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University of Arkansas at Monticello
School of Arts and Humanities
ONLINE COURSE SYLLABUS for English 2283
World Literature I, sections 90, 91, & 92
ACTS Equivalent #ENGL 2113
Syllabus, fall 2014
Mrs. Betty Fleming Hendricks
Office: MCB, Room 104
E-mail: [email protected]
Blackboard Virtual Office Hours:
MTWT: 9:00 10:30am & 8:00-9:00pm,
Friday 10:00-11:00, and by appointment.
M&W Online
File: WLitIFall2014Star
ENGL 2283 World Literature I, 3 credit hours. There is a prerequisite for admittance to World Literature I: Students enrolled
in World Literature I must have passed Composition II or have permission of the School dean.
General Education Requirement: W Lit I fulfills the Gen Ed requirement for three hours (3) of college credit towards a degree.
Course Description: Major periods and writers from the Ancient Times through the Renaissance.
Course Exit: Students must make the grade of “D” or higher in World Literature I in order to pass the course for credit.
University Catalog: Students are responsible for information in the University Catalog:
http://www.uamont.edu/catalog/UAMCatalog2012-13.pdf.
Student Handbook: Students are responsible for knowing the rules and regulations in the Student Handbook. The Student
Handbook for Distance Education is available at the following link: http://www.uamont.edu/AcademicComputing/.
Syllabus required for this course: Students are responsible for the information in this Syllabus. A syllabus is a course of study, with
outlined assignments and requirements, usually with a time line, at an institute of higher learning. See first assignment.
Required Texts: Literature of the Western World, Volume I. Willkie and Hurt, eds. Prentice Hall, NJ. 2010.
Other Canons, ed. Brose, Fountainhead Press. 2012.
“Online bookstore” for textbook information: http://www.uamont.edu/student.htm.
Required Reading Material: Students will be required to search the net for a few texts and materials. See page 9 of the Syllabus for
specific assignments, websites, and net addresses. Reading material will be mainly from our texts and Lecture/Notes, with links, web
searches, and down loads as required reading to study and test on.
Mode of Instruction: All information for the course is on Blackboard. This syllabus is on Blackboard. From home page on Black
Board click on Content to find the Syllabus and then click on the Title of a File to open an Attachment. Students will be tested on
assigned reading material. Six exams including the final must be taken to pass the course. The final must be passed to pass the course.
Students must use their UAM student e-mail account to take part in the course. UAM’S spam filter will delete or hold all e-mail
not from UAM accounts. To complete the course obtain UAM e-mail.
COMPUTER REQUIREMENT: It is required that Online Students must have a reliable computer and internet access for this
course. If you do not have a readily available computer with internet capability or cannot use the computer labs available on campus
or a library on a regular basis, you must not attempt to take this course.
Required for Online Students: Minimum Technology Requirements for Blackboard Online Students
Access: to working computer with Internet capability. Operating System: Windows 2000, XP, Vista or Macintosh OS X.
Hardware: 256 MB of RAM, 1GB free hard disk space.
Microsoft Office 2007 recommended.
Connection to the Internet: (broadband connection, such as Roadrunner, Satellite Internet or DSL, is preferred). Broadband
connections are recommended for assessments.
Be sure to have anti-virus software installed on your computer and update it regularly.
Submit work as a PDF document sent to Blackboard. Use Times New Roman, 12 point font with 1” side margins. All submissions
should be titled with your last and first name and course title (e.g., Smith, Joe EDUC222) Be sure to have anti-virus software
installed on your computer and update it regularly. Norton is reliable software.
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FOR MINIMUM TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS VISIT:
See: http://kb.blackboard.com/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=38830689 for technical requirements.
UAM TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION
Issues with usernames, passwords, or UAM e-mail: Help Desk at [email protected] or phone 870-460-1036.
Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Issues with BLACKBOARD: On-Line Assistance Help desk at [email protected] or phone 870 540-1663.
Help Desk at [email protected] or phone 870-460-1663.
Fall and spring hours for Help Desk
Sunday
2:00PM-10:00PM
Sunday
Monday-Thursday
8:00AM-10:00PM
Monday-Friday
Friday
8:00AM-4:30PM
Saturday
Saturday
1:00PM-4:00PM
Summer
Closed
8:00AM – 4:30 PM
Closed
Information can also be found in the Blackboard student technology handbook online at
http://www.uamont.edu/AcademicComputing/
Tutoring: The Writing Center, 113 MCB, on Monticello campus.
