Do I have to bring my three-volume Norton World Literature to class every single day?

Well, not all three.

The syllabus indicates which volume contains the day's reading (see it there, right next to the page numbers).  That's the volume you will need to bring.  Sadly, because 2120 covers roughly the years 1000 - 1700, we will never use Volume A.  I'm sorry it's sold as part of the set, but take that up with the bookstore. 
 

I highly recommend you buy your own copies.  The two exams in this class will depend on your ability to annotate your text, and take careful notes.  It's impossible to do this without the text in front of you, immoral to do with a borrowed library book, and ridiculously difficult to do with photocopies.  Not to mention that you'll spend as much in photocopies over the year as you will on the books alone.  So, tough it up, and buy the books.

By the way, for some reason, students tend to forget that the last two weeks of class requires texts separate from the Norton. Buy it early -- avoid the rush!  All books not purchased by midterm are returned to the publisher by the bookstore -- and these are not books that Books-A-Million generally carries.  If you don't buy Rowlandson's or Momaday's books before midterm, you will have to special order it at least three weeks ahead of the discussion date. 

See the syllabus for the official version.  What I want you to learn is how literature fits into your life, and how it reflects and feeds the rich history of the Western Hemisphere and the Americas.  Because our era is "The Age of Discovery", we will be focusing on the literature that demonstrates the cultural and religious clashes that occur in this era -- clashes between natives and conquerors, between men and women, between church and state, and between Christians and non-Christians.  Because the conquering Westerners brought their Christian religion with them, and made it inform nearly every text, this course will naturally engage many religious issues -- some good, some bad.  If you are uncomfortable with religious discussions, this is not the class for you, and I urge you to drop the class as soon as possible.

You will be expected to participate in class discussions -- which sometimes become class arguments.  Don't be afraid to express your opinions -- and all opinions are welcome and respected.

Beats me.  YOU are the one who signed up for my class! 

Yeah, yeah.  You're going to be an engineer.  Why do you have to read Shakespeare?

To paraphrase Robin Williams' character in The Dead Poet's Society:

"Medicine, law, engineering -- these are all noble pursuits, and necessary to life.  But literature, poetry, drama -- these are the things that make life worth living."

Literature represents the expression of the human existence -- of the joys and pains of living, and of the questions and answers of life.  In literature you see characters and authors wrestling with the questions you have asked or will ask yourself:

• Where did I come from?
• Is there a plan for my life?
• What is the nature of God?
• What is the nature of man? -- of woman?
• What is the role of a man? -- of a woman?
• What do women want?
• What causes jealousy, or hate, or fear, or desire?
• What shall I do?
• How shall I live?
• Who should I love?
• Why does it matter?

And in between these serious and ponderous questions, you'll see smaller, more "human" issues:

• How do you get away with cheating on your spouse?
• Can you lie to a priest on your deathbed and still become a saint?
• What kind of woman has five dead husbands?
• Is it better to be crazy and enjoy life, or be sane and bored?
• Is a man really a hero if he swims across the sea with armor on, or is he just stupid?
• What kind of revenge should you extract if your lover burns your behind with a red-hot poker?

Ready to have some fun now?!