School of Arts & Sciences EN203: World Literature, Renaissance through Enlightenment Tuesday, Friday 02:45PM - 04:00PM, Ballston, Room 205 Fall 2011 Office: Gailhac 2011 Office Hours: TBA Phone: 703-284-5762 thowe@marymount.edu Final Exam: Tuesday, December 13 Course Website: http://thowe.pbworks.com I am, however, encouraged by a keen sense of world literature as the one great heart that beats for the cares and misfortunes of our world, even though each corner sees and experiences them in a different way. --Alexander Solzehnitsyn, Nobel Lecture, 1970 Ortelius s World Map (1570) De Bry s Map of the New World (1596) UNIVERSITY STATEMENTS Academic Integrity By accepting this syllabus, you pledge to uphold the principles of Academic Integrity expressed by the Marymount University Community. You agree to observe these principles yourself and to defend them against abuse by others. Special Needs and Accommodations Please advise the instructor of any special problems or needs at the beginning of the semester. If you seek accommodation based on disabilities, you should provide a Faculty Contact Sheet obtained through Disability Support Services located in Gerard Hall, (703) 284-1615. EN230: World Literature, Renaissance through Enlightenment (Fall 2011) 1
Access to Student Work Copies of your work in this course including copies of any submitted papers and your portfolios may be kept on file for institutional research, assessment and accreditation purposes. All work used for these purposes will be submitted anonymously. Student Copyright Authorization For the benefit of current and future students, work in this course may be used for educational critique, demonstrations, samples, presentations, and verification. Outside of these uses, work shall not be sold, copied, broadcast, or distributed for profit without student consent. University Policy on Snow Closings Snow closings are generally announced on area radio stations. For bulletins concerning Marymount snow or weather closings, call (703) 526-6888. Unless otherwise advised by radio announcement or by official bulletins on the number listed above, students are expected to report for class as near normal time as possible on days when weather conditions are adverse. Decisions as to snow closing or delayed opening are not generally made before 5:00 AM of the working day. Students are expected to attend class if the University is not officially closed. 1. Broad Purpose of Course: A study of world literature from the 15th through the 18th centuries. Prerequisite: EN 102 or permission of instructor. Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements Designation: GP, LT-1. (3) The centuries from 1400 to 1800 are characterized by an unprecedented level of cosmopolitanism. Under the influence of exploration and exploitation, trade and dialogue, the world was beginning to seem both smaller and larger. Vernacular struggles shaped the literary landscape and the patterns of encounter between cultures, resulting in a dramatic shift in the content and form of language across the globe. New forms arose to describe new personal identities and new political problems; the lyric subject, the public theater, the essay, the prose narrative, the poet of public sensibility: all are new ways of seeing a world rapidly becoming modern. This course will explore early modern world literature from one of the perspectives most characteristic of the period the encounter, both physical and imaginative. We will examine encounters between selves, between selves and others, between worlds, and between worldviews. To speak to the overarching theme of this class, coursework will require active encounters both collaborative and individual; among other work, it will include two formal essays of 4-5 pages each (or an essay and a multimedia project), quizzes, brief writing assignments and responses, and two exams. 2. Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students will: Core Learning Outcomes: University Requirements [Global Perspective] demonstrate an understanding of the interconnectedness of human problems and concerns across cultures and nations as expressed in literary texts. evaluate how culture shapes identity development, values, assumptions, and social interaction in literature. Core General Learning Outcomes: Skills [Analysis, Critical Reasoning, and Problem-Solving] practice analytical discourse, critical reasoning, and problem-solving through close textual analysis and interpretation of literature. apply knowledge and experience in literary analysis to new texts. Core General Learning Outcomes: Attitudes [Aesthetic Appreciation] EN230: World Literature, Renaissance through Enlightenment (Fall 2011) 2
examine the aesthetic principles that inform literary production and apply them to the study and analysis of literary texts. Introductory Literature Core Outcomes: 200-level courses recognize literature as an expression of the human condition by identifying themes, movements, and texts that constitute literary and cultural traditions. demonstrate skills in close reading and interpretation by applying the conventions and vocabulary of literary analysis. examine the historical, cultural, and aesthetic contexts that inform literary discourse. 3. Teaching Method: Lecture, Discussion, Student Presentation 4. Grading Policy: Participation 10% Paraphrases, Summaries, Responses, Quizzes, Encounter Journal 30% Team Presentation 10% Examinations 25% Formal Essays (or essay and multimedia project) 25% Extra Credit recitation (see me!) 5. Schedule: Note: This schedule is subject to change! Tuesday, August 30: Overview of Course; intro to early modern world, vernacular Friday, September 2: Encountering the Lyric Subject: Petrarch (C.2465-24779; Rime Sparse/Rerum Fragmenta Vulgarium ) Tuesday, September 6: Last day to late register or add a class. Vernacular writing in South Asia Basavanna, Mahadeviyakka, Kabir (tbd) Friday, September 9: Biblical Translations and the Reformation (TBD). Response due. Tuesday, September 13: Essaying the Self, Trying the World: Michel de Montaigne, Introduction, To the Reader, Of the Power of the Imagination, Of Cannibals (C.2632-2653) Friday, September 16: Montaigne. Early modern science. Tuesday, September 20: Encountering and Critiquing the Courtly: Baldesar Castiglione, Book of the Courtier (C.2549-2564) Friday, September 23: Petrarch Paraphrases Due. Gender and Class Violence in Fuente Ovejuna (Lope de Vega) C.2783-2798 Tuesday, September 27: de Vega, Summary due. Friday, September 30 Last day to drop a class or withdraw without academic record EN230: World Literature, Renaissance through Enlightenment (Fall 2011) 3
Tuesday, October 4: Poetry by Shakespeare, Donne, Bradstreet, Milton (TBD) Friday, October 7: Midterm Exam [October 10-11: Fall Break] Tuesday, October 11: No Classes Fall Break Friday, October 14: Essay 1 due; Intro to Molière Tuesday, October 18: Staging the Hypocrisy of Modern Life: Molière, Tartuffe (D.295-361) ** Long text; I suggest you start on this early! Friday, October 21: Moliere; summary due Tuesday, October 25: Elivya Çelebi, The Book of Travels (D.281-292) Friday, October 28: Last day to withdraw from a class with a grade of W. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, The Turkish Embassy Letters (handout). Response due. Tuesday, November 1: Matsuo Bashō, The Narrow Road of the Interior (D.583-587, 603-629) Friday, November 4: Mon zaemon, Love Suicides at Amijima (TBD) Tuesday, November 8: Mon zaemon Friday, November 11: Sor Juana Inéz de la Cruz; Reply to Sor Filotea (D.403-430) *dense text; start reading early! Tuesday, November 15: Sor Juana. Friday, November 18: What Is Enlightenment? (TBD). Summary due OR multimedia project proposal. Tuesday, November 22: Rousseau, Kant; Early modern newspapers Friday, November 25: No Class; Thanksgiving Break Tuesday, November 29: Reforming the Public Sphere: Alexander Pope, The Rape of the Lock (D.489-499); Summary Due Friday, December 2: Pope; class reading (will be recorded!) Tuesday, December 6: Triangular Trade, Impact of Exploration: Olaudah Equiano, Renaissance conquest retrospective Friday, December 9: Conclusions; Essay 2/multimedia project due Tuesday, December 13: Final exam day EN230: World Literature, Renaissance through Enlightenment (Fall 2011) 4
6. Required Materials: Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volumes C and D Notebook for your encounter journal 7. Additional Materials: See course website. 8. Course Policies: See course website. EN230: World Literature, Renaissance through Enlightenment (Fall 2011) 5