Fall 2021 - WL 200 D100

How to Do Things with World Literature (3)

Class Number: 7125

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 8 – Dec 7, 2021: Thu, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 15, 2021
    Wed, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    six units in World Literature, including one W course.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Introduces major theoretical approaches to literature and fundamental techniques of literary analysis. Develops students' critical skills for analytical writing about literature in comparative, cross-cultural contexts.

COURSE DETAILS:

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Through the Lens: INTERPRETATING WORLD LITERATURE

This interdisciplinary course teaches students skills crucial to cross-cultural literary understanding at the university level.  It begins with a survey of important cultural, aesthetic, & intellectual discourses, & proceeds through the ways of seeing – or lenses – by which contemporary responses to literary texts are framed.  By studying different approaches to the meanings & outcomes of literature (& film), students are better placed to communicate ideas about art & culture, and to take part in the issues surrounding the construction of cultural & moral discourses.  From the “Black Lives Matter” movement to ecological modes of reading, the course helps students to better grasp the role of literature in the contemporary world and, more broadly, to learn essential skills applicable to the study of the arts and social sciences today.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Introductory understanding of Literary Theory as an academic discipline
  • Comprehension of terms and concepts of major schools of criticism
  • Ability to conceive literary texts through different critical registers
  • Confidence in evaluating different aesthetic forms through theory

Grading

  • Participation & Attendance 15%
  • Project: Art and Difference 15%
  • Short Paper 20%
  • Term Paper 25%
  • Final Exam 25%

NOTES:

ATTENDANCE:

Regular attendance & engagement are mandatory for successful completion of the course. Attendance will be taken.  It is your responsibility to attend class on time & to stay to the end. Please let me know in advance if you are unable to make a class on medical or other grounds, or if you must leave early.

IMPORTANT: students must provide a note for missed classes (medical or otherwise) – or seek permission beforehand.  Unexcused absences reduce your final grade as follows: second absence 3% / third absence 6% / fourth absence 10% / after five absences you cannot pass the course as you have not completed it.

ESSAY & OPEN BOOK EXAMS:

Term Paper topics will be distributed beforehand.  If you wish to write the essay on a topic outside those given, approval must be sought from me.  You will need to reference at least two scholarly texts relating to your topic (i.e. literary criticism).  There are extensive print resources at SFU library <http://www.lib.sfu.ca/> and article & book length commentaries exist for the works on our reading list.  The short essay and quizzes/exam will occur in real-time (synchronously): all students receive questions and submit responses within the same limited period.

GRADING: Converts to Grade Point Average

A+         95-100%              B+         80-84%                C+          65-69%                D              50-54%

A            90-94%                B            75-79%                C            60-64%                F              0-49%

A-          85-89%                B-          70-74%                C-          55-59%

ONLINE SOURCES:

Remember, very few online sources are acceptable for citation.  Peer reviewed online journals (ie: via JSTOR, MLA, SPRINGER) are welcome; personal web pages, blogs, study sites and so on do NOT count as academic resources.  Use bound journals or as available through the online resources of the SFU library.  For MLA format go to:

< https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides/mla >

PLEASE NOTE THE SFU POLICY STATEMENTS ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY BELOW:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site 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   /  http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html 

NOTE:  Except by permission, computers and other digital devices are to be put away in class.

 

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Lois Tyson, Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide, [2nd Edition Routledge (2006) 978-0415974103], SFU Library ONLINE

von Goethe, The Sufferings of Young Werther, translated by Stanley Corngold,  WW Norton 978-0393935561 [or 978-0393343571] via SFU Bookstore

F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby, ONLINE


Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/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

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2021

Teaching at SFU in fall 2021 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with approximately 70 to 80 per cent of classes in person/on campus, with safety plans in place.  Whether your course will be in-person or through remote methods will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the fall 2021 term.