Baruch College, Spring 2016
ENG 2850 (Hybrid): Great Works II; Section: JTA
Tuesdays 12:25-2:05, Room 6-118 (VC)
Professor Miciah Hussey: miciahhussey@gmail.com
Class Blog: https://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/spring2016eng2850jta/
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
Ibsen, Henrik. Ghosts. London: Dover Thrift Editions, 1997
Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis and Other Stories. London: Dover Thrift Editions,
1996
Lispector, Clarice. The Hour of the Star. New York: New Directions, 2011
Mishima, Yukio. Patriotism. New York: New Directions, 2010
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 and 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 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 (As per Baruch College policy, 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 at least once during the semester. This conference may be to prepare for or review a paper/project or discuss general questions about the course and your performance. (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 in the discussion. Speak at least once per class. Limit bathroom breaks. Never use cellphones during class.
Assignments:
Reading Responses – 15%
These are low-stakes essays (250 words) based on a given topic. They are to be posted on the blog by 5pm 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, and use direct textual quotation with correct citation. Between the due date and the next class, please comment on at least ONE other student’s post. Pass/Fail
Paper – 30%
This is a1,250 word essay (approximately five pages) answering a given prompt. Read Sigmund Freud’s brief essay “Family Romance” (available 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: 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 – 35%
For your final project you will compose a scholarly edition of a short work of literature from the Words Without Borders Campus website. Select a poem, a short story, an essay, other piece on the site. The edition will include: a 1,000-word introduction that discusses the author’s biography, historical context, style, and literary movement of the text; a thorough annotation of the text based on literary terms, tropes, and theories discussed in class; an annotated bibliography of five works peer-reviewed literary criticism germane to your text.
Participation – 20%
Engaged participation involves coming to weekly discussion and actively speaking and asking questions, having a copy of the text with you, and commenting on posts to the class blog every week. Independent work marked with P on the syllabus will be factored into your participation grade.
Late Work:
Late work will be penalized. Late reading responses will not be accepted and will constitute a fail. 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 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 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. 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 may 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.
Schedule
February 2 Introduction, “Story” by Hasif Amini (handout)
February 5 Read selections from Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” (on blog). Including quotations from the poem, narrate your own experience of getting to Baruch. You may focus on the daily journey of your commute, noticing how that experience informs your time at college, or compose a life journey, focusing on the events and choices that brought you here.
February 9 No Class
February 12 Read and respond to Descartes, Discourse on Method (blog) and the idea of Cogito Ergo Sum.
February 16 Discuss Voltaire, Candide (purchase)
February 19 Cinematic Expectations: Watch the two film clips on the blog that portray Frankenstein’s birth. Write a 250-word comment on one of the clips, analyzing the differences between Shelley’s text and the adaptation. (P)
February 23 Discuss Shelley, Frankenstein (first half) (purchase)
February 26 Frankenstein and Blake’s “The Lamb” and “The Tyger” (blog). In groups of two, debate whether the creature is more like Blake’s Lamb or Tyger. While only one of you is responsible for actually posting the co-authored piece, the essay must include a 250-word contribution from each of you. Please make sure to identify each participant.
March 1 Discuss Shelley, Frankenstein (second half) (purchase)
March 4 Watch a clip 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)
March 8 Discuss Douglass, A Narrative of a Life (purchase)
March 11 Read and respond to Freud’s “Family Romances” (blog) and discuss the connection between conflict and individuality.
March 15 Discuss Ibsen, Ghosts (purchase)
March 17/18/21 Visit Neue Galerie to see exhibition “Munch and Expression.” This is a mandatory class visit. We will come to consensus as a group on the date and time that works best.
March 22 Discuss Kafka, The Metamorphosis (purchase)
March 25 Midterm Paper Due
March 29 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (first third) (purchase)
April 1 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 5 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (second third) (purchase)
April 8 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)
April 12 Discuss Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway (final third)
April 15 Visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for free with your CUNY ID and analyze any work of art made between 1900 and 1940 that is currently on view using the idea of simultaneity or any aspect of Modernism.
April 19 No Class
April 22 Annotation Project: Mishima, “Patriotism” (purchase)
Read Mishima’s short story on your own and pick one substantial passage to annotate thoroughly. Your annotations should explain terms and ideas that may be unfamiliar to you (for example, Japanese customs, places, or historical events referenced in the passage), show Mishima’s use of key literary or theoretical terms or ideas, and elucidate images and symbols that are significant to the theme of the entire work.
April 26 Spring Break
May 3 Discuss Lispector, The Hour of the Star (purchase)
May 6 Read Bhabha, “Signs Taken for Wonder” and post discussion question. (P)
May 10 Discuss Achebe, “Chike’s School Days” and Lessing, “Old Chief Mshlanga”
May 13 Read selection from Rubin, “The Traffic in Women” and respond to how either the readings by Devi or Kincaid show “the traffic” in women.
May 17 Discuss, Devi, “Giribala” (blog), and Kincaid, “Girl” (blog)
May 18-23 Meet to Discuss Final Project
May 27 Final Project Due