Mhussey ENGL2850 Fall 2015 JTA
Baruch College, Fall 2015
ENG 2850 (Hybrid): Great Works 2; Section: JTA
Tuesdays 12:25-2:05, Room 9-165 (VC)
Professor Miciah Hussey: miciahhussey@gmail.com
Class Blog: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/hussey2850fall2015jta/
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:00am-12:00pm, or by appointment
English Department Vertical Campus 7th floor: 7- 290 Cubicle H
Required Texts: (available at Baruch College Bookstore)
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
Ibsen, Henrik. Ghosts. London: Dover Thrift Editions, 1997
Shelley, Mary W. Frankenstein. New York: Norton 2012
Voltaire. Candide. London: Dover Thrift Editions 1991
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. New York: Mariner Books, 1990
*Other REQUIRED texts will be made available either as handouts in class or 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.
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:
- Increased ability to interpret meaning in literary texts by paying close attention to an author’s choices of detail, vocabulary, and style by in offering a critical evaluation and appreciation of a literary work’s strengths
- Ability to present ideas orally and discuss the relationship between literary texts and the multicultural environments which they represent
- Increased ability to write a critical essay employing a strong thesis statement, appropriate textual citations, and contextual and intertextual evidence for your ideas
- Increased knowledge and familiarity of new technologies for online communication including blogs, collaborative text documents, and audio/video software
Course Requirements
Attendance at every class: Since this class meets face-to-face roughly half the time of a traditional course, 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.
Please set up a Google/gmail.com account, as some project will involve collaborative writing on Google Docs and submission through a Google Drive.
The class blog will be used quite a lot throughout the semester; you will need to have a Baruch email address and set up your Blogs @ Baruch account.
Assignments:
Reading Responses – 20%
These are 500-word essays based on a given topic. 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. Grading is low-stakes and will be given as check-plus to 0. Responses will be submitted through Google Drive or email. Each of you will post 4 of your responses to the class blog according to a schedule.
Paper – 30%
This is a1,250 word essay (approximately five pages) answering a given prompt. Read Sigmund Freud’s brief essay “Family Romance” on the blog and use it to analyze the role of family and/or human connection in one of the following works we have studied: this paper, select two of these readings: Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West, Voltaire’s Candide, Shelley’s Frankenstein, Douglass’s Narrative of a Life, Ibsen’s Ghosts or Kafka’s The Metamorphosis. In this opinionated and persuasive essay, you should focus on a close reading of specific character, scene, or a reoccurring motif, while situating it your analysis in relation to Freud’s essay (whether you agree or disagree with his idea). Papers MUST include a strong thesis statement, textual quotations from both Freud and the literary work you choose, 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/
Final Project – 30%
For your final project you will compose a scholarly edition of a short work of literature of your selection. Select a poem, a short story, an essay, a chapter from a novel, or scene from a play from another work by an author we studied in class. Your edition will include a 1,000-word introduction that discusses the context of the author’s time period and literary movement of the text; thorough annotation of the text based on literary terms, tropes, and theories discussed in class; a glossary of literary terms we cover in class; an annotated bibliography of five works peer-reviewed literary criticism germane to your text. This will be published as a hyper-text on a class Google Drive.
Participation – 20%
Engaged participation involves coming to weekly discussion and actively speaking and asking questions, having a copy of the text with you, responding to the class blog three-times over the course of the term. Independent work marked with P on the syllabus will be factored into your participation grade.
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 the yahoo 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 papers, exams, and presentation—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, and I trust you as adults to make the right choices to balance your priorities. Understand though, that these same choices you make 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, so 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
September 1 Introduction: What is a Great Work? Amini, “Story” (handout)
September 4 Response paper: Compare & Contrast “Heart Sutra” and Whitman’s “Song ofMyself”
September 8 Discuss Wu Che’en, Journey to the West: Chapter 1 (blog); “Genesis,” (blog); “Heart Sutra” (blog); and Whitman, “Song of Myself” (blog)
September 16 Hybrid Assignment: map your journey through New York City using any digital mapping software (Google Maps), graphic design program (Photoshop), or video application. Label 3 points on the map and annotate each with a short description, image, video, or quotation from a literary work, then post on the blog. This is your chance to show me and your classmates the journey that you brought here today. (P)
September 23 Response paper: Descartes, Discourse on Method (blog) & the idea of Cogito Ergo Sum.
September 25 Discuss Voltaire, Candide (purchase)
September 29 Discuss Shelley, Frankenstein (first half) (purchase)
October 2 Hybrid Assignment: Watch clips of The Creature’s birth in different Frankenstein films on blog and in the comment section discuss the differences between Shelley’s text and the film adaptations. (P)
October 6 Discuss Shelley, Frankenstein (second half) (purchase)
October 9 Response paper: Compare and Contrast Shelley’s Frankenstein with Blake’s “The Lamb” or “The Tyger” by arguing that Shelley’s creature is more like one of Blake’s animal or the other.
October 13 Discuss Douglass, A Narrative of a Life (purchase)
October 16 Hybrid Assignment: Watch a reading of M. NourbeSe Philip reading her poem “Discourse on the Logic of language” on blog and comment connecting her work to Douglass’s Narrative. (P)
October 20 Discuss Ibsen, Ghosts (purchase)
October 23 Response paper: Visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for free with your CUNY ID and analyze any work of art made between 1880 and 1940 in Painting and Sculpture I section.
October 27 Discuss Kafka, The Metamorphosis (purchase)
October 30 Midterm Paper due
November 3 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (first half) (purchase)
November 6 Hyrbrid Assignment: After reading a selection from Woolf’s A Sketch of the Past (on blog), map out the hidden patterns of connection that construct personal, thematic, and stylistic relations that structure the text. Your map may be realized as an essay, a drawing, or other media. (P)
November 10 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (second half) (purchase)
November 13 Hybrid Assignment: annotate Faulkner’s, “Barn Burning” (P)
November 17 Discuss Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son (blog)
November 20 Response paper: Bhabha, “Signs Taken for Wonders” (blog)
November 24 Discuss Lessing, “Old Chief Mshlanga” (blog); Achebe, “Chike’s School Days” (blog)
December 1 Discuss Devi, “Giribala” (blog); Kincaid, “Girl” (blog)
December 4 Hybrid Assignment: Worlds Without Borders project (P)
December 8 Discuss Diaz, “Drown” (blog); Words Without Borders
December 9-11 Meet to Discuss Final Project
December 21 Final Project Due