Reading South and North: Literature of the Americas

Fall 2000 -Winter 2001  Group Contract

Faculty: Greg Mullins, SE 3105, x 6243, e-mail: mullinsg
           Office Hours: Tuesday 3:30-4:30  and by appointment

                 Evelia Romano, SE 3113, x 6434, e-mail: romanoe
               Office Hours: Tuesday 3:30-4:30 and by appointment

Library Faculty:Sarah Pedersen, L.3309, x 6647, e-mail: pedersen

Secretary: Julie Douglass, Se 3127, x6550, e-mail: douglasj
 

SEE WEEK 10 SPACE CHANGES

PRESENTATIONS. SCHEDULE

PAY ATTENTION! WE WILL START ONE HOUR EARLIER ON MONDAY, MARCH 12


 





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Typical Week      Assignments   Reading List      Weekly Schedule      Back to home page

Course Description:

Nations, like people, seek identities to explain their place in the world.  Among the attributes of national identity, culture plays a pivotal role, and within the realm of national culture, literature is especially formative.  As a consequence, literature has long been read, studied, and taught as a national phenomenon. During fall quarter, we focused on the modernization processes that took place over the first half of the 20th century and their repercussions on various definitions of nationalism, nationality and national culture. During winter quarter we will explore issues related to globalization and cultural developments in the second half of the 20th century.  At the turn of the century we are becoming increasingly aware of the extent to which culture is not delimited by national borders.  Local economies are fragments of the global economy that embraces and overwhelms them; likewise, individual lived experience is increasingly shaped by the pressure of global culture. We will address the following questions with reference to the literature of the Americas, North and South:
 


Lectures will provide the cultural, historical and social contexts which are indispensable in order to achieve a clear understanding of the relevance of each writer and their period. Other materials, such as Netscape sites and movies, will complement the lectures, readings and seminars. Four credits of this sixteen-credit program will be earned in a literary theory workshop. The theory workshop complements the work in the rest of the program and builds toward our ability to think about globalization in winter quarter.  The concepts explored in workshops will help students understand the conventions of literary criticism.
 
 
 

Weekly schedule

 
                   Monday                   Tuesday                   Wednesday
             10-12 Lecture in LH3             9-11 Lecture, Longhouse 1007  10-12 Seminar, L2127 & L2130
    1-3 Seminar, L2218 & L2219  12:30 -2:30 Workshop, Cab 110
              Literary Theory 

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Assignments

During winter quarter students will have these major formal assignments:

Midterm short essay: One short analytical paper in response to readings and lectures with the opportunity of a rewrite.  The due date for the first draft will be Wednesday of the fourth week; and the rewrite will be due Wednesday of the fifth week. Deadlines are firm and no exemptions will be made.

Presentation: Students will choose a subject for a final presentation by the second week of the quarter. They will turn in a preliminary description and bibliography on Tuesday of the sixth week.  During week six, students will give a preliminary oral report on their research which will develop into a 5-6 page written summary (due at the end of week 9) and oral presentation (week 10). Students will have the opportunity to share and discuss their projects throughout the quarter.

Portfolio: Include 1st and 2nd drafts of first paper assignment, description and bibliography of your research project, the final summary of your research, all workshop assignments and your reflective self-evaluation on what you’ve learned in the program.
 
 
 

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Evaluation

Student progress and achievement will be evaluated based on attendance, participation in seminars, and the quality of assigned work. An evaluation conference and a transcript self-evaluation are required when you leave the program.

Credit:
Full credit will be awarded to students who are fully engaged with program activities and who produce quality academic work.  Credit will be denied for failure to attend, failure to participate, late assignments, or for poor quality work.  Credit will be awarded in American Literature, Latin American Literature and Literary Theory.
 

Reading List: Required texts


Literary Theory Workshop:

Required and supplementary articles and chapters related to weekly topics will be available at Open Reserve in the Library.

