great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Great Works of Literature II: 2850 JTA   Spring: 2017

12:25-2:05 Vertical Campus Rm. 6-180

 

                                           HAMM: Do you know what’s happened?

                                           CLOV:   When? Where?

                                       HAMM: (violently) When? What’s happened? Use your head,

                                                         can’t you! What has happened?

                                           CLOV:   What for Christ’s sakes does it matter?

 

—from Endgame, by Samuel Beckett

Instructor: Jeanne Stauffer-Merle: [email protected]

Office: VC 7-290G   Office Hours: Tuesdays: 2:10-2:40 pm (and by apt.)

Online Hours: I will post online assignments on our Assignments page, each week by Tuesday for our class. I will regularly check email and posts from M-F and will respond to questions about assignments/course requirements within 24 hours (M-F).

 

The Hybrid Course:

 

This is a blended or hybrid course, and for our section of English 2850 this means we will be meeting once a week face-to-face (in the physical classroom) and meeting for specific activities, as well, asynchronously, in our online classroom.

1) Both face-to-face (f2f) and online meetings are indicated on the schedule of classes below. As you will see from the syllabus, both our f2f work and our online work are closely connected to each other. Typically, a topic will be introduced in our f2f meeting, and then continued in our online forum at Blogs@Baruch: jta: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/greatworksiijwa/.

 

2) For online participation, we will meet asynchronously (that is, we will not all be online at the same time). Typically, you will be asked to complete two posts per week. Detailed instructions of activities will be posted on the Assignments page of our blog site. You will be expected to respond online within 24-72 hours after our f2f meeting, the latest response being due by

Friday, 12 noon, and it will not be acceptable to respond later than that.

 

3) Class (face-to-face) Sessions: Tuesdays, at our scheduled time. On the syllabus, you will find general guidelines how to prepare for our f2f meetings. Specific instructions for assignments and guidelines for assessment for both online and f2f work will be on our blog site. Although the syllabus will indicate, generally, individual assignments and readings due for both online and f2f work, I will also make time during our f2f meeting to discuss what is expected of your online participation for that week.

 

 

Course Description:

In Great Works in Literature II we will analyze and interpret a variety of literary works (fiction, drama and poetry). Along with a great deal of close reading, you will need to be prepared to do a good amount of writing, which will include multiple drafts of essays, written in-class responses to the readings, and peer editing and evaluating. You will also be expected to participate actively and meaningfully during each class session.

Our own particular (loosely adhered to) theme is the idea of the inner journey, which will include how realistic and dreamlike elements work together. For this, we will use various models, including Aristotle’s ideas on tragedy, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the minotaur and his labyrinth, Joseph Campbell’s Heroic Journey model, and the Five Stages of Grief (among others, such as Freud’s ideas on the sub-conscience, the process of Surrealist artists, and dream motifs).

Course Objectives:

• 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

 

Required Texts and Materials:

Required texts: Norton Anthology of World Literature, Third Edition, Package II (Volumes, D, E, F) Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. Make sure you get the Third Edition.

NOTE: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO USE A PRINT EDITION ONLY. NO E-BOOKS WILL BE ALLOWED.

Contexts and Comparisons: A Student Guide to the Great Works Courses, ed. Berggren et al. This is available online, easily accessed from the Newman Library Home Page http://guides.newman.baruch.cuny.edu/literature

The Little Brown Essential Handbook 7/e. (or another acceptable grammar book).

 

Grade Distribution:

Critical Response Essay: 3-4 pages                                                                            15%

Final Project: A creative critical response essay, with documentation and visuals

5-7 pages:                                                                                                                          25%

 

Essays will be graded by the following criteria:  1) a clear, focused thesis; 2) a logical ordering of ideas; 3) smooth transitions between ideas; 4) nicely organized paragraphs (assertion; introduction of support; detailed support; explanatory sentence or sentences connecting your support to your thesis); 5) thorough development; 6) correct grammar; 7) diction (appropriate/correct word choice; interesting, varied vocabulary); 8) proper documentation of outside sources (when applicable)

 

Oral Essay: A Creative Dialogue                                                                                    15%

Online exercises:                                                                                                               10%

F2F exercises/quizzes, and class participation/decorum:                                       10%

Midterm exam:            (a comprehensive exam—it is imperative you keep up with the readings!)                                                                                                                            15%

Final Exam: (comprehensive)                                                                                         10%

 

The A Essay will display all (or mostly all) of the following:

The writer creates, develops, and sustains a focused, organized, and cogent argument from a close reading of the text; the writer creates a narrowed thesis that shows originality and careful thought; the writer uses appropriate and sufficient textual evidence from all sources to support main points; the writer presents the major points of the argument in a logical order, clearly expressing meaningful connections between ideas; the essay proceeds from a strong introduction to well developed body paragraphs, to a sophisticated conclusion.

