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English 312: Survey of World Literature, Part II
Spring, 2005, 1650 -1924
M/W/F/ 1:30 – 2:20 p.m.

Please Note: This course will include online web-based assignments and assist strategies as the course progresses. Please notify the instructor if you have difficulties applying online programs to your course of study.

Instructor: Thomas M. Eaton
Office: 318-K, Grauel BLDG.
Office Hours: 10-12 M/W
Office Phone: 651-2019, Home office, 339-1595
E-mail: tmeaton@semo.edu

Norton Athology of World literature, 2^nd Edition . (Expanded Edition, 3 volumes (D, E, .F.). New York : Norton, 2002. (university Bookstore)

English 312 is a survey of important works in world literature. Although gaining familiarity with all of the "important" works from world literature would be ideal, students should keep in mind that this survey is intended merely to introduce a wide variety of literary works spanning vastly different cultures and time periods, with the ultimate goal of encouraging students to appreciate textual diversity and make connections between works and worlds that would, on the surface, seem unrelated. In other words, English 312 should not only teach students to appreciate works from other cultures and time periods, but should also encourage the cultivation of analytical tools that you will need to become well-rounded readers. This course is designed to introduce you to texts and concepts that don't generally appear in the British or American Literature courses and that you may not have been exposed to before.

Design: This syllabus uses a thematic approach. In accordance with the Graduate English Association’s (2004) recommendations the chronological might be the most comfortable approach and most demonstrative of historicity but the thematic approach to this study is the most motivating. Students are encouraged to make thematic connections between the texts while still recognizing the order or historicity behind the work as such historicity will be illistrated throughout the semster in lecture and discussion. The thematically-based structure will also serve in neutralizing overpowering cultures in the literary field. (GEA, 2004).

- identify and explain the fundamental features of the genres of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and drama

- Define key literary terms/concepts and implement these in oral/written discussion as well as in literary interpretation

- Describe, examine, and evaluate one’s own reading practices and oral/written critical analyses.

- Analyze literature and explain how various perspectives of literary work merge together to create meaning reflecting social and individual conflict.

- Apply writing and revision as tools for understanding literature and its various interpretations through political movements representative of the times or geographies encountered within the course readings.

- recognize, describe, and analyze the influence of various cultures in literary works

Students are responsible for all course materials. Assignment sheets will be employed by the instructor and devices including e-mail and traditional mail will be used. However, it remains the students’ responsibility to keep up with all work.

Because of the developmental nature of this course, both in degrees of concept development and writing development, overall scoring is done holistically meaning a blend of statistical outcome and quantitative analysis within the following areas.

This system allows for weaknesses in one area to be compensated by other areas. Absenteeism has been proven to be harmful to all of these areas. You are evaluated here much as you are on the job. Educating yourself is your job. Performance, behavior, initiative, contributions to coursework and preparedness all constitute this scoring method.

Assignment sheets: Assignment sheets will be provided for each formal exercise. These include outline for Electronic Assimilation Journal, the Midterm preparation, final exam preparation and expectations of forum-response activities. These sheets will indicate specific expectations, direction and purpose of each written assignment. They will also indicate deadlines for material completion. Grades will not be posted or available as students know roughly what range they are in and because the holistic qualitative approach cannot supply a final grade until the term is over.

Additional Notes: Students planning to major in English should keep copies of their best papers to submit as their senior portfolio. Information regarding the senior portfolio can be located through discussion with your instructor.

Closing: This course rewards critical thinking, willingness to challenge and question readings and respectful debate. It demands clear and concise writing practice in which guidance will be supplied. It invites and welcomes innovation and experimentation. This course does not reward passivity, purposeful mediocrity, excuses, attitude or blame.

