THE BACHELOR OF ARTS IN LITERATURE PROGRAM:
THE CURRICULUM AND COURSE DESCRIPTION
Approved by the Council of Deans of DLSU-Manila in October 2005
For Initial Offering in SY 2006-2007
The Bachelor of Arts major in Literature Program is an answer to De La Salle University’s felt need of enriching its curricula with studies in the humanities. The University believes that the creation of a whole Christian person necessitates a firm foundation in major aspects of literary scholarship – literary research, creative writing, and cultural studies.
Thus, the Literature Program aims to establish De La Salle University as a center for literary studies and creative writing imbued with a sense of social responsibility. It commits itself to the development, promotion, and teaching of subjects that will not only shape the students’ humanistic spirit but also instill in them a consciousness of their cultural heritage.
Since its inception, the Literature Program has produced graduates who have made and are still making significant contributions to Philippine arts and letters, and many of its graduates pursue masteral and doctoral degrees at the University Graduate School.
CORE SUBJECTS (24 UNITS)
Introduction to Fiction (3 units)
Intermediate level study of fiction and traditions.
Introduction to Poetry (3 units)
Intermediate level study of poetry and traditions.
Introduction to Drama (3 units)
Intermediate level study of drama and traditions.
Literary Theory and Criticism (3 units)
Introduction to theories of literary criticism from the beginnings in ancient China and Greece to contemporary theories and criticism.
Introduction to Literary and Cultural Studies (3 units)
Introduction to theoretical and critical perspectives in literary and cultural studies.
Creative Writing for Literature Majors (3 units)
Introduction to creative writing, aimed at honing the craft of students writing poetry, fiction, drama, and/or nonfiction.
Advanced Writing (3 units)
Training in literary research and academic writing, from short critical essays to longer research papers; covers style as well as mechanics.
Thesis (3 units)
MAJOR COURSES (24 UNITS)
Literary History of the Philippines (3 units)
Study of the influences, traditions, movements, trends and issues in Philippine literary developments.
Philippine Masterpieces 1 (3 units)
Introductory survey course on Philippine literary masterpieces.
Philippine Masterpieces 2 (3 units)
A continuation of Philippine Masterpieces 1; a study of Philippine literary masterpieces.
World Literature 1 (3 units)
A study of world literature from antiquity to the Middle Ages.
World Literature 2 (3 units)
A study of world literature from 1500 to 1940.
Contemporary Literature (3 units)
A study of contemporary literary texts from different countries and continents.
Southeast Asian Literature (3 units)
Special topics in the study of Southeast Asian literature.
Practicum for Literature Majors (3 units)
A practicum course for literature majors which may be teaching literature (strategies and theories of teaching literature at the tertiary level), apprenticeship in publishing (training in the literary publishing process, with particular emphasis on the literary editing aspects of bookmaking), or cultural practice (an integrative examination of culture and development, involving training in cultural/art institutions).
MAJOR ELECTIVES (6 units)
Depending on the field of specialization (CL, CW, or CS), the student chooses two courses in any of these topics: genre, creative writing, period, continental and comparative literature, Philippine literature, theory, literature and the arts, literature and the social sciences, literature and the natural sciences, and cultural studies.
Creative Writing
Fiction Writing Techniques (3 units)
The course introduces students to basic fiction writing techniques using different stories as models. It guides them through the process of creating stories, from pre-writing to revision using writing exercises and workshops.
Poetry Writing Techniques (3 units)
The course introduces students to basic poetry writing techniques using different poems as models. It guides them through the process of crafting poems, from pre-writing to revision using writing exercises and workshops.
Drama Writing Techniques (3 units)
The course introduces students to basic drama writing techniques using different plays as models. It guides them through the process of creating plays, from pre-writing to revision using writing exercises and workshops.
Nonfiction Writing Techniques (3 units)
The course introduces students to basic nonfiction writing techniques using different nonfiction works as models. It guides them through the process of writing nonfiction through writing exercises and workshops.
