Class Schedule Changes Due to Recent University Closings

Revised 2/11, 1:29 p.m.

Please note the following schedule changes to accommodate the recent university closings. I have made these changes to the online version of our course schedule, available on this blog (see the January blog archive).

1. Due: online commentary on Death and the King's Horseman. Please reply to my Death and the King's Horseman post by Friday, 2/12, by 5pm EST.

2. Remove Tlali, "Fud-u-u-a," from syllabus.

3. Move Kid's Stuff Learning Activity final paper due dates to: Monday, 2/15, for the 12:20 class; and to Wednesday, 2/17, for the 9:05 class. I will return drafts to the 9:05 class during our next meeting.

4. No commentary on Wednesday, 2/17.

5. Group Community Service Project proposals are due on Wednesday, 2/24. See the January blog archive for the assignment. I will distribute hard copies of the assignment and take questions during our next class meeting. You should begin thinking now about possible group and project forms.

Electronic course reserve materials are ready

Please go here (to the JMU libraries page, click on "course reserves," then "e-reserves," and search under either my name or "GENG 239"). The library has informed me that all titles are now online. See you tomorrow!

Course Description

This course will introduce students to key African, Indian, Caribbean, and Latin American oral and written narratives from about 3000 BCE to the present day. While paying special attention to historical specificity, we will consider the ways in which literatures from various sites around the world suggest varied and dynamic relationships among power, violence, gender, race, ethnicity, and identity formation before, during, and since the imperial incursion. In this context, we will consider the specific material conditions necessary to precipitate organized resistance, as well as the various forms resistance may take. The resulting key questions we will keep before us are: in what ways have power and violence shaped contemporary notions of “the world”? What are some potential responses to past injustices? In what ways can we envision ourselves as productive citizens of our world community? Readings and films are from or are set in Algeria, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Haiti, India, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Malaysia (formerly British Malaya), Martinique, Mexico, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Palestine, South Africa, Tanzania, and the United States.

The Class as Learning Community

Class attendance and informed participation in class activities is crucial. This class is a learning community, and a key element in fostering community is member responsibility to both the self and the community. Each class member must assume responsibility for his or her learning and support the learning of others. Assuming responsibility means preparing for class, asking for help, responding to classmates, and respecting differences. These expectations also apply to me as your instructor.

I expect you to arrive on time and stay until each class meeting’s conclusion. Arriving late or leaving early disrupts everyone’s learning. If you do not attend class, you miss a crucial element of the community learning experience that is a key premise of this course and, conversely, the class misses your unique contributions. Whatever the reason for an absence, the missed learning experience is irreplaceable. If you miss class, you are responsible for obtaining notes, handouts, and assignments from classmates and not from me. More than three recorded absences (one week) will lower your final course grade by one letter. More than six recorded absences (two weeks) will lower your final course grade to an F.

The classroom community can best learn if everyone participates. I expect you to attend each class prepared to contribute productively to discussion and other class activities. Preparation is your reflection on the assigned readings. Productive participation includes, but is not limited to: informed responses to discussion questions related to the readings; thoughtfully answering questions posed in class discussions; sharing your unique perspective or knowledge of course material with the class; and posing questions or offering comments that demonstrate your comprehension and reflection on assigned readings.

Course Readings, Films, and Online Resources

Required Texts:
Aidoo, Ama Ata. Dilemma of a Ghost and Anowa.
Danticat, Edwidge. Krik? Krak!.
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Unaccustomed Earth.
Márquez, Gabriel García. Collected Stories.
Soyinka, Wole. Death and the King’s Horseman.

Required Photocopied Readings (reserved at Carrier Library; see schedule):
Armah, Ayi Kwei, and A. K. Lam. Selection from Hieroglyphics for Babies.
Chesaina, C. “The Man Who Never Attended Public Gatherings,” and selected Kalenjin proverbs, from Oral Literature of the Kalenjin.
de Landa, Diego. Selection from Relación de las cosas de Yucatán (Account of Things in Yucatán).
Fanon, Frantz. Selection from The Wretched of the Earth.
Kipury, Naomi. “The Girl Who Married a Crow,” “The Greedy Man Who Almost Went Hungry,” “The Sun and the Moon,” and selected Maasai proverbs, from Oral Literature of the Maasai.
Neruda, Pablo. “The Beggars” and “The United Fruit Co.”
Tlali, Miriam. “Fud-u-u-a.”

