English 504
Spring 2011
Classroom: White 4281
Time: 11:00 – 11:50 am, MWF
Dr. Colin Gillis
[email protected]
Office: 7195c
Office Hours: M, W 9:00 – 10:00 am
or by appointment
Contemporary Literature and Globalization
COURSE DESCRIPTION
What can literature tell us about globalization? How has globalization affected the production,
circulation, and reception of literary texts? And what role does literature play in the processes of
social, economic, and cultural integration that have come to define our present era? This course
will study the evolving relationship between literature and globalization through a consideration
of several major literary texts published in the last two decades. Our discussions will be
organized around five broad theoretical issues: the status of English as a global language;
cosmopolitanism; migration, displacement, and return; the distribution of texts in a global
literary marketplace; and the place of literature in an age of new media.
This course will be run as a seminar with the majority of class time devoted to discussion.
Occasionally, there will be short lectures, providing background on authors, texts, and relevant
historical phenomena. Careful preparation, regular attendance, and active participation are vital
for your success in this class.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Agha Shahad Ali, The Half-Inch Himalayas
David Edgar, Pentecost*
Aleksandar Hemon, Nowhere Man
Tom Leonard, Nora’s Place and Other Poems 1965 -1995 (audio recording)**
David Malouf, Remembering Babylon
Phaswane Mpe, Welcome to Our Hillbrow
Michael Ondaatje, Anil’s Ghost
Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things
Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis
Additional readings will be posted to the course website on Learn@UW.
All texts are available at Rainbow Bookstore (426 W. Gilman St.).
*Pentecost is recommended, not required. Since this title is now out of print, the full text will be
posted to Learn@UW. A limited number of texts are available at Rainbow.
**NB: This is the album of recorded poetry, not the book. It is available online through
Amazon.com and other online mp3 vendors.
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FILMS:
In addition to our regular reading assignments, we will watch three films. Each film will be
screened a few days before it is to be discussed in class. If you cannot attend any of these
screenings, you must watch the film on your own. Copies of the films are on three-hour reserve
at College Library. There will be a brief quiz about the film on the day we are to discuss it.
The World (2004), dir. Jia Zhangke
Trainspotting (1996), dir. Danny Boyle
Persepolis (2007), dir. Marjane Satrapi
7:00 pm, January 31
7:00 pm, February 28
7:00 pm, April 25
COURSE EVALUATION
Close reading paper (3-4 pp.)
Research paper (10-12 pp.)
Final paper proposal
Annotated bibliography
Group presentation (10 mins.) and write-up (3 pp.)
Participation
15%
30%
5%
10%
15%
20%
All grades will be calculated on a 100-point scale:
A
93-100
AB
88-92
B
83-87
BC
78-82
C
71-77
D
65-70
F
0-64
REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES
1.) Regular, attentive reading. You must keep up with the reading assignments as outlined in the
schedule, and you must read them before the date on which they are assigned. Readings posted
on Learn@UW are not optional. Periodically, there will be quizzes to test whether you have
done the reading. Your score on these quizzes will affect your participation grade.
2.) Prompt attendance. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of every class meeting, and
the attendance policy will be strictly enforced. Your participation grade will be calculated on a
100-point scale. Students begin the semester with 100 points. They are allowed up to four
absences. Any subsequent absences will reduce your participation grade by 5 points. In other
words, if, over the course of the semester, you miss 5 classes, your participation grade will
automatically be lowered by 5 points to 95. The only exception to the attendance policy is for
religious observance, medical emergency (e.g., serious illness or hospitalization), and family
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tragedy. If you are going to miss class for religious reasons, you must notify me within the first
three weeks of the semester. Tardiness will also result in a lower participation grade.
3.) All written work should be typed, double-spaced, in a reasonable font with standard margins.
Please submit papers electronically, in Word or PDF format, by posting them to the drop box in
the course website on Learn@UW.
4.) Be sure to cite sources correctly and to include a Works Cited section in your written
assignments. The website writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QuotingSources.html has information on
source citation. Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Plagiarism will result in failure of
the course.
5.) The McBurney Disability Resource Center (263-2741) provides resources for students with
disabilities. You will need to provide documentation of disability to them in order to receive
official university services and accommodations. Students who wish to request any
accommodations on the basis of disability should schedule an office appointment with me within
the first three weeks of the semester. Please schedule this office appointment via email. To
maintain the confidentiality of your request, please do not approach me before or after class to
discuss your accommodation needs.
6.) Feel free to email with questions and comments about the course. I am always happy to meet
with you in person. My office hours are the best time to do so. It is usually a good idea to request
a meeting in advance via email.
PRESENTATIONS
Students are required to make a short (10 minute) presentation in groups of two. Each student in
a group must speak during the presentation. He or she must also submit a bibliography (page
lengthy will vary) and brief write-up (2-3 pp.). The write-up and bibliography will be due exactly
one week after the presentation. A schedule with suggested topics will be distributed at the
beginning of the semester. You may choose your own topic. However, all topics must be
approved by the instructor at least fourteen days before the presentation. You must meet with
me, during my office hours, to discuss your ideas for the presentation at least one week in
advance.
READING SCHEDULE
An asterisk (*) indicates that the reading is available on Learn@UW.
W 1/19
Introduction
Handout with quotations by Noam Chomsky, Thomas Friedman, Karl Marx,
Martin Wolf, and others
“Globalization,” s.v., OED
Unit 1: Representing Globalization
F 1/21
Read the syllabus in its entirety.
