SUMMER 2008
ENGLISH 2110, SECTION 91 
Instructor: Jennifer West Gordon
Office: One of the faculty offices at the Newnan Campus
Office Phone: 

West Georgia Newnan Center:

(770) 254-7280 

Office Hours: Before and after class or by appointment
Email: jwest@westga.edu
Website:  http://www.westga.edu/~jwest

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a survey of literary and cultural documents from around the world.  We will begin with the earliest materials and work our way through the ages, stopping here and there to read and discuss the major works of history.  Because this course is a survey of world literature, we will often make leaps and bounds through history in an attempt to reach the modern period.  We will do our best to view each work in a historical and political context, realizing that our scope is limited by time and the sheer vastness of available material. 

REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS:

 

Alighieri, Dante.  Inferno.  Trans. John Ciardi.  New York: Signet, 2001.

Homer.  The Iliad.  Trans. Robert Fitzgerald.  New York: Ferrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2004.

Kafka, Franz.  The Metamorphosis. Trans. Stanley Corngold.  New York: Bantam, 1972.

Shakespeare, William.  The Tempest.  New York: Signet, 1998. 

Virgil.  The Aeneid.  Trans. Robert Fitzgerald.  New York: Vintage, 1990.

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Students will develop the ability to recognize and identify the significant achievements in world literature.

•Students will understand the relevant social, historical, and aesthetic contexts of these literary works.

Students will develop enhanced cultural awareness and analytical skills.

Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and the tenets of sound composition by means of thesis-driven prose. 

•Students will appreciate the implications of theoretical and critical approaches to such literature.


COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
GRADING:
Two Essays 40%
Midterm and Final Exams 40%
Daily Discussion 10%
Quizzes and Assignments 10%

ATTENDANCE:
Keep in mind that ten percent of your grade comes from your class participation, and another ten percent comes from daily quizzes and assignments.  Although I consider class attendance mandatory, I will not penalize you for your first two absences.  However, each class you miss after the second absence will result in a deduction of five points from your final grade.  Don’t abuse this policy.   In other words, save your absences for unexpected emergencies.  Also, please be in class on time.  Three tardies equal one absence from class.  There is no difference between unexcused and excused absences and tardies to class. 

PARTICIPATION:
Because this course is discussion oriented, you should come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings.  I expect you to read all assignments before we meet, bring your texts to class with you, and participate regularly in class discussions.

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR: Please be aware of the following English Department Policy:  Students will be dismissed from any class meeting at which they exhibit behavior that disrupts the learning environment of others.  Such behavior includes—but is not limited to—arriving late for class, allowing cell phones to ring, speaking disrespectfully to the instructor and/or to other students, and using personal audio or video devices. Each dismissal of this kind will count as an absence and will be applied toward the attendance requirements policy above.


LATE WORK:
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date assigned.  If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, make the necessary arrangements to deliver your work on time.  All essays turned in after the deadline will be penalized ten points for each class day they are late.  Also, quizzes will be given at the beginning of class.  No make-up quizzes will be offered.  I will not accept any late in or out of class assignments. 

THE WRITING CENTER:
I encourage you to visit The Writing Center at various points in the writing process.  Regardless of writing skill level, one may always benefit from an intelligent discussion with knowledgeable peers.  The Writing Center is located in the new TLC building.  To make an appointment, call (770) 836-6513.

PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources.  The Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments.  An equally dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth.  Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course.  The University policies for handling Academic Dishonesty are found in the following documents: 
Student Undergraduate Catalogue: “Rights and Responsibilities;” Appendix J. 
http://www.westga.edu/handbook/

SPECIAL NEEDS:
If you have a registered disability that will require accommodation, please see me at the beginning of the semester.  If you have a disability that you have not yet registered through the Disabled Student Services Office, please contact Dr. Ann Phillips in 137 Parker Hall at (770) 836-6428.

FORMAT FOR ALL PAPERS:
All drafts and final copies MUST be typed in New Times  Roman, 12 point font using MLA format.  Your writer’s handbook from English 1101 explains MLA format in detail, and we will also briefly review MLA format in class.

 

SUMMER 2008, ENGLISH 2110 SCHEDULE OF CLASSES

Please Note:  Our schedule is subject to change for any number of unpredictable reasons.


June
M 9 

Course Introduction

Discussion of The Epic of Gilgamesh, Handout

The Old Testament, Genesis 6 - 9, Handout

Introduction to Greek Mythology and Homer

W 11 Homer's The Iliad, Books I - VI

http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Iliad.html

Webpage created by Walter Englert for Reed College

(Excellent background information, including a map and a detailed timeline of historic events)

M 16

Homer's The Iliad, Books VII - XII

Essay One Topics

W 18

Homer's The Iliad, Books XIII - XVIII

M 23 Homer's The Iliad, Books XIX - XXIV

W 25 

Work on Essay One

M 30 

Virgil's The Aeneid, I, II, IV, and VI
July  

W 2 

Essay One Due

Virgil's The Aeneid, VII, XII

M 7

Midterm

The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise, Handouts

The Italian Renaissance

W 9 

Dante's Inferno, Cantos I - VIII

M 14

Dante's Inferno, Cantos IX - XVI

W 16 

Dante's Inferno, Cantos XVII - XXIV

M 21 

Dante's Inferno, Cantos XXV - XXXIV

W 23

Shakespeare's The Tempest, Acts I, II

M 28 Shakespeare's The Tempest, Acts III, IV, and V
W 30

Essay Two Due

Kafka's Metamorphosis

T 31

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Final Exam

 


 

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