English 214

English 214 Literature of the Non-Western World Winter 2011 Tue & Thur 11:00 - 12:30 PM LA 376
Maryam Barrie 734-973-3737 Office: LA 300 D Office Hours: Mon 9 – 10, Tue 3 – 4pm/ Wed 2– 3pm, Thur 9 -11am and by appointment Email - mbarrie@wccnet.edu Web Address - http://courses.wccnet.edu/~mbarrie
Grading System Tentative Schedule Home Page
Required Texts: Damrosch, David et al, editors. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. Volumes A, B & F. Second Edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2009. Rushdie, Salman. Haroun and the Sea of Stories. New York: Vintage, 1998. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York: Pantheon , 2000.
and possibly ONE of the following (or select pieces from our Longman text) (for the final project): (We will discuss these options and others in class) Please wait to choose your text for this assignment later in the term Chi, Lu. The Art of Writing: Lu Chi's Wen Fu. Trans. Sam Hamill. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Milkweed Editions, 2000. Conrad, Joseph, et. al. Heart of Darkness, The Man Who Would Be King, and Other Works on Empire, A Longman Cultural Edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2006. Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead Books, 2004. Okri, Ben. The Famished Road. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Rushdie, Salman. Luka and the Fire of LIfe. New York: Vintage 2010. Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return. New York: Pantheon, 2004. Saadawi, Nawal. Woman at Point Zero. New York: Zed Books, 1993, Waley, Arthur, trans. Monkey: Folk Novel of China. San Francisco, California: Publisher's Group West, 1997.
In this course, we will be surveying literatures from South Asia, East Asia, the Near East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. We will obviously not be able to study any one area's literature thoroughly, but will be able to sample several significant authors from each area. Our work will largely involve discussion of the materials read for each class period, but there will also be 10 weekly writing assignments (one to two page Reader's response), quizzes and exams, in- class presentations on the areas under discussion (these will involve outside sources reflecting your research), an analytic literary paper on a short selection of your choice from The Longman Anthology, and a final project involving one of several texts. In addition to the readings from the anthology, some of your assigned readings will be handouts on the Blackboard server. Part of your responsibility in the course will be to print out the handouts in addition to reading them, so that you will have them in class for our discussions [not having copies of the handouts with you in class will put you at a serious disadvantage for the in-class quizzes]. Having a laptop in class in order to have access to the handouts is acceptable, though using your laptop for entertainment during class is not. Accessing the handouts at Blackboard will be demonstrated in class. If you have particular difficulties accessing Blackboard, or printing out the handouts, please contact me outside of class so that we can make special arrangements before the reading assignments are due.
Guidelines for Classroom Conduct In order to establish a respectful and committed classroom, we will discuss and negotiate a set of guidelines for classroom conduct. My expectation is that each of us will be treated with respect, and that each of us will be thoughtful and honest throughout the class. In order to be clear, my assumption of basic classroom etiquette includes that we will: Arrive on time for class Stay in the classroom during class Eat mostly quiet foods, discreetly Take turns talking during discussions Practice active listening with one another Be willing from time to time to read aloud from the text Turn off cell phones during class, (unless you have special circumstances that you communicate to me beforehand) Please no text messaging during class Please don't use your computer for entertainment during classtime. (again, if there are special circumstances, please let me know) Stay awake during class Try to not interrupt when others are speaking Keep our attention in the classroom (and not in private conversation with our neighbors, on homework for other classes, or electronic diversions) Decide together what any other guidelines will be. If you know you will be absent, please communicate with me beforehand. When you are able to return to class, please be sure to connect with me either before or after class. (Asking what you may have missed at the beginning of class is not a good use of the whole classroom's time. Also, coming back after an absence and asking your teacher if you missed anything important is not really a thoughtful question - from my perspective, of course each day we work together is important. In short, it is your responsibility to be up to date with assignments, whether or not you have been attending class) Excessive absences (more than three) or excessive tardiness (more than six) may result in the reduction of your final grade by a full letter grade. Our class will only meet for 45 hours over the course of the semester – so missing class regularly will prevent you from completing the class successfully. If you must arrive to class late, or must leave early, please communicate your circumstances to me before or after class.
