Course Syllabus

Summer 2015 May11-May22 2015

ENGL-205-20: Literature & the Moral Imagination

Williams

208 Hinkle Hall

X2014

williamt@xavier.edu

 

Focus: This two-week intensive intersession course concerns those human beings viewed

            as “grotesque” or “odd” or “crazy” through the lens of normative values (cultural,

            sexual, social, psychological, etc.).  We begin with two classic novels and one

            classic short story (Phantom of the Opera, The Box Man and The Metamorphosis,

            respectively) before examining more contemporary shorter novels and short

            stories. All these stories concern those on the margins of their societies (be they

            American, German, Cameroon, French or Japanese), humans transformed, or

            transforming themselves, into “creatures,” neither animal nor human according to

            the definitions of the “human” (to say nothing of  the “citizen”) in their respective

            cultures.

 

Texts: Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera; Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis;

           Kobo Abe, The Box Man; Ferdinand Oyono, Houseboy; Joshua Kornreich, The

           Boy Who Ate Caterpillars; Javier Marias, When I Was Mortal; Megan Martin,

           Nevers; Sjon, The Whispering Muse

 

Requirements:  Two papers (6-8 pages each). Each paper must focus on characters,

                           settings or themes in three stories (novels, novellas or short stories).

                           Both papers will be due after the end of the intersession. Paper One will

                           be due Friday May 29^th (by email or hard copy placed in my mailbox

                           in Faculty Services on the first floor of Hinkle Hall). Paper Two will be

                           due one week later, Friday June 5^th.

 

                           Two take-home written examinations. The first exam will be distributed

                           to students Friday May 15. This exam will consist of essay questions

                           over the four or five books covered the first week of class. It will be due

                           Monday May 18. The second exam will cover the remaining three or

                           four books, will be distributed on the last day of class, May 22, and will

                           be due Monday May 25^th.

 

                           Regular and consistent participation in class discussions.

 

                           Impromptu quizzes over assigned readings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Student Learning Outcomes:

 

GOAL 1:  Students will be effective communicators in writing and orally

 

1. Students will be able to organize and express their ideas in writing and orally
2. Students will be able to formulate clear and arguable theses, supported by evidence drawn from appropriate sources
3. Students will be able to utilize an effective writing process guided by audience, purpose, cultural context, and disciplinary standards

 

GOAL 2:  Students will be critical thinkers

 

1. Students will be able to analyze and interpret texts, images, objects, artifacts, and quantitative and qualitative data
2. Students will be able to describe the historical, cultural, mythological, and social contexts of texts, works of art, and theories
3. Students will be able to evaluate the strength of an argument or claim and its evidence
4. Students will be able to discussfundamental questions that arise from the human condition, such as questions about the grounds of morality, the essence of justice, the nature of reality, the possibility of certainty, the nature of beauty, or the reasonableness of religious faith

 

GOAL 4:  Students will understand and appreciate the arts, humanities and science disciplines, and reflect on connections among these studies.

 

1. Students will be able to think historically in order to understand the past on its own terms and to understand how societies have changed over time
2. Students will be able to recognize and interpret artistic and literary expression

 

GOAL 5:  Students will be integrated individuals who articulate a coherent, ethical perspective on the world and their place in it

 

1. Students will be able to recognize the societal, ethical and moral dimensions of discourse, art, information, science and technology
2. Students will be able to relate their knowledge and skills in a reflective and constructive way to their life experiences and the challenges confronting today’s world
3. Students will be able to use information and resources responsibly in their communication and research
4. Students will be able to utilize intellectual, moral, and spiritual tools and sensibilities to engage faithfully and responsively in the world for the promotion of peace, social justice, and ecological sustainability

 

GOAL 7 (E/RS):  Students will be intellectually, morally and spiritually educated individuals capable of critical reflection on ethical and/or religious questions of social significance from the perspective of multiple disciplines with unique methods

 

1. Students will be able to analyze rationally competing claims about individual and political justice within foundational philosophical texts
2. Students will be able to engage in critical, theological reflection on ethical and/or religious questions of social significance, using human experience and religious

traditions as resources to address these questions

3. Students will be able to critically read, write about, and reflect on ethical and/or religious issues of social significance through interpretation of literary texts
4. Students will be able to reflect critically on ethical and/or religious questions of social significance through the method of another discipline or through a second course in philosophy, theology or literature.

 

 

Grading Scale:  Paper One:                 20 points

                           Paper Two:                 20 points

                           Exam One:                  20 points

                           Exam Two:                 20 points

                           Participation:              10 points

                           Quizzes:                      10 points

 

Schedule: Week

                 Monday:      The Phantom of the Opera

                 Tuesday:      The Phantom of theOpera

                 Wednesday: The Metamorphosis

                 Thursday:     When I Was Mortal

                 Friday:          When I Was Mortal

 

                 Monday:        The Box Man

                 Tuesday:        The Boy Who Ate Caterpillars

                 Wednesday:   Houseboy

                 Thursday:      The Whispering Muse

                 Friday:           Nevers

 

Miscellaneous: The use of laptops*, cell phones, I-phones or any texting devices during class is strictly forbidden. Any student caught using such devices will be marked absent for the day and will not be allowed to participate in class in any form whatsoever. Students who attend class without the book being discussed that day will also be considered absent and will likewise be forbidden to participate in class discussions or take quizzes. Students who walk into class more than five minutes after class begins will also be considered absent for the day and will not be permitted to participate in class discussions and/or take quizzes. Late papers will be penalized a half a grade per day (not class) late. Plagiarism, intentional or not, will result in automatic failure of the course.