Spring 2005

E 316K • Masterworks of Literature: World (Longhorn Scholars Section)

Course Description

Restricted to Students in the Longhorn Scholars Program of Connexus.

The ambition of the course is to give students a broad understanding of literary and cultural currents at work in the present. The broad terms for some of the intellectual-historical developments leading to the present are The Enlightenment, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, Postmodernism, and Postcolonialism, with influences of French Symbolism, Existentialism, and Marxism. We will read one or two representative texts from each of these periods, with context provided by short essays by philosophers, historians, social theorists, and psychoanalysts.

To better understand the postcolonial, the global, and the effects of internationalism on literature, we will have some extended forays into non-western literature. We will look, across cultures, at such notions as family, the social function of gender, patriotism and war, and the effect of colonialism and technology on the literatures of the world.

Grading Policy

In-Class writing assignments and quizzes on readings 15%
2-3 page review, narration of world cultural event 15%
Class participation 10%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam 35%

Some assignments may be completed online.

Note that the first two elements of the grade are directly related to attendance. You will not get a good grade if you miss classes (more than 4).

Texts

The Longman Anthology of World Literature: Volumes D, E, and F

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