Fall 2023 - WL 104W D100
Modern World Literatures (3)
Class Number: 6899
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 6 – Oct 6, 2023: Tue, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
BurnabyOct 11 – Dec 5, 2023: Tue, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Dec 18, 2023
Mon, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Mark Deggan
mdeggan@sfu.ca
1 778 782-9595
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Introduces ways of comparing modern world literatures across time and space. May explore topics such as revolution, technology, or existentialism. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.
COURSE DETAILS:
The global upheavals of the early 20th century upended the ways in which human nature was understood. In that larger era of turbulent historical, technological, and cultural transformation, literature and art came to reflect new notions of human value and identity. And yet, as our first text suggests, the “modernist” revolution in human nature was not entirely new – not least where Hamlet suggests how individual consciousness can appear as a force for change in modernity.
Pursued by that prince’s self-interrogating presence, and with reference to the visual arts, we move on to Strindberg’s play on the fault lines of class, feminism, and the individual (Miss Julie 1888), Mu Shiying’s stream-of-consciousness Chinese short stories (1938) and Zhang Ailing’s mid-century Hong Kong fictions (Eileen Chang 1944), as well as Mulk Raj Anand’s novel concerning an outcaste youth in pre-independence India (Untouchable 1935). In order to deepen our comprehension of how the “image” of the individual carries ethical weight, we also watch the famous 1957 European film, The Cranes are Flying, alongside cinematic scenes from our course plays.
Grading
- Participation 10%
- Short Essay + Revision (20% + 20%) 40%
- Term Paper + Revision (15% + 15%) 30%
- Final Exam 20%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Shakespeare, Hamlet (ONLINE - provided)
August Strindberg, Miss Julie & Other Plays, Oxford
ISBN: 978-0199538041
Mulk Raj Anand, Untouchable, Penguin Classic
ISBN: 978-0141393605
Mikhail Kalatozov. The Cranes are Flying / Летят журавли. 1957.
Mu Shiying Mu Shiying. China’s Lost Modernist. Hong Kong U
ISBN: 978-9888208142
Eileen Chang. Love in a Fallen City. NYRB
ISBN: 978-1590171783
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website 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
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the semester are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.