English 383: Studies in World Literature
The Global Novel
Prof. Joseph Conte
jconte@buffalo.edu
501 Clemens Hall
[O] 645-0696
Virtual Office Hours: Tues Thurs 2:00-3:00 pm
Fall 2021
Tues Thurs 12:45-2:00 pm
Synchronous Remote
Reg. # 19054
3 Credits
Course Description
In an epoch of global economic interdependency, there has been a concomitant globalization
of culture. On the one hand, the homogenization of culture through the dispersal of consumer
goods and the saturation of mass media destroys indigenous and authentic artifacts. Native
languages and religious practices, ethnic foods, handicraft arts and clothing, traditional music
and entertainment face slow extinction. On the other hand, the transnational culture that
arises may provide positive attributes through crosspollination or eclecticism that more readily
acquaints one culture with the unique differences of another, sometimes leading to creative
appropriation, pluralism, tolerance, and exposure to alternative systems of belief.
The global novel transcends the
traditional borders of national
literatures, native languages,
colonialism, racial and ethnic
divides, and religion. These
fictions both represent and
critique the technological
consumerism, transnational
politics, and cultural conflicts of
migration that have come to
dominate globalism. Its authors—
and sometimes their texts—are bior multilingual, even as the world
Anglophone novel trades in an English language that has become the lingua franca of an
increasingly cosmopolitan citizenry. We will ask whether the global novel can be “ours” in the
same manner as a national literature or in the form of universal, shared humanitarian values—
Prof. Joseph Conte
ENG 383: Global Novel
like the “white helmet” volunteers of the Syrian crisis—of liberality, human rights, and a
progressive, social democracy, or whether such novels are merely another item on the
checkout receipt of the marketplace of popular ideas and entertainment.
This course will be conducted in synchronous remote Zoom sessions:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/92057490287?pwd=ZVZsRTdPNmo4VXdLdW9LRjNDa3F1QT09
Meeting ID: 920 5749 0287
Passcode: 349150
Blogs, writing assignments, and additional materials on the global novel will be found in the
UB Learns site for the course.
Course Materials
Required Texts
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Americanah. Penguin, 2013. 9780307455925
Desai, Kiran. The Inheritance of Loss. Grove Atlantic, 2006. 9780802142818
Eggers, Dave. A Hologram for the King. Knopf, 2013. 9780307947512
Hamid, Mohsin. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. Riverhead Books, 2013. 9781594632334
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran. Penguin, 2003. 9780812979305
Sebald, W. G. The Emigrants. New Directions, 2016. 9780811226141
Additional critical readings and materials will be posted on the UB Learns site for this course.
All texts are available in print (and in most cases eBook) editions at the University Bookstore,
200 Lee Entrance, Buffalo, NY 14228-2574 on the North Campus. Phone: (716) 636-6290; Fax:
(716) 645-3731; email: buffalo@bkstr.com. Students are responsible acquiring copies of the
texts for the course by the assigned date in the syllabus.
Course Requirements
As these novels are substantial in length, we’ll spend at least two weeks of the semester with
each. Additional critical readings on the nature of the global novel as a genre will also be
assigned; any such material will be posted on UB Learns under Course Documents.
Blogs
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Prof. Joseph Conte
ENG 383: Global Novel
For each novel, we will conduct a Blog in the UB Learns site for the course. I will initiate each of
the Blogs by contributing topics for discussion related to the global novel as a genre, literary
aspects of the novels, and further information regarding the author and national culture from
which their work arises. In 150–250-word posts, students may either respond to the topics
raised in the initial post or pursue topics of their own interest, to which I will occasionally
respond. References and links to other works by the authors or related novels are encouraged.
These posts should be well-composed, thoughtful observations, but they needn’t be miniessays. They will, however, be graded as part of your overall participation in the course. Please
use your time economically and try to work ahead of deadlines to avoid lagging behind.
Deductions will be taken for late contributions to each Blog, at the discretion of the instructor.
