General Syllabus

DESCRIPTION

English 2111, 2112, and 2113 provide students with an overview of literary works and cultural movements from a global perspective within set historical periods: 2111, from the beginning of writing to the end of the classical period; 2112, from the fourteenth into the seventeenth century; 2113, from the seventeenth century to the present. 

CONTENT STANDARDS

ENGL 2111, 2112, and 2113 are world literature courses that VSU students take to fulfill in part the core curriculum requirements in Area C: Humanities/Fine Arts.  Each course fosters an understanding of literature in the period or area it covers. Students will

· acquire a knowledge of figurative language, as well as of literary genres, movements, and conventions to interpret works of poetry, fiction, non-fiction prose, drama, and oral performance;

· acquire a knowledge of key facts, concepts, and values of the historical periods and cultures addressed by that course;

· acquire a sensitivity to the contexts in which that literature was and is written and read;

· use this knowledge and sensitivity to write analyses of literary works.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Assignments remain at the discretion of the instructor. Previous courses have incorporated the following: quizzes, exams, research assignments, short papers, reading journals, reading responses, oral presentations, and/or creative projects.

In addition to demonstrating an understanding of a text's content, excellence in literary analysis may be distinguished by the following characteristics:

· sensitivity to nuances in literal and figurative language;

· awareness of the relation between language and theme/idea/impression;

· accurate assessment of the relationship between genre and individual work;

· awareness of the literary, historical, intellectual, and cultural traditions that inform a work;

· understanding of the relation of a work to its contemporary and/or our present culture;

· recognition of the way in which a work resists or promotes social change;

· identification of meaningful deviations from conventions or literary movements.

Instructors' individual syllabi will establish the bases for final grades and for how performance standards listed above will be met.

MATERIALS

With some exceptions, the common texts are as follows:

ENGL 2111: The Longman Anthology of World Literature, second edition; only vol. A

ENGL 2112: The Longman Anthology of World Literature, second edition; only vols. B and C

ENGL 2113: The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 4th edition, vols. D,E,F

ACCESS

Students requiring classroom accommodations or modifications because of a documented disability should discuss this need with the instructor at the beginning of the semester. In order to receive special accommodations, students must be registered with the Access Office (Farber Hall). If students are not registered, then they should contact that office at 245-2498.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

Students must not engage in academic dishonesty.  In accordance with the Student Handbook's Student Code of Conduct, academic dishonesty includes writing another student's essay, using another student's writing as one's own, or using writing obtained from an online paper mill; obtaining or providing in an unauthorized manner "any material pertaining to the conduct of a class, including but not limited to tests, examinations, laboratory equipment, and roll books"; and engaging in plagiarism, the undocumented use of words and/or ideas from sources such as books, articles, and the World Wide Web. Academic dishonesty is punishable by an F in the course.

CIVILITY

Students are expected to be civil.  The following is not an exhaustive list of requirements for civil behavior: do not engage in educationally disruptive behavior or language; turn off cell phones and pagers; refrain from eating, sleeping, reading extraneous material, and browsing the Internet or checking email; do not arrive late or leave early without permission.  Disruptive students may be asked to leave the classroom and may not be permitted to return to the course.

ATTENDANCE

VSU’s Undergraduate Catalogue notes, “The University expects that all students shall attend all regularly scheduled class meetings held for instruction or examination. . . . A student who misses more than 20% of the scheduled classes of a course will be subject to receiving a failing grade in the course.”  Because content standards of courses across the curriculum differ, students are also “held responsible for knowing the specific attendance requirements as prescribed by their instructors. . . .”