The computer section in the Library is open during regular Library hours. Visit this address to see when the Taylor Library is
open: http://www.uamont.edu/library/
Student Conduct Statement: “Students at the University of Arkansas at Monticello are expected to conduct themselves
appropriately, keeping in mind that they are subject to the laws of the community and standards of society. The student must not
conduct him/herself in a manner that disrupts the academic community or breaches the freedom of other students to progress
academically. The instructor reserves the right to dismiss a student from the course. It is at the instructor's discretion to judge
what is appropriate. Etiquette refers to the rules of good manners and accepted behavior in our society. The same rules apply to
online students; see Netiquette Rules. One must be polite and never rude such as sending duplicate e-mails or show
impatience. See Netiquette just below.
NETIQUETTE: The rules of netiquette apply to everyone who uses the Internet or any kind of network to communicate to
any other person. Netiquette is cyber speak for etiquette in online communications and e-mail in particular. Etiquette refers
to a set of manners and rules shared by society for civility. Netiquette is an extension of those very rules of etiquette for
electronic environments. A complete set of Netiquette Rules can be found at http://www.albion.com/netiquette/.
FEEDBACK SCHEDULE: Information regarding instructor and student response and availability. Virtual Office Hours are
listed at the top of this Syllabus. However, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the special days for World Literature I students. Most often a
student can expect response to an e-mail within 24 hours and most often sooner. Responses to e-mails will be during virtual
Blackboard office hours, not before virtual hours. There will be no emails on the weekends, beginning on Fridays after 11:00am. The
subject line in all emails is of the utmost importance due to the number of sections. Five (5) points will be taken for any email without
the correct subject line – this is each and every email this semester.
METHOD OF DELIVERING ASSIGNMENTS
Please submit work as a PDF document via your email account. Use Time New Roman, 12 point font with 1” side margins. All
submissions should have your first and last name. Always put answers right after the question. Do not delete or change
anything on an exam.
Required: E-mail Subject line -- All e-mail, Questions, Discussions, or Examinations, should follow the format for what is required
in the subject line. Learn your section number and make sure it is correct. This syllabus applies to three different sections. Which
section did you register for? All emails must look just as the following: Course section # first and last name Content/reason
Example to follow: WLit I section #, Madeleine Brown, Q about text
If a person cannot follow this simple requirement perhaps they….
DISCUSSION
Ideas and questions will be posted under Announcements for you to contemplate and to think about before examinations.
These are provided so you may have a focus to analyze and to understand how the past is very much a part of our life today.
Think, ponder, speculate, contemplate, and see how ideas relate to you in an inner way, as well as ideas of information and
knowledge in an intellectual way. This will help you to formulate the quality of life you may develop if you choose.
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UAM Operating Procedure 535.1: Students representing the University by traveling and participating in events, such as rodeo,
sports, debate, or other activities are accommodated by UAM Operating Procedure 535.1. Students are allowed to take an exam or
hand in papers early; students are allowed to make-up exams or hand in papers up to one week after their return from university travel.
STUENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND SPECIAL NEEDS: It is the policy of the University of Monticello to accommodate
individuals with disabilities pursuant to federal law and the University’s commitment to equal educational opportunities. It is the
responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any necessary accommodations at the beginning of the course. Any student
requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Special Student Services located in Harris Hall Room 120; phone 870 4601062; TDD 870 460-1626; Fax 870 460-1926; email: [email protected]. For assistance on a College of Technology campus
contact: McGehee: Office of Special Student Services representative on campus; phone 870 222-5360; fax 870 222-1105. Crossett:
Office of Special Student Services representative on campus; phone 870 364-6414; fax 870 364-5707. Inform the professor of color
blindness so papers will not be graded in red font.
Academic Dishonesty:
Cheating: Students shall not give, receive, offer, or solicit information on examinations, quizzes, etc. This includes but is not limited
to the following classes of dishonesty:
Copying from another student’s paper, exam, and discussion questions;
Use during the examination of prepared materials, notes, or texts other than those specifically permitted by the instructor;
Collaboration with another student during an examination;
Buying, selling, stealing, soliciting, or transmitting an examination or any material purported to be the unreleased contents of
coming examinations or the use of any such material; Googled answers which are wrong will have double minus points;
Substituting for another person during an examination or allowing such substitutions for oneself.