Writing Assignments and Peer Reviews
A midterm Writing Assignment of at least 1,000 words on themes relating to one or more of
the first three novels on the syllabus. The Assignment must be posted to the Discussion Board
by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 22. More detailed instructions regarding the assignment will
be posted to the Discussion Board a week in advance.
A Peer Review of one other student’s essay consisting of at least four or five sentences must
be posted to the Discussion Board by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, October 24. Your Review should
take the form of a “Reply” to your classmate’s post on the Discussion Board.
A final Writing Assignment of at least 1,000 words on themes relating to one or more of the
last three novels on the syllabus, to include at least two secondary sources. Your essay must be
posted to the Discussion Board by midnight on Friday, December 10. More detailed
instructions regarding the assignment will be posted to the Discussion Board a week in
advance.
A Peer Review of one other student’s essay consisting of at least four or five sentences must
be posted to the Discussion Board by midnight on Sunday, December 12. Your Review should
take the form of a “Reply” to your classmate’s post on the Discussion Board.
Late posts of the Writing Assignments and Peer Reviews will either be severely discounted or
receive no credit, at the discretion of the instructor.
Attendance Policy
Attendance and participation will be logged in the Zoom Usage Reports for each class
meeting. Zoom records Participants who enter/leave a Meeting and the Duration of their
attendance. Absence from more than four classes—regardless of excuses, illness, Universityrelated travel, etc.—during the course of the semester will result in a final grade deduction of
three points (out of 100) per class meeting, up to and including failure for the course, at the
instructor’s discretion.
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Prof. Joseph Conte
ENG 383: Global Novel
“Showing up is 80 percent of life.” Woody Allen, New York Times 21 Aug. 1977, Arts and Leisure,
11.
Zoom Etiquette
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Please mute your microphone upon entering the Zoom classroom and when you are
not speaking. Be mindful of background noise around you.
Please keep your camera on at all times. I do not want to teach to black screens. Use an
appropriate Zoom background if you wish.
Sign in with your full first name and last name as listed on the class roster. Make sure
your full name displays appropriately. Do not use a nickname or other pseudonym
when you log in (you can put your preferred name in parentheses).
You can “raise your hand” by clicking on the icon or by putting a brief note in the chat
window (“Question” or “Comment”). I will place you in the queue and call on you. If I am
sharing my content, it is difficult to read the chat window.
As in our in-person classes, respectful behavior is expected. Consider Zoom a
professional environment, and act like you’re in a job interview, even when you’re typing
in the chat.
Do Not be late to class. Attendance and participation will be logged in the Zoom Usage
Reports for each class meeting. Zoom records Participants who enter/leave a Meeting and
the Duration of their attendance.
Do Not Use the chat for side conversations with classmates. The chat window is not a
place for socializing or posting comments that distract from the course activities.
Do Not Share the Zoom access information for your class with others, or enter under a
different name.
Course Schedule
Week One: August 31 and September 2
Introduction: Globalization and the Novel
Readings: Adam Kirsch, “World Literature and Its Discontents,” in The Global Novel, 10-26.
Pankaj Mishra, “Beyond the Global Novel,” Financial Times, September 27, 2013. UB Learns.
Blog Posts (ungraded) Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 5: Personal descriptions and
your choice of an additional global novel.
Week Two: September 7 and 9
Memory and trauma; Germany and England.
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Prof. Joseph Conte
ENG 383: Global Novel
Reading: Sebald, The Emigrants 1-64; Dr Henry Selwyn, Paul Bereyter.
Week Three: September 14 and 16
Emigrants and refugees; photographs and documents.
Readings: Sebald, The Emigrants 65-237; Ambrose Adelwarth, Max Ferber.
Maya Jaggi, “Recovered Memories,” Interview with Sebald, The Guardian, September 21, 2001.
UB Learns.
Blog Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, September 19.
Week Four: September 21 and 23
Race, color, and nationality in Nigeria and the United States.
Reading: Adichie, Americanah 1-278; Parts One and Two.
Week Five: September 28 and 30
Alienation, emigration, and remigration.
Readings: Adichie, Americanah 279-588; Parts Three through Seven.
