World Literature | 2015-16 Academic Year
Mr. Michael Jezewak
MJezewak@chsla.org | Voice Mailbox: (323) 441-3196 | Room 301
Office Hours: 7:30-8:00 am, Tues. – Thurs. 2:30-3:30, or Friday by appointment.
Course Description:
World Literature (English II) will expose students to a wide variety of international literature, from
Ancient Greek poetry to Shakespeare to contemporary novels and short stories. With the literature
as its vehicle, this course aims to develop students’ critical thinking, reading, writing, and speaking
skills. These skills combined with the content matter will, hopefully, grow students’ compassion
and empathy; foster reflectiveness; build on the breadth and depth of their moral reasoning;
strengthen their academic research skills; and help them develop logical, convincing arguments
rooted in textual evidence.
Course Expectations:
For the smooth functioning of this course, each Cathedral High School student is expected to...
1. …demonstrate respect for his classmates, Mr. Jezewak, the classroom, and himself at all
times. Students ought to expect the same level of respect from Mr. Jezewak.
2. …arrive mentally prepared to learn and engage the subject matter each day. Students ought
to expect the same mental preparation for the day from Mr. Jezewak.
3. …act with academic integrity when completing all coursework. You guessed it! Students
ought to expect the same level of academic integrity from Mr. Jezewak.
Academic Content Standards:
Students will…
 …cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text;
 …determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the
course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details;
provide an objective summary of the text;
 …analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or
develop the theme;
 …determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices
on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a
formal or informal tone);
 …analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it
(e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as
mystery, tension, or surprise;
World Literature – Mr. Jezewak
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 …analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature
from outside the United States;
 …analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums,
including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment;
 …analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work; and…
 …read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of
the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Required Materials:
A student comes prepared in body, mind, soul, and backpack. Each English II student is expected to
bring each of the following items to class every day to facilitate his learning and develop responsible
academic habits:
 The texts: The Book of Unknown
 Charged iPad.
Americans by Cristina Henríquez, The
 1.5” three-ring binder.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding;
 College-ruled loose-leaf paper (holeThe Odyssey by Homer (free
punched).
download); The Alchemist by Paul
 Two No. 2 pencils.
Coelho; The Joy Luck Club by Amy
 Black pen.
Tan; and Literature: Grade 10 by Holt
 Blue or red pen.
McDougal.
 Highlighter.
 Assignments due that day (stapled, if
necessary).
Students may purchase pencils or rent scissors, a stapler, a hole-punch, and other useful items in
class. Each item can be used for a $0.25 donation put in the Coin Jar, the profit from which will go
to the Lasallian Youth’s activities.
Required Apps and Online Resources:
 Notability
 Keynote, Powerpoint, or
 Turnitin for iPad
Prezi
 Edmodo
 Sign up for Poem-A-Day:
http://www.poets.org/poetsor
 Membean
 Google Drive or Pages
g/poem-day
 Purdue Owl
Homework Policies:
 All assignments are due by the bell at the start of the class in the slot labeled
“_________________________.” No homework, for this class or any other, will be
completed in class without the teacher’s verbal permission.
 All make-up assignments should be placed in the wooden (looking) assignment slot.
 The “_____________________” Policy: While outside of class, students should ask three
of their classmates before coming to Mr. Jezewak with any assignment questions.
Excused Absences
 Students with an excused absence will have one extra class day to complete the
assignment(s) for each class they miss.
Unexcused Absences & Late Work
 No assignments will be accepted more than three class days after its due date.
Assignments will lose 10% for each day that they are late.
World Literature – Mr. Jezewak
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Assignment Instructions:
All assignments for this course should be completed in Times New Roman 12-point black font with
standard 1” margins. If the assignment has more than one page, students must put the page number
at the bottom right-hand side of each page. Each assignment should have an appropriate academic
title underlined below the heading. The heading is the only text that should be single-spaced, and it
should appear in the following format at the upper left-hand side for all assignments:
[Student Name]
[Due date of the assignment in MM/DD/YYYY format}
Appropriate
Period [#] – World Literature
academic title;
Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve
centered; underlined
Assignment Example: (Pretend as if the box is a full sheet of paper.)
Singlespaced,
4-part
heading
Thomas Jefferson
07/04/1776
Period __ – World Literature
Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve
Times
New
Roman
12-point
font; &
standard
1”
margins
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
Properly
formatted
text: doublespaced,
indentions, &
aligned left
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bonds which have connected them…yada, yada, yada.
Page
numbers
in bottom
right-hand
corner
Page 1 of 3
Academic Integrity:
As men of principle following the model of Christ, Cathedral students are expected to
demonstrate intellectual honesty in all that they do, whether answering questions in class,
completing a homework assignment, taking a quiz, or writing an essay. All work should be the
student’s own, unless assigned otherwise by Mr. Jezewak or cited using the Modern Language
Association (MLA) citation method. (For more on the MLA format, visit
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.) A student’s failure to act with academic
integrity may result in expulsion from Cathedral High School.
Exam Return Policy:
All exams will be distributed to the students in class and collected before they leave the classroom
that same day. No student is to leave the classroom with an exam, graded or ungraded.
Restroom Breaks and Other Classroom Rules and Expectations:
Bathroom breaks will not be granted during class. Use the five (5) minutes you have between
classes, the break period, and lunch, to use the restroom. All classroom rules and
expectations regarding conduct, attendance, dress code, grading, plagiarism, etc. shall be
implemented and followed as stated in the school handbook.
World Literature – Mr. Jezewak
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Types of Assignments and Their Percentage of Students’ Final Grades:
I. iPad Protocol: 5%
III. Homework &
V.
II. Classwork &
Quizzes: 30%
VI.
Participation: 10%
IV. Tests, Projects,
Essays: 40%
Final Exam: 15%
Extra Credit (applies
to Tests or Quizzes
categories)
Grading Policy:
A+
A
A-
97-100
93-96.99
90-92.99
B+
B
B-
87-89.99
83-86.99
80-82.99
C+
77-79.99
D+
67-69.99
C
73-76.99
D
63-66.99
C-
70-72.99
D-
60-62.99
F
0-59.99
Course Chronology: Aside from the summer readings, this course aims to present subjects in
chronological order in order to correspond better with the sophomore World History course.
Fall Semester
Spring Semester

