CRN 13742
ENG 3473-001: Contemporary Literature
Spring 2013
Instructor: Dr. C. Calloway
Meeting day/time/place: TR 9:30-10:45 a.m., Wilson 301
Office: Wilson 320
Office Hours: TR 9:15-9:30 a.m.
TR 10:45-11:00 a.m.
TR 1:30-2:00 p.m.
TR 3:15-5:00 p.m.
First Monday of each month: 4:30-5:00 p.m.
And by appointment
Office Phone: (870) 972-2241
Office Fax: (870) 972-3045
Email: ccather@astate.edu
I. Required Textbooks and Materials:
Baker, Tiffany. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2009.
Baricco, Alessandro. Ocean Sea. New York: Vintage, 1999.
Hemley, Robin, and Michael Martone, eds. Extreme Fiction: Fabulists and Formalists. New
York: Pearson Longman, 2004.
Maraire, J. Nozipo. Zenzele. New York: Delta, 1996.
Martel, Yann. The Life of Pi. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2001.
Reza, Yasmina. Art. Trans. Christopher Hampton. New York: Faber and Faber, 1994.
Shapard, Robert, and James Thomas, eds. Sudden Fiction International. New York: W. W.
Norton, 1989.
Yoshimoto, Banana. Kitchen. New York: Washington Square Press, 1988.
selected poems (available by handout and online—internet access required)
You are expected to buy the textbooks and to bring them with you to each class meeting.
Assignments should always be read in advance of the assigned date.
II. Purpose and Goals / Learning Outcomes
Course Description: As stated in the Arkansas State University Undergraduate Bulletin, this
course is designed as a study of “[g]lobal literature mainly from 1945 to the present, including
British, American, and world authors” and [m]ay focus on poetry, prose, or drama, or a
combination of those.”
Primary Goal / Learning Outcome of the Course: Students will demonstrate an understanding
of the ways in which texts are written and received within diverse cultural and sociohistorical
contexts, including global and multicultural perspectives.
Secondary learning outcome: Students will develop effective interpersonal, oral, and written
communication skills, including using primary and secondary sources, demonstrated through
analysis of texts.
III. Course Requirements:
1. Exams: Two major exams, including the final exam and consisting of both objective and
discussion questions, will each constitute 20% of the final grade. Exam dates will be announced
in class in advance, and you are expected to be present in class on exam days. Cell phones,
pagers, iPods, laptops, and other devices are strictly prohibited during exams. Tentative exam
dates: Exam I—February 28th; Final Exam—May 6th
2. Papers: You will be required to write two critical/analytical papers (4 to 5 pages in length,
excluding the Works Cited page). Two copies of each assignment must be turned in; only the
original will be returned. (You may be required to turn in one copy through Blackboard.) Each
paper will count 20% of the final grade. Please follow the guidelines for critical writing that will
be distributed in class. If you wish feedback on your papers before I grade them, then please
begin writing well in advance and stop by my office for advice so that I can comment on
strengths and weaknesses before the assignment is graded. Due dates: Paper # 1—March
14th; Paper # 2—April 16th.
3. Daily Work: The final 20% of your grade will come from daily work: reading responses, group
work, unannounced quizzes (especially if I suspect that you aren’t reading regularly), discussion
questions, annotations, etc. There will be at least twelve ten-point assignments. The lowest
two of these twelve grades will be dropped at the end of the semester.
Daily work cannot be made up and will not be accepted late unless you are excused by
the university that day for a university-sponsored event, i.e., you are an athlete or a moot court
participant. If you have an out-of-class assignment that is due at the beginning of the period
and you cannot be present that day, then you must either give the assignment to me in
advance or email the assignment to me no later than 9:30 a.m. on the day that the assignment
is due. No exceptions. Due dates for daily work are announced daily in class.
4. Extra Credit: Please don’t ask for extra credit assignments or special favors. What I do for
one student, I must do for all. In order to succeed in class, keep up with your assignments as
you go along, complete all work, and turn it in on time. If the end of the semester approaches
and you are not doing well, it will be too late to help you.
IV. Policies:
Students with Disabilities: If any student has a disability or problem requiring accommodations
in order to succeed in the course, please contact me as soon as possible. Confidentiality will be
maintained, and every reasonable effort will be made to meet your needs. Any student
requiring accommodation must be registered with ASU’s Office of Disability Services, 972-3964.
If Disability Services recommends that you should be allowed to take exams in their office, it is
your responsibility to schedule that exam with them for the same date and time as the exam
will be administered to the other students in the class and to notify the instructor in advance.
Inclement Weather Policy: Information on campus closures can be found on the ASU web
page, KASU, and local radio and television stations. If inclement weather prevents you from
coming to campus and campus is not closed, please email me or call me at 870-972-2241.
