Required Text:

Mack, Maynard, et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Expanded edition.  Vol. 1: Beginnings to 1650. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1995.

Course Description:

English 201 will introduce you to a number of world masterpieces from a variety of cultures. Our most basic goal is to read and enjoy some great literature, but English 201 is also designed to allow you to cultivate your own intellectual interests in the world around you. I hope that by the end of this course you will be more willing and prepared to engage diverse cultures on their own terms while simultaneously looking for continuities with your own, and I hope that these goals will stay with you long after semester’s end. A special focus in this presidential election year will be placed on world masterpieces which address political leadership. From Homer to Confucius to Machiavelli, we will explore how various writers have defined good government, and we will examine how their ideas continue to influence modern political concepts.

Union University’s highest mission is to integrate faith and learning, and English 201 will offer you many opportunities to do so. By examining the literary expression of other faiths we may better understand what makes Christianity distinctive, and by examining the expression of Christianity throughout history, we can approach our faith in a historically informed manner. In English 201, "religio et eruditio" is more than a motto.

Finally, this class is designed to help you read analytically and express your ideas more successfully in speech and writing. In order to achieve these goals you must make a significant commitment to this course. Your reading load will average between 20-30 pages per class meeting, so you need to budget your time accordingly. Coming to class well prepared and willing to discuss the assigned material will make English 201 a better experience for everyone.

Preparation for Teacher Licensure:

For those of you pursuing your teaching certification, this course will help you:

Emphasize the social, philosophical, aesthetic, and historical dimensions of literature.

Understand regional, colloquial, cultural, and national diversity in language and literature.

Know a wide range of literature from many periods and various genres and relate that knowledge to class reading and class writing.

Make connections among various literary selections and between literature and other fine arts.

Relate a wide range of print and visual texts, both classical and contemporary, to students’ lives.

Attendance:

You may not earn an A with more than 2 unexcused absences.

You may not earn a B with more than 4 unexcused absences.

You may not earn a C with more than 6 unexcused absences.

You may not earn a D with more than 8 unexcused absences.

If you are absent while representing Union in an official capacity, you may have this absence excused with a written statement from an appropriate authority. An absence due to illness can be excused with a doctor’s note. If you’re too sick to attend class, you’re sick enough to see a doctor. Even excessive excused absences may prevent you from fulfilling basic requirements of this course, so please stay healthy!

Evaluation:

Exam 1.......................................................................20%

Exam 2.......................................................................20%

Exam 3 (Final) ...........................................................25%

Essay...........................................................................25%

Study Question responses and participation...............10%

The grading scale for this course is detailed in the Union University Undergraduate Catalogue, p. 16 (A 95-100; B 85-94; C 75-84; D 65-74; F 64 and below). All assignments are due at the beginning of class. Late assignments are penalized 1/3 letter for each school (not class) day late. You are responsible for getting me your papers regardless of unfavorable circumstances such as computer glitches. All work must be submitted in order to pass the course, and plagiarism (as discussed on p. 24 of the Undergraduate Catalogue) will also yield a failing grade for the course.

Critical Essay:

You will write one 3-5 pp., typed and double-spaced critical essay in this course. Details on this assignment can be found on the forthcoming assignment sheet.will be discussed later in the term, but in brief, I will be looking for:

A readily-identifiable, persuasive thesis, usually in the first paragraph. Remember, a literary thesis does not merely state a subject (e.g., I will examine Beowulf) but rather an attitude or opinion about that subject (e.g., While Beowulf appears to endorse a heroic code, it undercuts that code in Beowulf’s final battle). The best thesis statements go beyond making obvious observations. Consult the forthcoming thesis handout for further direction.

Your own points supported by concrete examples drawn from the text. Be sure to provide critical analysis and discussion of plot summary passages and long quotations. Remember the 50/50 rule: 50% text, 50% you. There is no need to consult secondary criticism for this assignment.

Obsessive attention to grammar and style concerns.

