ENGLISH 201.602 — MASTERPIECES OF WORLD LITERATURE I
Alyse Knorr
Fall 2014, ADM 102
Office: ADM 101-G
Office Hours: 10 a.m.-Noon and by appointment
Email: ajknorr@uaa.alaska.edu
Contact Information for Two Classmates
Name - ________________________ Email - _______________________ Phone - _______________
Name - ________________________ Email - _______________________ Phone - _______________
Course Goals
Welcome to English 201! In this course, we will explore selected literary masterpieces from
ancient times through the 17th century C.E. This class emphasizes understanding literature,
forming a critical vocabulary, and developing critical judgment. Although the course is
generally conceived of as a chronological (and highly selective) survey, we will focus on these
specific genres of writing throughout the world:




Didactic, religious, and philosophical literature
Epic literature
Courtly literature and romance
Lyric, drama, and tragedy
Essential Course Questions
Throughout the semester, we will be exploring these central questions:
1. Why do humans read and write literature?
2. Who creates a text’s meaning?
3. Why have these masterpieces survived the test of time?
Textbooks and Materials
 The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volumes A-C (3rd Edition): Available at the
UAA Bookstore
 Notebook and pen/pencil every day for in-class writing
 Access to Internet, computer, printer, Microsoft Word, UAA e-mail account, and
Blackboard
Methods of Instruction
This is an interactive class and will involve a significant amount of student discussion and
writing. Students may be asked to work individually as well as collaboratively as they
investigate literature. Students who attend regularly and stay engaged in class activities, keep
up with all of the assignments, who block off sufficient time each week for thoughtful reading
and writing are more likely to succeed in this class.
Course Requirements and Grading Percentages
20%
25%
15%
15%
25%
Attendance and Participation
Homework writing/reading quizzes
Discussion Leading (twice)
Mid-Term
Final
COURSE POLICIES
Course Eligibility
The pre-requisite for ENGL 201 is the completion of ENGL 111 (or an accepted transfer
equivalent) with a grade of C or higher.
Incompletes
To be considered for an incomplete, you must be passing the course; you must have completed
the majority of the assignments; you must have participated in class regularly; and the
obstacle
to completion must be unexpected. Once a course ends, the instructor is not obligated
to provide guidance for completing assignments. If you do receive an “I,” you are no longer
eligible for an “A” in the course.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism occurs when a writer uses the exact words, opinions, or factual information from
another source without giving that source credit. Writers give credit through the use of
accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes, or end notes; a simple
listing of books, articles, and websites is not sufficient. In this class, the use of CliffNotes,
SparkNotes, or any other kind of online literary help is prohibited. You are expected to
maintain a high standard of academic honesty during your time at UAA. Depending on the
severity of the case, plagiarism or other types of academic dishonesty may result in a failing
grade on the assignment or in the course, a mandatory re-write, and/or being reported to the
Dean of Students office.
Special Accommodations
If you have special needs or
a disability that may affect your performance in class, please let
me know within the first two weeks of classes. Any student with a documented disability
needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with a counselor for
disability services in Rasmuson 105. All discussions will remain confidential. Accommodations
are NOT retroactive. That is, you cannot inform me after a failed assignment that you required
accommodation for that assignment.
Learning Environment and Behavior
UAA is a place for learning and growing. You should feel safe and comfortable anywhere on
campus. If an unsafe, unwelcome, or uncomfortable situation arises that interferes with your
learning process, please let your professor, the Dean of Students, or the campus police know.

I am committed to recognizing the diversity of voices within ancient world literature
and among the students of this class. Since many authors and students write out of
personal experiences, class readings and discussions may cover such topics as religious
2



