Dr. Erik Mortenson
Social Sciences 268
Fall 2007
Office Hours: T, Th 13.45-15.30
Literature 104
T, Th 9.30-10.45
Location: To Be Announced
Exemplarity and the Search for Wisdom in World Literature
Course Description
Literature has many functions—it entertains, inspires, and excites. But it has also
traditionally been used to instruct. This course will explore literary works that seek to provide
readers with models of how to live one’s life. In more modern times, this literature of
“exemplarity” has fallen out of favour, replaced with an emphasis on the multiplicity of
meaning. Is there still a role for literature that emphasizes wisdom as a common goal
transferable across continents and centuries? Or is wisdom always dependent on context—be
it historical, theoretical, or otherwise? This question will inform our inquiry as we analyze
classic examples of instructional literature and the various generic forms in which they are
presented across several centuries, countries, and cultures.
Assignments
Your grade will consist of three components. A series of short (2 ½-3 page) response papers
will determine the bulk of your grade. These assignments are designed to test your
comprehension of the material discussed in class and to provide you with an opportunity to
explore your own ideas in more depth. We will also have several reading quizzes given
throughout the semester that will give you an incentive to keep up with the reading.
Participation and attendance make up the final portion of your grade—you must be on time,
prepared, and willing to speak in class in order to do well in this course.
Grading
Three Response Papers (2 ½-3 pages each)
Reading Quizzes
Participation
Attendance
60%
20%
10%
10%
Student Expectations
I will be responsible for providing the generic, cultural, and biographical context which will
help us to make sense of these literary works. But please be aware that this course is NOT
designed to simply give you a general overview of World Literary Classics. On the contrary,
we will read these texts carefully. Working closely with selected passages, we will not only
examine issues relevant to our topic, but we will explore the myriad of larger thematic issues
that these works raise. By the end of the term, you will:
(1) Better understand how the field of literature is approached
(2) Be introduced to some major writers, philosophers, and cultural-historical periods
(3) Gain insight into the literature of exemplarity
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Perhaps even more importantly, you will also:
(1) Engage the ideas and themes in these texts in order to improve critical thinking skills
(2) Become better readers and better writers
(3) Hone your ability to read, write, and speak the English language
Instructor Expectations
In order to make this course enjoyable for everyone (myself included), I ask you to bring two
things to every session—an open mind and a respect for others. I expect everyone to listen
attentively to their colleague and to contribute positively to the discussion. For this class to
work, you need to arrive having done the reading and prepared to speak. Make sure to buy
(and use) a dictionary—I hold every student accountable for understanding the material at a
basic level. Please turn off your cell phones, do not arrive late or leave early, and be quiet
when others are talking. Literature is as interesting as you want to make it, so let’s enjoy
ourselves this semester!
Policy on Plagiarism
The principle of honesty is recognized as fundamental to a scholarly community. Students are
expected to honour this principle—any student caught plagiarizing the work of another will be
expelled from the course and subject to further disciplinary action. If you are unsure what
constitutes plagiarism, see me before handing in your work.
Attendance Policy
You are expected to attend every session of the course. If you are absent, it is your
responsibility to find out what we covered that day and to get a copy of materials handed out
in class. Attendance grades will be calculated as follows—if you attend 90% of class
meetings you get an “A” for participation, 80% a “B,” and so on. Every three times you are
late counts as an absence. To be considered present you must be on time with the course
materials for that day.
Tentative Schedule (Subject to Change)
Sept. 18 (T)
20 (Th)
25 (T)
27 (Th)
Hand out syllabus
Introduction to course
Aesop’s fables
Aesop continued
Oct.
Confucius, from The Analects; Discuss Paper #1
finish Confucius
Jalaloddin Rumi, from Collected Poems
Şeker Bayramı—No class
finish Rumi
Michel de Montaigne, from Essays; Paper #1 Due
finish Montaigne
Begin Voltaire’s Candide
Candide
2 (T)
4 (Th)
9 (T)
11 (Th)
16 (T)
18 (Th)
23 (T)
25 (Th)
30 (T)
2
Nov. 1 (Th)
6 (T)
8 (Th)
13 (T)
15 (Th)
20 (T)
22 (Th)
27 (T)
29 (Th)
Workshop Paper #1; Discuss Paper #2
Candide
Candide
finish Candide
Jorge Luis Borges, from Labyrinths
finish Borges
Franz Kafka’s parables; Paper #2 due
finish Kafka
Italo Calvino, from Invisible Cities
Dec.
Workshop Paper #2; discuss Paper #3
finish Calvino
Brothers Grimm Fairytales, “Little Red Riding Hood”
Angela Carter, “In the Company of Wolves”
Film: Richard Linklater’s Waking Life
Waking Life
Discuss Waking Life; Paper #3 due
Summary of Course
4 (T)
6 (Th)
11 (T)
13 (Th)
18 (T)
20 (Th)
25 (T)
27 (Th)
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