Related Links Informed Comment – Juan Cole’s “Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion” (Dr. Cole teaches at the University of Michigan) Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age ONLINE ( The MLA section should help with your papers!) The Rig Veda - selections/support/research/translations World Literature Today - Oklamoha University publishes this journal World Literature Today Article Index - from 2002 - 2006. I have issues from the last sevenyears so you are welcome to use this index to see if I might have an issue that it would serve you to borrow. Saudi Aramco World Subject Index - this free publication touches on many aspects of culture and history throughout the Middle East. I have copies of issues from the last several years so you are welcome to use this index to see if I might have an issue that it would serve you to borrow. Taslima Nasrin - the official website Postcolonial Text - online full text journal Iraq Culture Smart Card - I think this gets delivered to soldiers serving in Iraq University of Military Intelligence Cultural Awareness and Terrorism Studies - I think this will surprise you Revolutionary Afghan Women's Association - front-line group Afghanistan On Line - Politics, culture, history Rumi - collection of poems, songs, information Contemporary Postcolonial & Postimperial Literature in English although under construction, a good beginning for areas in our course Literature & Culture of Francophone Africa & the Diaspora - another digital initiative from Brown University Post Colonial Studies - from Emory University, this site is marvelous - Taslima Nasrin and more! Excellent theory here too! The History Index - exhaustive array of information, much of which is organized by region Harvard Center of Middle Eastern Studies - thoroughly excellent resource - click on "Mideast information" for intensive research options, country by country, issue by issue Al-Ahram Weekly Online - surprisingly independent reports from Egyptian newspaper Internet Guide For China Studies - again, this a part of the WWW Virtual Library - a very well organized site of links Sharon Verba's extensive bibliography of criticism on African Writers - massive collection of articles, etc. on just about every well known African author. While the articles are not hypertext links, many of them are available through the LRC's Academic Index, and through EMU and the Uof M's journal archives. The bibliography is introduced by a very good essay on Female African Authors. You may use Verba's essay as a source. African Studies at the University of Pennsylvania - some good solid information Women of Africa Resource - This site is written in French, but much of it is translatable into "modified" English. There are links here to pertinent and valuable articles, some of which are available in English! Stanford University's African Literature Links - an excellent compilation. South Asian Women Writers - lots on Nasrin, Roy, etc. India.org - The Indian internet system is vast, complex, and not always well organized (somewhat like ours). This is a somewhat coherent place to start. Voice of the Shuttle - click on Literature - other than English, or Post- Colonial Studies, or History - -Marvelous. Wole Soyinka (Stanford University) - Very detailed collection of interviews, speeches, etc. E-Conflict World Encyclopedia - "1400 pages of content intended to eradicate conflict by increasing cultural awareness." -Information on just about every country there is. Amnesty International - important human rights organization - updates on issues in a variety of countries .l Anti-Slavery International - working for human rights around the world since 1834 Africa News - online searchable, regularly updated site - the news as Africa sees it. Lonely Planet - a great deal of current and meaningful information can be gleaned from travel literature - if you are focusing on a region, consider this.
Map Links: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/africa/map [from Vanity Fair Magazine 2007, an index of information and articles on the magazine relating to Africa http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/africa.html - for children, interactive maps of just about all places http://www.yourchildlearns.com/mappuzzle/africa-puzzle.html - for children - 'quiz' type maps to learn countries of Africa http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html from ReThinking Schools Online, interactive map to identify countries in the Middle East http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/ - From National Geographic Expeditions - online maps for educators http://www.intute.ac.uk/sciences/worldguide/ -from Intute: Science, Engineering and Technology - interactive maps and comparative information globally http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/worldquiz.html - I hope this isn't really meant specifically for children. From Lizard Point, Browser-based Activities for Fun and Learning
Please note: I follow WCC policies and procedures regarding academic dishonesty. This means that I routinely check all student work for plagiarism, and will follow the sequence of consequences outlined in the student handbook should the need arise. The minimum consequence for committing Academic Dishonesty is to sign paperwork acknowledging culpability and to accept a zero for the assignment.
If you think you may have a documented disability please let me know. There is plenty of support for you here at Learning Support Services, which you can reach at 734-973-3342.
Grading System Tentative Schedule Home Page