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Winter Quarter Weekly Schedule:


Week One Jan. 8-10
 

Read for Monday: Peri Rosi, Ship of Fools
Monday Lecture :  Evelia: Introduction to the program. The postmodern condition.
Monday Seminar:  Introduction to global issues. Form research groups.  Discussion of Ship of Fools
Tuesday Lecture:  Greg: What is globalization? Useful handout on Modernity / Postmodernity
Tuesday Workshop:  Greg:  Globalization and postmodernism: Jameson, sec 1-3 of "Globalization as a Philosophical Issue"
Wednesday Seminar:  Discussion of Ship of Fools
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Week Two Jan. 15-17
 
 Monday:  Campus Holiday
Read for Tuesday: Silko, Almanac of the Dead, pages 1-346
Due Tuesday: Short paragraph describing your research topic and approach
Tuesday Lecture:   Greg: Introduction to Almanac of the Dead
Tuesday Workshop:  Evelia:  Globalization and postmodernism: Yúdice, "Postmodernity and Transnational Capitalism in Latin America"
Wednesday Seminar: Discussion of Almanac of the Dead
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Week Three  Jan. 22-24
 

Read for Monday: Silko, Almanac of the Dead, pages 347-763
Monday Lecture:   Film: A Place Called Chiapas
Monday Seminar:  Discussion of Almanac of the Dead
Tuesday Lecture:  Guest lecture on Almanac of the Dead
Tuesday Workshop:  Greg:  Globalization and postmodernism: Jameson, sec. 4-5 of "Globalization as a Philosophical Issue"
Wednesday Seminar:  Discussion of Almanac of the Dead
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Week Four Jan. 29-31  Research Week
 

Read for Monday:  Selected readings for research
Monday Lecture:   Informal presentation of research topics
Monday Seminar:  Research group discussion.
Tuesday Lecture:  Informal presentation of research topics
Tuesday Workshop:  Cancelled
Due Wednesday: First draft of essay assignment
Wednesday Seminar:  First essay editing session.
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Week Five Feb. 5-7
 

Read for Monday: Latin American short stories (reader)
Monday Lecture:   Evelia: Borges and postmodernism
Monday Seminar:  Discussion of selected short stories
Tuesday Lecture:  Evelia: Borges and the short story
Tuesday Workshop:  Evelia: Feminist literary criticism: Read Ryan, 6.1 and 6.2, The Aspern Papers, and Rubin, from "The Traffic in Women" (1981).
Due Wednesday: Final essay
Wednesday Seminar:  Discussion of selected short stories
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Week Six Feb. 12-14  Research Week

Read for Monday:  Selected readings for research
Due Monday: Preliminary description and bibliography of research project
Monday Lecture:   Preliminary presentation of research projects
Monday Seminar:  Research group discussion
Tuesday Lecture:  Preliminary presentation of research projects
Tuesday Workshop: Evelia: Feminist literary criticism: Read Ryan, 6.5, Morrison, The Bluest Eye, Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (1975) and Bordo, "Material Girl" (1993)
Wednesday Seminar:  Research group discussion

Friday, February 16th: Special event: Lecture and recital by Chicano poet Alurista (attendance is mandatory).
 

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Week Seven Feb. 19-21

 
Monday:   Campus Holiday
Read for Tuesday: Selvadurai, Funny Boy
Tuesday Lecture:  Greg: Globalization, sexuality, and human rights
Tuesday Workshop: Evelia: Post-structuralism: Read Ryan, 5.1, Nietzsche, from "On Truth and Lying" and Cixous, from "Sorties" (1975)
Wednesday Seminar: Discussion of Funny Boy


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Week Eight Feb. 26-28  Research Week
 

Read for Monday:  Selected readings for research
Monday Lecture:   Research group discussion.
Monday Seminar:  Research group discussion
Tuesday Lecture:  Research group discussion
Tuesday Workshop:  Greg: Post-structuralism: Read Ryan, 5. 3, Bishop, "Crusoe in England" and Lyotard, from "The Postmodern Condition" (1979)
Wednesday Seminar:  Research group discussion
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Week Nine March 5-7

 
Read for Monday: Latin American short stories (reader)
Monday Lecture:   Evelia: The world(s) of short stories
Monday Seminar:  Discussion of selected short stories
Tuesday Lecture:  Evelia: Global issues in short stories.
Tuesday Workshop:  Evelia: End of the quarter review of different schools of criticism.
Wednesday Seminar:  Discussion of selected short stories


Portfolio Due on Wednesday: Include 1st and 2nd drafts of first paper assignment, description and bibliography of your research project, the final summary of your research, all workshop assignments and your reflective self-evaluation on what you’ve learned in the program.

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Week Ten March 12-14 Presentations
 

Monday Lecture:  WE START AT 9AM Students' presentations. Lecture Hall 3
Monday Seminar:  Students' presentations. Lecture Hall 4
Tuesday Lecture:  Students' presentations
Tuesday Workshop:  Students' presentations
Wednesday Seminar:  End of program potluck. Long House Cedar Room
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Evaluation Week March 19-23
 Don’t make travel plans until after you have spoken with your seminar leader about evaluation conferences.

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