belief or lack of belief, race and the experience of racism, gender relations and sexuality,
homosexuality, politics, and religious texts interpreted as literature. If the discussion of
such topics would make you uncomfortable to the point of interfering with your
learning process, this course may not be for you.
Post-Virginia Tech caveat: If you write something that makes me think you might harm
yourself or others, I am obligated to report this to the Campus CARE team.
You are expected to be considerate and respectful of other students and the instructor.
Disrespectful or insensitive comments will not be tolerated. While you may use your
laptop to take notes or complete in-class writing assignments, please keep it closed
during presentations and discussions, and do not browse the web/check e-mail, chat,
etc.
Students whose behavior is so disruptive or disrespectful that it destroys the comfort or
safety of the classroom learning environment will be told to leave. They will not be
allowed to rejoin the class until they and I have had a conference with the Dean of the
Division or the Student Conduct Officer (depending on the seriousness of the issue) to
discuss the conditions under which they will be allowed back in the class.
Miscellaneous
 All e-mail communication must be handled through the school e-mail server. Please
regularly check your school e-mail, as I will use it to communicate with you. If you send
e-mail to or from any e-mail server other than the school’s, I cannot respond.
 In case of inclement weather (snow/ice), check your local news or our college website
for closing information. I recommend signing up for UAA Alert. Also, check e-mail
and/or Blackboard “Announcements” for additional information about continuing and
resuming the course.
 In case of emergency, please follow the emergency procedure as discussed on the first
day of class and as posted in the classroom.
 UAA has a Reading and Writing Center (SMH 118) and a Digital Composition Studio
(ADM 103 Q) where tutors will help you improve your writing and help you learn how
to com- pose multimodal texts. I encourage you to visit the centers at any stage of your
process.
 Save all of your work! Back up your files on a flash drive or in the cloud so you’ll still
have your work if your computer crashes unexpectedly. Malfunctioning equipment is
never a valid excuse.
 Buy ink and toner for your printer now. “Out of ink” or other printer-related problems
are never valid excuses.
 My office hours are there for you to use. Whenever you want to talk about an
assignment, a grade, or anything else, please come by my office. (Trust me, I’d rather
talk to you than sit and do paperwork!) If you want to speak with me outside of class
but cannot meet during my office hours, just e-mail me and we can arrange another
time.
 This syllabus acts as a contract, stating policies and expectations for the course. Your
continued attendance in the class means that you have accepted this contract.
ASSIGNMENT POLICIES
3
Late Work Policy
Late assignments are those arriving any time after the beginning of class on the due date. Late
assignments will lose a letter grade (or 10%) for each calendar day that they are late. Late work
penalties cannot be changed through revision. If you know you won’t be in class on a day that
an assignment is due, it is your responsibility to turn it in ahead of time. If your work is late
due to a severe, documentable emergency, e-mail me as soon as possible to discuss
arrangements.
Page/Word Count Policy
All assignments must meet the minimum page or word requirement to receive a passing grade.
Essays that do not meet the full minimum page count will not be read or graded and will be
returned with a zero. For example, this means that if the minimum page count is three pages,
the essay must be three FULL pages long—not two and a half or two and three quarters.
Attendance and Tardiness
Your attendance to each and every class is vital to your learning. You are required to attend
class, to arrive on time, and to stay for the entire class period. Students who accumulate six (6)
absences in this class will fail the course. Upon your sixth absence, you will fail the course.
Whenever you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed from your
classmates and to e-mail me for any additional arrangements. Assignments are due on time
even if you are absent, but in-class work cannot be made up. (Note that there will be enough inclass work that missing a couple of these should not harm your grade. On the other hand,
substantial missed class work definitely adds up). Please also try to make it to class on time.
Arriving late distracts me and your fellow classmates. Three late arrivals will equal one
absence. If you are more than 30 minutes late, this will count as an absence.
Class Participation and Etiquette
Each student is expected to participate actively in class. Participation includes preparing by
doing the reading and writing assignments and actively engaging in class discussion, in-class
writing, peer review workshops, and presentations. Being actively present in class means being
intellectually aware as well as showing basic respect for your classmates and for me. This
means you should put your cell phone away at the beginning of class. Students who are
sleeping, carrying on private conversations, texting, or working on assignments for other
classes (etc.) are not actively present and will therefore lose class participation points for that
day. Regular attendance and general attentiveness during class will earn you a “B” for your
participation grade. Stronger participation in class discussions and group work will raise that
grade; lack of active engagement will lower it.
In-class and Homework Assignments
Many class days will include some kind of in-class writing work. These short writing
assignments will usually be handed in to me at the end of class and cannot be made up. In
addition, some short writing assignments will be assigned as homework throughout the
semester. Some you will post online or e-mail to me, and others I will ask you to bring to class
with you. Drafts of your papers on peer review days also contribute to your homework grade.
Homework can be turned in ahead of time via e-mail if you will be absent. Late homework
assignments will receive the late work penalty described below. In-class work and homework
assignments will be scored with a check, check-minus, or 0 (A, C, or 0). All homework must be
typed.
4
Reading and Reading Quizzes
This class will contain a significant amount of reading, and it is vital that you keep up with
each day’s readings to be prepared for class participation. Read carefully and take notes.
Remember that poetry must be read slowly and aloud. I reserve the right to quiz you on
readings, and some of these quizzes may be unannounced. All quizzes will be open-note—
notes must be your own.
Discussion Leading
You will be assigned a small group. Each group will work together to lead class discussion
twice throughout the semester, as outlined in the course schedule. Groups should come
prepared to lead a class discussion on that day’s assigned reading for about an hour (time may
vary day to day). Discussion leaders should bring to class a printed sheet of notes, ideas, and
discussion questions to use in their discussion leading (about one single-spaced page per group
member is a good idea), which I will collect at the end of class.
Discussions will be informal and will involve the entire class, so there is no need for discussion
leaders to feel as though they must talk the whole time or stand up and “present” anything,
and no Powerpoints are required, though handouts might be nice. Each discussion leader in the
group will receive an individual grade out of 5 points. Discussion leaders will be evaluated on
preparedness, keeping a conversation going, notes/questions, and depth of discussion points.
My group is:____
Exams
The mid-term and final exam will be your chance to show off your knowledge about ancient
world literature and your new abilities to critically read and analyze texts. Exams may include
short answer and/or longer essay questions. Exams may be in-class or take-home—TBA.
Students who miss an in-class exam will not be allowed to take it at a later date unless they can
provide legal/medical documentation that shows why they could not make the exam.
5