Workshop I (3 units)
This is a full-term creative writing course where students read critically and assess the quality of their creative work as well as their peers’. The workshop is an application of critical reading and literary editing skills within the framework of formalism, meant to help students in the re-vision of their creative work by honing their writing techniques and style.
Workshop II (3 units)
This course/workshop is designed to strengthen the students’ creative and critical eye and to deepen their understanding of their poetics and practice of the literary arts. By the end of this workshop, students present their proposed writing project for their senior’s creative thesis. Fellowships in national and regional workshops may be credited for the course.
Cultural Studies
Introduction to Philippine Cultural Studies (3 units)
An introduction to the different theoretical and critical perspectives in Philippine cultural studies. Explores the hidden history of this tradition, from the ilustrados (e.g. Rizal, de los Reyes) up to the present (e.g. Nick Joaquin, Soledad Reyes, Bienvenido Lumbera, Roland Tolentino). Will also tackle some of the standard founding fathers of Cultural Studies (e.g. Hall, Barthes, Williams, etc.)
Philippine Cultural History (3 units)
An examination and exploration of Philippine cultural forms through history.
Survey of Philippine Arts (3 units)
A historical survey of the various Philippine art forms of the 20th century.
Critical Debates in Cultural Studies (3 units)
The course explores the contentious issues in Cultural Studies, including the various debates between modernists and postmodernists, poststructuralists vs. Marxists, idealists vs. materialists, etc.
Literature and Diaspora (3 units)
Beginning with a philological examination of the origins of this concept, the course will study the cultural production of certain current diasporas (e.g. Filipino, Indian, Chinese, Jewish, African, etc.) to examine the role of culture in creating and perpetuating a diasporic identity ideologically tied to yet physically separated from a "homeland." The course studies how the Filipino OCW and immigrant experience, and the conditions which fuel the Filipino diaspora, are represented in literatures written by and about Filipinos living abroad.
Critical Writing (3 units)
A writing course deploying specific methods and approaches of different kinds of criticism.
Region and Ethnicity in Philippine Cultures (3 units)
An exploration of the concepts and issues related to region and ethnicity in various
Philippine cultural forms.
Cultural Practice [Practicum](3 units)
An integrative examination of culture and development, focusing on the various forms of cultural practices.
Philippine Literature
Mythology and Folklore (3 units)
A study of the myths and folk literature in the Philippines, highlighting their social contexts and their contribution to the formation of a national identity.
Philippine American Literature (3 units)
A study of literature by Filipino writers with American citizenship, practicing their craft in the US.
Philippine Literature in English (3 units)
A study of the development of Philippine literature in English.
Philippine Epics (3 units)
An appreciation course on the Philippine epics, featuring substantial excerpts from epics already in print.
Philippine Theater (3 units)
The historical development of Philippine theater.
Philippine Novel (3 units)
The historical development of the Philippine novel from 1885 to the present.
Philippine Fiction (3 units)
The historical development of Philippine short story from 1914 to the present.
Philippine Poetry (3 units)
The historical development of Philippine poetry.
Sub-Genres
Children's Literature/Juvenile Literature (3 units)
Fiction, poetry and drama for children, pre-adolescents, and adolescents.
Fantasy in Fiction (3 units)
Study of a special and recognized type of fiction categorized as "fantasy" which are creations of high imagination, that is, the magical, the dream-like, the mythical, or the quintessential, unrestricted by reality. Its main purpose is to fulfill the deep human need that may not be gratified in the real world experience, and, within the purview of the learner, it delights, instructs, and it allows the immediacy of participation in the fictionist's reproduction of heroes and situations which enhance as it awakens creativity, wisdom, and the enduring ideal in man.
Science Fiction (3 units)
An introductory course designed to acquaint the students with the genre known as science fiction. The course begins with theories on the concerns or narrative structures found in science fiction and moves on to examples of science fiction from the 70s to the present.
Detective Fiction (3 units)
Introduction to the literature of detection which is variously called "thriller," "whodunit," "tee story," "mystery," and "crime story."