Collusion: Collusion is defined as obtaining from another party, without specific approval in advance by the instructor, assistance in
the production of work offered for credit to the extent that the work reflects the ideas of the party consulted rather than those of the
person whose name is on the work submitted.
Duplicity: Duplicity is defined as offering for credit identical or substantially unchanged work in two or more courses, without
specific advanced approval of the instructors involved. [This includes students who allow their work to be copied.]
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as adopting and reproducing as one’s own, to appropriate for one’s use, and to incorporate in one’s
own work without acknowledgement the ideas or passages from the writings or works of another. [Oh, by the way, Plagiarism is a
Federal Offense!]
For any instance of academic dishonesty that is discovered by the instructor, whether the dishonesty is found to be cheating,
collusion, duplicity, or plagiarism, or any other kind of cheating, the result for the student(s) involved will be the grade of “F” and
probable dismissal from the course with an “F.” This includes students who allow their work to be copied. Any two papers or exams
which are similar will both receive an “F.” It is honorable and noble to be honest and to do one’s own work. What a large insult
and dis to be asked to lie and cheat.
Cheating: changing something on an exam is a special form of cheating. Do not change or delete anything – anything – on an
exam. This includes the order of questions, the numbers, or anything else. Leave the exam as it is submitted to you and fill in the
answers right after the appropriate question. Changing an examination is considered cheating and if changes are made that exam will
receive an “F.”
Cheating: Copying and pasting is cheating. Write answers in your own words. Copying and pasting will receive and “F.”
Cheating: Googling for answers is cheating. If an obviously googled answer is wrong it will receive double minus points.
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students are expected to participate in all weekly activities which will count as participation for federal aid purposes. Failure to check
in within the first three weeks of class will result in the student being denied financial aid. Failure to attend a minimum of 60% of the
semester will result in the student being required to pay back any financial aid received. If students fail to participate three weeks of
the semester, they will be dropped from or fail the course. Students are expected to submit all work assigned in a timely fashion.
Students who do not submit work by due dates will be counted absent for that particular week. Continued absence affects financial aid
just as attendance for On-Site classes. The presence or absence of a student may be determined by the student submitting assignments
in a timely fashion and communicating regularly through discussion and e-mail with the professor.
SUMMARY OF READING AND WRITING REQUIREMENTS: Students are required to complete all Examinations and
hand them in in a timely fashion. Students must take all examinations given and pass the final to pass the course. Students
must write answers on exams in essay form, where required, with an introduction, paragraphs, using examples, description,
quotations, and a conclusion. Students must use Standard English and write in their own words. Cutting and pasting answers
will merit an “F.” Cutting and pasting is cheating. See below on page 4 for Explanations and Assessment Modes.
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Course Grading is based on Percentages and grades will not be scored on the curve.
A=90-100%
B=80-89%
C=70-79%
D=60-69%
F=59% or below.
ASSESSMENTS AND GRADING PERCENTAGES: Ten (10) % writing quality and degree of improvement. Note that 10% is
one grade level. Seventy (70) % of the grade is based upon knowledge and understanding of the reading material and the ability to
convey one’s comprehension with quality writing on examinations. Twenty (20) % is based upon class participation, including
cooperation, email quality, and behavior. Assessments are defined by the six A's listed: Attendance, Alertness, Attention, Agreement,
Attitude (a spirit of cooperation), and Appropriateness. See above and below for Attendance. See below for details of Assessments.
Cooperation includes: 1) Reading and studying the material given; 2) Handing work in on time; 3) Meeting the requirements of the
course; and 4) Following rules of etiquette/netiquette (good manners).
Attendance: These rules apply to On-Line students. A student must take and submit all examinations in World Literature I in a timely
fashion to pass the course. A student must pass the written Final Examination to pass the course and must exhibit a collegiate level of
writing and comprehension. Attendance will be based on response time of assignments, including exams being submitted on time.
There is no way one can send examinations in a week late. If you get behind I suggest you drop the course. See above for Attendance
requirements in accordance with Federal mandate. For Federal Funding to be implemented there is an Attendance requirement and if
you are not sending in your exams on time that indicates you are not participating in the course and are not attending class. You have a
week to prepare so there is no excuse which would seem viable.
Standard English is required: The overall appropriateness of each communications is important. Each communication should be
written in Standard English with the appropriate greeting, and will cost points in the overall grade if not followed. Standard English is
the only appropriate language to use for any reason in a college course. Each communication and each email must have correct
information in the subject line. There will be a minus 5points for an incomplete or incorrect subject line or poorly written email.
