ENG
2050 WORLD
LITERATURE BEFORE
1660
monika.brown@uncp.edu
Office Dial 110
web
uncp.edu/home/monika
910-521-6257
For many centuries the tale of
mankind. . . . People have told them
many times over.–-Jorge Luis Borges, 1967 (Atlantic
Sept. 2000)
The world is big. . . . Diversity is not an abnormality but
the very reality of our planet. The human world celebrates
itself in the magnificence of its
endless varieties. Civility is a
sensible attribute in this kind of world we have;
narrowness of heart and mind is
not.–-Chinua Achebe,
Bates
College Address, 27 May 1996
We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our
exploring
will be to arrive where we started,
and know the place for the first time-–T.S. Eliot Four
Quartets 1942
COURSE
DESCRIPTION, MAIN GOALS, AND
PHILOSOPHY
ENG 2050 is "A
survey of western and non-western literatures from the beginnings
through the
Renaissance
considered within the cultural epochs of their creation, including
the Classical Period, the Middle Ages, and
the
Renaissance.
Readings
Created hundreds
and even thousands of years ago, readings in this class depict heroes, journeys, and conflicts that
reveal
features of
societies and cultures in the modern world.
One theme is the interaction and
conflict between two ways of seeing the
world: “
and “
in Unit I,
Ancient Mediterranean epics and Greek golden age drama reflect rationalism;
in Unit II, epics, tales, and poems reveal
spiritual cultures around the world;
in Unit III essays, poems and novel show faith and
reason in creative tension as Europeans engage the world
You are
invited into a community that critically reads and interprets
literature. Each text is transformed by
its readers
and
takes on new meanings as we experience it, talk about it, or adapt it
to other
media and situations.
Many
interpretations are valid, if based on evidence from the text. Your own interpretations-shaped by who you
are,
what you have experienced, and what you know–will be enriched by
awareness of
contexts and literary terms.
As a Humanities class, ENG 2050
cultivates
knowledge, skills, and habits of mind for meaningful living and wise
choices.
Literature and arts, through
artistic forms, insist that "attention must be paid," in playwright
Arthur Miller's words, to particular
individuals and creative works and to
enduring themes. Works of art involve us
in experiences, express the complexity and
diversity of our world, and
interpret and question cultures and values.
They engage our emotions and our intellects, deepen our
self-awareness,
connect us with artists and creation, stimulate our sense of beauty and
wonder,
and challenge us to think
critically, to question, to respect others, to care,
and to act.
TEXTS AND
SUPPLIES
The
Longman Anthology of World Literature,
Vols I A, B,
and C
supplies: small
ring binder, a folder for your essay, post-its to mark pages, internet
access
ASSIGNMENTS
AND GRADING (100 points)
Unit
1 and 2
Tests on readings and class topics: short answer, short essay
30
Final Exam and Unit 3 test
15
(Group)
Project (group of 2 to 3 students or individual, 5 min per student)
10
Critical Essay: 5-6 page essay, citing 4-5
sources (models and some sources provided)
20
Seven
1-page Discussion Forum Posts and weekly responses to posts
16
Quizzes
9
Classwork: attendance,
participation, contributions to
classroom groups
+2
to -3
grade values: A
95, A- 91, B+ 88, B 85 ... course average:
A+
97-99 A 92-96
A- 90-91
B+ 87-89 ...
Honor Code
and Plagiarism. The department
endorses strongly principles of the Academic Honor Code:
*as in ENG 105 and 106, give credit for
notes,
document correctly (MLA), use “quote marks” when you copy
*all tests and papers are integrated with
course
content, so you must do your own work to
receive credit
*plagiarism that
is fraud,
presenting another’s work as your own, is reported and means F in the course
ENG
2050
WORLD LITERATURE BEFORE 1660
Dr.
Monika Brown Syllabus
p.2
expectations
and
class procedures C
or above in ENG/Comp 106 is prerequisite
for literature
*Reading a
literary text is a life
experience, with challenges and rewards, like visiting a monument.
Study guides (like sparknotes)
work like guidebooks or postcards: useful, but only for guidance and
review.