Terry Gross, “Americanah Author Explains ‘Learning’ to Be Black in the U.S.,” NPR Fresh Air,
June 27, 2013. UB Learns.
Blog Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 3.
Week Six: October 5 and 7
Postcolonialism and the Indian diaspora.
Reading: Desai, The Inheritance of Loss 1-177; Chapters One through Twenty-Six.
Week Seven: October 12 and 14
Hybridity and identity.
Readings: Desai, The Inheritance of Loss 178-357; Chapters Twenty-Seven through Fifty-Three.
Laura Barton, Interview: Kiran Desai talks about her Booker-winning novel, The Guardian,
October 12, 2006. UB Learns.
Blog Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 17.
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Prof. Joseph Conte
ENG 383: Global Novel
Week Eight: October 19 and 21
Globalization, a Self-Help Manual.
Reading: Hamid, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 3–115; Chapters One through Six.
Midterm Writing Assignment: Globalization and its discontents; essay of not less than 1,000
words.
Discussion Board Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 22.
Midterm Peer Review:
Discussion Board Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 24.
Week Nine: October 26 and 28
The Twelve-Step Program to Riches.
Readings: Hamid, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 116–222; Chapters Seven through
Twelve.
Hamid, “Why Migration Is a Fundamental Human Right,” The Guardian, November 21, 2014.
UB Learns.
Blog Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 31.
Week Ten: November 2 and 4
The postindustrial global economy. Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Reading: Eggers, Hologram for the King 1-137; Chapters One through Seventeen.
Week Eleven: November 9 and 11
Information technology “consultant.”
Readings: Eggers, Hologram for the King 138-335; Chapters Eighteen through Thirty-Four.
Cressida Leyshon, “Talking with Dave Eggers About A Hologram for the King,” New Yorker, June
19, 2012. UB Learns.
Blog Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, November 14.
Week Twelve: November 16 and 18
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ENG 383: Global Novel
After the revolution: women in the Islamic state of Iran.
Readings: Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran 1-154; Lolita, Gatsby.
Christine Grogan, “Lolita Revisited.” UB Learns.
Fall Recess: November 23 and 25: No classes
Week Thirteen: November 30 and December 2
Theocracy, censorship, and pedagogy.
Readings: Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran 155-345. James, Austen, Epilogue.
Anne Donadey and Huma Ahmed-Ghosh, “Why Americans Love Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in
Tehran.” UB Learns.
Blog Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 5.
Week Fourteen: December 7 and 9
Conclusion: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Evaluations.
Final Writing Assignment: Critical essay of not less than 1,000 words, to include at least two
secondary sources.
Discussion Board Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, December 10.
Final Peer Review:
Discussion Board Posts Due by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, December 12.
Grading Policy
Course Evaluation
Your overall participation in classroom discussions and the UB Learns environment of
discussion boards and blogs, including written assignments, will contribute to your final grade.
Learning assessments will be graded based on rubric criteria and weighted according to the
following scale:
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Prof. Joseph Conte
Weighting
30%
35 %
35 %
100%
ENG 383: Global Novel
Assessment / Assignment
Blog Entries (six entries x 5 points apiece)
Midterm Writing Assignment and Peer Review
Final Writing Assignment and Peer Review
Creativity, depth and breadth of responses, familiarity with assigned novels and related
secondary readings, promptness and active participation will all be taken into consideration.
Grade point assignments are final; no disputes will be honored.
Final Grades
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Quality Points
4.0
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
0
Percentage
93.0% -100.00%
90.0% - 92.9%
87.0% - 89.9%
83.0% - 86.9%
80.0% - 82.9%
77.0% - 79.9%
73.0% - 76.9%
70.0% - 72.9%
67.0% - 69.9%
60.0% - 66.9%
59.9 or below
Incomplete Policy
Incompletes (I/IU): A grade of incomplete (“I”) indicates that additional course work is required
to fulfill the requirements of a given course. Students may only be given an “I” grade if they
have a passing average in coursework that has been completed and have well-defined
parameters to complete the course requirements that could result in a grade better than the
default grade. An “I” grade may not be assigned to a student who did not attend the course.
