ENGL 2111-NET -- World Literature I

Contact Information:

Required Textbooks:

Computer-Related Requirements:

	A computer equipped with 

                -- a reliable connection to the Internet (one that
                   won't be interrupted in the course of an hour)

		-- a modern Web browser installed (Netscape 6 
		   or newer; Internet Explorer 5 or newer;  Opera 5 
		   or newer; Mozilla; Galeon; Konqueror; or Safari).
		   I strongly recommend against Internet Explorer -- 
		   it is junk. You will probably get the best results
		   by using Netscape or Mozilla. (Mozilla is the same 
		   as Netscape except more up to date and without a
		   bunch of clutter added in.)

		-- A working Java installation. If you don't know what
		   Java is, whether you have it, or how to get it, 
		   find a capable computer whiz to help you out. (Be 
		   nice to your neighborhood geek, in other words.)

		-- an IRC-chat client. IRC is the older cousin of
		   AOL/AIM. I have made a client program available 
		   to you: a Java applet which is clickable from my 
		   homepage. We will be meeting in a channel (chatroom) 
		   named "engl2111". For instructions on using the IRC 
		   client, see the "Class Info" links near on my homepage.

		-- (optional but highly desireable) a functioning 
		   computer sound system (a sound card and speakers) 
		   and audio software capable of playing .wav and .mp3
		   files. I recommend installing WinAmp (XMMS if you use 
		   Linux). Macintosh users will probably want to use 
		   Quicktime. Windows users probably have Windows Media
		   Player installed, and that should work, too.

To take this on-line course, you must be comfortable using a Web browser and e-mail.
I will not provide technical support for these basic Internet tools.
I will only provide instructions about accessing and using the on-line tools I will
be making available (a chatroom, an on-line discussion forum, multimedia aids to
the course, and so on). I am especially ignorant of most Macintosh-related lore, so 
you are completely on your own there. The following links should be helpful to you in
downloading and installing the needed software if you don't already have it:

Disclaimer:

The technical and setup information provided on this Web site is for student 
convenience only and does not constitute a promise of computer technical support. 
Students are solely responsible for establishing working electronic
communications in the context of this class and for gaining access to and 
properly configuring computer hardware and software that meets course needs. The 
instructor accepts no responsibility for problems related to Internet Service 
Providers, and will not accept such problems as an excuse for late assignments 
or missed chats. (Students are advised to submit assignments well before the 
deadlines in case problems do arise.) Students are responsible for detecting and 
remedying failed e-mail communications, disappearing file attachments, problems 
in accessing or using the online discussion forum and online quizzes, and 
difficulties in obtaining, installing, or using third-party software. The 
instructor accepts no responsibility for damage to computer hardware or loss of 
computer programs or data that may result from attempts to participate in this 
online class, including the installation of third-party software. Students 
recognize that the class reading schedule is subject to change, as are the 
details of specific assignments, and that the only reliable course information is 
that displayed online in either the syllabus or the online discussion forum. 
Students will not be notified of such changes by personal e-mail, but are instead
responsible for checking the Web site regularly. 

Continued enrollment in this class constitutes acceptance of the terms of
this disclaimer.

On-line Course HOWTOs:

Course Description:

PURPOSE: This course is the first half of the English program's overview of world 
literature from classical antiquity to the present. We will examine works from
both the Western tradition (Greece, Rome, the Jewish Bible, the Christian New 
Testament, and the European Middle Ages and Renaissance) and from several
non-Western tranditions (Sumeria, India, Japan, and the Muslim world). As you will 
see, this division into "Eastern" and "Western" doesdn't always hold up, as
there is a good deal of communication between the two.

PROCEDURES & PROVISOS: 

1. The reading load will be quite heavy at times, so do not fall behind. To help you
budget your time, I have provided "Page Alerts" that explicitly state the amount of 
reading involved. 

2. Class discussion will take place during the scheduled chat times, so it is
extremely important that you be "present" for these. MISSING THREE CHATS 
AFTER THE FIRST WEEK WILL RESULT IN FAILURE FOR THE COURSE. Note that you are solely 
responsible for having the proper hardware, software, data connection, and expertise 
to participate in the chats. (I provide some assistance in getting started under
"On-line Course HOWTOs" above.) Transcripts of the chats will be kept and posted for 
your reference, and will be used in grading. Thus you have to actually take part
in order to not be counted absent. I also maintain statistics of HOW MUCH you
participate int he chats, and this will be taken into account when determining a
grade.

3. To aid you in your reading, I will often make study questions and/or notes
available through the forum during the week prior to each chat. You are
responsible for keeping track of this by checking the forum frequently. There will 
also be weekly optional chats in which you can pose interpretive questions about the 
reading. 

4. Participation in the on-line forum is expected on a weekly basis or better. I
will post a topic or question several days prior to the chat, and you must
respond no later than noon the day of the chat, after which time the topic will
by locked and accessible only for reading, not writing. I reserve the right to
assign additional optional or required work to supplement the forum
participation grade. 

5. The weekly chats provide your only opportunity for real-time interaction with 
the instructor and with each other, and are thus crucial to your success in the 
class. I do not grade or keep roll for the chats, since your grade will be bad anyway 
if you fail to be an active participant. Do not make the mistake of thinking the 
chats don't matter. I don't take roll in my regular sophomore classes, either, and in 
my experience, the students who don't attend are the ones who fail. (As if you didn't 
know that already.) 

6. There will be a weekly graded quiz on the reading. The quiz will be
accessible on-line, and you will submit your answers through a Web
browser. Quizzes will be due by noon the day of the chat.