In ENG
205, you learn actively, both on your own and
in a classroom community. Using
critical reading and discussion--
informed by your knowledge and experiences
as well as course content--you interpret content and insights into
experience
(characters, actions, settings, themes); analyze genres and formal
features;
connect works to biographical, historical, and
cultural contexts; examine
responses and adaptations; and evaluate quality. Extending
skills from writing courses,
you
critically read, write, and research, talk and listen, interpret and
connect,
state and defend insights and
value judgments, examine your responses, question
and care.
The
course design, textbooks, Literature Guide handout, guided reading and
writing
schedules, and test study guides
provide a "road map" structure,
directions, and models for success in the course.
ASSIGNMENTS:
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS (see
study sheets and assignment sheets for tests & essay)
Report or Activity
related to a class topic (1-3 students, 5+
min/student,
up to 20 min.; evaluation sheet)
Prepare & present a class
report or activity that involves an ENG 205 text, genre, or
cultural context.
Be creative: try skit, debate, slide show,
video, powerpoint,
etc; quote texts,
involve students. Identify sources.
Projects are due on the day a literary text
is studied OR during a reports class, late in Unit 3.
*Teach a story,
section, or poem/s (due day we study it); you may ask class to
prepare in a
special way.
*Cross Currents
or Perspectives: introduce
2-3 related texts/pix in a Longman Anthology special
section
*Legacy
Report: show how an Ancient or Medieval text we study is adapted
to new context, e.g.
a
major web site, an adaptation in art/film/music/poem,
documentary film, or concept in an academic field
*Cultural
Event Connection attend, study & report on campus or community
exhibit/event; relate to 205
*Community
Connection: provide
assistance
&/or conduct research in a community and connect it with 205
A Critical Essay:
5-6 page
guided argument, submitted in
process stages, about a tragedy in Unit
1.
The
essay refers briefly to 4-5
critical/historical sources (some provided), documented in Works Cited.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
As expected in ENG 2000-level literature
guidelines, students will:
1.1 describe and interpret multiple works of literature
that vary in genre and in
historical and/or cultural context
1.2 recognize and refer to features of various literary
genres and
selected literary and cultural terms
2.1 describe,
analyze, interpret, and evaluate features of literary texts in several
genres,
applying appropriate literary
and cultural terms
2.2 critically analyze and interpret relations of a
literary text
with other texts and with historical and cultural contexts
3.1 plan, write, and revise short critical essays
about
literature with good insights and suitable argument, organization,
evidence,
and analysis
3.2 write short critical essays about literature that
integrate
appropriate primary and secondary sources, correct documentation,
and
standard
written English
4.1 develop habits of mind such as taking
responsibility
for work, confidence, cooperation, and reflection
4.2 experience literature as an extension of life
experience and
appreciate literary study as a means for intellectual, aesthetic,
and
personal
growth and for fostering creativity and social awareness
UNCP Teaching
Standard I is fulfilled
: The teacher candidate commands essential knowledge and
understandings of the academic
discipline(s) from which school subject matter is
derived and
integrates that knowledge into personally meaningful frameworks.
CLASS POLICIES:
HOW TO SUCCEED AND ENJOY
THE COURSE
1. Attend all
classes & forums, on time. After
1 absence lose 1 pt from your average for each absence/2 tardies
three evening
absences means F. If you must miss
a test, e-mail/call in advance to
make it up before the next class.
2. Come
prepared, and participate: Read the
texts, prepare questions, contribute to group/class activities, and
listen to others, with courtesy and
attention, so you can perform well on tests and papers and peer
evaluation
3. Turn in your
best work, on time. If you must be late, ask in
advance & do not
skip class when work is due.
4. Proofread and
let others check: errors or unclear
writing that interfere with meaning may
lower a grade
to D.
5. Get help with
an assignment-before its due date-from instructor, class members,
friends,
the writing center.
6. Learn by
revising. Turn in revision of
graded paper or test--original attached;
new grade averages w/ original.
Disability Support Services, D.F. Lowry Bldg, 521-6270, in the first
class
week. All discussions are confidential.
ENG
205
WORLD LITERATURE BEFORE 1660:
CLASS SCHEDULE Fall 2006 (a
hybrid evening class)
In this
blended class, readings and “meetings”
are split each week. We meet
on campus Thursday night, 6:30-8:25.
By
Monday night each week, ½ the class
(*or #) creates Forum Posts; all
read & post a reply.
