Literature 330: World Literature I

North America; Latin America and the Caribbean; Australia and Oceania

Instructor

Professor Norbert Elliot

Course Description

This course offers students an opportunity to enhance their understanding of contemporary global interactions by exploring a diverse array of culturally expressive artifacts---novels, short stories, and poems--grouped geographically by region. Course readings represent the following regions: North America; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Australia and Oceania. A second course, Literature 331, covers Europe; Asia; and Africa and the Middle East.

Prerequisites

The Writing, Speaking, and Thinking Curriculum: Three credits of English are required.

The Basic Social Science Curriculum: Six credits of basic social science are recommended.

The Cultural History Curriculum: Six credits of cultural history are required.

Texts

Anthology:
Norman A. Spenser and Shirley Geok-Lin Lim. One World of Literature. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993.

Novels:
Toni Morrison. Beloved. New York: Penguin, 1988. (North America)

Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Love in the Time of Cholera. Trans. Edith Grossman. New York: Penguin, 1988. (Latin America)

Handbook:
Sylvan Barnet and William E. Cain. A Short Guide to Writing about Literature. 10th ed. New York: Longman, 2006.

Films (to rent):
Beloved (1998)
The Old Gringo (1989)

CD ROM

Norbert Elliot. Literature 330. Newark: NJIT, 2001.

The Portfolio

Copies of all assignments-drafts and final copies of papers, slides from oral presentations, and examinations-will be kept by each student in a portfolio retained by the instructor at the end of the course. This document will reflect the overall quality of your work.

Late Assignments

Late assignments are not accepted and will receive a failing grade unless prior arrangements are made. If there is an emergency, I may be reached at either my office or by e-mail.

Assignments and Grading Procedures

There are three types of assignments in the course:

1. Responses to Lectures 1-22, worth 2 points each
2. Review of Web Sites for literature of the three geographic areas, worth 2 points each
3. Five Essays, worth 10 points each (Note: the fifth essay will be collaboratively written by members of a study group.)

For Part 1 of the Course
Assignment 1: Response to Lecture 1 (Literature in a Global Context)
Assignment 2: Response to Lecture 2 (Writing About Literature)
Assignment 3: Essay-Reading Autobiography
For Part 2 of the Course
Assignment 4: Response to Lecture 3 (The Poetry of North America-The First Half of the Twentieth Century)
Assignment 5: Response to Lecture 4 (The Poetry of North America-The Second Half of the Twentieth Century)
Assignment 6: Response to Lecture 5 (Understanding Toni Morrison's Beloved)
Assignment 7: Response to Lecture 6 (Reading Toni Morrison's Beloved)
Assignment 8: Response to Lecture 7 (Maxine Hong Kingston)
Assignment 9: Response to Lecture 8 (Contemporary North American Fiction)
Assignment 10: Response to Lecture 9 (Conclusions: The Literature of North America)
Assignment 11: Review of Web Sites on the Literature of North America
Assignment 12: Essay on the Literature of North America
For Part 3 of the Course
Assignment 13: Response to Lecture 10 (A History of Latin America and the Caribbean)
Assignment 14: Response to Lecture 11 (Jorge Luis Borges; Julio Cortazar)
Assignment 15: Response to Lecture 12 (Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the Time of Cholera)
Assignment 16: Response to Lecture 13 (Jamaica Kincaid)
Assignment 17: Response to Lecture 14 (Nicolas Guillen, Derek Walcott, V.S. Naipaul)
Assignment 18: Response to Lecture 15 (Pablo Neruda; Isabel Allende)
Assignment 19: Response to Lecture 16 (Octavio Paz, Rosario Castellanos, Carlos Fuentes)
Assignment 20: Review of Web Sites on the Literature of Latin America and the Caribbean
Assignment 21: Essay on the Literature of Latin America and the Caribbean
For Part 4 of the Course
Assignment 22: Response to Lecture 17 (Australian and Aboriginal Culture)
Assignment 23: Response to Lecture 18 (Isolation in Australian Literature)
Assignment 24: Response to Lecture 19 (Literature of New Zealand)
Assignment 25: Review of Web Sites on the Literature of Australia and Oceania
Assignment 26: Essay on the Literature of Australia and Oceania
For Part 5 of the Course
Assignment 27: Response to Lecture 20 (Student Presentations on the Literature of North America; Student Presentations on the Literature of Latin America and the Caribbean)
Assignment 28: Response to Lecture 21 (Student Presentations on the Literature of Australia and New Zealand; Student Presentations on Methods of Literary Study)
Assignment 29: Response to Lecture 22 (One World of Literature: Closing Thoughts)
Assignment 30: Final Collaborative Essay

The final grade will be based on your cumulative effort in the course; that is, your grade will be based on your improvement, not solely on a sum of grades.

Syllabus (This is a sample syllabus. While the basic elements of the course remain consistent across semesters, elements of the course change. For distance learning courses, the final syllabus is provided on the web site. For traditional classes, the final syllabus is provided the first day of class.)