Please refer to the university Undergraduate Incomplete Policy: http://undergradcatalog.buffalo.edu/policies/grading/explanation.shtml#incomplete.
In general, however, I will not grant an Incomplete (I/U) grade for the course unless the student
has completed at least half of the coursework and then only in cases of documented, verifiable
medical, personal or family emergencies.
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Prof. Joseph Conte
ENG 383: Global Novel
UB Portfolio
If you are completing this course as part of your UB Curriculum requirements, please select an
‘artifact’ from this course that is representative of your learning and save it in a safe location
with a clear title. Your final UB Curriculum requirement, UBC 399: UB Curriculum Capstone,
will require you to submit these ‘artifacts’ as you process and reflect on your achievement and
growth through the UB Curriculum. Artifacts include homework assignments, exams, research
papers, projects, lab reports, presentations, and other coursework. For more information, see
the UB Curriculum Capstone website: https://www.buffalo.edu/ubcurriculum/capstone.html. I
would suggest archiving one or both of the Writing Assignments for ENG 383.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a fundamental university value. Through the honest completion of
academic work, students sustain the integrity of the university while facilitating the university's
imperative for the transmission of knowledge and culture based upon the generation of new
and innovative ideas. Please refer to the university Undergraduate Academic Integrity policy
and any additional instructor requirements and comments regarding academic dishonesty:
http://undergrad-catalog.buffalo.edu/policies/course/integrity.shtml.
Plagiarism
Assignments in this course may be submitted to the Blackboard Safe Assign utility. You can do
this yourself to check for any inadvertent incursions of unattributed sources. All secondary
materials, either from print or online sources, must be properly attributed in quotations and in
references. Plagiarism of a paper—either in whole or in part, from published or other student
authors, especially from sources accessed from the Internet—will result in an immediate failure
for the assignment, or the course, at the instructor’s discretion.
Accessibility Resources
If you have any disability which requires reasonable accommodations to enable you to
participate in this course, please contact the Office of Accessibility Resources, 25 Capen Hall,
645-2608, and also the instructor of this course. The office will provide you with information
and review appropriate arrangements for reasonable accommodations. http://www.studentaffairs.buffalo.edu/ods/.
Virtual Office Hours
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Prof. Joseph Conte
ENG 383: Global Novel
I will hold synchronous, virtual Office Hours every Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00-3:00 pm. You
may access the Waiting Room for the Zoom Meeting by following the Zoom Meeting Link:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://buffalo.zoom.us/j/98419002360?pwd=L2I5bXoxejNrTTkvdjNnNzlPRnRJdz09
Meeting ID: 984 1900 2360
Passcode: 741048
Student Learning Outcomes
Course
Goals
Learning Outcomes:
Examine world literature and
its social concerns
Distinguish the genre of the
global novel
Provide a scholarly/historical
approach to understanding
the literary qualities of the
novel and its creative process
Examine how a novel is
constructed through
narrative, character and
prose style
Department Think, read, speak, and write
Goals
critically and creatively
Read in detail and in cultural
contexts
Understand critical methods
and theoretical concepts
Gain knowledge of periods
and genres
Fall 2021
Delivered
through the
Following
Instructional
Methods:
Readings; blogs
and discussions.
Readings; blogs
and discussions.
Readings; blogs
and discussions.
Student Achievement
Assessed with the
Following
Method(s)/Assignments:
Readings; blogs
and discussions.
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Readings; films;
weekly blogs and
discussions.
Readings; films;
weekly blogs and
discussions.
Readings; films;
weekly blogs and
discussions.
Readings; films;
weekly blogs and
discussions.
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
10
Prof. Joseph Conte
Develop the ability to
articulate ideas persuasively
in writing
Develop skills for deploying
research and evidence
Increase aesthetic
appreciation
Fall 2021
ENG 383: Global Novel
Readings; films;
weekly blogs and
discussions.
Readings; films;
weekly blogs and
discussions.
Readings; films;
weekly blogs and
discussions.
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
Graded blogs and written
assignments
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