English 2112H is Honors World Literature II, a 3-credit hour, 2000-level course offered by the English Department in the College of Arts and Letters that fulfills either your Area C Literature Requirement or your Area B Global Requirement. You must have earned a "C" in English 1101 and English 1102 to take this course.
Fall 2014 Semester
In this course, you can achieve the following goals:
- Learn methods for measuring the value of literary works from various times and parts of the world. Learn about the intersection between appreciation, evaluation, and enjoyment.
- Explore how characters and situations in literature help us answer important questions:
- How do we define human excellence?
- In what ways do the standards of excellence shift and change?
- What sorts of conflict between values give rise to ethical crisis?
- For each work of literature we study, ask the following questions:
- What sorts of choices do characters or narrators make?
- What sorts of values do characters or narrators defend?
- What motivates them to make those choices or hold those beliefs?
- Where does their confidence come from?
- Ask questions about how literature explores conflict and crisis.
- Perceive how ethical complexity makes literature compelling and memorable.
- Explore how ethical themes in literature can help us know our own ethics.
- Contemplate the meaning of the following concept: responsible reading.
- Learn to use various literary terms to discuss the assigned works.
- Take reading notes to record the details of your experience reading.
- Prepare a research proposal and presentation for a conference.
- Review and comment on various articles that speak to your research topic.
- Readings include several e-texts and the following books for purchase:
Virginia Woolf. To the Lighthouse (1927)
Albert Camus. The Stranger (1946)
Vladimir Nabakov. Lolita (1955)
Buy these soon in case you decide to use one of them for your research topic. Otherwise, these books will be the last three we read together as a class.
- Access to the internet and a reading light
- A Google account in order to use Google Drive
- Several working pens and lots of notebook paper
- Reading. This course involves more reading than writing. To keep up, you should read diligently, repeatedly, and not all in one sitting. I hope that, with dedicated reading, you will find a new passion, even if you have no plans ever to study literature again.
- Grades. Your grade is calculated according to the following weighted scale:
Conference Presentation
Discussions
Reading Notes
Quote Responses
400 points
100 points
300 points
200 points
- Ask for help. If you are struggling or need help, tell me right away—we can meet for tutoring in my office. Please use extra time before class to ask me questions and seek help on assignments before they are due. Be sure to use your UNG email account if you send me an email.
- Participation. All students should take an active, constructive part in discussion in class. The best way is to read and think about the assigned work well before class. Take reading notes, write down your honest reactions to what you are reading, and write down questions you want to ask or comments you want to make. If you are deathly fearful of speaking during class, please turn in comments and questions that I can express for you. Even if you are shy (like me), you can always engage with the reading actively, on an intellectual level.
- Make-Up Work. Work for this class includes assignments done on your own time online as well as assignments you'll turn in during class. When you are absent or sick on a due date, you need proof of excuse to turn in missed work.
- Turning in work. All Quote Responses (typed) will be submitted through Google Drive. All discussions will occur during class time. Reading Notes (written on notebook paper) will be turned in at the beginning of each class. Do not use email to turn in work.
- Email. The official form of communication at UNG is email. This policy protects all of us in the exchange of information. If you need to contact me about anything, whether personal or class related, please use your UNG email account and my UNG email address. Check your email two or three times a day for updates. Check it every hour if you have emailed me a question.
- Disruptive behavior. I emphasize the importance of sensitivity and respect in and out of class between you and me and between you and your classmates. Refrain from gestures, attitudes, tones, and words that are meant to be base, insulting, or provocative. Please do not express disagreement with my policies, decisions, or academic help in front of other students; I am happy to field complaints privately during my office hours. You should, of course, disagree openly with any of my literary interpretations that you think are incomplete or misguided. I won't be angry at all; I will be quite pleased. If I disagree right back, don't get angry or feel embarrassed; just keep talking. Disagreement about literature is a sure sign of its value. One other rule: if you come to class, don't leave early unless you have checked with me before class begins. You may have bottled water in the classroom, but food is too distracting (see me if you have health-related reason to need food in the classroom).
- Academic honesty. All work submitted to fulfill requirements of this class must meet UNG standards of academic honesty. Violations of these standards include receiving or giving assistance on any graded assignment without my permission (aka, cheating), fabricating evidence for use in an assignment (aka, lying), and using another person's words or thoughts in your assignment without giving that person credit (aka, plagiarism). Penalty for committing these acts could range from a zero on the assignment to an "F" in the course.
- Withdrawal. Remember that you cannot withdraw from a class simply by not coming anymore; rather, you must withdraw yourself through Banner Web before the midpoint.
- Disclaimer. This syllabus is subject to change to meet the needs of the course.
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