David Malouf, Remembering Babylon, pp. 1-3
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Agha Shahid Ali, “The Country Without a Post Office”*
Manfred B. Steger, Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, pp. 1-37, 98-135*
“Globalization,” s.v., New Keywords: A Revised Vocabulary of Culture*
M 1/24
Remembering Babylon, pp. 3-43
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, pp. 38-57*
“Market” and “Capitalism,” s.v., New Keywords*
“Capitalism,” s.v., The Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World*
W 1/26
Remembering Babylon, pp. 44-102
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, pp. 58-70*
“Nation,” s.v., New Keywords*
“Cosmopolitanism,” s.v., Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy*
“Nationalism,” s.v., The Oxford Companion to the Politics of the World*
F 1/28
Remembering Babylon, pp. 103-55
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, pp. 71-83*
“Culture,” “Diaspora,” and “Heritage,” s.v., New Keywords*
In-class screening: I’m British But… (Gurinder Chadha, 1989)
M 1/31
Remembering Babylon, pp. 156-200
Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, pp. 84-97*
“Environment / Ecology” and “Nature,” s.v., New Keywords*
“Ecology,” s.v., OED*
Screening: The World (2004), dir. Jia Zhangke
Monday, January 31, 7:00 pm, location TBD
The film is 139 minutes long.
W 2/2
Discussion of The World
“An Interview with Jia Zhangke”*
Unit 2: Citizens of the World
F 2/4
Michael Ondaatje, Anil’s Ghost, pp. 1-32
Martha C. Nussbaum, “Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism”*
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M 2/7
Anil’s Ghost, pp. 33-93
Gertrude Himmelfarb, “The Illusions of Cosmopolitanism”*
Michael W. McConnell, “Don‟t Neglect Little Platoons”*
Elaine Scarry, “The Difficulty of Imagining Other People”*
W 2/9
Anil’s Ghost, pp. 94-157
F 2/11
Anil’s Ghost, pp. 158-231
M 2/14
Anil’s Ghost, pp. 232-307
Michael Ondaatje, selections from Handwriting*
Close reading paper due by midnight.
W 2/16
David Edgar, Pentecost, Act I*
F 2/18
Pentecost, Act II*
M 2/21
Continue discussion of Pentecost
Unit 3: Global English
W 2/23
David Crystal, English as a Global Language, pp. 1-28*
Louise Bennett, “Colonization in Reverse”*
Linton Kwesi Johnson, “Inglan is a Bitch” and excerpt from Mi Revalueshanary
Fren*
F 2/25
Tom Leonard, Nora’s Place and Other Poems (audio recording), “Ghostie Men,”
and “To be or Not to Be”*
[Listen to the recording alongside the texts of the poems, which will be
posted to Learn@UW]
M 2/28
Leonard, “Unrelated Incidents,” “Situations Theoretical and Contemporary,”
“Poetry, Schools, Place,” “BBC News 1982,” “Sourscenes from Scottish
Literary Life,” “What I Hate about the News,” and “A Letter on Being
Asked to Contribute to an Anthology”*
Screening: Trainspotting (1996), dir. Danny
Boyle
Monday, February 28, 7:00 pm, location TBD
The film is 94 minutes.
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W 3/2
Welsh, “Kicking” (in Trainspotting) and “A Soft Touch”*
“A Trainspotting Glossary”*
Discussion of Trainspotting (film)
F 3/4
Continue discussion of Trainspotting
Junot Díaz, “Ysrael,” “Fiesta, 1980,” and “No Face”*
Research paper proposal due by midnight.
M 3/7
Díaz, “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie” and
“Negocios”*
W 3/9
Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things, pp. 1-83
F 3/11
The God of Small Things, pp. 84-147
March 12-20 spring recess
M 3/21
The God of Small Things, pp. 148-216
Roy, “The Ladies Have Feelings, So…Shall We Leave it to the Experts?”*
W 3/23
The God of Small Things, pp. 216-72
Unit 4: Migration
F 3/25
The God of Small Things, pp. 273-321
M 3/28
Agha Shahid Ali, The Half-Inch Himalayas, part 1
W 3/29
The Half-Inch Himalayas, part 2
F 4/1
No class today.
Annotated bibliography due by midnight.
M 4/4
The Half-Inch Himalayas, parts 3-4
W 4/6
Phaswane Mpe, Welcome to Our Hillbrow, pp. 1-27
Mike Davis, “The Urban Climacteric”*
F 4/8
Welcome to Our Hillbrow, pp. 28-79
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M 4/11
Welcome to Our Hillbrow, pp. 80-124
W 4/13
Aleksandar Hemon, Nowhere Man, pp. 1-72
Unit 5: Global Media
F 4/15
Nowhere Man, pp. 73-127
Arjun Appadurai, “Here and Now” and “Disjuncture and Difference in the Global
Cultural Economy”*
M 4/18
Nowhere Man, pp. 128-59
W 4/20
Nowhere Man, pp. 160-242
F 4/22
Pascale Casanova, “From Internationalism to Globalization”*
Graham Huggan, “Prizing „Otherness‟: A Brief History of the Booker”*
André Schiffrin, “Market Censorship”*
M 4/25
Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis, pp. 1-153
Screening: Persepolis (2007), dir. Marjane Satrapi
Monday, April 25, 7:00 pm, location TBD
The film is 95 minutes.
W 4/27
The Complete Persepolis, pp. 154-341
F 4/29
Discussion of Persepolis (film)
M 5/2
Young Hae Chang Heavy Industries, “Dakota,” “Cunnilingus in North Korea,”
and “Operation Nukorea” (http://yhchang.com)
W 5/4
Jason Nelson, “Game, Game, Game, and Again Game,” “Game School”
(http://secrettechnology.com), “Digital Poetry Introduction,” and “Digital
Poetry-1: Games” (http://heliozoa.com)
Timothy Bissell, “Fallout” and “Grand Thefts”*
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F 5/6
Conclusion and review
Final paper due by midnight.
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