Comparative Literature 270B
World Literature after 1500
Spring 2016
TTh 9:30-10:45, SH 127
Catherine Guthrie
Office: Arts and Letters 274
Office hrs: TTh 2:00-3:00 and by appointment
Email: guthrie@mail.sdsu.edu
Course Description:
This course will introduce students to world literature through the genres of
detective fiction, mysteries, and thrillers. We will concentrate on 19th- and 20thcentury short stories and novels. Topics within these genres will include race and
ethnicity, post-colonialism, gender, and ecology. Our reading list will be comprised
of E.T.A. Hoffman’s Tales, Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye, Roberto Bolano’s
Distant Star, Peter Hoeg’s Smilla’s Sense of Snow, and Haruki Murakami’s The WindUp Bird Chronicle. Requirements will include active participation, one exam, and
two short essays.
Course Objectives:
This course is one of four Foundations courses that you will take in the area of
Humanities and Fine Arts. Upon completing this area of Foundations, you will be
able to: 1) analyze written, visual, or performed texts in the humanities and fine arts
with sensitivity to their diverse cultural contexts and historical moments; 2)
describe various aesthetic and other value systems and the ways they are
communicated across time and cultures; 3) argue from multiple perspectives about
issues in the humanities that have personal and global relevance; 4) demonstrate
the ability to approach complex problems and ask complex questions drawing upon
knowledge of the humanities.
Required Texts:
Roberto Bolano, Distant Star (Chile)
Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye (U.S.)
E.T.A. Hoffman, Tales of Hoffman (Germany)
Peter Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow (Denmark)
Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Japan)
Film: El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
Course Evaluation and Grades:
Your grade will be based on the quality of your work in the following areas:
Group Work/Participation: 10%
1
Exam: 20%
Midterm paper: 35%
Final paper: 35%
The following scale will be used:
93-100%
90-92%
88-89%
83-87%
80-82%
78-79%
73-77%
70-72%
68-69%
63-67%
60-62%
0-59%
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Class Attendance:
Prompt attendance and active, informed participation in all class meetings is
required. While I will not give points for attendance, I will give points for in-class
activities. You will not be permitted to make up these points outside of class.
In the case of an absence, please be aware of any missed assignments or schedule
changes. It’s a good idea to exchange your email address with a classmate.
Note: If you stop attending class, it is your responsibility to officially withdraw
before the drop deadline. Failure to do so will result in your remaining on the class
roster and receiving an “F” or “WU” (unauthorized withdrawal) for the course.
Class Preparation and Participation:
You are expected to complete all readings and assignments in advance of the date
scheduled/due, to respond to the texts and assignments carefully, and to contribute
to class discussions daily, which includes bringing questions you have about the
reading or your writing to our attention in class discussions.
Group Activities:
You will often be asked to work in small groups in response to a list of discussion
questions, which will be emailed to you as well as posted on Blackboard. Each
group will receive points for participation.
2
Exam:
There will be one in-class essay exam, at midterm. The exam prompt will be posted
on Blackboard at least one week prior to the exam.
Papers:
You are required to write two short literary analyses of 4-5 pages each. I will post
the prompts for these assignments on Blackboard at least one week prior to the due
dates.
Extra Credit:
You will have the opportunity to earn extra credit in connection with Murakami’s
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle towards the end of the semester. I will provide a list of
historical and cultural topics from which you may choose, in groups of 2-4 students,
to give an oral report to the class. Further guidelines for this assignment will be
given in class.
For Students with Disabilities:
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for
this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619)
594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should
contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that
accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon
disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an
accommodation letter from Student Disability Services.
Note about Academic Integrity:
Plagiarism or other violations of academic integrity are forbidden by SDSU in
general and by this course in particular. Students who present the work of others,
which includes but is not limited to borrowing another student’s work buying a
paper, or using the thoughts or ideas of others as their own (using information in a
paper without citation), commit plagiarism. Students will be held accountable for
plagiarized material whether the material was plagiarized intentionally or not.
Plagiarized work will result in a failing grade for the assignment and possibly for the
course.
Schedule of Readings and Assignments (Subject to Adjustment)
Week One
Th 1/21
Introduction to the course; syllabus and policies
3
Week Two
T 1/26
Th 1/28
Hoffman, “Mademoiselle de Scudery”
Hoffman, “Mademoiselle de Scudery”
Week Three
T 2/2
Th 2/4
Chandler, The Long Goodbye
Chandler, The Long Goodbye
Week Four
T 2/9
Th 2/11
Chandler, The Long Goodbye
Chandler, The Long Goodbye
Week Five
T 2/16
Th 2/18
Exam
Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow
Week Six
T 2/23
Th 2/25
Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow
Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow
Week Seven
T 3/1
Th 3/3
Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow
Hoeg, Smilla’s Sense of Snow
Week Eight
T 3/8
Th 3/10
Film: El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes)
El Secreto de Sus Ojos; discuss
Week Nine
T 3/15
Th 3/17
Continue discussion of film
Paper #1 due; Bolano, Distant Star
Week Ten
T 3/22
Th 3/24
Bolano, Distant Star
Bolano, Distant Star
March 28-April 1
Spring Break Week
4
Week Eleven
T 4/5
Th 4/7
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Week Twelve
T 4/12
Th 4/14
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Week Thirteen
T 4/19
Th 4/21
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Week Fourteen
T 4/26
Th 4/28
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Week Fifteen
T 5/3
Th 5/5
Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Paper #2 due
5