CMP/LIT231-01: World Literature to 1700: Journeys
Fall 2006 & Spring 2007
Dr. Harriet Hustis, Bliss 201
Office Hrs. 5:30-6:30 p.m. MTH and by appointment

Required Texts (Available for purchase at the TCNJ Bookstore or follow links to Amazon. com)  Feel free to borrow texts from the library; ISBN #s are given for your convenience):

Homer, Odyssey, Tr. Lattimore, Harper Perennial ISBN 0060904798. (TCNJ Bookstore may have a different translation; they may also have copies of this translation.)
Dante, Inferno. Bantam ISBN 0553210696.  (TCNJ Bookstore will have a different translation from the one I'll be using.)
Wu Cheng-en, Monkey, Tr. Waley, Grove Press, 1994 ISBN 0802130860
Buck, Mahabharata, U of Calif. Press, ISBN 0520227042
Buck, Ramayana, U. of Calif. Press, ISBN 0520227034
Heike, Tr. McCullough, Stanford UP ISBN 0804718032

Additional materials will be made available in SOCS Resources

Course Requirements and Grading:

Two 7-pg. papers worth 30% each: 60% total
Final 8-10-pg. paper worth 20%
Attendance & Class participation worth 20%

Quality supersedes quantity: I expect your contributions to course discussions to reflect your thoughtful engagement with the assigned materials, and I expect your papers and examinations to represent your best analytic writing.  You will be expected to attend class regularly, and to have completed the assigned readings in preparation for class discussion.  Failure to attend class regularly will result in a failing grade for the attendance and participation component of your grade for this course.

Although more specific guidelines will be distributed in the weeks before a paper is due (and I strongly encourage you to schedule a conference with me if you have specific questions or would like my feedback on a rough draft), in general, you should keep in mind the following:

·         You should not simply "answer" the questions: any paper submitted for this course must have its own thesis and support its argument with detailed textual analysis.  Focus on one or two specific scenes or descriptions, and analyze the language, imagery, symbolism, etc.  Do not summarize the plot!  Focus on questions of "how" effects are created in each text, and, more importantly, "why."  Pay attention to details: don't simply generalize. 

·         You will not be able to "cover" an entire work in the space of a short paper: it is up to you to choose the specific examples and passages that best support your interpretation.  Don't "ignore" points that you don't "like" or that don't "interest" you, especially if they are points that might call your thesis into question: think about what objections someone might pose to your argument, and be sure to address those.

·         When analyzing two or more texts, be sure to balance your treatment of each text equally and try not to focus more on one than on the other.  Avoid playing analytical "ping-pong": don't just hop back and forth between texts and then conclude, "Inferno does X and The Ramayana does Y, therefore the two works are different."

·         Remember: characters aren't people!!!  They are textual constructions: you need to move beyond simply identifying whether you "like" a particular character or text and why.  Do not speculate about how they could be different if they did different things or made different choices: although this may make for an interesting conversation, it is not the purpose of an analytical essay.

·         Spelling, grammar, style, and vocabulary always count: a poorly-written paper with great ideas is still a poorly-written paper!  You should review the Grading Guide that I use to evaluate written assignments submitted for my courses before submitting a final draft.

Syllabus