Week/Date	Topic	Readings	Evaluations
Week 1 Jan 19 - 21	Course Overview: Idealism from Quixote – Women’s observance - Movement of Chinese from Philosophy to structured novel form -	Story of the Stone 146-154	Compare this story to contemporary American issues: Make entry 1 in EAJ.
Week 2 Jan 24-28	Defense of women’s rights first recognized, connects to Quixote’s “social windmills.” – echoes Chinese recognition of love issues in “Stone”	De la Cruz, Reply, .. 405-430 – 1548-1695	Enter in EAJ. Discussion,
Week 3 Jan 31-Feb 4	Philosophy as connected through poetry - the Hedonistic period – Man as center of the universe – satire – Emotive experience.	Pope’s Rape of the Lock & Essays on Man, 493-517	Group responses to individual questions – 5 minute support and individual EAJ entry.
Week 4 Feb 7- 11	Philosophy meets reality – introduction to the black comedy. Present in both French and Russian literature - Human Endurance and fatalism	Voltaire’s Candide – 517 -583	EAJ entry 4 – Article review of Black Comedy or study of Voltaire including vocabulary applied by scholar.-see handout – turn in.
Week 5 Feb 14-18	Revolution, romanticism and nature – England & America –roots of transcendental thought	Intro, 651-661. Rousseau’s Confessions, 661-668	EAJ entry - Personal narrative: “Where I clash with society” (3 page expository with rationale) – turn in.
Week 6 Feb 21-25	"Romanticism & the Bible” -- the pastoral verse – movement toward nature as replacing Godhead – Human self-aggrandizement in natural settings (romanticizing the self)	William Blake, 780-789 and Wordsworth, 789 -780 (focus on Tintern abbey)	Two page article review of “Naturalism” – show connection to American literature (westerns, travelogue’s, etc…) turn in. – one copy for EAJ.
Week 7 Feb 28-Mar 4	Romanticism, cont… Nature as Utopia, objectification of landscape (idealism) Desire for the unobtainable (unrequited passion) and courting death – the romance of passing.	Coleridge, p. 811-818. Shelley, 819-825. Keats, 825-836, Bunina, 840-841	Mid-Term preparation, weeks 1-7 – closing lecture: forms of romanticism – EAJ entry – discussion of black comedy, human arrogance, social pressure and self-awareness as portrayed by literature.
Week 8 Mar 7-Mar 11	Romanticism and Sexuality – Russian and (French) dramatic style.	Pushkin, 863-883 (Have read by midterm)	Mid-term Exam (1 hour) with essay question from Pushkin’s Queen of Spades
Week 9 Mar 13-17	SPRING BREAK – Bring Electronic Journal up to date – The masculine narrative monologue - Prayer, regret and the hero’s voice	Tennyson’s Ulysses 885 – 887 and In Memorium A.H.H. – 889-907. Browning’s My last Duchess, 910-911	Prepare for discussion on return –EAJ entry. No class this week. Turn in EAJ, part 1
Week 10 Mar. 21 - 25	The heroic voice in retrospect – Intro to Realism, Naturalism & symbolism – Russian, French and German influence	Intro, 1071-1079 (E), Film cuts – Madam Bovary. Internet source discussion/lecture on Flaubert	Discussion Board Postings – Forum 1 – Using three reliable sources define at least 5 realist writers and define the term “realism” Up load to forum box
Week 11 Mar 28-Apr. 1	Realism, irony and fatalism: results of choice, human contradictions – Russian influence	Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground 1301-1379	Web assist readings by instructor. Forum 2 question on determinism and fatalism as dogma part 1:
Week 12 Apr. 4-8	Comparative Fatalism in social Issue – Discussion of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabbler (overview) as poetry-to- stage social awareness	Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich, 1422-1460.	Web assist readings by instructor. Forum 2 question on determinism and fatalism as dogma part 2:-translation to current social response “correctness”
Week 13 Apr. 11-15	Psychological views of women – psychological influence on literature – Analysis as support or attack to cultural identification.	Freud, S. Dora: Fragment of an analysis 1615-1670 (F)	Online essay – forum: To what extent does psychological study affect culture and identity stereotypes (Argument on position with support research – 2 page analysis)
Week 14 Apr. 18-22	Legal positivism and art (see Aristotle = W.L. 1) social deterioration –human conflicts; sensuality, individual and social will.	Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice pgs. 1838-1890	Turn in EAJ -- Forum Question = Discuss what Aristotle meant by “the role of the writer is to balance Art and legal positivism…
Week 15 April 25-29	Human adjustment –recognition of self –internal heroism or failure – indictment of culture –predicament of modern civilization	Kafka, F. The Metamorphosis. Pgs 1996-2030	Finals review final Forum: The Spockian question: “Is the life of the many more important than the life of the one?” (personal narrative with support” (return EAJ’s to students.)
Week 16 May 2-6	Final Exam

tudy for This Course

Here are some suggestions that students have sent to me after I ask them what advice they would give to new students. These suggestions represent the solid wisdom of many who have completed the course with an a good grade.

The best way to work your way through this course is to set aside time to study regularly.

Using a pen or pencil, mark up your NAWL by underlining important passages. Write notes about your observations in the margins of NAWL. When you see themes developing, cross-reference pages so that you can cluster information that will help you contribute to class discussions, compose satisfactory responses and replies to the discussion boards, and write good examination essays. Circle or underline the names of key characters, significant words, and critical ideas. The more you mark up your text, the easier it will be for you to refer to your text when you need to cite information, draw on quotations, and summarize ideas.