EGL 102 – Introduction to Writing About Literature – Spring 2014 Amireh Kharchla (Alexis Chartschlaa) amirehkharchla@gmail.edu chartsa@farmingdale.edu - 718.314.9450 Office hours by appointment CRN 22434 MW 9:25 to 10:40 (WHIT251) CRN 22300 MW 3:05 to 4:20 (GL229) “Either I’m Nobody, or I’m a Nation”: Contemporary Caribbean Anglophone Literature from Hispaniola Required Texts Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak! Diaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Learning Goals As the second course of the required introductory English composition sequence, this course builds on the reading, writing and critical thinking skills developed in EGL 101, specifically the ability to write cogent, coherent literary analyses. To this end, we will read, discuss and dissect two contemporary Caribbean Anglophone works, both originating from colonialism’s “Ground Zero,” the island of Hispaniola, with a particular focus on how these books’ literary techniques subvert and/or normalize issues of race, gender, sexuality and diaspora. We will start with Krik? Krak! a collection of short stories by Haitian author Edwidge Danticat spanning the rise of the Tonton Macoute in Haiti to present-day challenges faced by Haitian-American New Yorkers. We will then move to the other side of Hispaniola to read Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a space-and-time traveling work of magical realism and historical fiction. We will ask a number of questions of these works, using our tools of literary analysis, including but not limited to: 1.) How has the colonial situation unfolded differently for both Haiti and the DR? What have been the long-term socioeconomic and political effects of these differences? How has US imperialism manifested itself in these countries’ turmoil, and to what end (detriment, advantage, some of both?) What role have dictatorships played in both countries, and what have been the similarities and differences of these respective dictatorships? 2.) Why has hostility traditionally festered between these two nations sharing the same island? What role has racism played in this hostility? Imperialism? 1 3.) Where and how do we see the influence of Haitian Creole in Danticat’s language and Dominican Spanish in Diaz’s work? How does the inclusion of these non-English linguistic and literary influences alter our experience of the books? 4.) How does history directly affect the main characters of these books? That is, how do the broader socioeconomic/historical/political issues personally interfere in the protagonists’ lives? 5.) What role do race and gender expectations play in the lives of the protagonists? What differences do we notice in how Danticat portrays gender and race versus Diaz’s discussion of the same? In what ways might these portrayals be considered nationally representative, and in what ways might we need to avoid allotting them such broadly representational status? 6.) In considering the concept of diaspora, how do we see intergenerational conflict arising between the younger and older generations within each book? What factors generate and exacerbate this conflict? Graded Course Requirements Class participation & attendance: 25% Attendance is mandatory. If you are absent more than three times, one letter grade will be deducted from your final grade for each additional absence. Arriving late and leaving early will also lower your grade. Three late arrivals and/or early departures will count as one absence. I calculate your participation grade based upon your readiness to participate in class and small-group discussion as well as attentive, alert notetaking when your peers or I speak. Quizzes: 25% 20-question, multiple-choice quizzes based upon that week’s reading. Administered Wednesdays during the first fifteen minutes of class. Final Paper: 40% You will write a 5 to 7 - page response paper to Oscar Wao. For further instruction, see the specific final paper prompt posted on the website. This paper must be double-spaced and typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font. Your name, my name, the class name, CRN # and date must appear at the top left-hand corner. I will not accept late response papers. 2 Final exam: 25% A cumulative in-class exam comprised of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, shortanswer and essay questions. You will not be allowed to refer to your books or notes for any portion of the exam. Course Schedule Spring 2014 Jan 27 Jan 29 Feb 3 Feb 5 Feb 10 Feb 12 Feb 17 Feb 19 Feb 24 Feb 26 March 3 March 5 March 10 March 12 March 17 March 19 March 31 April 2 April 7 April 9 April 14 April 16 April 21 April 23 April 28 April 30 May 5 May 7 Introduction to Class; overview of syllabus, texts and goals Danticat, “Children of the Sea”; Quiz One Danticat, “Nineteen Thirty-Seven” Danticat, “A Wall of Fire Rising”; Quiz Two Danticat, “Night Women” Danticat, “Between the Pool and the Gardenias”; Quiz Three Danticat, “The Missing Peace” Danticat, “Seeing Things Simply”; Quiz Four Danticat, “New York Day Women” Danticat, “Caroline’s Wedding”; Quiz Five Danticat, “Epilogue: Women Like Us” Danticat Cumulative Discussion; Quiz Six Danticat Cumulative Discussion Intro to DR History in relation to Danticat’s Haiti; Quiz Seven Intro to Junot Diaz Diaz, Chapter One: Ghetto Nerd at the End of the World; Quiz Eight Diaz, Chapter Two: Wildwood Diaz, Chapter Three: the Three Heartbreaks of Belicia Cabral; Quiz Nine Diaz, Chapter Four: Sentimental Education Diaz, Chapter Five: Poor Abelard; Quiz Ten Diaz, Chapter Six: Land of the Lost Diaz, Chapter Seven: the Final Voyage; Quiz Eleven Diaz, Chapter Eight: the End of the Story Diaz, The Final Letter; Quiz Twelve Diaz Cumulative Discussion Prep for Final Paper Final Paper Due Final exam (administered in class) 3