Recommended Text: The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th edition or later.

Required Films (reserved at Carrier Library; see schedule):
Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate). Dir. Alfonso Arau (DVD #5158).
In the Name of Liberation: Freedom by any Means. Dir. Jon Blair (DVD #957).
Life and Debt. Dir. Stephanie Black (video #7962).
Monsoon Wedding. Dir. Mira Nair (DVD #1893).
Witness to Apartheid. Dir. Sharon Sopher (video #324).

Required Online Resources: Daily access to this course blog for assignments, links, discussion, and announcements.
A JMU email account whose inbox and junk folders you check at least every other day.

Required Writing, Exams, and Evaluation

10%: Class Participation and Written Commentaries: To foster reading comprehension and analytical skills via working together as a group, you will share a written commentary on current course material (film and written texts) at the beginning of our Monday class meetings (unless otherwise noted in the schedule). Each commentary must reference at least one current text or film and provide a quotation and proper citation. I will grade commentaries on relevance to the course, clarity of expression, depth of engagement with the material, and adherence to assignment directions. Examples of in-depth engagement with the material are striving for connections across course texts and attempting to answer your own difficult questions. Each week’s commentary will count as one class participation grade.

30% (2 x 15% each): Learning Activities: During the semester, you will complete two (of four possible) learning activities. You will choose the learning activity that you wish to complete. Each learning activity is listed on the class schedule and must be completed by the listed due date. You may elect to submit a draft of any activity for review and feedback before the final paper is submitted. Optional draft due dates are listed in the syllabus.

40% (2 x 20%): Exams (Mid-term and Final).

20%: Group Community Service Project and Presentation: During the semester, you will form a group with three others to design and carry out a service project on campus and/or in the surrounding community that demonstrates your in-depth understanding of a theme or issue from the course. The project’s purpose is to help students to better understand the artists and the art which we have studied by considering these questions: What social conditions motivate these artists to create? How do they choose their subjects, media, and audiences? How do these artists define “art”? How might the creative lessons learned from these artists inform your own community involvement? Groups will complete the project during the semester. They will then make a presentation to the class at the end of the semester which outlines (and, if applicable, displays) the project’s goals, methodology, outcome, and lessons learned. Projects should above all benefit the community, but projects and presentations must also be creative, well planned, relevant, well researched, and intellectually productive. Your project may engage with an organized service program either at JMU or in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County (see links on course blog for some campus and community examples). More risky, but perhaps more rewarding, the group may elect to design and carry out an original project. Original projects must receive my approval to proceed, but I am happy to consult with students on both original and text-derived projects. Groups must meet with me and present a written project proposal and must receive approval before beginning any collaborative work for credit.

I use JMU’s four-point scale to record and compute grades.

Course Policies

Assignment Format: All written work must be typed, double-spaced, printed legibly in black ink, and follow MLA style. Use The MLA Handbook, 6th edition or later, available in the JMU library and in all local and online bookstores. Do not use online MLA style guides: these are usually incorrect. Unreadable or improperly formatted papers will receive an F.

Due Dates: I do not accept late or emailed work. All work is due in class at the start time. See me before the deadline if you do not understand any assignment or run into any other sort of difficulty. If you will be unable to submit your work at the assigned place or time, make arrangements with me before the deadline to submit it early. Work is submitted when I receive it in-hand, not when it arrives in my mailbox or under my office door.

The JMU Honor Code applies to all work completed in this class. Handing in work constitutes your pledge of academic honesty. Plagiarism will result in failing the course and referral for disciplinary action by the Honor Council and the College of Arts and Letters.

If you have a diagnosed disability, it is your responsibility to notify the Office of Disability Services and me so that we can work together to meet your learning needs.

I encourage all students to access the academic support services available on campus.

Office Hours: Please feel free to drop by or make an appointment to see me.

Inclement Weather: Class meets if the university is open. If I am unable to get to campus, I will notify the class via email and by having a notice posted outside our classroom door.

Course Schedule

This schedule is subject to change according to the needs of the class. You are responsible for all schedule changes announced in class and on this blog. Be prepared to discuss readings on the dates listed. We will view films in class.

M 1/11 Course Introduction: What is (World) Literature?

Oral Narratives and Ancient Writing

W 1/13 Kenya, Tanzania. Maasai and Kalenjin Oral Literature. Kipury. “The Sun and the Moon,” “The Girl Who Married a Crow.”