ASSESSMENTS: Alertness, Attention, Agreement, Appropriateness, and Attitude. These five Assessments converge in
agreement. A student is required to be informed by reading the Syllabus and knowing the requirements.
Alertness is making sure you have computer access at all times: you need a backup plan if something happens to your computer. The
libraries have computers in every community. A computer down is not an excuse not to submit work on time. It might be a reason, but
that reason is not counted as an excuse. Sending course work from a phone does not always work correctly and the information arrives
differently, so be aware of this problem and take precautions.
Appropriate means you have followed the course with appropriate behavior, including reading all of the Announcements and
Attachments to the end. Appropriate behavior is taking responsibility to do the work in an honorable way and is a must for students.
Attitude includes good manners which count in life and in this class. A pleasant attitude and spirit of cooperation are mandatory:
Rudeness includes impatiently sending the same e-mail repeatedly, not following the subject line requirement, and the tone of emails.
Agreement means you have agreed to read and study the material so as to be informed of the rules, and so you may implement the
course as instructed. All the information you need is given you. It should go without saying that upon entering a course a student has
agreed to do the reading and to be informed of all the material necessary to succeed. This commitment includes writing quality.
Attention means just that – to stay alert and pay attention by carrying out the instructions. These are important parts of education,
work, and life itself. Know the information in your Syllabus; Stay connected with the course by checking Announcements to the end
to see what is going on and for clarification; and Study the requirements before sending an already answered question. If you read and
study the material and follow the requirements you will do well in the course.
Emergency or Interruption in Computer Service Policy: Prepare for unexpected problems and emergencies. Understand that
problems and glitches do occur in On-line learning, as they do in any computer environment. Have a back-up plan, such as using the
computers at a local library, for submitting assignments in case your computer crashes or your service is interrupted, or submit work
prior to the due date/time. Due dates are Central Standard Time or Central Daylight Time according to the semester. If students are
submitting work form a different time zone, they should contact the instructor during the first week of the semester to provide for the
time difference.
Procedures and Workload:
The class is conducted in the same way as an On-campus course. That means students will be given examinations and/or writing
assignments and must fulfill them. The student is required to study the text, the Lecture/notes, and particular sites approved by the
professor. Answers to quizzes and examinations must come from these specific sources. Googled answers are usually wrong. The
University and valid sources are the nearest to the truth. Take note: Wiki has many goofy mistakes. How do you know what is true?
Follow the information given for my course. If a googled answer is wrong it will receive double the minus points.
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Required – a College level of writing and comprehension and to participate in all examinations, reading and writing assignments,
and any Discussion Questions. All exams must be taken to pass the course. A student must pass the final examination to pass the
course. Ideas discussed in Announcements and Attachments will be on examinations; therefore, it is highly advisable that students
study the Lecture/Notes and take notes for important information made in the Attachments. It is important to write on a collegiate
level in all writing for this course. Ten percent (10%) of an examination grade will be based upon the quality of a student's writing on
examinations which should be of standard collegiate level.
Student Conduct Code -- See official University Catalog on Disorderly Conduct: The student Conduct Code prohibits "Any
behavior which disrupts the regular or normal functions of the University community, including behavior which breaches the peace or
violates the rights of others." The instructor reserves the right to dismiss a student from the course. See Netiquette.
To pass the course: 1) a student must pass the written final examination; 2) take all examinations given; 3) must have an average of a
“D” or higher on the exams; and 4) must have reached a collegiate level of writing, comprehension, and understanding of the reading
material, and 5) exhibit a college level of writing in expressing their understanding and comprehension; 6) must be able to analysis the
literature and express in writing their analysis and reasoning, along with specific examples to illustrate and support their
generalization; and 7) A student must meet the Expected Student Learning Outcomes. See below for details.
Writing Requirement:
a. It is the responsibility of each student to strive to write and speak in Standard English;
b. It is necessary for job interviews and the educated world of success;
c. It is recommended for students with English as a Second language; and
d. It is recommended for students who have their own sub-culture, slang, or regional ways of writing and speaking.
Expected Student Learning Outcomes:
Student must show knowledge of the information covered in World Literature I: subjects, themes, characters, styles, genres, and
authors;
Students must demonstrate an ability to analyze literature;
Students must answer essay questions by writing examinations in essay form in a series of coherent paragraphs, using effective
transitions and avoiding digressions;
Students should avoid grammatical and mechanical errors in their writings; and
Students must use specific examples and details to support and illustrate claims and generalizations.
The student's goal is to reach a collegiate level of comprehension of the texts and to analyze and write about the texts on a
collegiate level of understanding. Students must write at a standard collegiate level of "C" or better or be graded down 10%, one grade
level of their total grade.
Expected Student Learning Outcome: It is presumed that any student who chooses to select and remain in my course has made a
commitment to attend to the course regularly and to keep up and to do the work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes.
See Attendance requirement.
FALL SCHEDULE FOR 2014
SESSION: Full Term (1)
LAST CLASS 12/5/14
August 11-15 (Tues-Fri)
August 18 (Mon) –
August 19 (Tues) –
August 20 (Wed) –
August 22 (Fri) –
September 1 (Mon)
September 6 (Sat) –
October 3 (Fri) –
October 11 (Sat) –
October 29 (Wed) –
FIRST CLASS DAY:
LAST “W” DROP DAY:
August 20
October 29
Professional Development for faculty and staff.
Schedule changes. New student orientation.
Open registration.
First day of classes for sessions 1. Admission application deadline.
Last day to register or add classes for sessions 1.
Labor Day Holiday. Offices and classes closed.
Parent/Family Appreciation Day.
Deadline to apply for May graduation.
Homecoming
Last day to drop a session 1 class or withdraw from the term
(Not applicable to other sessions). Grade(s) will be “W.”
November 3 (Mon) Preregistration for spring 2015 begins.
November 14 (Fri) Preregistration for spring 2015 ends.
November 26 (Wed)
Classes closed.
November 27-28 (T/F) Thanksgiving Holiday. Offices and classes closed.
December 5 (Fri) Last day of classes.
December 8-12 (M-F) - Final exam period.
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Rules are there to help us to succeed and guide us; usually the rules show the easiest way to accomplishment.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s
Submit all assignments on time;
Submit all assignments as attachments and send via email;
Contact the UAM Technical Support if you do not know how to make an attachment;
Submit Rich Text Format (.rft) files ONLY;
Double-space all documents;
Use only Times New Roman font style and 10 or 12 pt. size for all work;
Read everything the instructor mails out to you through to the end; and
Send all e-mails at beginning of week if possible. If on Friday, send before 10:00am.
Keep in mind the professor does not check e-mail after 1:00 pm on Fridays. If you have a question
that you want answered before the weekend send e-mails Friday morning; give time to be answered.
the deadline. Otherwise you will be answered on Monday after virtual hours began as stated
above. There are many students who have to be answered.
Don’ts
Do not blame computer problems, misdirected e-mail, sick pets, or children for late work.
A reason is not an excuse for late work.
Do not ask for an “A” if you have earned a “C” or “D” grade;
DO NOT ask to submit work at the end of the semester that should have been completed during the
semester. Assignments made before the mid-term will not be accepted after the mid-term.
DO NOT THINK YOU ARE THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE. If one cannot follow the rules
perhaps they are not ready for reality or the strong self-discipline it takes to be a good student;
Do not pester the instructor for your grade. Your essays will be returned when the professor has finished
grading;
DQ responses are not returned; and
The Final Examination is not retuned.
READ PAGES 7 AND 8 FOR AN OVERVIEW AND FOR EXAMS!
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Read this material for the Exam.
Western Literature in A World Context: The purpose of education is to find the truth.
What about the great questions of life and death, good and evil, and why are we here? Have you ever thought of what an
amazing situation life is in which to find yourself?
The word education has two meanings: 1) to acquire knowledge from second hand sources and to study that knowledge
learned from parents, teachers, and books; and 2) to become conscious of the inner self and to contemplate that which is
inside and within us. It is when we apply our knowledge to our true inner self that life becomes meaningful and exciting in
a very personal way. Whatever you learn in this course allow it to change you for the better, an improvement of one’s
mind and even one’s soul. Plato equates the mind with the soul as if they are one. According to Plato as one improves the
mind one improves one’s own soul.
There is another more basic means of learning about reality and that is to live in the world and to learn on your own what
is around you and to come to the truth of life without books and opinions of others. That is when one begins searching for
truth. Truth in the western tradition is defined as the Good! However, the great sages have taught us that we need a guide,
a teacher, a mentor to help us along life’s journey. Most all of the great sages had a fine teacher to guide them in the
direction of the truth.
Western civilization has traditionally defined the truth as the GOOD!