 

The B Essay will display a good deal of the following:

The writer creates, develops, and sustains a focused argument that shows a solid understanding of a text, but does so in a largely unoriginal way (reiterates much of classroom discussion). The writer has a clear but possibly broad or unoriginal thesis. The writer is able to synthesize and analyze information from the text, incorporating appropriate examples and evidence in a fairly logical sequence, but paragraph organization is inconsistent, and transitions between paragraphs are clumsy. The essay proceeds from an adequately focused introduction to logically but somewhat generally developed body paragraphs. Grammar, sentence structure, and usage are relatively error free, but lack complexity.

 

The C Essay will display a good deal of the following:

The writer creates an argument that addresses an issue in the text, but does so very generally or tangentially; the writer incorporates some supporting evidence from the text and attempts some analysis of the evidence, but paragraphs are loosely or too broadly developed; the writer has a logical organization to the essay, but transitions are very weak or nonexistent. Grammar, sentence structure, and usage are inconsistent.

 

The D Essay will display a good deal of the following:

The writer’s thesis is very broadly or inappropriately focused; the writer fails to integrate adequate support of major points; the writer presents ideas based on a loose or nonexistent organizing principle. Grammar, sentence structure, and usage show severe problems.

 

NOTE: EXPECT A QUIZ EACH CLASS MEETING.

Everyone is expected to participate in all class discussion, so be prepared!

All beepers, cell phones etc. must be turned off at the beginning of class.

Courtesy is expected at all times.   Chatting with your neighbors when others are

speaking is not only rude, but unprofessional.

A breach of any of these rules will affect your grade.

 

MORE THAN TWO ABSENCES TO EITHER F2F OR ONLINE SESSIONS (and more than three late entries in f2f will equal one absence) WILL LOWER YOUR FINAL GRADE BY ½ LETTER GRADE FOR EACH ABSENCE, EITHER IN-CLASS OR ONLINE.

Excessive absences will result, obviously, in failure.

 

Late Assignments:

It is important that students learn to turn in all assignments on time (after you graduate, your employer will not tolerate late work). Late assignments will receive one letter grade lower for one week, then the grade will turn into a zero.

 

Attendance/Tardiness:

Attendance at both f2f and online sessions is mandatory.

MORE THAN TWO ABSENCES TO EITHER F2F OR ONLINE SESSIONS (and more than three late entries in f2f will equal one absence) WILL LOWER YOUR FINAL GRADE BY ½ LETTER GRADE FOR EACH ABSENCE, EITHER IN-CLASS OR ONLINE. Excessive absences will result, obviously, in failure.

Three late entries will comprise one absence, so please be on time!

PLEASE NOTE: From the official Baruch College attendance policy: “If a freshman or sophomore is absent in excess of twice the number of class sessions per week, the instructor must give the student a WU grade, which counts as an F. The instructor may give a junior or senior a WU grade if he/she has excessive absences. Attendance and lateness clearly play a role in class participation. Instructors have the right to weigh attendance, lateness, and class participation in determining grades.”

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Any plagiarized assignment will result in immediate failure.

Baruch College’s policy on Academic Honesty states, in part:

“Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest act 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. . . . Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned. ”

 

SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS: SUBJECT TO CHANGE, SO PLEASE CHECK BACK OFTEN.

All selections are from the Norton Anthology,

                                             unless noted.  

                                           All reading selections are due by Tuesday of each

                                             week, except for week 1.

                                             All online assignments will be assigned in our f2f* class on

                                              Tuesday and will be due by Friday, 12 pm noon.

*(f2f) = face-to-face class meetings

NOTE: YOU MUST BRING THE PRINT SECTIONS OF EACH TEXT TO OUR F2F MEETING. FAILING TO DO SO WILL SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT YOUR GRADE.

 

Week 1           Jan 31-Feb 3

Jan 31 (f2f)     Introductions to course and blog site. Icebreakers. Exercises.

Online:            Instructions on our blog site: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/stauffermerle/

Due by Feb. 3, 12pm, noon.

Readings:       Posted on our blog site: Feng and English translation of various poems from the

Tao Te Ching.

.

Week 2           Feb 7-10. The Journey: Wu Cheng’en, Journey to the West.

Feb 7 (f2f)     Discuss readings.   Heroic Journey Model. Assignment sheet for

                       first critical response essay.    Assignment Sheet for Oral Essay.

Online:           Exercises with Journey to the West. Instructions on our blog site.

Readings:       “Introduction” and Journey to the West, Chapter 1, 421-436. Volume D.

                       Posted on our blog site: Art/music from the period of Journey to the West.

 

Week 3           Feb 14-17.   Continue with Journey to the West .

Feb 14 (f2f)   Discuss Text. Compare first chapters. Journey exercises.

Online:           Exercises. See blog site.