Attendance: Regular attendance is encouraged and expected. You will need to attend each
class session, complete all of the required reading (prior to our discussion of the material in
class), think about the literary and other relevant issues involved, and participate in the
discussion of ideas. It is important that you be prepared to not only discuss the issues that
emerge from the reading, but also to critique the stance of the writer and to formulate your
own ideas. Absences are neither excused nor unexcused—they are merely absences. Students
who are chronically absent risk having their final averages lowered by one letter grade.
Academic Misconduct Policy:
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious offense against academic integrity which could result in a
grade of zero for the quiz, exam, or paper, failure for the course, and expulsion from Arkansas
State University. Plagiarism usually involves passing off the work, words, or ideas of others as
your own without giving proper credit. If you have questions about what constitutes
plagiarism, you should ask me. Ignorance is no excuse. Students are expected to do their own
work at all times and to paraphrase and document clearly any material that is used from a
source.
Cheating: Cheating is an act of dishonesty with the intention of obtaining and/or using
information in a fraudulent manner.
For further information, including specifics about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating, see
ASU’s Academic Integrity Policy at http://studentconduct.astate.edu/AcademicIntegrity.html.
Other Policies:
Policy on Papers: Late papers, if accepted, will be lowered one letter grade. If you need
additional time for an assignment, see me before the due date.
Class Expectations: While you are in this class, your attention is to be directed to this class.
Please—no conversations with neighbors, computer work, text messaging, homework for other
classes, inappropriate remarks, etc. Cell phones, text messaging, and internet surfing are
strictly prohibited while class is in session. If I see you engaging in such activities during class
time, then I will count you absent.
Make-Up Work: Permission to make up missed assignments is at the discretion of the
instructor. If you miss a major assignment, you should notify me immediately (preferably the
day the assignment is missed). The responsibility for completing work belongs to you, and you
will not be reminded of such obligations. Neglecting to complete an assignment will result in a
grade of zero for that particular assignment. An exam should never be missed, except in the
event of extreme circumstances (i.e., a genuine illness, an actual death in the family). Make-up
exams may be in a different format from regular exams.
FERPA: Due to federal regulations, your grades and/or course progress cannot be discussed by
email or over the telephone. If you wish to confirm your course grade or to discuss your work,
you must see your instructor in person.
Extra Help: If you need extra help, please feel free to consult me. I am here to help you. No
appointment is necessary; simply stop by my office during my office hours.
V. Grading:
Exam I = 20%
Final Exam = 20%
Paper I = 20%
Paper II = 20%
Daily Work = 20%
Grading Scale:
100-90 = A
89-80 = B
79-70 = C
69-60 = D
Below 60 = F
VI. Course Outline:
Jan.
15 Introduction to the course
Hemley and Martone, “Introduction,” 1-12
Midnight in Paris
17 Midnight in Paris
22 Fact Meets Fiction
Valenzuela, “Cat’s Eye,” 110-14 in Extreme Fiction
Carlson, “Bigfoot Stole My Wife,” 194-99 in Sudden Fiction International
Bathelme, “The School,” 260-63 in Sudden Fiction International
24 Holst, “On Hope,” 51-54 in Sudden Fiction International
Martel, The Life of Pi
29 Martel, The Life of Pi
31 Martel, The Life of Pi
Feb. 5 Breaking the Frame
Coover, “The Elevator,” 239-48 in Extreme Fiction
Carey, “The Last Days of a Famous Mime,” 240-45 in Sudden Fiction International
7 Mazza, “Is It Sexual Harassment Yet?,” 197-214 in Extreme Fiction
Atwood, “Happy Endings,” 55-59 in Sudden Fiction International
12 Buzzati, “The Falling Girl,” 29-34 in Sudden Fiction International
selected poems (to be announced)
14 Critical Writing
Baricco, Ocean Sea
19 Baricco, Ocean Sea
21 Baricco, Ocean Sea
26 Paley, “A Conversation with My Father,” 25-30 in Extreme Fiction
van Steen, “Mr. And Mrs. Martins,” 200-204 in Sudden Fiction International
Borges, “August 25, 1983,” 92-97 in Sudden Fiction International
28 Exam I
March 5 Revisiting History
Carter, “The Fall River Axe Murders,” 119-38 in Extreme Fiction
7 Schoemperlen, “Innocent Objects,” 220-38 in Extreme Fiction
12 Baker, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
14 Baker, The Little Giant of Aberdeen County
Paper # 1 due
19 Spring Break
21 Spring Break
26 selected poems (to be announced)
28 Out of class assignment
April 2 Revising Tradition
Reza, Art
4 Reza, Art
selected poems (to be announced)
9 Cultural Explorations
Yoshimoto, Kitchen, 3-105
11 Yoshimoto, “Moonlight Shadow,” 109-50
Kaplan, “Love, Your Only Mother,” 85-88 in Sudden Fiction International
16 Mariare, Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter
Paper # 2 due
18 Delta Symposium
23 Mariare, Zenzele: A Letter for My Daughter
(24 Last day to drop a course or withdraw from the university)
25 Student selections
30 Study Day
May 6 Final Exam, 8:00 a.m.