Exams:

There will be three exams which will consist of objective and short essay questions. Major sections on previous exams have been: 1) Dates; 2) Identification and discussion of critical terms and characters; and 3) Identification and discussion of key passages. There is no spoon-feeding in this class. When we pause to discuss a critical term, a key passage, or prominent character, that’s your cue to pay close attention and take notes. The final exam for this course will feature a long essay which will likely be cumulative, as required by the University. There will be no alternates given for these exams; if you anticipate that an excused absence will conflict with an exam, please speak with me well ahead of time. You are responsible for furnishing your own bluebooks (exam booklets), which can be purchased at Lifeway.

Study Questions:

In lieu of quizzes, I will assign a study question per class meeting to help guide your reading and make sure all students are keeping up. On occasion I will ask to see your responses, which will be graded on a -, , and + basis, roughly equivalent to an C, B, and A. However, the Study Question is not merely a policing measure; often the question will deal with a core concern, a critical term, or a key passage which will help you better engage the text and which you will see again on an exam or as part of a writing assignment. Study questions also serve as a springboard into class discussion.

Miscellany:

As per a departmental requirement, I keep all exams and papers for one year. You should also keep a copy of all out-of-class work in case I lose anything. Note that PowerPoint presentations can be found in the "Richardson" folder on the O: drive of any networked computer. This syllabus and first-day handout may be revised as necessary. I encourage you to call me in my office or at home (422-3609; 8:00 am-10:00 pm, please) if you need anything. If you have any concerns about this course, don’t wait until the last minute to voice them--talk to me while we can take steps to make this course a positive experience for you.

Syllabus

N.B. The critical terms list will be augmented as the semester progresses.

Friday, September 1 Introductory comments; discussion of texts, syllabus, policies, and goals.

An introduction to the world of Gilgamesh.

Monday, September 4 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY (NO CLASS).

Wednesday, September 6 Gilgamesh, parts 1-3; pp. 10-31

Study Question: Gilgamesh sets a pattern many epics follow in that there is a

helper/friend for this hero; (cf. Achilles and Patroclus, Aeneas and Pallas, Beowulf and

Wiglaf). Why wasn’t Gilgamesh enough to carry this narrative? From a literary

standpoint, what is the point of including Enkidu in the narrative? Is he necessary?

What’s his role? What does he teach Gilgamesh?

Critical Terms: cuneiform.

LAST DAY TO ADD A CLASS.

Friday, September 8 Gilgamesh, parts 4-7; pp. 31-42.

Genesis 6-9; pp. 68-71.

Study Question: In one paragraph, compare and contrast the Gilgamesh flood narrative

with the Genesis flood narrative.

Monday, September 11 "Homer"; "The Iliad," pp. 116-18.

Homer, Iliad, pp. 122-44.

Study Question: What is your impression of the role women play in Greek heroic

culture as presented by Homer?

Critical Terms: epic, epic simile, oral-formulaic theory, invocation of the muse,

in medias res, timé, epithet.

Wednesday, September 13 Homer, Iliad, pp. 144-62.

Study Question: To what extent is Achilles justified in withdrawing from battle?

Friday, September 15 Homer, Iliad, pp. 162-87.

Study Question, Option A: For many students, the lengthy ekphrasis, or descriptive

poetry about the Shield of Achilles on pp. 174-77 seems an annoying digression. For

Homeric scholars, the passage is one of the highlights of the poem. What do the scholars

see in this ekphrasis? How can you defend this seemingly irrelevant passage? What’s

Homer’s point here?

Study Question, Option B: If you are of an artistic bent, try to draw some or all

of the scenes on the Shield of Achilles. Approximately what would this shield look like?

Critical Terms: ekphrasis.

Monday, September 18 Homer, Iliad, pp. 187-218.

Study Question, Option A: This very bloody epic, which largely concerns itself with the

"wrath of Achilles" and the deeds of heroes, concludes not with some great battle scene

but with Priam’s embassy to ransom the body of his fallen son. Why did Homer

conclude this epic with such a potentially anticlimactic event?

Study Question, Option B: After having read representative excerpts from the Iliad,

discuss Homer’s attitude towards war. Is the Iliad a glorification or a condemnation of

the Greek heroic age?