Part 1: Literature in a Global Context

Week 1

CD Lecture 1: Literature in a Global Context

Reading:

Barnet Chapter 5 "What is Literature?"
Barnet Chapter 6 "What is Interpretation?"
Barnet Chapter 7, " What is Evaluation?"
Lim and Spenser, "The Question of Translation"

Assignment 1: Summary of Lecture 1 due

Week 2

CD Lecture 2: Writing About Literature

Reading:

W. H. Auden, "Musee des Beaux Arts"
Barnet Chapter 1, "The Writer as Reader: Reading and Responding"
Barnet Chapter 9, "Writing about Fiction"
Lim and Spenser, "A Note on Fiction"
Barnet Chapter 10, "Writing about Drama"
Lim and Spenser, "A Note on Drama"
Barnet Chapter 11, "Writing about Poetry"
Lim and Spenser, "A Note on Poetry"
Barnet Chapter 14, " Style and Format"
Barnet Chapter 15, "Writing a Research Paper"
Barnet Chapter 16, "New Approaches to the Research Paper: Literature, History, and the World Wide Web"
Lim and Spenser, "Documentation"

Assignment 2: Summary of Lecture 2 due

Week 3

Reading:

Barnet Chapter 2, "The Reader as Writer: Drafting and Writing"
Barnet Chapter 3, "Two Forms of Criticism: Explication and Analysis
Barnet Chapter 8," Writing about Literature: An Overview"

Assignment 3: Reading Autobiography

Part 2: The Literature of North America

Week 4

CD Lecture 3: The Poetry of North America: The First Half of the Twentieth Century
CD Lecture 4: The Poetry of North America: The Second Half of the Twentieth Century

Reading:
William Carlos Williams, "A Sort of Song"
Ezra Pound, "In a Station of the Metro"
Wallace Stevens, "Of Modern Poetry"
Adrienne Rich, "Diving into the Wreck"
Rita Dove, "Wingfoot Lake"
Margaret Atwood, "Owl's Song"
Frank O'Hara, "Why I Am Not a Painter"
Allen Ginsberg, "A Supermarket in California"

Assignment 4 due
Assignment 5 due

Week 5

CD Lecture 5: Understanding Toni Morrison's Beloved
CD Lecture 6: Reading Toni Morrison's Beloved

Reading:
Toni Morrison, Beloved (novel)
Beloved (film)

Assignment 6 due
Assignment 7 due

Week 6

CD Lecture 7: Maxine Hong Kingston
CD Lecture 8: Contemporary North American Fiction

Reading:

Maxine Hong Kingston, "The Grandfather of the Sierra Nevada Mountains"
James Baldwin, "The Rockpile"
Raymond Carver, "Cathedral"
Leslie Marmon Silko, "Coyote Holds a Full House in His Hand"
Margaret Atwood , "Dancing Girls"

Assignment 8 due
Assignment 9 due

Week 7

CD Lecture 9: Conclusions: The Literature of North America

Assignment 10 due
Assignment 11 due
Assignment 12 due

Part 3: The Literature of Latin America and the Caribbean

Week 8

CD Lecture 10: A History of Latin America and the Caribbean
CD Lecture 11: Jorge Luis Borges; Julio Cortazar

Reading:

Lim and Spenser, "Latin America and the Caribbean"
Jorge Luis Borges, "The Intruder"
Julio Cortizar, "House Taken Over"

Assignment 13 due
Assignment 14 due

Week 9

CD Lecture 12: Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the Time of Cholera
CD Lecture 13: Jamaica Kincaid

Reading:
Gabriel Garcia Marquez. "Big Mama's Funeral," Love in the Time of Cholera
Jamaica Kincaid, "Girl"

Assignment 15 due
Assignment 16 due

Week 10

CD Lecture 14: Nicolas Guillen, Derek Walcott, V.S. Naipaul
CD Lecture 15: Pablo Neruda; Isabel Allende

Reading:

Nicolas Guillen, "Can You?" "Ballad of Two Grandfathers"
Derek Walcott, "The Spoiler's Return"
V.S. Naipaul, "The Pyrotechnicist"
Pablo Neruda, " The United Fruit Company" "Poet's Obligation"
Isabel Allende, "Phantom Palace"

Assignment 17 due
Assignment 18 due

Week 11

CD Lecture 16: Octavio Paz, Rosario Castellanos, Carlos Fuentes

Reading:

Octavio Paz, "Obsidian Butterfly"
Rosario Castellanos, "Death of the Tiger"
Carlos Fuentis, The Old Gringo (Film)

Assignment 19 due
Assignment 20 due
Assignment 21 due

Part 4: The Literature of Australia

Week 12

CD Lecture 17: Australian and Aboriginal Culture
CD Lecture 18: Isolation in Australian Literature

Reading:

Patrick White, "Clay"
Kenneth Slessor, "South Country"
David Malouf, "Off the Map"
Elizabeth Jolley, "Mr. Parker's Valentine"

Assignment 22 due
Assignment 23 due

Week 13

CD Lecture 19: Literature of New Zealand

Reading:

Allen Curnow, "The Skeleton of the Great Moa in the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch"
Janet Frame, "The Day of the Sheep"
Patricia Grace, "And So I Go"
Witi Ihimaera, "His First Ball"

Assignment 24 due
Assignment 25 due
Assignment 26 due

Part 5: Putting it all Together

Week 14

CD Lecture 20: Student Presentations on the Literature of North America; Student Presentations on the Literature of Latin America and the Caribbean
CD Lecture 21: Student Presentations on the Literature of Australia and New Zealand; Student Presentations on Methods of Literary Study
CD Lecture 22: One World of Literature: Closing Thoughts

Assignment 27 due
Assignment 28 due
Assignment 29 due

Week 15

Assignment 30 due