Instructor: John Foster
E-Mail: <jfoster@gmu.edu>
Phone: 703/993-1160 (business hours only)
Teaching Assistant: Ben Farmer
Office: Robinson A426
Hours: Tu 4:30 to 5:30, W 1:30 - 3:00,
or by appointment.
E-Mail: <bfarmer4@masonlive.gmu.edu>
Syllabus, English 202/008 - Spring 2013
WORLD LITERATURE SINCE 1900
REQUIRED BOOKS AND DOCUMENTS:
Damrosch, David, ed., Longman Anthology of World Literature, Volume F: The Twentieth
Century (Pearson Longman, 2nd ed.)
Tolstoy, Leo, Hadji Murad (Orchises)
Premchand’s “The Chess Players” and “The Shroud,” Devi’s “The Hunt,” and García
Márquez’s “Death Constant Beyond Love” – Stories on Blackboard.
Ionesco’s “The Lesson,” Pushkin’s “Mozart and Salieri,” Fugard’s “Sizwe Bansi,” and
Ladipo’s “Oba Waja” – Plays on Blackboard.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To sharpen your skills as thoughtful, insightful readers of world fiction and world drama, by
studying works of both kinds (genres), written in a variety of forms since 1900.
2. To improve your writing abilities, both in and out of class, through exercises, essays, and a final
exam. Comments on this writing will provide regular feedback on your work.
3. Through lecturing and some discussion to broaden your cultural horizons and to give you a better
sense of the nature and possibilities of literature.
4. To read some fiction and drama from world cultures outside the widely taught literatures of North
American and Western Europe – works from East Asia, South Asia, Latin America, the Middle
East, Russia/Eastern Europe, and Africa.
5. ENGL 202 also fulfills the CHSS general education requirement in literature, and aims to do so by
covering in some depth at least three of the following five general goals:
 Read for comprehension, detail, and nuance
 Identify the specific literary qualities of language as employed in the texts
 Analyze the ways specific literary devices contribute to the meaning of a text
 Identify and evaluate the contribution of the social, political, historical, and cultural
contexts in which a literary text is produced
 Evaluate a critical argument in others’ writing as well as one’s own
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:
1. CLASS CITIZENSHIP: Regular attendance and observance of the George Mason Honor Code.
Steady improvement over the semester and/or excellence in discussion will be a factor in
deciding close calls on the final grade.
2. COURSE PAPERS (40%): One 3-page paper (counts 15%) and one 5-page paper (25%). You
should expect to submit these papers as attachments online.
3. SHORT EXERCISES (30%): Four 20-minute in-class exercises indicated on the syllabus, plus ad
hoc out-of-class response writing, unannounced spot quizzes, and participation in drama performance day (April 9).
4. FINAL EXAM (30%): A take-home essay, plus a 75-minute in-class exam on Thursday, May 9
(10:30 to 11:45 am). The 1000-word essay responds to a question from a list passed out at
our last class on May 2; the exam consists of brief IDs and short passages for interpretation.
Syllabus ENGH 202/008, page 2.
NOTE ON GRADES:
Grading employs a numerical system that corresponds to the following letter
grades: 100 (A+), 96 (A), 92 (A-), 88 (B+), 84 (B), 80 (B-), 76 (C+), 72 (C), 68 (C-), 64 (D+),
60 (D), 56 (D-), 52 and below (F). Intermediate numbers (like 94, 83, or 77) will also be used.
See page 4 of the syllabus for more information about the criteria for these grades.
Policy on Lateness: Late papers forfeit 1 point for every day beyond the due date. This includes
weekends. I do accept legitimate requests for extensions, which need to be made in advance. You
cannot pass the course without writing both papers.
SCHEDULE OF READING ASSIGNMENTS AND WRITTEN WORK
Rereading: Assignments in the first weeks have been kept short to encourage rereading. Since
literature provides in-depth communication, your understanding and appreciation will deepen
on a second encounter. This is especially true with writings from elsewhere in the world.
Remember to bring the assigned book and/or document to class for reference during discussions.
Cancelled Classes: If a class is canceled for any reason (such as a snow day), you should continue with the announced schedule of assignments.
Due Dates for Writing: Written work appears in bold letters with underlining on the due date.
* * * * *
UNIT ONE: Close Reading and Interpretation (East Asia)
Tu, Jan. 22
Course Introduction: How to Read World Literature / Questions about Translation.
Oral Narrative: Two Japanese Folk Tales.
Th, Jan. 24
Narrative Form―Akutagawa, “Rashomon,” Longman 207-11. Paper 1 Assigned.
Th, Jan. 24
SCREENING OF KUROSAWA'S RASHOMON.
to Tu, Jan 29
(East Asia, time and site TBA; also available for individual viewing at the JLC).
Tu, Jan. 29
Dramatic Form―Akutagawa: “In a Grove,” Longman 211-16.
Th, Jan. 31
Continued Discussion of Akutagawa, Kurosawa, and the Japanese Folktales.
LAST DAY TO ADD CLASSES, BY 8 P.M.
UNIT TWO: Colonialism/Postcoloniality (South Asia)
Sun, Feb. 3
Tu, Feb. 5
Th, Feb. 7
FIRST ESSAY (3 PAGES) IS DUE.
Premchand: “The Chess Players,” Blackboard, 11 pp.
Premchand: “My Big Brother,” Longman 121-27 and “The Shroud,” Blackboard,
8 pp.
Tu, Feb. 12
Th, Feb. 14
Devi, “The Hunt,” Blackboard, 17 pp., plus Longman 750-51.
Rushdie, “Chekov and Zulu,” Longman 957-66. Exercise 1.
