"Ideology is always a secondary and derivative thing, and... the primary thing is a mythology.... People don't think up a set of assumptions or beliefs; they think up a set of stories, and derive the assumptions and beliefs from the stories." Northrup Frye, Criticism in Society, ed. Imre Salusinzsky (London: Methuen, 1987), p. 31.

HC 101H, Honors College World Literature: IMMORTAL IDENTITIES

Bishop, Fall '98 | 314 Chapman | (541) 346-0733 | lmbishop@oregon.uoregon.edu
Office hours: Wed., 9:00 am to noon, 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Class hours: Tues, Thurs. 9:30 to 10:50 am; Tues, Thurs. 2:00 to 3:20 pm

Class listserv | Requirements | Extra credit: Informal study groups | Grading | Reading schedule

The human imagination--what we trace through literature--struggles to make sense of our existence. Ancient and medieval poetry, drama, history, and narrative demonstrate the West's attempts to decipher the meaning of life. In this survey of the ancient and medieval western traditions in literature, we will concentrate on the idea of heredity: how do literary texts figure our connection to the past, and what is our role as inheritors of the western tradition? We will assess our texts with an eye to their influences and cross-influences, paying close attention to the history of these texts. Our interest will be particularly drawn to the continuity of tradition, identity, and family, and we will also look at the way literature challenges assumptions concerning cultural and individual identity and heredity. Our reading list includes the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Bhagavad-Gita, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Beowulf, the Song of Roland, and the Inferno from Dante's Divine Comedy. We will also experience an "oral" text, the Mahabharata, in Peter Brook's film version, in order to consider issues of memory and medium in light of inheritance and tradition. Our aim in this class is to learn to read the imagination of the past with sensitivity to history (the past), society (class), individuation (the self), and the centrality of writing to culture.

HC 101H incorporates writing analysis (composition) into the study of western literature. To that end, please be advised of the university's Web-based composition resources. Pay special attention to the "Handbook for Writers" which links to "Basic Prose Style and Mechanics." Review these pages before handing in your papers. My comments about your papers' writing will be keyed, where applicable, to this web resource. (Back to top of page)

Class listserv: We will have an electronic discussion list, histlit, shared with Dukehart's HC 107 history class, to which you can subscribe yourself IF you haven't already received a "welcome message." Please note--if you hit "r" for "reply" to a message on histlit, your answer will be sent to each subscriber. If you have an issue you wish to discuss privately, please use the individual's e-mail address. Other issues of "netiquette":

• please use the list for class-related purposes only;
• ad hominem attacks will not be tolerated, while honest disagreement is part of the intellectual life;
• building on another's message is more salutary than finding fault;
• remember that irony does not translate well on electronic media. (Back to top of page)

Requirements:

• Response papers. You'll write five one-page response papers this term; each will answer a particular question about a text (click here to see the topics and due dates). These are formal papers in the sense that spelling, grammar, and thinking count; at the same time, these are papers in which to try out ideas, to experiment and challenge yourself intellectually. I will read these papers, comment on them, and grade them pass/no pass. Normally, a no-pass paper lacks a thesis and/or contains egregious writing errors. Five passing papers will count as a 4.0, four as a 3.0, three as a 2.0, two papers as a 1.0, and one paper counts as zero, as do no papers. No-pass papers can be re-written, but MUST be handed in within a week.
• Formal papers. Two four-page papers, each of which will use an observation originally explored in a response paper. Paper 1, due Tuesday, Nov. 3, will treat Gilgamesh, the Bhagavad-Gita, or the Odyssey. Paper 2, due Tuesday, Dec. 1, will treat the Aeneid, Beowulf, or Song of Roland. Note draft due date of Tuesday, October 27: you MUST turn in a copy of your rough draft for the first paper in order to get a grade. Note paper due dates: papers must be turned in on the date specified. Formal papers may also be rewritten (due one week after returned, graded), with the two grades averaged for the paper's final grade.
• Writing portfolio. During the term, keep all of your work in this portfolio; at the end of the term, you'll write a reflective essay about your writing, using your portfolio in order to include specific examples of your writing's strengths and weaknesses, and to list what you hope to continue to improve in your writing. You'll give me your writing portfolio, with reflective essay, along with your final exam. Completing this assigment contributes 10% to your final grade.
• Final exam. Cumulative, essay, take-home exam, due no later than Thursday, December 10, at 10:15 a.m. (Back to top of page)

