Salem Community College Course Syllabus
Course Title: World Literature
Course Code: Eng 250
Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 0
Credits: 3
Course Description : In this course students will read and analyze selected literary masterpieces from Asia,
India, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North and Latin America. No more than 20% of the readings should be Western Literature. Emphasis will be placed on the diversity of perspectives, values and beliefs represented by these works and their respective cultures.
Prerequisite : Completion of Eng 101
Co-requisite: None
Place in College Curriculum : This course fulfills a three credit limited General Education elective, Humanities elective, English elective, and /or open elective.

Course Content Outline:
In addition to the traditional chronological approach, the course content may be organized according to theme, genre, geography, and a variety of other classifications depending on the instructor’s preference. Representative selections from the following works and authors will be studied.
I.
The Epic
A.
Gilgamesh
B.
The Illiad, or The Odyssey
C.
The Aeneid
D.
Beowulf
E.
The Song of Roland
F.
Paradise Lost
G.
The Epic of Son-Jara
H.
The Bhagavad-Gita
II.
Religious Writings
A.
The Old Testament
B.
The New Testament
C.
The Koran
D.
The Bhagavad-Gita
E.
The Laws of Manu
F.
Analects
G.
The Divine Comedy
H.
The Confessions of St. Augustine
III.
Drama
A.
Oedipus the King
B.
Medea
C.
Othello
D.
The Misanthrope
E.
A Doll’s House
F.
Death of a Salesman
G.
Trifles
H.
Fences
I.
Dutchman
IV.
Short Narratives
A.
The Decameron
B.
The Thousand and One Nights
C.
The Canterbury Tales
D.
The Story of Ying Ying
E.
Eliduc
F.
Candide
G.
The Queen of Spades
H.
Bartleby the Scrivener
I.
A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
J.
The Man Who Was Almost a Man
K.
The Magic Barrel
L.
The Garden of Forking Paths
M.
Yellow Woman

V.
Novels
A.
Don Quixote
B.
The Tale of the Genji
C.
The Red Badge of Courage
D.
Crime and Punishment
E.
Wuthering Heights
F.
Native Son
G.
Beloved
H.
Purple Hibiscus
VI. Lyric Poetry
A.
T’ao Ch’ien
B.
Li Po
C.
Mirabai
D.
Petrarch
E.
Shakespeare
F.
Dickinson
G.
Angelou
H.
Basho

Course Performance Objectives:
Course Performance Objective #1 : The student will read and analyze selections of epic poetry and will
Learning Outcomes:
A) summarize the plot of each selection
B) list at least five characteristics of the epic form and cite examples from each epic read
C) describe a major theme from each selection read, including concrete details which support the student’s interpretation
D) compare and contrast literary styles and techniques among the poems, including complexity of plot, characterization, tone, structure, and the use of figurative language
E) identify and explain which cultural values are represented in the selections read
F) compare and contrast cultural values among the selections read
G) evaluate how the cited cultural values compare to the student’s own cultural values
Course Performance Objective #2 : The student will read and analyze selections of major religious and moral writings and will
Learning Outcomes :
A) summarize the content of each reading
B) describe the narrator’s tone in each selection
C) compare and contrast each work’s depiction of the relationship between the human and the divine
D) infer and describe each selection’s vision of the characteristics and role of the divine
E) compare and contrast the respective characteristics and role of the divine among the selections
F) cite examples of how the religious or moral principles inferred from each reading are reflected in the cultures that produced them
G) evaluate and critique or defend a sampling of those principles as they relate to the student’s own culture
H) identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the rhetorical devices and poetic techniques employed in each selection
Course Performance Objective #3 : The student will read and analyze major dramatic works and will
Learning Outcomes:
A) briefly describe the origins of Greek drama
B) summarize the plots of those plays read
C) state the major themes of each play including details which support the student’s interpretation
D) evaluate the effectiveness of at least one play using the criteria explained in the Poetics
E) compare and contrast production differences between Classic, Elizabethan, and modern drama
F) compare and contrast literary styles and techniques among the plays, including complexity of plot and conflict, characterization and motivation, irony, myth, symbol, conventions, and figurative language
G) identify and describe recurrent motifs in the selections
H) infer and describe the cultural values implied by the conflicts and themes in the selections
I) compare and contrast those values with the student’s own personal and cultural values

