Global Dialogues 2: Truth & Fiction in International Literature &
Film
Dr. Cori Adler, Spring 2010
Cornish College of the Arts!
Course Schedule
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Bring the readings we are working with to class every day.
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Changes in this schedule will be announced in class; be sure to get them if you’re late or absent!
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Make a pact with a colleague (another student in the class) who will do the following for you (and you for
him/her) when you are late or absent: Collect handouts, make note of schedule changes, take notes and copy
them for you, and spend 30 minutes going over the lesson.
Week 1: January 20-22
Truth and Fiction
Wed 1/20
Welcome Back! Syllabus, course overview, Book choices.
In class film: Los Hurdos by Luis Buñuel (Argentina)
Fri 1/22 read “The Value of Narrativity in the Representation of Reality” by Hayden White (handout). 1st Journal
due.
In class Film Festival: early, experimental and “subjective documentary”; sometimes horrifying and all silent:
First films by Thomas Edison (US)
The Cabinet of Dr Claigari by Robert Weine (Germany 1919)
experimental films by Maya Deren (Ukraine, US);
Stan Brakhage (US) Window Water Baby Moving
Buy your books!
Week 2: January 25-29
Mon 1/25
“Real Human Bodies!”
The Bodies Exhibition – 2+ perspectives. Read/listen/view:
2nd journal due.
Bodies The Exhibition, official site: http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/ – Watch their promotional videos
(in 2 parts ~ 10 minutes total): Click links to read about the plastination process and the history of the
exhibition. Click through to see the fascinating pictures.
Exposés:
The New York Times August 8, 2006:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/08/08/business/worldbusiness/08bodies.html
ABC News 20/20 Feb. 14, 2008 http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4291334 +slideshow
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/popup?id=4277228
Opinions:
Harry Wu, Human Rights Activist: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4296699&page=1
Thomas S. Hibbs, Ethics professor: http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/dead-body-porn
Wednesday 1/27 read: “The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherjee (India/Canada) and “The Mosaic
Imagination” by Natalie Angiers (US) (handouts).
3rd journal due
Friday 1/25 in class: Film All About My Mother by Pedro Almodovar (Spain, 1999)
What follows is a course overview. For each 3-4 week unit, it identifies the Global Dialogue topic, the books we’ll read
& the films we’ll view (column 1) + (column 2) the writing skills and project we’ll work on, the paper you’ll write and
the resources that will support that writing process. Daily/weekly schedules and assignment descriptions will be
handed out at the beginning of each unit.
How the reading works: For each unit, you will choose one of the books to read in its entirety. You will also read an
excerpt from each of the other books. We will discuss the excerpts the first 2 weeks of the unit, and in the 3rd week, you
will make presentations to the class about the full book leading to more discussion. You will continue to do weekly
reading journals.
How the papers and research project work: During Units 1 and 2, everyone will be working on the same type of
paper, first a Research-Informed Book Review of your Unit 1 book choice, then a Literature and Film analysis of your
Unit 2 book choice and a film (from this semester or last). These will be your introductions to academic writing, MLA
style, etc. You will use sources I’ve selected for you for these papers. The skill set is writing from research.
During units 3 and 4, you will begin doing research. You will work on a research project centered on either your Unit 3
book choice or your Unit 4 book choice. You will learn how to collect, select, evaluate and use a variety of sources.
There will be two “deliverables” (required pieces of the larger assignment). The first, your Literature & Inquiry Project
entails producing proposal, abstract, research notes and an annotated bibliography. The second is the final piece you
produce by using your research to understand your book selection. It can take the form of a paper, a powerpoint
presentation or a Zine.
Unit 1 -- Weeks 3 through 5: February 1 -19
Detailed daily schedule to
come.
