Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2018 - ENGL 115W D100

Literature and Culture (3)

Class Number: 4558

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2018: Tue, Thu, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 11, 2018
    Tue, 8:30–10:30 a.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An Introduction to the study of literature within the wider cultural field, with a focus on contemporary issues across genres and media. Students with credit for ENGL 105W may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

SMALL DATA

"Big data," as we all know, is the new road of knowledge. As the CEO of the AI company ImageNet has put it: “Data drives learning.”

Except it absolutely does not.

Consider a rock on the beach. It’s surrounded by massive, rich data-sets: from the local ecosystems, to the weather patterns on the horizon, to the stars that come out at night. 

But that rock will never learn a thing. 

Data doesn’t drive learning. Learning drives data.

That is to say: the capacity to learn—interpret, and understand—determines what even counts as data. And there doesn't need to be very much of it to count for a lot. 

That’s where literature comes in.

It’s just some marks on a page. But some of those marks, very strangely, can start to matter.

The moment when we get it--when we suddenly see what counts--has since ancient times been described as recognition. 

So, in this course, we will try to learn from classic (and mostly, very old) texts about recognition. 

In these stories, plays and poems, small data makes all the difference.

Readings by week:
1-2 Various, selected poetry (and maybe some prose).
3-4 Sophocles, Oedipus Rex [Oedipus the King] (ca. 430 BC).
5-6 The Bible, Genesis (selections).
7-8 Homer, The Odyssey (selections) (ca. 1200 BC).
9-10 Shakespeare, Othello (ca. 1600).
11-13 Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels (selections) (1723).


COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

--Familiarity with literatures of recognition (anagnorisis) from Genesis to Swift.

--Improved acuity of expression through writing.

Grading

  • 3 very short "interest" papers (1-2 pages each) 25%
  • Singularity report (in-class) 25%
  • Term paper (6 pages) 25%
  • Final exam (2 hours) 25%

NOTES:

(1) The first assignment for this course will consist of three very short "interest" papers--just 1-2 pages each. In each IP, you should (i) say something that has struck or bugged or pleased you in any of the course readings up to that point. Call that your Interest. (ii) Share some thoughts or feelings about your Interest. (iii) Say where your work on this IP has led you. What's the result? Revise your approach in accordance with instructor feedback.

(2) For the second assignment, research an online research or writing app, relevant to our work in this course, and share your findings about it with your tutorial section, in a 15-minute presentation. For example, since all of our texts have been assigned and studied to death and hell and back for generations, Sparks and Cliffs and Shmoop-type notes and pre-written essays are all over the place for all of them. For this assignment, you might see what's out there for a given text on our syllabus, and report which site is best, which worst; how much repetition and duplication there is, and so on. Or you might try to make an argument about whether these "aids" really are helpful to students or not. Alternatively, you might present an algorithmic aid, such as an "AI" writing or style program, either favorably or critically. Has the internet already done the work that you would traditionally do in an English class? Do we have literary Singularity? Will we? Etc.

(3) The Term Paper is just you and our texts. Questions/topics will be provided. You will need to make a productive, linear argument. Secondary research is neither expected nor encouraged.

(4) Expectations for the Final Exam will be made clear well in advance. Anybody who has done the readings, come to class, paid attention, etc., can do well on the Final.

A NOTE ON OUR TEXTS: In paperback, they're cheap; on Kindle, practically free. You get a lot of help from a good edition (trust me). So it's really worth getting these books rather than wrestling Google every time you want to do your reading.

REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance, attention, and all the usual stuff.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Sophocles, The Three Theban Plays: Antigone/Oedipus the King/Oedipus at Colonus, ed. Bernard Knox, trans. Robert Fagles (Penguin, 1984).
ISBN: 978-0140444254

Homer, The Odyssey, ed. Bernard Knox, trans. Robert Fagles (Penguin, 1997)
ISBN: 978-0140268867

Shakespeare, Othello, Moor of Venice, ed. Michael Neil (Oxford World’s Classics, 2006).
ISBN: 978-0199535873

Jonathan Swift, Gulliver’s Travels, ed. Robert deMaria (Penguin, 2003)
ISBN: 978-0141439495

Plus some poetry selections that will be made available in class, and some selections from the Biblical book of Genesis, which we'll get online.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS