Ambedkar University Delhi
Course Outline
Monsoon Semester (July-December 2016)
School:
Undergraduate Studies
Programme with Title:
BA (Honours)
Semester to which Offered: (I/ III/ V)
I semester
Course Title:
Introduction to Indian and World Literatures
Credits:
4 Credits
Course Code (new):
SUS1EN231
Course Code (old):
EN02
Type of Course:
Compulsory
No
Cohort
NA
Elective
Yes
Cohort
BA (H) in English and Others
For SUS only (Mark an X for as many as appropriate):
1. Foundation (Compulsory)
2. Foundation (Elective)
3. Discipline (Compulsory)
4. Discipline (Elective)
X
5. Elective
Course Coordinator and Team:
Amit Singh
Email of Course Coordinator:
[email protected]
Pre-requisites:
None
Aim: A literature course for undergraduate students should add to their understanding of the day-today realities they inhabit. The present course is geared towards this purpose. It includes writings by
Caribbean, African, American, Australian, Polish, Japanese, French and South Asian writers. The reading
list spans different genres like poetry, prose, drama, songs and film in order to provide a holistic picture
of world literature to the students. It is a representative list of modern writings (mostly post-World War
II) that reflect on the complexities of life, powerfully as well as with an immense sense of humour. By
the end of the course the students will have gained direct acquaintance with some representative 20 th
and 21st century authors. The course will also equip the students with techniques of textual analysis, and
the strategies required in using literary texts to comprehend broader cultural, social, and political issues.
Brief Description of Modules/ Main modules:
Poetry:
Jayanta Mahapatra: “Hunger”
Kamala Das: “Nani”
Maya Angelou: “Still I Rise”
Diane Burns: “Sure you can ask me a personal question”
Langston Hughes: “I, Too, Sing America”
Wole Soyinka: “Telephone Conversation”
Nirendranath Chakrabarti: “Amalkanti”
Short Stories:
Sandra Cisernos: “Barbie Q”
Alka Saraogi: “Letter to Mrs D’Souza”
Tillie Olsen: “I Stand Here Ironing”
Anita Desai: “Games at Twilight”
Gita Hariharan: “The Remains of the Feast”
Ismat Chugtai: “The Homemaker”
Kirat Babani: “My Amma”
Nadine Gordimer: “Country Lovers”
Novel:
Mulk Raj Anand: Untouchable
Memoir:
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi: Selections from Totto Chan
Emmanuelle Laborit: Selections from The Cry of the Gull
Play:
Mahesh Dattani: Dance like a Man
Songs:
Bob Marley: “Buffalo Soldier”
Harry Belafonte: “Banana Boat Song”
Brother Marvin: “Jahaji Bhai”
Film:
Majid Majidi: Colors of Paradise
Graphic Novel:
Art Spiegelman: Maus I
Refererences:
Damrosch, David. How to Read World Literature. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
Print.
Marathe, Sudhakar. Ed. Remembering Mother Tongues. Hyderabad: University of
Hyderabad, 2005. Print.
Mehrotra, A. K. Ed. An Illustrated History of Indian Literature in English. New Delhi: Orient
Blackswan Pvt Limited, 2007. Print.
Panja, Shormishtha. Many Indias, Many Literatures. Delhi: Worldview Publications,
1999. Print.
Prendergast, Christopher. Ed. Debating World Literature. London: Verso, 2004. Print.
Tentative Assessment Schedule with Details of Weightage:
S. No
Assessment
1
2
3
5
Mid Semester Examination
Presentation
End Semester Examination
Class Participation
Date/period in which Assessment
will take place
Mid Semester Week
Mid-October
End Semester Week
Throughout the Semester
Weightage
30%
30%
30%
10%