Global Dialogue
Writing & Analysis Topics
History, Memory, Genocide: Towards a
Poetics of ‘Barbarism’
Informed Readers, Common Knowledge,
“Breathing Life into Expository Writing”
Books:
Resources:
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale (1 & 2) by Art Spiegelman
(US). graphic novel, memoir: Poland, Germany, US.
“The Writer’s Job” by Peter Elbow
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
(US). novel: Ukraine, US.
“Paraphrasing, Summarizing and Quoting” :
+ accompanying articles: http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/
“Paraphrase: Write it In Your Own Words”:
Global_Dialogues/ Readings /Holocaust_Readings.htm
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/resources_writing/
Elbow%20Writing%20With%20Power%20excerpt.pdf
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/563/01/
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/619/01/
Revision: Cultivating a Critical Eye:
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/resources_writing/
Revision_Cultivating_a_Critical_Eye.pdf
Films:
Hotel Rwanda
Everything is Beautiful
Europa Europa
Writing Book Reviews:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/review.html
Paper 1: Research Informed Book Review
Unit 2 -- Weeks 6 through 8: February 22 – March 12
Detailed daily schedule to
come.
Global Dialogue
Writing & Analysis Topics
Wandering (with) Ghosts: Chinese
Diasporas
Documentation, Citation, Academic Values
& Ethics
Books:
Resources:
Disappearing Moon Café by Sky Lee (Canada) .
novel: China, Canada. Accompanying readings:
“Understanding Academic Values” (handout)
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/ Global_Dialogues/
Readings /Disappearing_Moon_Readings.htm
“MLA 101”
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/resources_writing/MLA_101.pdf
“Documenting Sources”: http://www.powa.org/documenting-
Monkey Hunting by Christina Garcia (Cuba). novel:
China, Cuba, US, Vietnam. Accompanying readings:
sources/
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/
Global_Dialogues/Readings/Monkey_Hunting_Readings.htm
Glossary of Literary Terms and Critical Theory Concepts
Films: Picture Bride
The Wooden Man’s Bride
The Beautiful Country
“Writing Literary Analysis” http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/
http://royal-holloway.org.uk/ltsn/english/events/
past/staffs/Holland_Arrowsmith/Critical%20Concepts%20edit.htm
owl&writingcenter/OWL/WritingLitAnalysis1.html
Paper 2: Literature & Film Analysis with citations
Spring Break!
Unit 3 -- Weeks 9 through 12: March 22 - April 16
come.
Detailed daily schedule to
Global Dialogue
Writing & Analysis Topics
Confidantes and “Cartoon
Journalism”
Burning Questions and Inquiry-Based Research
Books:
Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi (Iran,
France). graphic novel/memoir: Iran.
Resources:
Excerpt from The Curious Researcher by Bruce Ballenger
Graphic Novel Terms and Concepts:
War's End: Profiles from Bosnia by Joe Sacco
(Malta, Australia, US). graphic
novel/journalism: Bosnia, Yugoslavia.
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/resources_writing/Graphic_Novel_Terms_&_Concepts.p
df
MLA Citation Style Guide:
http://facweb.northseattle.edu/cadler/resources_writing/MLA.pdf
“Writing Annotated Bibliographies
http://academicwriting.suite101.com/article.cfm/writing_the_annotated_bibliograp
hy
Films:
Waltz with Bashir
Persepolis
Literature and Inquiry Project
Unit 4 -- Weeks 13 through 14: April 19 - 30
Detailed daily schedule to
come.
Dialogue topic
Writing & Analysis Topics
Wise Children in Times of National
Transition
“What Only You Can Say”
Books:
Resources:
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan). novel:
Afghanistan, Pakistan, US.
Mary Pipher excerpts from Writing to Change the World
Field trip to ZAPP Zine archive
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (India). novel:
India.
Films: Partition
Turtles Can Fly
Or
Final Research Project: Paper, Powerpoint or Zine
Portfolio due dates: Preliminary April 26, Final April 30.
Week 15: May 3-7 -- Creative Presentations
The End