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| ENGL211 : Introduction to Literature |
Professor: Jennifer Sparrow
College: Medgar Evers College |
Semester: Fall 2007
Time: Th 3-5:40PM (for just three meetings over the term)
Section: 008
Credits: 3
Hours: 3 |
Discipline: English
Level: Undergraduate
Format: Asynch |
Course Description:
English 211, Introduction to Literature, introduces students to the genres of fiction, poetry, and drama. Emphasis will be placed on the formal and thematic concerns of the literature as well as its relation to the physical, social, political, and intellectual landscape.
We will begin with an introduction to the terminology used to discuss and to write about works of literature (plot, setting, conflict, theme, etc.). We will then read Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," making use of this critical vocabulary in our first online Discussion Board.
Next we will read and discuss two sets of paired texts: William Shakespeare's The Tempest (1623) with Aime Cisaire's A Tempest (1969); and excerpts from Dante Alighieri's The Inferno (1313) with Gloria Naylor's Linden Hills (1985). As we read these twentieth century re-writings of canonical works from the Western literary canon, we will explore the ways in which Naylor and Cisaire adapt the characters, plot, and structure of the original works to address contemporary social and political realities.
The last two works we will read this semester, Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and Charles Chesnutt's short stories (1899), examine the problem of the color line (relations between white and black Americans) at the turn of the twentieth century from the perspective of an African-American writer (Chesnutt) and an white writer (Twain). |
Special Requirements:
You will need a computer with Microsoft Word, internet access, and the ability to send and receive e-mail (you cannot use a Hotmail address).
You must be registered on the CUNY Portal (here is the URL)
https://blackboard-doorway.cuny.edu/
and make sure that the e-mail address that you wish to use for the course entered into your personal information in e-SIMS. |
Online Component:
This online section of English 211 affords you the opportunity to work from your home, at a time most suitable to your individual schedules. Yet, in order to master the contents of this course, in addition to reading the texts discussed above, you should spend at least three hours a week logged on to the course website, reading lectures, completing threaded discussions, exploring external links, and working with other members of your online group.
Note that we will be meeting in person at our assigned place and meeting time three times over the course of the semester: once for a course orientation, once to view a film, and once for the midterm, so you should make sure that your schedule will permit you to attend these important class meetings. |
Pre-requisites:
A grade of C or better in ENGL150 (College Composition II) |
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© City University of New York, 2007
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