World Literature II
Syllabus
Course Overview
In this class, we will use literature from the past five hundred years to study changes in perspective. During the first trimester, we focus on awakening--personal, social, and cultural. In the second trimester, we investigate dichotomies. How do we separate ourselves into groups. At the end of the year, we reflect on unifications. Is it possible to join together without barriers?
Objectives:
to explore together the world’s cultural journey through close examination of selections from the literary record of the past five hundred years
to discuss how disparate works of literature from around the world address similar themes
to reflect upon how you and others use language in different genres to achieve an end
to practice different modes of discourse in your writing and your speech
to present arguments and projects with poise
to recognize sentence patterns and common grammatical errors
to master assigned vocabulary and literary terms
Texts
Colors
of the Mountain
Da Chen
40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, 2nd Ed.
Beverly Lawn
The Tempest
William
Shakespeare
Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe
“Master Harold”… and the boys
Athol Fugard
No Exit and Three Other Plays
Jean Paul Sartre
Maus I and Maus II
Art Spiegelman
Persepolis
Marjane
Satrapi
Vocabulary from Classical Roots,Volume
C
Norma Fifer and Nancy Flowers
and selected essays, poems, short stories, non-fiction articles, or films
Class Citizenship
Please
arrive on time,
be nice to each other and to me,
be prepared when class begins,
participate actively in discussion,
be honest in your dealings with me, your classmates, and yourself: you may not lie, cheat, or steal,
avoid completing work for another class during English; such an infraction earns an automatic detention,
during assignments requiring computers, eschew non-Englishy distractions (no e-mailing, web surfing, or instant messenging, etc.); should this rule be ignored, you will enjoy the pleasure of detention.
Please come to class prepared. In other words, arrive on time and in dress code, complete all the homework before crossing the class threshold, and bring the appropriate tools for our trade (the book we are reading and any supplementary texts assigned, your tablet PC, your independent reading book). If, over the course of a trimester, you arrive in class three times without required materials, you earn a detention; the same policy applies to tardies and any combination of the two.
Computer Use Policy
When using your computer in class discussion, you must have it in tablet mode, and you must be engaged in the task at hand. The instructor will indicate times when laptop mode is acceptable or required.
Things you may not do: email, surf the net, work on other assignments, etc. Doing these things will result in an automatic detention and a deduction in your participation grade.
Homework, Extensions, and Grading
For major projects, I grant extensions on a case-by-case basis, but you must speak with me prior to the due date. If a student abuses this policy, I reserve the right to deny extensions. I award no extensions for homework, though I may allow students to complete an assignment for partial credit. For each day that a major assignment is late, the paper or project will have 10% deducted. Computer problems do not excuse late work.
You will earn your grade through reading quizzes, tests, vocabulary quizzes, homework, essays, daily participation, projects, and in-class work
Your grade will be derived from an accumulation of points. Your final average for the trimester will result from the total number of points you earned divided by the total possible number of points.
Enjoy yourself. Have fun, be creative, and learn.
Discovery Innovation Collaboration Excellence