Course syllabus

 

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COMPLIT 200: World Literatures l: Life, Death, War, Peace, Love

SEMESTER 1, 2018

15 points

 
Course Convenor: 

Franco Manai (Italian, ELL)

Email: f.manai@auckland.ac.nz

Phone: 9 373 7599 ex. 87139

Office: ARTS 2-510. Hours:  M 12:00-1pm, or by appointment

 Lecturers:

  1. Professor Tom Bishop (English)
  2. Associate Professor Mark Amsler (Comparative Lit, ELL)
  3. Associate Professor Tracy Adams, (French, ELL)
  4. Associate Professor Walescka Pino-Ojeda (Latin American Studies)
  5. Dr. Hilary Chung (Chinese, Asian Studies, Comparative Lit)
  6. Dr. Ellen Nakamura (Japanese, Asian Studies)
  7. Dr. Dougal Blyth (Classics)
  8. Dr. Nicole Perry (German, ELL)
  9. Dr. Caroline Blyth (Religious Studies)
  10. Dr. Franco Manai (Italian, ELL)

Course delivery format:

2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial

LEC   Mo 10:00AM - 11:00AM          206-301 (Arts 1, Room 301)
          We 10:00AM - 11:00AM         60-307 (Owen G Glenn, Room 307

TUT   Fr 1:00PM - 2:00PM                260-307 (Owen G Glenn, Room 307)
 
 Summary of Course Description:              

Myths, epics, bawdy tales, satires, songs and plays make up traditions of ancient, medieval and early modern cultures. Compares cultural stories worldwide, from early writing to the French Revolution. Includes the Bible, Gilgamesh, Roland, Shakespeare’s plays, Ancient Greek Drama, Dante’s Divine Comedy, Japanese War Stories, Chinese Lyrical Poetry, Goethe’s Werther. Introduces skills for reading narratives by genre, theme and poetics. Texts are in English, with attention to texts' original languages.

 Course outcomes:

 A student who successfully completes this course will have the opportunity to:

  • acquire knowledge of World Literatures till the 18th century.
  • understand and apply on their essays theory of literature
  • acquire skills in essay writing, critical thinking, academic literacy

 Assessment Summary:

  • 25% In-class test (1 hour/@1000 words). Week 6
  • 25% In-class test (1 hour/@1000 words). Week 12
  • 20% Short Essay (@1000-words). Due Week 7
  • 30% Long Essay (@ 2000 words). Due Week 13
  • Weekly Topics:

 

Course Schedule

 

Mon, Wed Lectures

 

Friday Tutorial

 

Week 1

26 Feb

Introduction

Globalization, World Literatures and World Literature

 (Franco Manai)

No tutorials

Week 2

5 March

The Bible: A Queer Reading of Samson and Delilah (Caroline Blyth)

 

 

Week 3

12 March

Gilgamesh and ancient flood narratives 

(Mark Amsler)

 

Week 4

19 March

Medieval epic and romance:

Roland,

Marie de France Lais

 (Tracy Adams)

 

Week 5

26 March

Dante’s Divine Comedy: Paolo and Francesca

(Franco Manai)

 

 

 

Monday 2 – Saturday 14 April: Mid-semester break

 

Week 6

16 April

Medieval China: Tang poetry:

Wang Wei, Du Fu, Li Bo

(Hilary Chung)

In-class test

Week 7

23 April

JAPAN: The Tale of the Heike

(Ellen Nakamura)

No class on Wed Anzac Day

Essay 1 DUE

 

Week 8

30 April

 

Monday class: The Tale of the Heike (continued)

Ancient Greek drama:

Medea

(Dougal Blyth)

 

Week 9

7 May

Dramatic entertainment: the court masque Oberon, the Faerie Prince (Tom Bishop)

 

 

Week 10

14 May

Shakespeare’s Hamlet and European Dramatic Tradition (Mark Amsler)

 

Week 11

21 May

Latin American World Literature

(Walescka Pino-Ojeda)

 

Week 12

28 May

Goethe’s Werther  and Weltliterature

(Nicole  Perry)

In-class test

Week 13

 

Essay 2 due

Prescribed Texts:

Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner et al. Shorter 3rd ed. NY: W. W. Norton, 2012. Volume One.

 

 Additional course readings will be posted to this website.


Recommended Texts:

 Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.

Course summary:

Date Details Due