F 1/15 Kipury. “The Greedy Man Who Almost Went Hungry,” selected proverbs. Chesaina. “The Man Who Never Attended Public Gatherings,” selected proverbs.

M 1/18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. No class.

W 1/20 Egypt. Armah and Lam. Hieroglyphics for Babies (complete drawing exercises and read text).

F 1/22 Armah and Lam. Hieroglyphics for Babies (finish).

Representing the Colonial Incursion

M 1/25 Mexico. de Landa.Selection from Relación de las cosas de Yucatán (Account of Things in Yucatán). Due: Commentary.

W 1/27 Ghana. Aidoo. Anowa, pp. 55-81.

F 1/29 Aidoo. Anowa, pp. 82-102. Due: Online commentary to blog by 5pm EST.

M 2/1 Aidoo. Anowa, finish. Due: Learning Activity: Kid’s Stuff? Optional draft.

W 2/3 Nigeria. Soyinka. Death and the King’s Horseman, pp. 3-37.

F 2/5 University closed -- snow day.

M 2/8 University closed -- snow day.

W 2/10 University closed -- snow day.

F 2/12 Soyinka. Death and the King’s Horseman. Due: (12:20 class) Learning Activity: Kid’s Stuff? final paper. Due: Commentary: online blog post by 5pm EST.

M 2/15 Soyinka. Death and the King’s Horseman.

Art and Armed Struggle

W 2/17 Palestine, Malaya, Algeria, South Africa, and Northern Ireland. Film: In the Name of Liberation. Due: (9:05 class) Learning Activity: Kid’s Stuff? final paper.

F 2/19 Film: In the Name of Liberation. Martinique, Algeria. Fanon. Selection from The Wretched of the Earth.

M 2/22 Chile. Neruda. “The United Fruit Co.” and “The Beggars.” Due: Commentary.

W 2/24 South Africa. Film: Witness to Apartheid. Due: Group Community Service Project Proposal.

F 2/26 Film: Witness to Apartheid.

M 3/1 Mid-term Exam.

Postcolonial Literature

W 3/3 Colombia. Magic Realism. Marquez. Collected Stories, “Big Mama’s Funeral.”

F 3/5 Marquez. Collected Stories, “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” Due: Learning Activity: Gender and War optional draft.

M-F 3/8-12 Spring Break. No class.

M 3/15 Marquez. Collected Stories, “The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother.” Due: Commentary.

W 3/17 Marquez. Collected Stories, “The Incredible and Sad Tale of Innocent Eréndira and Her Heartless Grandmother.”

F 3/19 Marquez. Collected Stories, “Eyes of a Blue Dog.”

M 3/22 Mexico. Film: Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate). Due: Learning Activity: Gender and War final paper.

W 3/24 Film: Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate). Due: Learning Activity: “Poetry of Revolt” optional draft.

F 3/26 Film: Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate).

M 3/29 Film: Como agua para chocolate (Like Water for Chocolate). Due: Commentary.

W 3/31 Haiti and Diaspora. Danticat. Krik? Krak! “Children of the Sea.”

F 4/2 Danticat. Krik? Krak! “Caroline’s Wedding.” Due: Learning Activity: “Poetry of Revolt” final paper.

M 4/5 Danticat. Krik? Krak! “The Missing Peace.” Due: Commentary.

W 4/7 Jamaica. Film: Life and Debt.

F 4/9 Film: Life and Debt.

M 4/12 Film: Life and Debt. Due: Commentary.

W 4/14 India and Diaspora. Lahiri. Unaccustomed Earth, “Once in a Lifetime.” Due: Learning Activity: Reading a Region optional draft

F 4/16 Lahiri. Unaccustomed Earth, “Year’s End.”

M 4/19 Film: Monsoon Wedding.

W 4/21 Film: Monsoon Wedding.

F 4/23 Film: Monsoon Wedding. Due: Learning Activity: Reading a Region final paper.

M 4/26 Film: Monsoon Wedding. Due: Commentary.

W 4/28 Lahiri. Unaccustomed Earth, “Going Ashore.”

F 4/30 Final Exam.

W 5/5 Section 1 (9:05 class): 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Group Community Service Project Presentations. Course wrap-up and reflection.

F 5/7 Section 4 (12:20 class): 8:00-10:00 a.m. Group Community Service Project Presentations. Course wrap-up and reflection.