Extra credit: Informal study groups. The learning community of the Honors College affords you an opportunity to test your ideas and grow intellectually in a supportive yet challenging atmosphere. One way to improve your thinking and your writing is to discuss our class readings with your peers. While we will discuss the texts plenty in class, our conversations will continue on our listserv. Additionally, to facilitate our conversations, I will be providing question sheets each Thursday for the next Tuesday's class (with the exception of the last week). Between Thursday and Tuesday you may choose to discuss the question, meaning that you must discuss it with at least one other person, and preferably more, at one time (you arrange the time). Everyone who has discussed the question at one time (in one sitting) may, with the rest of the group's consent, sign the paper, but you may get credit only once for each question or for each text (the benefit you'll receive from chatting about the text a number of times is another matter). The sheets will be turned in at the end of that Tuesday's class; they will contain signatures and, if you wish, further questions. If you complete a sheet for each of our seven texts, you'll receive 5 points extra-credit on your final grade; for six texts, 4 points; for five texts, 3 points, for four texts, 2 points.  (Back to top of page)

Grading: The response papers constitute 20% of your grade; each formal paper, 25%; reflective essay, 10%; and the final exam will constitute 20% of your grade. Please note the University's "grade point value" system effective 9/90, as I will be using this system (unless otherwise noted):

A+ = 4.3	B+ = 3.3	C+ = 2.3	D+ = 1.3
A = 4.0	B = 3.0	C = 2.0	D = 1.0
A- = 3.7	B- = 2.7	C- = 1.7	D- = 0.7

Note that a grade of "C" is, according to academic regulations, "satisfactory," while a "B" is "good." That means that a "B" is better than average, better than satisfactory, better than adequate. The average grade, then, is a "C"; a grade of "B" requires effort and accomplishment.

ALL WORK FOR THE CLASS MUST BE COMPLETED TO PASS THE COURSE. (Back to top of page)

Reading schedule:
Wed. Oct 7--Optional videotape, the Mahabharata, in Honors Dorm lounge, 6:30 pm

Week 1	Sept.29 Class introduction; introduction to Gilgamesh	Oct. 1 Gilgamesh Read the introduction, entire text, and Appendix C
Week 2	Oct. 6 Gilgamesh Symbolic meaning	Oct. 8 Bhagavad-Gita Read "Introduction," "Key Words ," and at least First through Fourth Teachings	*Gilgamesh (#1) response paper due THURSDAY
Week 3	Oct.13 Bhagavad-Gita Entire text read; Dharma	Oct.15 Odyssey Read "Introduction" (pp.1-64) and Books 1-3 (77-123)	*Gita (#2) response paper due THURSDAY
Week 4	Oct.20 Odyssey Books 4 through 12	Oct.22 Odyssey Books 13 through 18	*Odyssey (#3) response paper due THURSDAY
Week 5:	Oct.27 Odyssey Books 19 through 24 *Formal paper draft due TUESDAY	Oct. 29 Aeneid Books 1 through 3
Week 6	Nov. 3 Aeneid Books 4 through 6 *FIRST FORMAL PAPER DUE	Nov. 5 Beowulf Read entire poem; videotape showing
Week 7	Nov.10 Beowulf Beowulf and Arjuna	Nov.12 Song of Roland Intro, thru line 467	*Beowulf or Aeneid (#4) response paper due THURSDAY
Week 8	Nov.17 Song of Roland Have entire text read	Nov.19 Song of Roland Poetry and history
Week 9	Nov.24 Inferno Cantos 1 to 8, 15-16	Thanksgiving Holiday	*Song of Roland (#5) response paper due TUESDAY
Week 10	Dec. 1 Inferno Cantos 19-20, 26-30 *SECOND FORMAL PAPER DUE	Dec. 3 Conclusions	*Inferno (#6) response paper due THURSDAY

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This page created 26 September 1998