BARUCH COLLEGE, SPRING 2013

ENGLISH 2850

Great Works of Literature II

Section JMWC

Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:25PM to 2:05PM

Location: Field Building (23^rd Street), Room 1206

 

Professor E. Kaufman

Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: Mondays/Wednesdays 5PM to 6PM or by appointment

Office Location: VC 6-248

Course Description:

This course presents a global approach to literature by introducing a variety of narrative, lyric, and dramatic forms representative of different cultures and historical periods, from the seventeenth century to the present. Some questions we will consider over the course of the semester include: What makes literature “great”? How do we read literature? What topics or themes have been most central to writing and writers over the past three centuries? How are human relationships understood or interpreted in relation to each other within works of literature? How do we understand nature? Family? Love? Power? Politics? History? Please come to class prepared to engage in lively discussions involving both close readings of the texts, as well as comparisons of the various values and ideas at stake within the texts. You should also be prepared to engage in a variety of communication-intensive activities, so please be prepared to write frequently, respond to work by your peers, share your own writing, and participate in oral presentations and small group work.

Required texts: 

Dragomoshchenko, Arkadi. Dust. New York: Dalkey Archive Press, 2008.

Puchner, et al.  The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Third Edition

Package 2: Vols. D, E, F / 1650 to the 20th Century

**All books are available at both the Baruch Bookstore and Shakespeare & Company. I suggest you purchase the books there—I’ve worked out a deal with Norton so that you can get all of the books for this class (the anthology + Dragomoshchenko) for a lot less money than if you bought them separately.**

Learning Goals:

• Increased ability to interpret meaning in literary texts by paying close attention to an author’s choices of detail, vocabulary, and style
• 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
• Increased ability to write a critical essay employing a strong thesis statement, appropriate textual citations, and contextual and intertextual evidence for your ideas

Attendance Policy:

Departmental policy states that after four absences a student is to be dropped from the class roster.   If you do need to miss a class, please let me know in advance.

I also do not tolerate lateness.  If you are more than ten minutes late for a class, you will receive half an absence (two latenesses is equal to one absence).  Sleeping in class will also count as an absence.

Notes on Preparation for Class:

All reading and writing assignments are to be completed on time.  Be sure to get the phone numbers/ email addresses of at least two of your classmates; then; if you must be absent, you can call or email someone and get the assignment.  You may also, of course, email me.  For the next session you are responsible for all work and must always come to class prepared.

All reading assignments must be BROUGHT TO CLASS as they will be referred to for discussion.

You are expected to be active participants in all class discussions and activities.

Cell phones must be turned off when you enter the classroom.

Course Requirements:

1. One 3-5 page paper on readings to be assigned by me. (FIRST ESSAY)
2. One 5-7 page paper on readings to be assigned by me. (SECOND ESSAY)
3. Each paper is to be typed and double-spaced, and done in multiple drafts. Each paper will present an argument, have a strong thesis, and use correct internal documentation.  The due dates for each of your papers will be stipulated on each of your assignment sheets when you receive them.
4. Mid-Term Examination
5. Final Examination
6. Oral Presentation.
7. Additional Writing:  in-class writing exercises, responses to your own work, peer evaluations and group work.
8. Active participation in all class activities, including the class blog (both posting and commenting).
9. Regular attendance and preparation for class.

Activities as a Communication-Intensive Class:

1. Blogs@Baruch: A lot of the writing and conversations that occur in this class, will continue outside of class on our course blog:

https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/greatworks2kaufman

Please register and add yourself as an author no later than Tuesday, September 4. 

2. Reading Responses: Each student will be assigned readings for which the student is responsible for posting a short response on our blog and moderating the subsequent online discussion. All posts must be at least two paragraphs. Please be sure that these responses do not just summarize that particular text. You should analyze the reading (perhaps focusing on theme(s) in the text), use quotes to support your ideas, compare the text to other works we’ve read this semester, illustrate your post with images and video (and any other appropriate multimedia materials). Think of these responses as a chance to voice your opinion about what we are reading, and to engage your colleagues in a discussion that will help to expand your own ideas.
3. In-Class Writing: Occasional assignments and workshops to discuss writing techniques and strategies.
4. Group Presentations: Each student will teach some aspect of an assigned topic to the class in a group format.  This may involve dramatic readings, critical commentary, and the presentation of online materials.
5. Formal Writing:  Each of you will write two papers during the semester.  To receive full credit, these papers must be revised (not just corrected) after we have had private, face-to-face conferences.
6. Self-Critique: Don’t throw any of your papers out.  At the end of the semester, you will submit a final 2-page reflection on your progress this semester, based on your success in revising (not just correcting) your papers, on your oral presentation (and rehearsal), and on your blog participation.

Evaluation & Grading Policy:

First Essay (10%)

Second Essay (20%)

Oral Presentation (10%)

Mid-Term Examination (20%)

Final Examination (20%)

Participation and Preparation for class  (20%)

(includes attendance, quizzes, blog posts/comments, quality of responses, etc.)

Academic Honesty:

The English Department fully supports Baruch College’s policy on Academic Honesty, which states, in part:

“Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the college’s educational mission and the students’ personal and intellectual growth. Baruch students are expected to bear individual responsibility for their work, to learn the rules and definitions that underlie the practice of academic integrity, and to uphold its ideals. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying them. Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned.”  In this class, any evidence of plagiarism, however minute it may be, will earn you an F grade on the work in question and will result in your being formally reported to the Office of the Dean of Students.

Student Resources:

Writing Center—646.312.4012

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/writingcenter/

[email protected]

Student Academic Consulting Center (SACC)—646.312.4830

http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/sacc/