The manuscripts in our textbooks are a representation of traditional texts which have been taught for over a thousand
years in the grand old universities of Europe, the University of Paris, South Wales, and Oxford, and for almost 400 years
in these United States. Harvard is 150 years older than the U.S.A. An educated person at least has an idea of these texts
which came before us and understands that the past influences the present in many ways. On a whimsical level, why for
example do we wear Nike tennis shoes? Why do we take the bull by the horns? Why do we say that birds of a feather
flock together? Where does the phrase “fly on the wall” come from? Why do we have sports and Olympic Games? On a
more serious level, how is it that we live in a Constitutional Republic and have a democratic way of life, have religion,
poetry, philosophy, and how is it that western music harmonizes, while other music does not? One may gain insights as
we learn knowledge presented in these texts and how they reveal the past in our present lives.
When we understand the history of mankind, his art, religion, ideas, and man’s intellectual and spiritual development
one’s life is richer for it. Your life will be made richer if you read and study the material offered in this course. The
subjects we study in the humanities courses are really all we/mankind have from the past, our inheritance if you will, your
own inheritance and ours together. We will be studying literature from the past and of other cultures and ancient literature
includes religions of the past. In studying these manuscripts it is not necessary that we agree, but merely learn about them.
A vast amount of information has been lost therefore what we do have which tells us about mankind’s past, our past, is to
be highly valued, cherished, and respected. The humanities are the areas in which the human is the focus of study. “The
proper study of mankind is man.” The Humanities include music, literature, history, philosophy, poetry, history, fine art,
theater, and architecture. Studying the humanities is how we learn about our ancient past. We will acknowledge the great
creative works from the past and the great ideas of mankind. We will also look at some works of art and architecture.
Students in an institute of higher learning should have an open mind to ideas which are different or foreign to their
experiences or beliefs. A closed mind cannot receive ideas, insights, or perceptions, those very things which make a high
quality life for an educated person. Recently relativists have stated there is no truth. You may decide for yourself which
school of thought you agree with. A truly educated person always considers new information and decides where to put it.
Do you accept it, think about it and wait, or discard it? What you agree and disagree with will tell you more about yourself
than what you are judging. Who are you? “Know Thy Self” is the oldest saying found from the ancient Greeks.
Ideas and the history of the past might not represent your present ideas or beliefs; however, learning about one’s own past
and also other cultures doesn't mean one has to agree. An educated person is aware of ideas that are different from their
own. Why else become educated? It should go without saying that one has to go beyond what one already knows to learn
anything new. To ignore knowledge is to remain (ignor)ant. The word ignore is a verb – therefore ignorance is often a
choice. To choose to remain ignorant is one of the saddest things of all for mankind. It keeps us in the human condition.
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Continuation of: Western Literature in A World Context: The purpose of education is to find the truth.
The western tradition culminated in the formation of the United States. We combined all the best from the past and
founded a country for the first time in the history of mankind on Christian values from the beginning. We incorporated the
Greek idea of a democratic society where the people are the rulers. Our Constitution is written to protect us from
government and from individuals who would take over and dictate over the people. The Constitution protects us from a
tyrannical government. Of course that includes everyone playing by the rules. Our traditions include being fair, having
good sportsmanship, the fear of God, and the love of beauty, poetry, and music. Recently our traditions seem to be tilting
toward a Roman way, the love of blood and gore, the delight in horror and cruelty, slavery, human trafficking, and
addiction to things which imprison us. Zombie movies are popular rather than love stories where there is true respect and
caring for other people. Which way will the western world go? Will we continue to work toward true freedom, or will we
succumb to the popular culture which is antithetical [being in direct and unequivocal opposition] to the world’s western
way of life? We are living on the bank account of what came before, but now the tide seems to be going out. The answer
is partly up to you. You can see where the world has taken a turn, and only just recently in our history. Is it a good turn?
Where is the happy man? Where are the happy children? What is going on? The answer is the human condition.
Awareness and knowledge of the world's great Literature from the dawn of consciousness and written history through the
Renaissance is the very beginning of a fine education. We will see glimpses of mankind's quest toward truth and
sometimes folly. We will see where the past is repeated and where the great themes of mankind remain the same: it is
called the human condition. So far in the past thousands of years the human condition has not been found to change.
This is a shocking revelation: that nothing has changed, that is, human nature has not changed. We see in the media each
and every day the breakdown of civilized society around the globe. It could even happen in the U.S. The ideas of mankind
have help to civilize behavior, but there is a thin line between “the human as a creature” and “the human as a thinking
creature.” Emotions take over and civilization then begins to crumble. We need to think and to think again.