The Book of Unknown Americans

The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
by Cristina Henríquez

Selected Poetry

The Lord of the Flies by William

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Golding

Selected Short Stories (in Literature

The Odyssey by Homer (free
textbook)
download; translation by Robert Fagles)

Julius Caesar by William
Shakespeare (in Literature textbook)

The Hero’s Journey
**The instructor reserves the right to adjust the syllabus during the year as deemed necessary. He
will inform the students of any adjustments, should he make any.**
World Literature – Mr. Jezewak
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Dear parent or guardian,
I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to review the English II syllabus with your son.
Your involvement in his education today and in the coming academic year will undoubtedly assist
both your son and me as we delve into the literature and expand our English language skills. Using
the literary content as a tool, I hope to grow students’ compassion and empathy; foster
reflectiveness; build on the breadth and depth of their moral reasoning; strengthen their
academic research skills; and help them develop logical, convincing arguments rooted in textual
evidence.
Should you and your student require my direct assistance at any point this year, I encourage you to
contact me at mjezewak@chsla.org, and I will get back to you as quickly as possible. I look forward
to another wonderful year in the Cathedral community, working with your student, and meeting you
at Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Peace and blessings,
Mr. Michael Jezewak
English & History Instructor
Cathedral High School
----------------------------------------------------------------__________________________________
08/21/2015
Period ___ – World Literature
Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve
Signatures for the Course Syllabus
I, ____________________________________ (print student’s first and last name), have reviewed the
2014-15 Cathedral High School English II course syllabus in its entirety with my parent or
guardian, _____________________________________ (print parent’s or guardian’s first and last name),
and agree to the course rules, expectations, and standards set forth by Mr. Jezewak. I
acknowledge that my failure to abide by these rules, expectations, and standards may result in
a lower course grade than the one I am capable of earning. Should I have any questions or
concerns, I will raise them in a timely and respectful manner with Mr. Jezewak.
___________________________________________
Student’s Signature
Date
________________________________________________
Parent’s/Guardian’s Signature
Date
**This completed half sheet is due on your last World Literature class of the week ending
Friday, August 28, 2015 (this Thursday or Friday).**
World Literature – Mr. Jezewak
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