EN202, World Literature Survey
Honors Linked Course:  “Art and Literature in Context”

Course Description: Survey of world literature from the Enlightenment to the Present, with some coverage of the Renaissance and a focus on cultural and historical contexts.

“The Link”: World Literature, EN202, is linked with Introduction to Art History, AR108.  This means that the instructors for these two courses have collaborated in their course design so that students will have optimal opportunity to make connections between the art and literature of each period.   We have made an effort to maintain a consistent focus and to allow the information from one course to spill into the activities and discussions of the other.   The connection between the two courses also extends to assignments that incorporate the contents of both.

Important Note:  The “link” between the two courses does not extend to the course requirements; students must satisfy the individual requirements of each course in order to receive credit for and to pass that course.  Grading for each course is done independently of the other.

Course Objectives:  This course will introduce students to literary works from a number of different countries, spanning over 400 years.  Given this broad scope, it is not possible to do an exhaustive survey of each nation, period, or each type of literary work.  Rather, each reading should be considered a sample of each country’s and each period’s literature, sparking interest and making it possible for the student to explore each period and nationality further.

An additional objective for this course is to help students conduct research at the Smithsonian Libraries and Museums and to have that experience complement their in-class learning.

Course Format:  In this course students will be introduced to many literary texts through lectures and presentations.   Lectures will focus on the contexts in which the literature appears, including their historical, cultural and political backgrounds.  Students will work in small, informal discussion groups on interpreting literary texts and on developing their own analyses.

Course Requirements: 
Regular Reading:  Students in this course are responsible for keeping up with the assigned reading (there will be occasional pop quizzes).

Attendance and Participation:  Regular attendance is expected.  A maximum of three absences are allowed.  Two latenesses count as one absence.  The instructor reserves the right to drop a student based on excessive absences, particularly during the first four weeks of classes.  It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from the course in a timely manner.  In the event of an absence, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that he/she is caught up with the work.

Collaborative Smithsonian Museums Research and Presentation: Working in groups of 3, students will have an opportunity to research a specific author, literary period and literary text that are of special interest to them, thus specializing beyond the survey level of the course.  This research will take place at the Smithsonian Museums.  The results of this on-site research will then be presented to the class in a 20-minute presentation.  The approach for this presentation must be consistent with the “texts and contexts” emphasis of the course  (see attached assignment description).

Informal Research and Other Assignments:  Occasional homework assignments will have students do independent research to gather information on a historical period, literary movement, author’s biography, or literary period.  This information will be used to supplement assigned readings and class discussion.

Journals:  Students must keep a journal in which they write, informally, at least twice each week. The topics for these entries must be 1) general thoughts and observations on literature and art, 2) responses to an assigned reading, or 3) information culled from the media, relevant to literature, authors, nations covered in class.

Essays:  Students will write two essays in which they discuss an assigned reading using information from their own research.  In one of these essays, you will have the opportunity to research and write about an author and literary text of your choice, expanding on the survey-level information provided in the course.

Required Texts:
Mack, Bierhorst, Clinton et al, The Norton Anthology:  World Masterpieces,
Expanded Edition.  Volume 2.
Diana Hacker, The Bedford Handbook (any edition)