Course Performance Objective # 4 : The student will read and analyze a selection of short narratives and will
Learning Outcomes:
A) summarize the plot of each selection read
B) describe the major conflicts in each selection
C) describe the narrator’s tone, the mood and the structure of the work
D) cite examples of humor, irony, satire, symbol, and allusion as appropriate in each work
E) cite examples of figurative language used for characterization and to establish tone and mood
F) recognize and list the techniques and characteristics in the selections which become elements of the modern short story
G) identify the use of allegory and myth, as appropriate, in each work
H) state the theme of each work
I) compare and contrast works that have similar themes or conflicts
J) recognize and describe the moral, social and cultural values implied by each work
K) compare and contrast the implied values among works read
L) compare and contrast those values with the student’s own personal and cultural values
Course Performance Objective # 5 : The student will read and analyze an assigned novel or a selection thereof and will
Learning Outcomes:
A) summarize the plot and the major conflicts of the selection
B) describe the structure of the work
C) identify the narrator’s tone and point of view and evaluate their effectiveness
D) evaluate the plausibility of major character motivation
E) identify major moral, ethical, social, and personality conflicts among characters
F) recognize and describe, as appropriate, the interrelationship between the selected work and its culture, i.e. the work as a product of its culture and as an impact on its culture
G) identify stylistic techniques associated with the particular novel
H) describe at least two major themes in the work
I) critique or defend at least two of the values implied by the theme insofar as those values are embraced or rejected by the student personally and by the student’s culture generally
Course Performance Objective # 6 : The student will read and explicate a variety of lyrical poetry and will
Learning Outcomes:
A) read the selected poem aloud
B) paraphrase the poem
C) describe the narrator’s tone
D) cite usages of figurative language and imagery in the poem, such as occurrences of metaphor, allusion, symbol, irony, and personification and evaluate the effectiveness of each
E) evaluate the effectiveness of the usage of alliteration, rhyme, meter, onomatopoeia, or other sound devices
F) describe the structure of the poem
G) summarize the values implied by the selected poem
H) compare and contrast the author’s style and technique among poems which imply similar values or which convey similar experiences

General Education Requirements : This course addresses general education goals in the following areas: communication, critical thinking, ethical dimension, society and human behavior, aesthetic perspective, historical perspective, diversity and global perspective, information literacy.
Outcomes Assessment:
A college-wide outcomes assessment program has been put into place to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the curriculum and programs at Salem Community College. As part of this assessment program, the learning outcomes for this course will be assessed. Assessment methods may include tests, quizzes, papers, reports, projects and other instruments. Copies of all outcomes assessments are available in an electronic assessment bank maintained by the Institutional Research and Planning Office.
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Course Activities: Learning activities for this course include lecture, discussion, critical readings, listening/viewing of CD’s, DVD’s, research, completion of quizzes and examinations, and composition of critical papers.
Course Requirements and Means of Evaluation: Please refer to the instructor’s syllabus addendum (to be distributed in class) for specific information regarding the course requirements and means of evaluation.
Attendance Policy: Regular and prompt attendance in all classes is expected of students. Students absent from class for any reason are responsible for making up any missed work. Faculty members establish an attendance policy for each course and it is the student’s responsibility to honor and comply with that policy.
Academic Honesty Policy: Students found to have committed an act of academic dishonesty may be subject to failure of this course, academic probation, and / or suspension from the college. See the Student Handbook for additional details.
ADA Statement:
If you have a 504 Accommodation Plan, please discuss it with your instructor. If you have any disability but have not documented it with the Disability Support coordinator at Salem Community college, you must do so to be eligible for accommodations. To contact the Disability Support Coordinator, call 856-351-2773, or email disabilitysupport@salemcc.edu
to set up an appointment. To find out more information about disability support services at Salem Community College, visit www.salemcc.edu/students/student-success-programs/disabilitysupport .
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Required Textbook: For textbook information, please see the Salem Community College Bookstore Website .
Optional Text(s ): None
Materials / Supplies : None
Additional Costs: None
References: None