Unit
I Ancient Cultures of the Mediterranean
and
A. Ancient Greek Epics
and Heroes
Th Aug.
17 the epic (class) Homer, The
Iliad: summary, video, and sections of Books 1, 22, 24
M
Aug. 21*
Homer The
Odyssey: Bk
1-13 sum & Bk 1-2(291-308), parts of Bk 8½-12 (386-416)
Th Aug. 24 Homer,
The Odyssey:
Book 14-24 summary, and Books
20 ½ -23 (540-73)
B. Ancient
Epics
from Mesopotamia and
M
Aug. 28# The
Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablets 1-7
(88-114)
Th Aug. 31
The Epic of Gilgamesh Tablets
8-11 (88-129)
M Sep. 4*
The Ramayana of Valmiki
(878-917)
C. Greek
Tragic
Drama from Classical
Th Sep.7 tragedy;
and Sophocles, Oedipus the King
(650-688); essay directions
M Sep.11# Euripides, Medea, Prologue and Scenes 1-3 (748-766)
Th Sep.
14
Euripides,
Medea,
whole play; comedy: Lysistrata
scenes
in class
M/T Sp 18-19 Test Essay Due (500-600 wds, 25pts of Test 1): all
students post on Blackboard
Th Sep. 21 Unit I Test; literary research
and essay
revision workshop
Unit II Medieval Spiritual Cultures: Epics,
Tales,
Lyric Poems (Longman
Anthology Vol.
B)
A. Spiritual
Texts and Poems from World Religions (Vol.
A and B.)
Christian sermon Luke 6 A1333/Matthew 5-7;
poems Hildegard&Mechthild B1053-64
Islamic
Qur’an
B425, int&Sura 1, 4, 8, 87, 93, 110;
poems by
Hafiz B467, Rumi B597
Th Sep.
28 Chinese
taoist Poems,
Tang Dynasty:
Han-Shan, Li Po, Tu Fu, Li Quingzhao
B. Islamic
Epic
and Framed Tales: Arab World and
M Oct. 2# West
African/Islamic Epic Son-Jara, aka Sundiata
(638-70)
Thu Oct.
5 Islamic
Tales: 1001 Arabian Nights, selections
(524-58 and 589-92)
C. Late
Medieval
Christian Framed Tales and Epic
1. Chaucer, selections from
M Oct. 9*# Chaucer
Canterbury
Tales (1239ff): Prologue, Wife of Bath’s Prologue, Miller’s
Tale
Th Oct. 12
Fall
Break, midterm grades
2. Medieval Christian Art Epic:
Dante’s Divine Comedy
M
Oct. 16
Post revised critical essays by Tuesday 11pm
Th Oct.
19 Revised Critical Essay Due; turn or mail,
with draft/test essay, response, sources
Dante, in class: 1065-68,
1075-77; video summary, Inferno
Cantos 1-3 (1078-88)
M Oct.23*# all
post: Dante Inferno, Cantos 4-6 (1188-98); 8-10
(1101-11), and 13 (1118-22)
Th Oct. 26
Dante,
M
Oct. 30
Test review forum
Th Nov.
2 Unit II Test,
Unit III intro; Group Project
Unit
III Early
Modern European Cultures: Poems,
Essays, Novel (Longman Anthology Vol. C)
A. Humanism,
Religious Crises, and Personal Expression:
Poems, Poetry Sequences, Essays
Th Nov. 9 Critical
Essay Due, in a folder with all
drafts, responses, and sources
In class: lyric
poems by Petrarch,
Shakespeare, Donne, Bradstreet,Christine
de Pizan
M Nov. 13*# humanist&
religious texts:
Machiavelli Prince, King James Bible,
Luther, St. Teresa
B. The
Novel
Cervantes, Don Quixote
Th Nov.
16 Cervantes, Don Quixote Part
I summary (handout) and
ch. 1-ch. 18 (479-506)
M Nov. 19*# Cervantes,
Don Q Part I ch.
22, 25(514-32); Part II sum.&
early/late
chaps. 532-64
Th Nov.
23 Thanksgiving
M Nov. 27
Th Nov.
30 review
of poems, exam review, Connection Reports
Th Dec. 7
Exam
and Unit III test