Wednesday, September 20 Virgil, Aeneid, pp. 997-1030.

Study Question: Compare and contrast Aeneas’ account of the Trojan War in

Book II with Homer’s account. Is the view we get of the Greeks and Trojans

fundamentally the same, or are there significant differences?

Critical Terms: epic, in medias res, pietas, palladium, Augustus Caesar, epithet,

Battle of Actium.

Friday, September 22 Virgil, Aeneid, pp. 1030-50.

Study Question: Book IV recounts one of the world’s great love stories, that of Aeneas

and Dido. A critical question which has plagued scholars for centuries is whether or not

Aeneas and Dido can be said to be "married" in pp. 1033-35. What do you think?

Critical Terms: Punic Wars, Cleopatra, Marc Antony.

Monday, September 25 Virgil, Aeneid, pp. 1050-65.

Study Question: Virgil modelled the "Shield of Aeneas" passage in Book VIII on the

"Shield of Achilles" passage in the Iliad. Compare and contrast these two ekphrastic

passages with one another. How are the narrative purposes alike? Different?

Wednesday, September 27 Virgil, Aeneid, catch-up.

Study Question: Jasper Griffin on the Aeneid’s artistic ambiguity: "We have already seen that the parade of Roman heroes at the end of Book 6 is . . . a virtuoso intertwining of positive optimism with pathos and despair. The story of Dido is yet larger: Aeneas is right to leave her, the establishment of Rome is the overriding aim of the poem and of history, and yet neither Aeneas nor we can feel happy about her suffering and ruin, and the hasty departure of the hero from her shores is unedifying. Finally the whole poem, with its interplay of moods and directions--the story of a triumphant career which opens with the hero wishing he were dead, and ends with him forced to kill a helpless opponent in a storm of passionate rage--is itself an example of this calculated ambiguity. In mathematics the combination of a plus and a minus is a simple self-cancelling, leaving nothing; but an artist, if he is skilful enough, can find another, more mystical mathematics, in which that is not true. It is Virgil’s achievement to have done that, and so to have left us a work of inexhaustible inwardness, the greatest of all achievements of the creative mind of Rome, and the truest interpretation of her history." In your own words, explain what you think Jasper Griffin means by Virgil’s "mystical mathematics."

Friday, September 29 "From Roman Empire to Christian Europe," pp. 1113-17.

Augustine, Confessions, pp. 1132-58.

Study Question: Augustine, in his Confessions, details the spiritual struggles which led to

his conversion on April 23, 387 AD. How were his spiritual struggles in the late fourth

century similar to those of Christians today?

Critical Terms: heresy, Arianism, apologist, saints’ relics.

Monday, October 2 EXAM 1. BRING 1-2 BLUEBOOKS.

Wednesday, October 4 Ovid, Metamorphoses, pp. 1065-82.

Study Question, Option A: Compare Ovid’s account of the Great Flood (pp. 1072-76)

with that of Gilgamesh and Genesis. What similarities and differences do you see?

Study Question, Option B: Read the comments on p. 108 about the Greco-Roman

pantheon. How does Ovid portray the gods? Is he playful? Reverent? Do you

think Ovid believes in the gods?

Friday, October 6 Ovid, Metamorphoses, pp. 1082-91.

Study Question: What are your impressions of Ovid the scientist-philosopher? How

does the Pythagorean view of the physical universe (as interpreted by Ovid) square with

modern scientific knowledge?

Critical Terms: metempsychosis.

Monday, October 9 Bhagavad-G t , pp. 957-75.

Study Question, Option A: Briefly explain in your own words why, according to

Krishna, Arjuna should not worry about killing his enemy.

Study Question, Option B: Compare and contrast the Hindu concept of metempsychosis

with the Pythagorean one.

Critical Terms: karma, dharma, atman, Brahman, yoga, moksha, nirvana, bhakti, caste.

Wednesday, October 11 Confucius, Analects, pp. 788-99.

Study Question: The philosophy of Confucius has dramtically influenced political

science in Asia. After reading these scattered sayings, write a paragraph describing the

ideal state or government according to Confucius. How would people act? How would

officials behave? What role would religion play? What role would education play?

