Readings
Garcia,
Monkey Hunting
Le Thi Diem Thuy, The
Gangster We Are All Looking For
Mernissi,
Scheherazade Goes West
Brooks, Selected
Poems
Mukherjee, Jasmine
Banks, Continental Drift
Nabakov, Pnin
Rozan, A
Bitter Feast
Writings
Students will write two critical essays and take one essay
examination. The essays may be either four to five page, typed, and
double-spaced critical essays based on one or more of the assigned readings. For
one of the essays, students may substitute an annotated bibliography of twelve
to fifteen sources based on one of the assigned authors or a translation of a
poem from a foreign language plus an annotated bibliography of two critical
sources on either an assigned author of the author translated by the student.
The translation will be presented to the class. Should you choose to
translate a poem, let me know by the third week so I can schedule your
presentation.
Goals
To
stimulate enjoyment of literary works of the area and eras studied; to encourage
an appreciation of the works in relation to the culture that produced them and
to evaluate their relevance and importance to modern readers; to develop the
ability to read literary texts for meaning, structure, and style; to develop
critical thinking and writing skills through the analysis of literary
works.
Other Matters
Attendance and preparation are mandatory; I am, however, a
reasonable person and will excuse necessary lapses. My desk is in the Humanities
Office, Room 252 of the Bisdorf Building. The office telephone number is
845-6242; my home number is 281-1323. E-mail addresses are: GVathing@nvcc.edu
and TVathing@aol.com.