51282 ENGL 2111.45 MW 10a-2:40p WRC1-104

Introduction

"Homer and His Guide" by William Adolphe Bouguereau

ENGL 2111, World Literature I, explores various forms of classical, non-English literary discourse from Gilgamesh through Ovid. We will focus on textual studies of the major genres of this period, epic and tragedy, how those genres influenced later literary works, and how they portray “humanist” issues throughout the Greek and Roman national literary traditions. World Literature I will show the continued relevance of just why ancient works are still paramount to knowing ourselves as “humans.” Major works covered will include Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and works by Sophocles, Euripides, and Ovid. Since any survey course has much more literature than one semester-long class can cover, we will attempt to cover only a couple works in as much detail as time allows, rather than many works only cursorily.

Required Materials

Our study of World Literature this semester will use the Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volume A, edited by Sarah Lawall. This book should always accompany you to class, as we will make heavy use of it in our daily discussions. Please do not come to class without it: we need the book for class activities, in-class writing, and all aspects of our study.

You should also bring an ink interface of some sort, as well as dead trees on which to take notes. Notes should not only reflect good listening skills, but individual interest in every topic discussed in class. You should not sit in class like you’re watching TV: learning requires active participation, especially in a short summer course.

All other materials, like cell phones, food, magazines, iPods, etc., should be left in your car. They are not needed for our class and should, therefore, not accompany you. I understand our contemporary need to be in contact with everyone all the time, but do not let this personal need distract the rest of the class. If you answer a cell phone in my class, I will expect you to leave. In addition, I do not allow class discussions to be taped, so do not bring any voice recording devices into the classroom.

Finally, since class lecture and discussion will often touch on the controversial, this college classroom is not an appropriate place for children. Please leave them at home.

Policies

I have certain expectations about our relationship as professor and student. As a Macon State College student and as a student in my class, it is your responsibility to read, understand, and abide by these policies and the MSC Student Code of Conduct from the MSC Student Handbook (PDF).

Requirements

“What good were eyes to me? Nothing I could see could bring me joy.” —Oedipus

This course is divided into eight class periods; therefore, we have much to cover in a short time. Each four-and-a-half-hour class will be divided into several activities that will revolve around the assigned reading for the day. There are three major requirements for World Literature I, each of which must be successfully completed to pass the course. Assignments are weighted on a point system, depending on their importance. For example, a reading quiz might have 10 points while the final exam might have 200.

Final Exam — A final cumulative exam will be given that will test your knowledge of the subject matter (texts, lecture material, and vocabulary), your ability to synthesize this material, and your creativity in going beyond the discussion and lecture materials. The final exam will include vocabulary, identification, and interpretation. All exam grades will be based upon objective knowledge of the material, thoroughness, depth of insight, precision, and originality.

Writing — At least once a week, you will be asked to respond to the readings, lecture, and discussion in writing. We will hopefully have the use of a computer classroom for this in-class writing, but be sure you come prepared with pen and paper, too. The purpose of this writing is to get you thinking about issues covered in the works. All writing should be thoughtful, refer to specific portions of the text on which you’re writing, and use the critical vocabulary that we have introduced in class.

Daily Work — Regular class attendance, question posing, and active participation in classroom discussions are required. Participation, effort, and attitude will count significantly in this course. Quizzes, other class activities, and homework assignments not explicitly outlined above will be considered daily work.

Procedure

Every class will follow a similar procedure (which I might vary occasionally), beginning promptly at the start of class:

  1. Attendance — If you come in late, it is your responsibility to ask me to mark you present. Remember, two tardies count as an absence.
  2. Reading Quiz — Since reading is such an important component of this course, you should expect a quiz for every assigned reading. These quizzes are designed to test factual aspects of the text, not interpretation or evaluation. Read every text carefully and take reading notes — character names, general plot, important items, etc. — and the quizzes will be no problem.
  3. Lecture — I will often have a brief lecture as a way of introducing the texts and their concerns. Be sure that you listen carefully and take precise notes, as your writing and the final exam will depend on the material covered here.
  4. Posing Questions — As you read each assigned text, consider aspects of the text that are confusing or unclear. When you finish reading, write down at least five questions that you have about the text. These questions should be in an effort to gain further insight to the text for yourself and your classmates. After the quiz, you will have the opportunity to pose these questions for discussion.
  5. Discussion — Most of the class period will be our attempt to answer the questions posed at the beginning of the class.
  6. Writing — If all goes well, we should close the class each day in a computer-assisted classroom, so that we may end each day with the forum, in which you will respond to a prompt.

Reading Schedule

This schedule represents the ideal outline for our study this semester. Yet, like all best-laid plans, we may not be able to keep up with our agenda. Please be flexible and try to look and read ahead whenever possible. We will do our best to stick by this schedule, but I will inform you verbally whenever there is a change in or an addition to an assignment. Getting these updates is solely your responsibility. Therefore, this syllabus is tentative and subject to change contingent upon the needs of the students and the professor, and dictated by time and other constraints which may affect the course. This syllabus reflects only an overview of the assigned reading and other major course assignments. It does not always indicate other specific class session assignments or activities.

W 6/2: Course Introduction
M 6/7: Gilgamesh
W 6/9: The Iliad Books 1, 6,  & 22; the Odyssey Books 1-4
M 6/14: The Odyssey Books 9-12; 21-23
W 6/16: Sophocles Oedipus the King
M 6/21: Euripides Medea
W 6/23: Ovid Metamorphoses: Prologue; Apollo and Daphne; Io and Jove; Europa and Jove; Iphis and Ianthe; Pygmalion
M 6/28: 12:30a-2:40p — Final Exam