English 2112 is World Literature II, a 3-credit hour course offered by the English Department in the College of Arts and Letters that fulfills the Area C "Literature" requirement, the Area B "Global Course" requirement, or an Area F course for majors that require or allow 2000-levels English courses. You must have earned a "C" in English 1102 before you can take this course.
In this course, you can achieve the following goals:
- Learn methods for measuring the value of selected works of literature around the world.
- Understand the intersection between appreciation, evaluation, and enjoyment.
- Apply characters and dramatic situations to important ethical questions:
- How do we define human goodness and excellence?
- In what ways do the standards of goodness and excellence shift and change?
- What sorts of conflict between values give rise to ethical crisis?
- Interpret characters and dramatic situations as examples of ethical complexity:
- What sorts of choices do characters or speakers make?
- What sorts of values do characters or speakers defend?
- What motivates them to make those choices or hold those beliefs?
- Where does their confidence come from?
- Become proficient in responsible reading.
- Learn literary terms to help you engage with the literature we read
- Analyze works of literature with thoughtful and developed written responses
- Develop confidence discussing literature with your classmates
Texts and Materials
- Texts include free e-texts and The Stranger (available in the bookstore)
- Access to online tools such as this blog, Google Drive, and UNG eLearning
- Several working pens/pencils and lots of notebook paper
- Reading. This course involves more reading than writing. To keep up, you should read diligently, repeatedly, and not all in one sitting. I hope that, with dedicated reading, you will find a new passion, even if you have no plans ever to study literature again.
- How your grade is calculated
Reading Notes
Quote Responses
Test One
Test Two
Test Three
Final Essay
25%
20%
15%
15%
15%
10%
- Bonus Points. Earn extra points for discussion notes.
- Ask for help. If you are struggling or need help, tell me right away—we can meet for tutoring in my office. Please use extra time before class to ask me questions. If you seek help on assignments before they are due, you will see progress more quickly. Be sure to use your UNG email account if you send me an email.
- Take notes. Organized notes taken during both class periods in a week can earn you bonus points. These notes must reflect your attentiveness for the entire class period on both days.
- Participation. All students should try to take an active, constructive part in discussion in class. If the class desires, we will meet in group to discuss various questions. The best way to prepare for discussion is to read and think about the assigned work well before class. When you take reading notes, write down intelligent thoughts about what you are reading, and write down questions you want to ask or comments you want to make. If you would rather not speak during class, please turn in comments and questions that I can express for you. Even if you are shy, you can always engage with the reading actively, on an intellectual level.
- Make-Up Work. Work for this class includes assignments done online as well as assignments turned in during class. If you are unexpectedly absent, you need proof of excuse to turn in work you missed or take a test you missed. If your absence is planned (and excusable), you should do the reading, turn in related assignments, or take the test before your planned absence. Late or not, all assigned Reading Notes and Quote Responses must be completed and turned in for you to keep any extra credit you earn. There is no credit for late work, but you can restore your EXTRA CREDIT by turning in missed work.
- Turning in work. Reading Notes (written on notebook paper) will be turned in at the beginning of class. All Quote Responses will be typed in Google Drive; you must type your work, as you go, in a Google Document. Do not copy and paste into a Google Document from some other place. Be sure to confirm that you have met the word count/length requirement for each writing assignment. You will become proficient in using online technologies for writing, so you will need a working computer with decent internet speed. The computers in the labs here on campus work great if you don't have one at home. Do not use email to turn in any work, no matter the circumstances.
- Email. The official form of communication at UNG is email. This policy protects all of us in the exchange of information. If you need to contact me about anything, whether personal or class related, please use your UNG email account to send a message to matthew.horton@ung.edu. This is my official UNG email address. Check your email two or three times a day for updates. Check it every hour if you have emailed me a question.
- Disruptive behavior. Any behavior that interferes with my learning environment is grounds for dismissal from class. I emphasize the importance of sensitivity and respect in and out of class between you and me and between you and your classmates. Refrain from gestures, attitudes, tones, and words that are meant to be base, insulting, or provocative. Please do not express disagreement with my policies, decisions, or academic help in front of other students; I am happy to field complaints privately during my office hours, so you must set aside time to visit. You should, of course, disagree openly with my literary interpretations that you think are incomplete or misguided. I won't be angry at all; I will be quite pleased and take it as a sign of respect. If I disagree right back, don't get angry or feel embarrassed; just keep talking. Disagreement about literature is a sure sign of its value. Some other rules: if you come to class, don't leave early unless you have checked with me before class begins. You may have bottled water in the classroom, but food is too distracting.
- Academic honesty. All work submitted to fulfill requirements of this class must meet UNG standards of academic honesty. Violations of these standards include receiving or giving assistance on any graded assignment without my permission (aka, cheating), fabricating evidence for use in an assignment (aka, lying), and using another person's words or thoughts in your assignment without giving that person credit (aka, plagiarism). Penalty for committing these acts could range from a zero on the assignment to an "F" in the course.
- Withdrawal. Remember that you cannot withdraw from a class simply by not coming anymore; rather, you must withdraw yourself through Banner Web before the midpoint. Also, I reserve the right to request that you be withdrawn from the class if you miss more the 10% of the class meetings before or after midpoint. Please be familiar with the University Attendance Policies.
- Disclaimer. This syllabus is subject to change to meet the needs of the course.
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