What would people want?

Critical Terms: ju, li, ch’un tzu.

Friday, October 13 Po Chü-i, poems, pp. 1320-25.

Study Question: It has been said that Po Chü-i promulgates the philosophy of Confucius

in his poetry. In what ways can it be said that Po Chü-i is a "Confucian" poet?

Critical Terms: T’ang Dynasty.

Monday, October 16 The Mali Epic of Son-Jara, pp. 2335-68.

Study Question: The account of how Son-Jara’s mother, Sugulun Kòndè, comes to dwell

with the Manden is full of supernatural occurrences (e.g., the buffalo witch). What might

be the purpose(s) behind all of this supernaturalism?

Critical Terms: oral-formulaic theory, griot, ideophone, jinn, fetish.

Wednesday, October 18 The Mali Epic of Son-Jara, pp. 2368-88.

Study Question, Option A: Compare and contrast Son-Jara and Aeneas as founding

figures.

Study Question, Option B: Review the competition between Sumamuru and Son-Jara to

win the favor of the nine Queens of Darkness. What is their role? Why is their favor so

crucial to Son-Jara?

Friday, October 20 FALL HOLIDAY (NO CLASS).

Monday, October 23 Son-Jara Jeopardy!

Wednesday, October 25 Lecture: Writing essays about literature.

Friday, October 27 Beowulf, pp. 1546-64.

Study Question, Option A: What can you tell about early Germanic culture from the

opening 52 lines of Beowulf? What is important? What are the prevailing religious

beliefs?

Study Question, Option B: The religious identity of the poet has been debated for many

years. Some scholars believe that the poem was originally a pagan celebration of a

great hero, and that the references to Christianity were added later by monks who

recorded the legend. Other scholars believe the original poet was a Christian who knew

enough about paganism to reconstruct a pre-Christian setting for the poem. What do you

think? Is Beowulf fundamentally a pagan poem with a Christian veneer, or does it seem to

have been written by a Christian poet from the start?

Critical Terms: epic, alliteration, wyrd, wergild, dom, flyting, kenning.

Monday, October 30 Beowulf, pp. 1564-86.

Study Question: Review pp. 1584-86. Record some of the advice Hrothgar gives

Beowulf in this "sermon." Why do you think Hrothgar is telling Beowulf all this?

Critical Terms: freoðuwebbe.

Wednesday, November 1 Beowulf, pp. 1586-1602.

Study Question: Here Beowulf resolves to fight the dragon single-handedly. Critique his

decision. Is it heroic or foolish? How do you think the poet regards this decision?

Friday, November 3 Beowulf, pp. 1602-13.

Study Question: The final line of Beowulf is mistranslated in your text. Instead of saying

that Beowulf was "so deserving" of praise, the Old English actually says that he was the

"most eager" for praise (OE lofgeornost; "praise-eager-est"). Discuss the implications of

the correct translation.

Monday, November 6 EXAM 2. BRING 1-2 BLUEBOOKS.

Wednesday, November 8 "The Golden Age of Japanese Culture," pp. 2057-59.

The Kokinsh , pp. 2074-87.

Study Question Option A: Mono no aware is a Japanese phrase which means something

like "a sense of the sadness of things . . . a calm, sedate, and meditative sense of the

universality of loss and sadness." This aware is said to be a defining feature of the

Kokinsh . Where do you see it exemplified in these poems?

Study Question Option B: As the Kokinsh demonstrates, classical Japanese poetry is

concerned with the primal appreciation of beauty even in the most everyday of

experiences. After reading these poems, try writing your own imitation of a Kokinsh

poem.

Critical Terms: mono no aware.

Friday, November 10 Sei Sh nagon, The Pillow Book, pp. 2188-2218.

Study Question: The next work we’re going to read, Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji, is

principally concerned with the love affairs of the title character. After reading the

selections from The Pillow Book, detail your impressions of male-female relationships in

Heian Japan.

Critical Terms: zuihitsu, okashi.

