English 2800: Great Works of Literature I
Prof. Deutermann
T/Th 2:55-4:35pm
Office hours: T/Th 5:00-6:00
Office: Newman Vertical Campus, 7-276
allison.deutermann@baruch.cuny.edu
This course presents a global approach to literature by introducing a variety of narrative, lyric, and
dramatic forms representative of different cultures and historical periods, from ancient times through the
seventeenth century. Discussions involve both close reading of selected texts and comparison of the
values the texts promote. Students engage in a variety of communication-intensive activities designed to
enhance their appreciation of literature and their awareness of the way it shapes and reflects a
multicultural world.
Throughout the semester, we’ll be focusing on the subject of masculinity: who or what is “masculine,”
and who makes that determination? How have different cultures answered these questions over time?
We’ll be reading a wide range of texts, from poems and plays to essays and novels, thinking about the
ways in which the concept of masculinity is produced or challenged within a given work. We’ll also ask
how this concept functions within our own culture.
By the end of the course, students should develop:
-Increased ability to interpret meaning in literary texts by paying close attention to an
author’s choices of detail, vocabulary, and style
-Ability to discuss the relationship between different genres of literary texts and the multicultural
environments from which they spring
-Increased confidence in offering a critical evaluation and appreciation of a literary work’s
strengths and limitations
-Increased confidence in the oral presentations of ideas
-Increased ability to write a critical essay employing a strong thesis statement, appropriate textual
citations, and contextual and intertexual evidence for your ideas
Required Texts
Plato, Symposium (Oxford World’s Classics) ISBN # 0199540195
Homer, The Iliad (Penguin Classics) ISBN # 0140275363
Sophocles, Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Electra (Oxford World’s Classics) ISBN # 0199537178
Anon. The Arabian Nights (Norton Critical Edition) ISBN # 039392808X
Waley, trans. Monkey (Grove Press) ISBN # 0802130860
Machiavelli, The Prince (Hackett) ISBN # 0872203166
Shakespeare, Othello (Pelican Shakespeare, Penguin Classics) ISBN # 0140714634
Available at Shakespeare and Company 137 East 23rd Street (at Lexington Avenue).
Other texts will be made available as handouts or posted to e-reserves, which you can access via our
course website. Reserves are available in PDFs, which you should not only read but also print and bring
to class.
Requirements
Students will write two formal essays, which will receive letter grades, as well as less formal written
assignments (paper proposals, reading responses, and discussion questions), which will receive a grade of
check, check-plus, or check-minus. Students will also be responsible for an oral presentation on a specific
text (presentation groups will be assigned at the beginning of the semester) and for memorizing and
reciting in class a sonnet by William Shakespeare. Knowledge of the material will be tested in a midterm,
a final, and in occasional, unannounced quizzes. Finally, be sure to come to class having read the assigned
text carefully; scribble in the margins (it helps!) and be sure to bring the assigned text(s) with you.
20%
20%
20%
25%
15%
Essay One
Midterm
Essay Two
Final
Sonnet recitation, group presentation, quizzes
Attendance
Four excused absences, no questions asked; a fifth absence may result in expulsion from the course.
Excessive lateness (10 minutes or more) counts as an absence. Laptops are not permitted in class.
Academic Honesty
Baruch’s policy on plagiarism and other acts of academic dishonesty can be found here:
http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html
It states, in part, "Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery,
plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the college's educational mission and the students'
personal and intellectual growth. Baruch students are expected to bear individual responsibility for their
work, to learn the rules and definitions that underlie the practice of academic integrity, and to uphold its
ideals. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying them. Any student who attempts
to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned."
Academic sanctions in this class will range from an F on the assignment to an F in the course. A report of
suspected academic dishonesty will be sent to the Office of the Dean of Students.
Course Schedule
I. Warriors, Thinkers, and Drinkers
Week One
Aug. 30: Introduction
Sept. 1: Plato, Symposium
Week Two
Sept. 6: Plato, Symposium
Sept. 8: Homer, The Iliad, Book 1, pp. 77-98 and Book 6, pp.195-213 (skim the first 43 lines, then read
the rest of Book 6 closely)
Week Three
Sept. 13: Homer, The Iliad, Book 9; paper proposal due
Sept. 15: Homer, The Iliad, Book 16, Book 18
Week Four
Sept. 20: Workshop: Essay One
Sept. 22: Homer, The Iliad, Book 22, Book 24
Week Five
Sept. 27: Homer, The Iliad; essay one due by 5pm on Blackboard
Sept. 29: NO CLASS
Week Six
Oct. 4: NO CLASS (Baruch follows Friday schedule)
Oct. 6: Sophocles, Antigone
Week Seven
Oct. 11: Sophocles, Antigone
Oct. 13: Sophocles, Antigone
II. Storytellers and Explorers
Week Eight
Oct. 18: Anon., The Arabian Nights
Oct. 20: Anon., The Arabian Nights
Week Nine
Oct. 25: Waley, trans. Monkey
Oct. 27: Waley, trans. Monkey
Week Ten
Nov. 1: Waley, trans. Monkey
Nov. 3: Midterm
III. Courtiers
Week Eleven
Nov. 8: Shakespeare’s Sonnets (handouts)
Nov. 10: Machiavelli, The Prince
Week Twelve
Nov. 15: Machiavelli, The Prince
Nov. 17: Sonnet recitation
Week Thirteen
Nov. 22: Sonnet recitation
Nov. 24: NO CLASS
Week Fourteen
Nov. 29: Othello
Dec. 1: Othello
Week Fifteen
Dec. 6: Othello
Dec. 8: Othello
Week Sixteen
Dec. 13: Last class; essay two due
Dec. 15: Final exam