Readings:      Posted on our blog site: Waley translation, Journey to the West (pdf). Read all.

 

Week 4           Feb. 21-24 Dream-Reality Constructs: Saikaku

Feb 21 (f2f)     Discuss Text. Begin Oral Essays.

Sign-up for Oral Essay. Aristotle’s Tragic Hero.

Online:             Responses to text. See blog site.

Readings:       “Early Modern Popular Japanese Lit.,” 585-590, Vol. D. Saikaku bio, Read: 591-

592, from Life of a Sensuous Woman, 593-611.

 

Week 5           Feb. 28-March 3. Continue with Saikaku.

Feb. 28 (f2f)     Modern day floating worlds.

Online:           “Pillow Book” entries. From loose thoughts to the paragraph.

Readings:        “The World of Haiku:” Vol. D, pp. 613-615; 629-631.

 

Week 6           March 7-10.   The Literature of “No”: Herman Melville.

March 7 (f2f) Critical Response Essay #1 due.   Discuss Texts. The “anti” journey.

Online:              Responses to texts.

Readings:       Read: Melville bio, Vol. E, 293-296; Read “Bartleby the Scrivener,” 296-

321, Volume E.

                     NOTE:   We are now in Volume E.

 

Week 7             March 14-17.  The literature of “No”: Rabindranth Tagore

March 14 (f2f) Continue discussion of texts and the “anti-

journey.” Exercises with the philosophy of “no”.

Online work:   Responses to texts.

Readings:       Read: Rabindranth Tagore, bio and “Punishment,” Vol, E, pp. 889-899.

Read: Posted on our blog site: Vila-Matas, Bartleby & Company; Robert Walser

micro-texts; Melville, from Moby Dick, chapter 72, “The Whiteness of the

Whale.”

 

Week 8             March 21-24.   Midterm.   Comparative analysis.

March 21(f2f)            MIDTERM.

Online:              Short reflections: Ethics Week.

 

Week 9             March 28-31. The Individual and Authoritarianism: Franz Kafka.

March 28 (f2f) Discuss reading. Assignment Sheet for Final Project.

Online:             Responses to text.

Readings         Read “Modernity and Modernism,” Vol, F, 3-13. Read Kafka bio, 207-210.

Read: “The Judgment” (pdf, on our blog site, but please print and bring to class)

Week 10          April 4-7. Expressionism and the Inner Self: Franz Kafka.

April 4 (f2f)     Discuss texts.   Elements of Expressionism in art and literature.

Allegory of the Cave.

Online:             Responses to texts.

Readings:         Read: “The Metamorphosis,” 210-241.

Read: “Kaspar”:

http://www.wordswithoutborders.org/graphic-lit/kaspar

NOTE: begin Volume F.

 

 

APRIL 10-18 HAVE A NICE SPRING BREAK!

 

Week 11           April 18-20.

No f2f due to Spring Break.

                        Online work TBA.

 

Week 12           April 25-28. Theater of the Absurd: Samuel Beckett.

April 25 (f2f)   Discuss text.

Online:            “Anatomy of a Production”: Examine the performance from multiple

perspectives, such as acting, directing, and any music or visuals.

Readings:       Read in C & C in Chapter 9, “The Rejection of Realism—the Second Phase”

and “Dialogue in the Theatre of the Absurd.” Read Beckett bio, 763-766. Read

                             Endgame (all); short paragraph, “The Chestnut Tree” from Nausea, by Jean Paul

Sartre.

EXTRA CREDIT:

Performance of Staged Reading of Endgame at BPAC. Details TBA.

Mon, Apr. 24, 2017 @ 10:00am & 12:30pm

Tue, Apr. 25, 2017 @ 2:45pm & 6:0opm

Wed, Apr. 26, 2017 @ 10:45am & 3:00pm

Thurs, Apr. 27, 2017 @ 10:00am & 12:45pm

 

Week 13         May 2-5. The Absurd (cont.)

May 2 (f2f)   Discuss text.    Nihilism or Absurdism? Thesis statement due for Final        

                         Project.

Online:           Responses to Texts

Readings:         Mallarme, “The Virginal, Vibrant, and Beautiful Dawn” Vol. E., p. 515.

Watch “Breath”

 

Week 14           May 9-12.   Magical Realism and the Center of the Labyrinth: Carlos  

                      Fuentes.

May 9 (f2f)       Discuss text. Minotaur Model.

Online:             Responses to texts. The Myth of the Minotaur.

Readings           Read Fuentes bio, 830-831; Read Aura, all, 832-852.

Posted on our blog site: “The House of Asterion,” Jorge Luis Borges.

 

Week 15           May 16-18.

May 16 (f2f)     Final Projects due. Short presentations.

Online:             Reflections.    

Date TBA         Final Exam: Texts in perspective.