Monday, November 13 Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji, pp. 2087-2118.

Study Question, Option A: In "The Broom Tree" episode, we listen as Genji, his best

friend T No Ch j , a guardsman, and a minister of rites discuss the various types of

women. What do we learn about the status of women from their conversation? Do you

think their conversation offers a reliable portrait of women in medieval Japan?

Study Question, Option B: Compare and contrast Murasaki Shikibu’s account of

love in medieval Japan with Sei Sh nagon’s. Are their visions similar or fundamentally

different?

Wednesday, November 15 Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji, pp. 2118-39.

Study Question, Option A: On pp. 2128-30 we see that the jealousy of one of Genji's

lovers (the Rokuj Lady) manifests itself in the form of a spirit and kills Wild Carnation

(see p. 2118, note 5, and p. 2150, note 9). To what extent is Genji culpable for Wild

Carnation’s death? What is your opinion of Genji’s actions in the immediate aftermath of

her death?

Study Question, Option B: It has been said that mono no aware is the overarching

aesthetic of the Tale of Genji. To what extent does this novel exhibit this trait?

Critical Terms: mono no aware.

Friday, November 17 Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji, 2139-59.

Study Question: In this chapter Genji rejects the life of the court and goes into exile at

Suma, where he focuses on acquiring spiritual peace. Do you really believe Genji

changes during this exile? Why or why not?

Critical Terms: Buddhism, sutra.

Monday, November 20 Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji, 2159-78.

Study Question, Option A: What is your reaction to Genji’s treatment of the Akashi

Lady? How is this affair different from all the others, if at all?

Study Question, Option B: In the opening of the tale (p. 2096) we learn that Genji is

given the epithet "The Shining Genji." Clearly Genji is supposed to be Our Hero, yet his

actions throughout this narrative have angered nearly every English 201 student who has

read this tale. Why is Genji given this epithet? Why is he so well-regarded by the other

characters in the narrative? Why might he have been admired in medieval Japanese

culture?

Critical Terms: koto.

Wednesday, November 22 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY (NO CLASS).

Friday, November 24 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY (NO CLASS).

Monday, November 27 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pp. 1960-87.

Study Question: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight opens with a Yuletide celebration at

Camelot. In what ways does the poet seem complimentary of Arthur’s court? In what

ways does he seem critical?

Critical Terms: bob and wheel, alliteration, Alliterative Revival.

Wednesday, November 29 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, pp. 1987-2017.

Study Question: In the introduction to her translation of SGGK, Marie Borroff writes,

"We are placed on the side of mortality itself, and can thus, with the Green Knight,

forgive Gawain for his single act of cowardice: what he did was done not out of

sensual lust but for love of life--‘the less, then, to blame.’ In the context of this

affectionate sympathy, Gawain’s own violent anger at the revelation of his fault must

itself be viewed with amusement, as part of his human fallibility." To what extent do you

believe Gawain’s shame at the end of this narrative is part of his "human fallibility"? To

what extent is it a noble trait?

Friday, December 1 Gawain and the Green Knight video.

Study Question: Review the final lines of the poem. How does the Arthurian court

receive Gawain? Is it proper for Arthur to give each knight a green sash? Why or why

not?

CRITICAL ESSAY DUE.

Monday, December 4 Desiderius Erasmus, The Praise of Folly, pp. 2411-33.

Study Question: Part of the pleasure (and the point) of reading The Praise of Folly is

determining how seriously to take certain portions of Erasmus’ tongue-in-cheek

masterpiece. With respect to "Christian folly" (pp. 2429 ff.) when does Erasmus really

criticize Christian thought and practice? When are his "criticisms" really

commendations?

Critical Terms: Renaissance, humanism, encomium.

Wednesday, December 6 Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince, 2433-48.

Study Question: Today the term "Machiavellian" has come to mean "suggestive of or

characterized by expediency, deceit, and cunning." To what extent is this a well-

deserved connotation? To what extent is Machiavelli’s political advice reprehensible?

To what extent is it realistic, albeit cynically so?

Friday, December 8 TBA.