Literature is about life. Literature does not tell you how to live as religions do. Literature offers a view of what others
have done and causes one to think and speculate for himself. By thinking a student can form their very own thoughts
which are not exactly like anyone else's thoughts. It is possible for the student to arrive at great truths and even reach the
realms of wisdom. Knowledge leads to understanding and understanding leads to wisdom. World Literature can broaden
one's understanding of life, the human condition, and human nature. These texts are our treasures from mankind, and
therefore your own, for the material is part of your own heritage. Who is Greek among us?
We will learn insights which will raise the quality of our awareness and understanding of life. We will deal with the great
themes of mankind, of life and death, of war and peace, of tragedy and love. We will see man's struggle with these great
themes. We will study mankind's eternal quest: the glory and the tragedy of the Greek and Trojan heroes found in
Homer's poetry, Odysseus' struggle and his incredible will to live, Dante’s search for God and the gift of his beatific
vision to his readers, and in Shakespeare's writing, Hamlet searches his heart and soul looking for answers from within
himself and without. "To be, or not to be…." Hamlet is questioning how to live to stay alive. He is not necessarily
contemplating anything negative. He is wondering how to live. How are you going to live? How are you going to be? The
human has the ability to be noble, true, and grand. It is each individual’s decision. Are you going to be your own person or
follow the trends of others? To be, or not to be: that is the question.”
ASSIGNMENTS BEGIN ON PAGE 9: SEE BELOW.
9
Syllabus
World Literature I
August
Unit I: Ancient texts.
Week 1- 20th
Read: "The Descent of Inanna,” an Attachment.
Week 2- 25th
Read: Genesis," in our textbook, from The Old Testament, King James Version of the Bible.
Study the story of Creation; Adam and Eve; and Noah and the flood; Covenant & sign.
"Genesis" from The Old Testament is believed to be from the period of around 1400-400 B. C.
[Before Christ: now the politically correct reference is Before the Common Era or BCE.]
September
Week 3- 01st
-02nd
Holiday on 20th! Labor Day! We honor our laborers! No classes; campus closed
Read: “Job,” from The Old Testament.
Study Lecture/Notes on Blackboard – Announcements and Attachments.
Examination #1 due Monday.
Week 4 - 8th
Due: Examination #1: “Inanna” and Old Testament. Due before 12:00 noon Monday.
Read: Homer, (Eight Century B.C.) pgs. 127-131. Study Background.
Read: Homer's The Iliad, Book One, "Quarrel, Oath, and Promise," pgs. 132-151. Akhilleus and
Agamemnon are quarreling over a girl. We see at the beginning that Akhilleus has a terrible temper.
See what Homer says about it. Explain the quarrel. What is the reaction of Apollo?
Read: from Book Six, pgs. 151-160 – the Mighty Hector!
Read: from Book Nine, pgs. 169-172. See from line #410 - Why should men fight for Helen?
Read: pgs. 173- read from line 599 - Quell your anger, Akhilleus -- p. 174 –
"...towering wrath could overcome great men." Who says this to Akhilleus?
Week 4 con’t Read: p. 193, p. Notice the metaphor or analogy of the fish hooks when Homer describes
how a soldier met his death. Or later with dead bodies are quivering like fishes in a net.
Read: p. 195. Who is Patroklos? Homer is a master at describing death graphically as in
the description of killing a Trojan; and such images as a man hooked like a fish on a sword.
Week 4 - 8th
Read: pgs. 202-205 battle scenes of death pgs. 205-206 -- contending for a soldier's body.
Read: from Book 177-217. Hector brings Patroklos down. Who does Hector think Patroklos is?
Read: Book 18, "The Immortal Shield. Akhilleus’ mother visited a god to obtain a new shield for
her son. Who did she visit? Where does that god live? Describe where the god lives and what he does.
Describe him. Describe the shield and how magnificent it is.
Read: Book 22 "The Desolation before Troy." This is one of the most famous
scenes from the Iliad. Imagine: King Priam and Queen Hecuba are standing on the wall of
Troy looking at the great plains of Troy and what do they see coming toward them, running as
fast as a horse?
There are two parts to the scene: 1) The King and Queen watch as Achilles kills their son Hector; and 2)
Achilles dragging Hector’s body round and round face down right in front of the parents. How horrible!
This is a crime against all of us. See Attachments for universal crimes against mankind.
