
March 27 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (purchase)
March 31 Following a class activity in which we use our own experiences to figure out how to read Woolf’s stream of consciousness and her use of free-indirect discourse, compose a third-person stream of consciousness narrative of your commute to Baruch with examples of FID. (P)
April 3 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (purchase)
April 7 Midterm paper due
April 10/17 No Class Spring Break
April 20 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (purchase)
April 24 Discuss Baldwin, “Notes of a Native Son”*
April 28 Read Black Panther Party Platform and SCUM Manifesto on blog. Respond to as to why you think manifestos use radical language—is it effective?
May 1 Discuss Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea
November 25 Choose one of the essays of the critical essays at the back of the book and respond as to why it is helpful to you to understand the text.
May 8 Discuss Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea
May 12 Visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for free with your CUNY ID and analyze any work of art in the museum made by an artist from outside Europe or the United States.
May 15 Discuss Devi, “Giribala”*
May 26 Final Paper Due