GEN 220 SURVEY OF MULTI-CULTURAL LITERATURE
Professor: Brian Derico
Phone: 244.8147
Semester: Fall 2009
Email: brian.derico@ccuniversity.edu
Course Description:
A thematic survey of contemporary literature from authors of different ethnicities. Attention is given both to
literary forms and to social, philosophical, and religious meaning in the texts.
Course Rationale:
As leaders in the church and in the world, students must seek to communicate the gospel in increasingly
global communities. Survey of Multi-Cultural Literature uses literature to increase our understanding of the
diverse cultural perspectives of the world.
Course Objectives:
Students who satisfactorily complete this course should be able to:
1. Use critical thinking skills to evaluate literature to determine themes and gain insight into a
variety of perspectives;
2. Develop basic skills for analyzing the literary forms of the short story and the poem;
3. Demonstrate their ability to competently use the steps involved in the writing process to produce
thoughtful, well constructed essays;
4. Come to a greater understanding of their own cultural assumptions and values by contrasting
them with others.
Course Text:
One World of Literature, Lim and Spencer
Grading Breakdown:
Assignment #1
Assignment #2
Assignment #3
Group Project
25%
25%
25%
25%
Course Policies:
01. Work not submitted at the beginning of class on the assignment’s due date is late. Late work will not
receive a grade.
02. Students must submit each major assignment as a Microsoft Word attachment via e-mail.
03. Attendance regulations listed in the CCU catalog and in the student handbook will be enforced.
04. Students who do not have a copy of One World of Literature at a meeting of class will be counted absent.
05. If a student does not understand an assignment or section of class discussion it is her responsibility to ask
for clarification either during the class session or in private consultation with the professor.
06. Students must maintain scrupulous academic integrity. The CCU student handbook will be our guide on
occasions of academic dishonesty.
07. The instructor reserves the right to amend the above policies for individual circumstances. It is always
the student’s responsibility to apprise the instructor of extenuating circumstances.
08. Students who require academic accommodations due to any documented physical, psychological, or
learning disability should request assistance from the Academic Support Director within the first two
weeks of class. The Academic Support Office is located in the Lower Level of the Worship and Ministry
Building (room 153). You may also contact the office by phone (244.8420).
Course Agenda: All dates are approximate and subject to change without notice. The student enrolled in this
course is responsible for remaining aware of any modifications to the course agenda.
August
25
27
Introduction to Survey of Multi-Cultural Literature
“Naema—Whereabouts Unknown,” Dib (15)
September
01
03
“Jerusalem,” Amichai (75)
“Land of Sad Oranges,” Kanafani (137)
08
10
“The Return,” Thiong´o (91)
“Civil Peace,” Achebe (128)
15
17
“Migrant’s Lament—a Song,” Qabula (173)
“Identity Card,” Darwish (134)
Due: Assignment One
22
24
“A Small Incident,” Xün (209)
“Inem,” Toer (288)
29
01
“Spring Storm,” Yōko (337)
“The Key,” Phiên (364)
06
08
“The Cooboo,” Prichard (381)
Fall Recess
13
15
“And So I Go,” Grace (447)
Due: Assignment Two
“His First Ball,” Ihimaera (451)
20
22
“The Guest,” Camus (530)
“The Balek Scales,” Böll (554)
27
29
“The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,” Lawrence (562)
“The Unknown Citizen,” Auden (582)
03
05
“The Falling Girl,” Buzzati (624)
“Death in a Plane,” de Andrade (779)
10
12
“A Hunger Artist,” Kafka (489)
Due: Assignment Three
“Mercedes Benz 220 SL,” Ferré (874)
17
19
“The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” Hughes (964)
“The Rockpile,” Baldwin (967)
24
26
Thanksgiving Recess
Thanksgiving Recess
October
November
December
01
03
“The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” O’Connor (975)
“The Intruder,” Borges (765)
08
10
Project Presentations
Project Presentations
Assignment Descriptions: The following assignment descriptions will be supplemented by class discussion.
The student is responsible for completing each assignment in a fashion that reflects familiarity with class
discussions.