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Week 5 - 15rd
Read: Book 24.
Read: "The Odyssey, by Homer, Book One, pgs. 273-285; Book Two,
pgs. 283-295, Book Three, pgs. 296-308. Book Four, p. 309-314, pgs. 325-330.
Week 6 - 22th
Read: Book Five, pgs. 334-337. Book Nine, "The Cyclops," Book Eleven,
Hades, pgs. 402-411.
Read: Book Fourteen, pgs. 446-451; Book Fifteen, pgs. 460-463. Book Sixteen,
Book Twenty-two, and Book Twenty-four.
Examination #2 due Monday.
Week 7 - 29th
Due: Examination #2: The Iliad and The Odyssey. Before 12:00 noon Monday.
Read: Plato's "Cave," from "The Republic," Book VIII, known also as "The Parable of the
Cave." “THE GOOD.” We live in a 3-dimensional world. Plato describes a 4th dimension.
October
Week 8 - 06th
Aristotle’s Golden Mean found in the Nicomachean Ethics. It is advisable to conduct a
search and find different translations of the Nicomachean Ethics. Some translations are far
superior to others; some are much easier to comprehend than others.
Examination #3 due Monday.
March
Week 9 - 13th
Due: Examination #3: Greek philosophy and culture. Before 12:00 noon Monday.
Read: The New Testament, Book of "Luke," Chap.15,"The Prodigal Son.”
Read: I Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verses 1-13. "Though I speak with the tongues
of men and of angels and have not love...."
Read: Drummond's famous essay and explication of I Corinthians, in his book,
The Greatest Thing in the World. In his essay, Drummond explains the Prodigal Son in a very special
way. He makes a distinction between the sins of the flesh and the sins of the spirit. He certainly has his
opinion of which sins are the worse. Explain his ideas.
Drummond’s book is most extraordinary!
Or, to obtain a free copy of Henry Drummond’s book, The Greatest Thing in the World, which is a
wonderful explication of the entire chapter in Corinthians, go to:
http://www.jesus.org.uk/vault/library/drummond_greatest_thing.pdf
Examination #4: New Testament texts we have studied and Drummond's ideas about the Prodigal.
Unit Two: Medieval texts.
Week 10 -20th Due: Examination #4: New Testament and Drummond’s writings. Due 12:00 noon Monday.
Read: Chaucer's, The Canterbury Tales, from "The General Prologue.”
Read: Prologue to “The Wife of Bath's Tale.”
1) Prologue to “The Pardoner's Tale,” pgs. 1734-1736, 2) skip his story, and 3) read the
ending of what he had to say, from the middle of page 1746-1747.
Week 11- 27th Read: Introduction to “The Divine Comedy,” by Dante Alighieri, known as Dante, pgs. 1398-1408.
These pages describe the times and somewhat of Dante's life. There are also illustrations in our text
which will help you to visualize the drama.
Read: The Inferno," Cantos I, II & III, beginning on page 1408.
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Notice Dante says, "In the middle of the journey of our life."
Notice the OUR LIFE -- yours and mine dear reader – not just Dante’s life.
November
Week 12- 03rd Read: Canto's IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII.
Read: Canto's XXXII, XXXIII, and XXXIV. Icy indifference! Cold hearted because they were the
farthest away from God's love. Indifference is much the worse because it means the person really doesn't
care one way or the other. “I’d rather have you hot or cold than lukewarm.”
Week 13 -10th Read: from Purgatory, pgs. 1545-1561.
Read: Outline of Paradise, p. 1561-1562.
Read: from Paradise, the summaries of Cantos I-XXXII. Dante's Beatific Vision -- famous beautiful
lines of poetry. Did Dante see God, or have a vision of understanding of God?
Examination # 5: Chaucer and Dante’s poetry.
Unit 3: Renaissance – plays and poetry.
Week 14 -17th Shakespeare's, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
Read: Act I.
Read: Act II. Prince Hamlet thinks and speculates – Soliloquy. Elizabethans loved it!
Read: Hamlet, Act III.
Week 15 – 24th Read: Hamlet, Act IV.
Read: Hamlet, Act V. Character study from Hamlet.
Review of Prince Hamlet, characters, motives. A mystery! What do you think?
December
Week 16 – 01st Read: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116; John Donne’s poetry: the journey of the soul.
Week 17 – 8-12th WEEK OF FINAL EXAMINATIONS.
World Literature I Final: To be announced.
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