7. There will be three exams, counting equally, each administered through the 
same Web application as the quizzes.
  
8. Late assignments will not be accepted. Turn things in early if you plan to
be away. 

9. Please note that Inquisition (the testing software we are using) and my backup regime 
make it pointless to claim that materials have been somehow "lost" after being delivered 
to me. It is your responsibility to make sure that they get to me in the first place. If 
they do, they won't get "lost." But since transmission problems are common on the Internet, 
you would be wise to make backups of your quiz and exam answers, or to write them in a 
word processor and cut-and-paste them into Inquisition. 

10. You are also responsible for reading and following the directions provided through 
Inquisition for safe and secure test-taking. If you follow these directions, you will
avoid network timeouts, security breaches, and other such unpleasantness. 


10. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY. Although you are welcome to form study groups, students 
may not share answers with one another when responding to the on-line quizzes or exams. 
Sharing of answers on Inquisition is readily detectable. Such conduct constitutes  
cheating and will be referred to University authorities for disciplinary action. 

Grading Proportions:

Participation will be graded based on the on-line forum (See the handouts
for details.) I reserve the right to assign additional quizzes or writing
exercises that will also contribute to the participation grade. Three
examinations will be given, each non-comprehensive. These will consist of 
identification questions: an excerpted piece of writing will be presented, and 
you must identify it and discuss it in detail, showing a knowledge of the 
entire work from which it was drawn. These passages will be ones that we
have specifically discussed. You will not be tested on the material in the 
headnotes of the reading assignments, but if you are interested in doing well, 
read the headnotes. The course grade will be calculated as follows:

	Exam I         		15%
	Exam II        		15%
	Exam III (Final)	15%
	Forum Participation 	15%
	Quiz Completion		15%
	Chat Participation	25%
			      =100%

Tentative Schedule of Assignments:

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Tips:

Required chat time is 8-8:50 Wednesdays. We will discuss passages of my choice from the 
assigned reading.

An additional, highly-recommended, extra-credit pre-chat in which students can pose 
questions about the reading will be held 8-8:50 Mondays. 

Page reference "(1:2234)" means "beginning on page 2234 of volume 1 of the anthology."

"Page Alert" notifies you of the total number of pages to read for each assignment.

Forum posts will be due by 4 pm Mondays, quizzes by 7 pm Mondays.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WEEK 1 (Pre-Chat Monday 1-5, Required Chat Wednesday 1-7)
Introduction. Discussion of literary terms and critical practice. 

WEEK 2 (Pre-Chat Monday 1-12, Required Chat Wednesday 1-14)
The Epic of Gilgamesh (1:10) -- Page Alert: 31

WEEK 3 (Pre-Chat Monday 1-19, Required Chat Wednesday 1-21)
Excerpts from the Hebrew Bible (1:52) -- Page Alert: 51 

WEEK 4 (Pre-Chat Monday 1-26, Required Chat Wednesday 1-28)
Hebrew Bible continued

WEEK 5 (Pre-Chat Monday 2-2, Required Chat Wednesday 2-4)
Homer, Odyssey (1:225) -- Page Alert: 305 

WEEK 6 (Pre-Chat Monday 2-9, Required Chat Wednesday 2-11)
Euripedes, Medea (1:693) -- Page Alert: 30 

EXAM #1: Available on-line from 6 pm Thursday 2-12 to 6 pm Friday 2-13

WEEK 7 (Pre-Chat Monday 2-16, Required Chat Wednesday 2-18)
Plato, "Apology" (1:779) -- Page Alert: 19 
Thucydides, "Pericles' Funeral Oration" 
and "The Melian Dialogue" (provided on-line) Page Alert: ca. 10

WEEK 8 (Pre-Chat Monday 2-23, Required Chat Wednesday 2-25)
The Mahabharata (1:953) -- Page Alert: 49 
The Bhagavad-Gita (1:1010) -- Page Alert: 19 

WEEK 9 (Pre-Chat Monday 3-1, Required Chat Wednesday 3-3)
Virgil, Aeneid (1:1052) -- Page Alert: 82 

WEEK 10 (Pre-Chat Monday 3-8, Required Chat Wednesday 3-10)
Gospel of Matthew (provided on-line) -- Page Alert: ca. 40 

WEEK 11 -- SPRING BREAK March 15-19

WEEK 12 (Pre-Chat Monday 3-22, Required Chat Wednesday 3-24)
Tale of the Heike (2:2300) -- Page Alert: 24 
Motokiyo, Atsumori (2:2350) -- Page Alert: 6 

EXAM #2: Available on-line from 6 pm Thursday 3-25 to 6 pm Friday 3-26

WEEK 13 (Pre-Chat Monday 3-29, Required Chat Wednesday 3-31)
Dante, Divine Comedy (2:1826) -- Page Alert: 137 

WEEK 14 (Pre-Chat Monday 4-5, Required Chat Wednesday 4-7)
Chaucer, Canterbury Tales (provided on-line) -- Page Alert: ca. 50 

WEEK 15 (Pre-Chat Monday 4-12, Required Chat Wednesday 4-14)
Montaigne selections (3:2632) -- Page Alert: 39 

WEEK 16 (Pre-Chat Monday 4-19, Required Chat Wednesday 4-21)           
Shakespeare, Hamlet (3:2828) -- Page Alert: 175 
 
EXAM #3 (Final): Accessible on-line; time TBA

Note: Even though Exam #3 does not count more than the other exams, failure to turn 
it in will result in automatic failure of the course.