KEAN UNIVERSITY

ENGLISH 2403: WORLD LITERATURE FALL 2008

Section: 19 Day: T, TH Time: 2:00-3:20 p.m.

Location: CAS 358

Section: 15 Day: T, TH Time: 3:30-4:50 p.m.

Location: EC151

Instructor: Prof. Melanie Axel-Lute

Office and Mailbox: CAS 301D

Office Hour: Tuesday and Thursday, 1:30-2:00, and by appointment

If you wish to e-mail me about this class, please use: ENG2403@yahoo.com

The syllabus, assignments, and other course information are available at www.maxellute.net/worldlit.html

Required texts:

The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Maynard Mack. Expanded, one vol. ed. Norton, 1997.

Shakespeare, William. Much Ado about Nothing. Ed. Barbara Mowat. Washington Square Press, 1995.

Course objectives: The student will …

Ø Read literary works in several cultures from ancient to modern times.

Ø Learn to understand the nature and function of literary genres.

Ø Explore interrelationships among literary traditions of diverse cultures, recognizing similarities and differences.

Ø Examine cultural values embodied in literature.

Ø Learn an appreciation of world cultures and our own pluralistic society through the study of literature.

Ø Improve critical skills and expository writing.

Ø Acquire skills to analyze literature.

Prerequisite:

ENG1030 or other freshman-level college composition course, as required by Kean University.

Course requirements:

Attendance. Attendance is important for the learning process and is expected in this class. Excessive absences will result in a lowered grade, or even failure. Furthermore,

quizzes and participation in discussions, workshops, and group projects will be considered in your grade, and some material will be presented only in class that may be included in quizzes or used as background for essays.

In order to make up a missed exam or obtain an extension on a paper, you must present a written request (email is OK), detailing your reasons. Extensions on papers must be requested before the paper is due. Such exceptions are given at the discretion of the instructor.

There are no make-ups for quizzes. If you miss one and present a legitimate excuse in writing for doing so, you can be excused from that quiz, so it will not be counted as a zero in computing your final course grade. Again, such exceptions are given at the discretion of the instructor.

Be on time. Lateness of more than 20 min. can count as an absence. Quizzes will usually be given early in the class session.

In consideration of others and in respect for this course, please silence all cell phones and beepers while in class. Headphones are also not acceptable in class.

Reading assignments. It is your responsibility to complete assignments on time. The date that the reading is listed on the syllabus is the date by which it must be done. There will be quizzes on reading assignments. During class discussions, obvious lack of preparation will lower your grade for participation.

Quizzes. May be given at any time on the readings or material presented in class.

Essays. Essays are due on the dates shown, whether or not you’re in class. One full letter grade will be deducted from the grade for late essays. Essays and revisions must be typed. You should prepare two copies of essays, keeping one copy for yourself.

Essays are graded for both content and quality of writing. Sloppy papers with multiple careless errors will be returned for proofreading by the student before being graded. These will count as late papers.

Essay topics and guidelines will be discussed in class.

Class participation. You are expected to participate in discussions in class. You must come to class prepared, having done the readings or other assignments, and must bring your notebook and textbook to each class. Note-taking is essential for a good grade for participation. There will be frequent in-class work to be handed in.

Homework assignments. There will be occasional individual and group assignments on the readings.

Exams. There will be two in-class essay exams, a midterm and a final. The final may also include a factual quiz, given on a previous date.

Grading:

Two short essays: 10% each=20%
Midterm exam and final essay exam: 20% each=40%
Quizzes: 20%
Homework, in-class work, participation: 20%

Both essays and both exams must be completed in order for you to pass the course.

An act of plagiarism may cause you to fail this course.

You should save copies of all essays you do for this course.

You should save graded work that is returned to you.

Important dates for fall 2007 semester

Sept. 4. Classes begin.

Sept. 10. Last day to withdraw with a 100% refund.

Sept. 30. Rosh Hashanah. Class meets.

Oct. 9. Yom Kippur. Class meets.

Sept. 17. Last day to withdraw with a 75% refund.

Sept. 24. Last day to withdraw with a 50% refund.

Oct. 30. Last day to withdraw with a “W” grade.

Nov. 4. Election Day. Class meets.

Nov. 27. Thanksgiving Day. No classes.

Dec. 18. Last day of this class. All work must be completed.

Course outline and reading assignments. All selections except Shakespeare are in the Norton Anthology.

Sept. 4. Introduction to the course.

Sept. 9. “The Invention of Writing and the Earliest Literatures,” pp 1-9.

Gilgamesh, Introduction, prologue, and parts 1 and 2, pp. 10-25.

Sept. 11. Gilgamesh, parts 3-7, pp. 25-42.

Sept. 16,18. Discussion of Gilgamesh continues.

Sept. 23. Bible, pp. 48-49 and 52-71 (through end of Joseph section).

Sept. 25. Koran, pp. 861-888.

Sept. 30. “Ancient Greece and the Formation of the Western Mind,” pp 87-92.

Euripides and Medea, pp. 433-465. Essay #1 due.

Oct. 2, 7. Discussion of Medea continues.

Oct. 9. Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Introduction and Prologue, pp. 1165-1189.

Oct. 14. Chaucer, The Miller’s Prologue and Tale, pp. 1189-1204.

Oct. 16. Chaucer, The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale, pp. 1204-1217.

Oct. 21. Discussion of Chaucer continues.

Oct. 23. Midterm essay exam.

Oct. 28. American poetry. Whitman, pp. 2305-2313.

Oct. 30. Dickinson, pp. 2313-2322.

Nov. 4, 6, 11. Other American poets (handouts).

Nov. 13. Achebe. Things Fall Apart, pp. 2932-3030.

Nov. 18, 20, 25. Discussion of Achebe continues.

Nov. 25. Essay # 2 due.

Dec. 2. Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing. Entire book, including introduction.

Dec. 4, 9, 11. Discussion of Shakespeare continues.

Dec 18. Final exam.

Attendance is expected in all courses. Attendance will be a component of the grade of any course if so stated in the syllabus. Students are responsible for informing the instructor in advance or in a timely manner of the reasons for their absence. Instructors in consultation with their department chairs are expected to respect university practices and policies regarding what counts as an excused absence. Typically excused absences include illness, bereavement, or religious observances. Serious tardiness may be dealt with at the discretion of the instructor.

Plagiarism:

All work submitted for this course should be your own. Collaborative work is not acceptable, unless assigned as such. Copying work (from others, from printed sources, or from the internet) or having it done for you is plagiarism and is against Kean University policy. Even if you copy only part of your essay, and not the whole essay, it is still plagiarism.

Students are responsible to become familiar with, and will be held accountable for, the information on the following Web sites:

1. Academic Integrity at www.kean.edu/forms/AcademicIntegrity.pdf or the Web site for The Guide at www.kean.edu/publications/TheGuide2007.pdf.

2. Student Code of Conduct at www.kean.edu/~conduct or the Web site for The Guide at www.kean.edu/publications/TheGuide2007.pdf.”