World Lit Syllabus - Rutgers University



INTRODUCTION TO WORLD LITERATURESpring 2013 -- 195:101:02Monday-Wednesday 2:15 PM - 3:35 PM HCK 113-HCK213; Douglass/CookInstructor: F. Betul Cihan-ArtunE-mail: betul.cihan@rutgers.eduOffice Hours: MW 4:00-5:00 @ Au Bon Pain on College Avenue (or by appointment)Mailbox: 195 College Avenue, Comparative LiteratureLearning Objectives and Fulfillments: This course aims to introduce students to a selection of classical and modern literary works from various parts of the world. One of the goals of the class is to analyze and discuss the works in their respective socio-historical contexts, with a special focus on the theme of encounter, be it textual or cultural. The impact of various factors (class, race, gender, generation, religion, and so forth) will be taken into consideration in our discussions. The students’ critical engagement with the assigned works of literature will be further enhanced by the historical and literary background provided by lectures and secondary sources. No prior knowledge of or familiarity with the pertinent languages is required. All reading materials will be provided in English translation. We will take both a transcultural and a transdisciplinary approach to the subject matter, so as to (among these approaches’ other benefits) meet the departmental learning goals, which are:- to demonstrate familiarity with a variety of world literatures as well as methods of studying literature and culture across national and linguistic boundaries and evaluate the nature, function and value of literature from a global perspective. - to demonstrate critical reasoning and research skills; to design and to conduct research in an individual field of concentration; - to analyze a specific body of research and to write a clear and well developed paper or project about a topic related to more than one literary and cultural tradition. This course fulfills Core Learning Goal AHp (analyzing arts and/or literatures in themselves and in relation to specific histories, values, languages, cultures, and technologies).Class Policy:Class participation will constitute a significant portion of your grade. This means that you are expected to attend lectures, keep up with the readings, and participate actively in class discussions (asking relevant questions also counts as participation!). You will have several reading quizzes and there will be no make-ups for them. In addition to the quizzes, you are expected to submit one short paper (4-6 pages) for the midterm and a longer one (6-10 pages) for the final exam on one of the given topics. For the papers, I will definitely be looking for originality, good writing, solid arguments, and analytical reasoning. Academic honesty is expected, that is, plagiarism will not be tolerated; if caught there is an automatic F on the assigned paper. For the university's policy on Academic Integrity, visit: for the absence policy, after two missed classes, additional absences without any legitimate excuse, such as illness or religious observance, will negatively impact your class participation grade. You will receive a straight F if you miss more than 25% of classes. Cell phones must be turned off for the duration of class. You are expected to bring to class whichever reading we are discussing on that day.Grading System (value): Attendance & Participation % 15Quizzes % 20Midterm Exam % 25Final Paper % 40Books to Purchase (available at Barnes & Noble):1. Kalidasa: The Recognition of Sakuntala. trans. by W. J. Johnson. Oxford University Press: 2008. ISBN-10: 0199540608 (pp. 1-107)2. Aimé Césaire: A Tempest (trans. by Richard Miller) TGC Translations, 2002. ISBN-10: 1559362103 3. David Henry Hwang: M. Butterfly. Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 1998. ISBN-10: 0822207125. Readings available on SAKAI: 1. Borges: “Averroes’ Search” in Collected Fictions, pp. 235-241.