Mead Hall 102 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.
Office Hour: Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in S.W.
Bowne 115 & by appt.
E-Mail: CaptainBlackadder@hotmail.com, mdipaolo@drew.edu
Course objectives:
- To introduce students to some of the major literary works of Western Civilization from the Renaissance to modern times and examine the cultural values embodied in the literature.
- To help students understand the nature and function of literary criticism.
- To enhance critical thinking skills, reading skills, and improve expository writing
Sigmund Freud – Civilization and Its Discontents. W.W. Norton.
Shakespeare – The Merchant of Venice. Bantam Classic.
Virginia Woolf – A Room of One’s Own. Harcourt Brace & Co.
Jane Austen – Emma. W.W. Norton.
Marx & Engels – The Communist Manifesto. International Publishers.
Mary Shelley – Frankenstein. Bedford, St. Martin.
The Autobiography of Charles Darwin. W.W. Norton.
Kahlil Gibran – The Prophet. Knopf.
Italo Calvino – If on a winter’s night a traveler. Harcourt Brace & Co.
Grading:
Your
examinations, essays, and other written assignments will be evaluated with
respect to both the content and quality of writing. Class participation is of the utmost importance, so attendance is
mandatory and shyness is a tendency best overcome. Although my plan may change during the course of the semester, I
expect to give three in-class exams, at least one paper assignment, and several
in-class quizzes. All the work you do
for class will be examined as a whole to determine your grade.
Tentative Class Schedule
Fri., Jan. 26 Introduction to class
Mon., Jan. 29 Read all of The Communist Manifesto
Wed., Jan. 31 Continue Marx discussion.
Fri., Feb. 2 Freud. Read chapters 1 & 2 of Civilization and Its Discontents.
Mon., Feb. 5 Read chapters 3 & 4 of Civilization and Its Discontents.
Wed., Feb 7 Read chapter 7 of Civilization and Its Discontents.
Fri., Feb. 9 Virginia Woolf. A Room of One’s Own. Read chapters 1 & 2.
Mon., Feb. 12 Woolf. Read chapters 3 & 4.
Wed., Feb. 14 Woolf. Read chapters 5 & 6.
Fri., Feb. 16 Darwin. (Reading breakdown to come.)
Mon., Feb. 19 Darwin.
Wed., Feb 21 Darwin.
Fri., Feb 23 First Exam
Mon., Feb. 26 Gibran. Read from “The Coming of the Ship” to “On Joy and
Sorrow” in The Prophet.
Wed., Feb 28 Gibran. Read from “On Houses” to “On Talking.”
Fri., March 2 Gibran. Read from “On Time” to “The Farewell.”
Mon., March 5 Fairy Tales and Literary Criticism (handout)
Wed., March 7 Shakespeare. Read Merchant of Venice Act I.
Fri., March 9 Read Merchant Act II.
Mon., March 12 Recess! J
Wed., March 14 Recess! J
Fri., March 16 Recess! J
Mon., March 19 Read
Merchant Act III. L
Wed., March 21 Read Merchant Act IV.
Fri., March 23 Read Merchant Act V.
Mon., March 26 Shelley. Read Frankenstein from beginning to the end of
Chapter V.
Wed., March 28 Frankenstein. Read to end of Chapter X.
Fri., March 30 Frankenstein. Read to end of Chapter XVII
Mon., April 2 Frankenstein. Finish reading the novel.
Wed., April 4 Frankenstein.
Fri., April 6 Second Exam
Mon., April 9 Austen. Read all of Vol. I of Emma.
Wed., April 11 Emma.
Fri., April 13 Good
Friday. No classes.
Mon., April 16 Read Vol. 2 of Emma.
Wed., April 18 Emma
Fri., April 20 Read Vol. 3 of Emma.
Mon., April 23 Calvino. Read If on a winter’s night a traveler up to page 54.
Wed., April 25 Calvino. Read up to page 140.
Fri., April 27 Calvino. Read up to page 200.
Mon., April 30 Calvino. Read to the end.
Wed., May 2 Calvino.
Fri., May 4 Tentative
date for Third Exam.