UNIT THREE: Global Storytelling—Postmodernism/Magical Realism
(Latin America/Middle East/East Asia)
Tu, Feb. 19
Th, Feb. 21
Borges, “The Garden of Forking Paths,” Longman 494-501 and García Márquez,
“I Sell My Dreams,” Longman 510-13.
García Márquez, “Artificial Roses,” Longman 757-61 and “Death Constant
Beyond Love,” Blackboard, 6 pp.
F, Feb. 22
LAST DAY TO DROP CLASSES, BY 5 P.M.
Tu, Feb. 26
Th, Feb. 28
Vargas Llosa, “The Storyteller,” Longman 968-990.
Mahfouz, “Zaabalawi,” Longman 513-23. Exercise 2.
Syllabus ENGH 202/008, page 3.
UNIT THREE: Global Storytelling—Postmodernism/Magical Realism, continued.
Tu, Mar 5
Th, Mar 7
Mahfouz, from The Arabian Nights and Days, Longman 523-37.
Murakami, “TV People,” Longman 1008-21.
MID-SEMESTER BREAK: No Classes on Mar 12 or 14.
UNIT FOUR: Short Plays—Dramatic Genres (Russia/Eastern Europe, Africa)
Th, Mar 21
F, May 22
Off-Beat Comedy―Ionesco, “The Lesson,” Blackboard, 35 pp.
Paper 2 Assigned.
Tragedy―Pushkin, “Mozart and Salieri,” Blackboard, 11 pp. Exercise 3.
MID-TERM EVALUATIONS BECOME AVAILABLE.
Tu, Mar 26
Th, Mar 28
Improvised “New Theatre”―Fugard, “Sizwe Bansi is Dead,” Blackboard, 34 pp.
“Folk Opera”—Ladipo, “Oba Waja,” Blackboard, 21 pp. (also the Postscript).
Tu, Mar 19
UNIT FIVE: Full-Length Drama/Dramatic Performance (Africa)
Tu, Apr 2
Th, Apr 4
Soyinka, Death and the King's Horseman, Act I, Longman 867-80.
No Class, Instructor at conference. Rehearsal Time. MOVIE: “Amadeus.”
Tu, Apr 9
Th, Apr 11
Drama Performance Day, using excerpts from the plays read in Unit Four.
Soyinka, Acts II-III, Longman 880-94.
Tu, Apr 16
Soyinka, Acts IV-V, Longman 894-914. Exercise 4.
UNIT SIX: World Literature across Borders (Middle East/Russia)
Th, Apr 18
Mernissi, “The Harem Within,” Longman 725-29 and al-Kuni, “The Golden Bird
of Misfortune,” Longman 687-92.
Tu, Apr 23
Th, Apr 25
Tolstoy, Hadji Murad: 21-62.
Tolstoy, 62-91.
Sun, Apr 28
Tu, Apr 30
Th, May 2
SECOND ESSAY (5 PAGES) IS DUE.
Tolstoy, 91-125; Rory Stewart, “Turn to Tolstoy” (e-mail).
Wrap-Up and Review.
Materials for Final Exam. Course Rating.
Th, May 9
FINAL EXAM, 10:30 to 11:45, in the regular classroom.
STATEMENT ON PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual
information from another person without giving that person credit. Plagiarism is the equivalent of
intellectual theft and cannot be tolerated in the academic setting.
Writers give credit through accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes. A simple listing of books and articles at the end of a document is not sufficient. I
will provide more guidance on proper documentation on the assignment sheets for the course papers.
With specific reference to this class, students may discuss the readings together; but the ideas,
organization, and language of their written work must be their own.
GMU EMAIL ACCOUNTS: Students must activate their GMU email accounts to receive important
University information, including messages related to this class.
Syllabus ENGH 202/008, page 4.
OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES: Students with a disability that requires an academic accommodation should see me and also contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 703-9932474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS. See their website at
http://ods.gmu.edu
OTHER USEFUL CAMPUS RESOURCES:
WRITING CENTER: A114 Robinson Hall; (703) 993-1200; http://writingcenter.gmu.edu
Consult the website for other locations that provide writing assistance.
UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES “Ask a Librarian” http://library.gmu.edu/mudge/IM/IMRef.html
COUNSELING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES (CAPS): (703) 993-2380;
http://caps.gmu.edu
UNIVERSITY POLICIES: The University Catalog, http://catalog.gmu.edu, is the central resource for
university policies affecting student, faculty, and staff conduct in university affairs.
THE NUMERICAL GRADING SYSTEM FOR THE IN-CLASS EXERCISES
The number that appears with each answer functions as a grade, but also as a comment that corresponds to the meanings shown below. If more comments are needed, they will be given in words.
Odd numbers are used for answers that fall in between the categories. Adding the numbers on
your two answers produces a total that corresponds to the letter grades on page 2 of the syllabus.
Check marks will indicate unusually good points, and X's indicate important errors.
========================== A level ==================================
50 = Outstanding: well-argued and thorough, with original insights.
48 = Exceptional command of the work discussed.
46 = Significance of item discussed so as to illuminate the question very effectively.
========================== B level ==================================
44 = Discussion is good, but could be more probing, wide-ranging, or convincing.
42 = Shows good knowledge, but discussion is overly general, adds little that is new beyond in-class
discussion, or tends toward plot summary.
40 = Knowledge shown is suggestive, but discussion is too brief or not fully to the point.
========================== C level ==================================
38 = Shows knowledge, but the discussion has some errors of fact or interpretation.
34 = Shows some knowledge of the reading, but the discussion has major errors of fact or
interpretation.
=========================== D level and Failing ==========================
30 = Fails to show relevant knowledge, but discussion is good and merits partial credit.
26 = Fails to show knowledge of the item, but discussion is fair and merits partial credit.
Lower number grades may be awarded for other forms of partial credit, especially if the answer is
incomplete due to time constraints.