English 2309:008

World Literature

Spring 2008

Thomas A. Ryan                                                                     TR  9:30-10:50

202 Carlisle Hall                                                                    202 Preston Hall

817-272-2758 or 817-272-2692                                                        

Web: http://www.uta.edu/english/TAR/tar.html                               Email: ryan@uta.edu

Office Hours:   TR  11:00 a.m.--12:00 m.                             

Texts:             Aeschylus, The Oresteia.  (trans. Fagles) Penguin

                        Marie de France,  The Lais of Marie de France. Penguin

                        Voltaire, Candide. Dover Thrift

Dostoevski, Notes from Underground. Signet Classics

                        F. Kafka,  The Trial. Schocken

J-P Sartre, No Exit and Three Other Plays. Vintage

                        S. Beckett, Waiting for Godot. Grove Press

                        Kate Figes, ed., The Penguin Book of International Women's Short

Stories. Penguin

Course Description:  This course will introduce students to the study of literature on the college level.  The works we will read are drawn from several different historical periods and national literatures and represent a number of different literary genres.  Class lectures and discussions will focus on ways of understanding and interpreting the works and on locating them in their historical, cultural, and intellectual milieus.

Course Goals: There are three interdependent goals that this course will seek to accomplish this semester. These goals are to acquaint students with a wide selection of works from several genres of world literature, to provide students with a general understanding of literature, and to enable students to read, appreciate, and analyze literary texts. In order to accomplish these goals, the students will be asked to read the assigned literary works, to participate in class discussions, and to write about selected works.

Attendance and Drop Policy: Attendance in class and class participation are important. Frequent absences will have a deleterious effect on your grade. It is extremely important that you read the assigned material before coming to class. I will give reading quizzes, if necessary, as an incentive. If for some reason you cannot continue in the class, remember to officially drop the course. It is now against University policy for faculty members to drop students.

Course Requirements:  We will have a Midsemester Test and a Final Examination. These tests will be part Scantron and part essay in format. I will also ask you to write three brief essays (about three to four pages each) analyzing short works that we will read.

Course Evaluation and Final Grade:  The two tests will each count twenty-five percent of your final grade; the three essays will each count fifteen percent, and attendance and participation in class discussions will count five percent.

Student Evaluation of Teaching: Toward the end of the semester, I shall ask your opinion on the success of the course by having you complete the Student Evaluation of Teaching Survey.

Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and the letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act  [ADA], pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens.

As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels.

Academic Dishonesty: It is the philosophy of the University of Texas at Arlington that

academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University.

"Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22)

Reading Schedule

Dates and assignments are tentative.

T	JAN 15:	Introduction to Course
R	JAN 17:	Aeschylus, Agamemnon
T	JAN 22:	Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers
R	JAN 24:	Aeschylus, The Eumenides
T	JAN 29:	Aeschylus, Oresteia
R	JAN 31:	Some things to consider when writing the out-of-class essays
T	FEB 5:	Marie de France, Lais
R	FEB 7:	Lais,  continued
T	FEB 12:	Lais,  continued
R	FEB 14:	Voltaire, Candide
T	FEB 19:	Candide, cont.
R	FEB 21:	Candide, cont.
T	FEB 26:	Dostoevski, Notes from Underground
R	FEB 28:	Notes from Underground, cont.
T	MAR 4:	Notes from Underground, cont.
R	MAR 6:	Midsemester Test
T	MAR 11:	Kafka, The Trial
R	MAR 13:	The Trial, cont.
T	MAR 18:	Spring
R	MAR 20:	Break
T	MAR 25:	The Trial, cont.
R	MAR 27:	Sartre, The Flies
T	APR 1:	The Flies, cont.
R	APR 3:	Sartre, No Exit
T	APR 8:	No Exit, cont.
R	APR 10:	Beckett, Waiting for Godot
T	APR 15:	Waiting for Godot, cont.
R	APR 17:	Waiting for Godot, cont.
T	APR 22:	Penguin Book . . . Short Stories
R	APR 24:	Penguin Book . . . Short Stories, cont.
T	APR 29:	Penguin Book . . . Short Stories, cont.
R	MAY 1:	Penguin Book . . . Short Stories, cont.
R	MAY 8:	Final Examination, 8-10:30 a.m.