“The Translators of The Thousand and One Nights” in The Arabian Nights. A Norton Critical Edition, 2010. pp. 409-426.2. Euripides: Medea (in Medea and Other Plays) trans. by James Morwood. Oxford UP, 2009. pp. 1-39.3. The Arabian Nights, trans. by Husain Haddavy. Norton Critical Edition. pp. 5-564. Edgar Allan Poe: “The Thousand and Second Tale of Scheherazade” in The Arabian Nights. A Norton Critical Edition, 2010. pp. 356-372.5. Dante: Divine Comedy (excerpts) 6. Al-Maariri: Epistle of Forgiveness (excerpt) 7. Selected Poetry by Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi, Hafiz, et. al.8. Cervantes: Don Quixote, trans. by John Rutherford. pp. 11-779. Cao Xueqin: The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 1: The Golden Days. trans. by David Hawkes. pp. 1-100.10. Selected Haiku by Yosa Buson, Matsuo Basho and Kobayashi Issa11. Sir William Jones’s “Preface” to his translation of Sakuntala: . Rene Wellek: “The Concept of ‘Romanticism’ in Literary History II: The Unity of European Romanticism” in Comparative Literature Vol. 1, No. 2 (Spring, 1949), pp. 147-172.13. Samuel Taylor Coleridge: “Kubla Khan”14. Novalis: “Hymns to the Night”15. “The Queen of Spades” by Alexander Pushkin16. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa: “In a Grove” 17. Jean-Paul Sartre: “The Wall” 18. James Baldwin: “Sonny’s Blues” 19. Okot p’Bitek: Song of Lawino. 20. Amos Tutuola: The Palm-wine Drinkard. Grove Press, 1994. pp. 191-307.21. Supplementary recommended readingsSchedule of lectures:Week 1: Jan. 23: Introduction to the courseWeek 2: Jan. 28: Borges “Averroes’ search” Introduction to Greek Tragedy Recommended reading: Aristotle’s Poetics Jan. 30: Medea Quiz 1 (on Medea)Week 3: Feb. 4: Indian Drama: Sakuntala Sir William Jones “Preface to Sakuntala” Feb. 6: Sakuntala continue Quiz 2 (on Sakuntala)Week 4: Feb. 11: Storytelling Revolutionized: Arabian Nights (excerpts) J. L. Borges’ “The Translators of The Thousand and One Nights” Feb. 13: Arabian Nights continue Edgar Allan Poe “The Thousand and Second Tale of Scheherazade”Recommended Reading: Josef Horovitz “The Origins of The Arabian Nights”; Francesco Gabrieli “The Thousand and One Nights in European Culture”.Week 5: Feb. 18: Journeys to the Beyond: Divine Comedy: Inferno (excerpts) Al-Maariri’s Epistle of Forgiveness (excerpt) Feb. 20: Divine Comedy: Purgatorio (excerpts)Week 6: Feb. 25: Bible as Literature: “Revelations” Feb. 27: Mystical Poetry in Islam: Selected Poetry by Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi, Hafiz, et. al.Week 7: March 4: The first modern European novel: Don Quixote (excerpts) March 6: Don Quixote continue Quiz 3 (on Don Quixote)Week 8: March 11: Selected Haiku by Yosa Buson, Matsuo Basho and Kobayashi Issa March 13: Haiku continue Midterm Papers due!Week 9: March 25: The Last of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese Literature: The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber (excerpts) March 27: The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber continue Quiz 4 (on The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber)Week 10: April 1: Romanticism: “The Concept of ‘Romanticism’ in Literary History II: The Unity of European Romanticism” by Rene Wellek pp. 147-172. Samuel Taylor Coleridge “Kubla Khan” Novalis “Hymns to the Night” Recommended Reading: “Preface to the Lyrical Ballads” April 3: “The Queen of Spades” by Alexander PushkinWeek 11: April 8: Short Story as a Modern Genre: R. Akutagawa’s “In a Grove” Jean-Paul Sartre “The Wall” April 10: James Baldwin “Sonny’s Blues” Week 12: April 15: The Responses of the Colonized: A Tempest Quiz 5 (on A Tempest) Recommended Reading: Discourse on Colonialism by Aimé Césaire April 17: A Tempest continueWeek 13: April 22: Song of Lawino by Okot p’Bitek Recommended Reading: Black Skin, White Masks April 24: M. Butterfly Quiz 6 on M. ButterflyWeek 14: April 29: Appropriation of a genre: The Palm-Wine Drinkard Quiz 7 on The Palm-Wine Drinkard May 1: The Palm-Wine Drinkard continueWeek 15: May 6: Final remarks Final papers are due May 12!!! ................
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