Literary analyses describe the action of a literature as though it happens in the present tense.
Literary analyses most commonly are written in the third person.
Literary analyses must incorporate quotations from the text as evidence.
Literary analyses must include the title of the subject of the analysis in the introduction.
Literary analyses must include the full name of the author of the subject of the analysis in the
introduction.
Literary analyses present analysis—not summary or description alone.
I count a page as the equivalent of roughly 350 words.
Survey of Modern World Literature: (option one)
FOCUS: Differences Reflected in Literature





Choose a theme that appears in at least two of the assigned readings. Examples include such ideas as the
disappointed dreams of childhood, aging, marriage, conflict between parents and children, the oppression
of women, race relations, the notion of home, patriotism, class, or freedom.
Choose at least two pieces of literature that feature the theme.
Write a thesis driven essay of at least two pages that examines what can be gained from contrasting the
way the chosen theme is treated in the selected literature.
Your essay should have a title that reflects its content and should conform to MLA format. Be sure that
your paper is organized according to a conspicuous thesis and outline.
To receive credit for this assignment you must submit it as a Word attachment via e-mail before class on
the assignment’s due date.
Survey of Modern World Literature: (option two)
FOCUS: Culture Reflected in Literature




Choose one of the assigned texts.
Write a thesis driven essay of at least two pages that examines how understanding elements of the
literature—or a single element of the literature—as peculiar to the culture represented in the literature
you have chosen is important to a proper understanding of the text. This assignment will require credible
research into the culture represented in the literature you have chosen.
Your essay should have a title that reflects its content and should conform to MLA format. Include
appropriate documentation for sources used in this essay.
To receive credit for this assignment you must submit it as a Word attachment via e-mail before class on
the assignment’s due date.
Survey of Modern World Literature: (option three)
FOCUS: Character Study






Choose one character from one of the assigned texts. The persona of a poem is a suitable character.
Examine this character. Possible aspects of character that may be worthy of examination include his
culture, personality traits, personal goals, relationships with others, or view of self. Do not organize
your essay using these categories.
Write a thesis driven essay of at least two pages that makes an assertion about the character in terms of
the reasons for his behavior or the results his nature.
Your essay must be an analysis of a character rather than simply a description of a character.
Your essay should have a title that reflects its content and should conform to MLA format. Include
appropriate documentation for sources used in this essay.
To receive credit for this assignment you must submit it as a Word attachment via e-mail before class on
the assignment’s due date.
Survey of Modern World Literature: (option four)
FOCUS: Idea Response Using Literature







Choose an idea related to faith, religion, or spirituality on which you can take a clear position.
Consider how elements of one or more of the assigned texts either support your position or contradict
your position.
Write a thesis driven essay of at least two pages that establishes your position and uses material from the
literature to support your assertion. You may also use other material as well as your own reasoning and
examples. Be sure to document any sources used.
In this assignment literature is support material rather than the central focus. Therefore, you have several
options in structure and style. However, be certain to use references to at least one assigned text within
your discussion.
Each paper should have a title that reflects the content of the paper and should conform to MLA format.
Be sure that your paper is organized according to a conspicuous thesis and outline.
To receive credit for this assignment you must submit it as a Word attachment via e-mail before class on
the assignment’s due date.
Survey of Modern World Literature: group project
FOCUS: Author Study










Each student will be assigned to a group.
Each group will include four students.
Each group will collaboratively research the life and work of an author of one of the assigned texts.
Projects may include attention to the ways that one or more of the following is reflected in the text
assigned for this class: significant events in the author’s life, stages in the author’s development as a
writer, recurring themes in the author’s work, recognition/response given to the author’s work, the
prevailing cultural context for the author’s life and work.
Literature from the course text and material from credible outside sources must be used to complete the
project.
The project will develop into a detailed outline with complete bibliography submitted to the instructor as
a Word document via e-mail and a class presentation given on one of the assigned dates.
Each group must submit a detailed description of its division of labor.
Each group member will submit a completed project reflection document.
Each presentation must last at least twenty minutes but may last no longer than twenty-five minutes.
Every member of the group should be involved in the presentation.
Survey of Modern World Literature: additional assignments





Each student may complete as many as six additional assignments.
Additional assignments are not extra credit but instead are an opportunity for students to improve their
course average.
For example, if you earn the following grades – 80, 70, 65, and 90 – on the four required assignments,
your average, without any additional assignments, would be a 76. Should you earn the same four grades
on the class assignments and complete for full credit four of the additional assignments, you would earn
an average of 88.
To earn credit for an additional assignment a student must attend an approved lecture and write a
reflection essay of at least 700 words. This reflective essay must be submitted as a Word attachment via
e-mail within one week of the event.
Students who seek approval for events must send an e-mail to me at least seven days before the lecture
and include the following: the title of the lecture, a description of the lecture, an explanation of why the
lecture is relevant to our course, and a way for me to learn more about the lecture.