Horror Fiction (3 units)
An introductory course designed to acquaint the students with the genre known as horror fiction.
Popular Literature (3 units)
The course will define literature today in all its various forms and media from visual to virtual, whatever is considered beyond the mainstream and outside academic confines. In doing so, it hopes to facilitate the recognition, understanding, utilization and appreciation of these new forms and render them accessible and comprehensible as literature to the general populace.
Gender and Literature
Woman in Literature (3 units)
A survey course in literature where students will learn how both female and male writers have constructed gender, sexuality, and the power dynamics in such construction in specific cultural and historical context. Feminist reading strategies will be used.
Man in Literature (3 units)
A study of the constructions and representations of heterosexual male characters or personas in selected literary texts using new perspectives on culture, society, gender and sexuality.
Gay and Lesbian Literature (3 units)
An introduction to the works of gay and lesbian writers from Asia, North and South America, and Europe.
World Literature
Asian Literature (3 units)
Special topics in the study of Asian (excluding Southeast Asian) literature, such as major authors, major traditions, literary histories of one or more countries, and major themes.
Literature of Australia and New Zealand (3 units)
Special Topics in the study of the literature of Australia and New Zealand.
South American Literature(3 units)
Special Topics in the study of South American literature.
African Literature (3 units)
Special Topics in the study of African literature.
European Literature (3 units)
Special Topics in the study of European literature.
American Literature (3 units)
Special Topics in the study of American literature.
British Literature (3 units)
Special Topics in the study of British literature.
Shakespeare (3 units)
A study of selected plays and poetry by Shakespeare.
Comparative Literature (3 units)
A seminar on special topics and issues in Comparative Literature.
Translation (3 units, c/o The Filipino Department)
A study of the theories and principles of literary translation; output is a translation into English of a literary text originally written in a Philippine vernacular.
Writing Special Forms
Future Fiction Writing (3 units)
This course introduces students to the best examples or models of science fiction, which they are expected to read critically for techniques. Such techniques are expected to be used in their writing exercises/projects of this category of fiction. Major literary prizes in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature won in this category can be credited for the course.
Detective Fiction Writing (3 units)
This course introduces students to the best examples or models of detective fiction, which they are expected to read critically for techniques. Such techniques are expected to be applied in their writing exercises/ projects of this category of fiction.
Writing Fiction for Children (3 units)
This course introduces students to the best examples or models of children’s fiction, which they are expected to read critically for techniques. Such techniques are expected to be used in their writing exercises/project. Major literary prizes in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature won in this category can be credited for the course.
Writing Travel Narratives (3 units)
This is an introductory course to the techniques needed in writing engaging travel narratives. A significant part of the course looks into the representative texts of travel literature and what they reveal of the motivations of people traveling across geographical and cultural boundaries. The course also examines metaphors for which travel has been used as a life-motif and the corresponding material culture, e.g. maps, ship’s logs, diaries, letters, memoirs, etc. that came out of the act of travel. Students are expected to apply techniques in their writing exercises/project. Major prizes in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature won for a travel narrative in the personal essay category may be credited for the course.
Writing Metafiction (3 units)
The course introduces students to the techniques of metafiction through the critical reading of the best samples or models of the form. Using the traditional short story form as point of reference, the course looks into the departures proposed by metafiction and its philosophical, cultural and material basis in the late 20th up to the early 21st century. Students are expected to apply the techniques in their writing exercises/project.
Special Topics in Creative Writing
Writing the Marvelous Real (3 units)
The course focuses on the best samples of South American literature of the marvelous real. It also explores the relationship between the marvelous and the factual in the many incarnations of this literary style.
Writing and Speaking the Word (3 units)
The course uses the point of view of the performer in studying the interstices and intersections between literature as written text (read silently or aloud) and literature as text spoken from memory. Students read on both critical and performance levels by exploring the connections between body and language, voice and tone, sound and sense, using the best samples from the tradition of poetry as vocal performance, e.g. epic chanting, beat poetry and rap. Students perform in a poetry recital/concert as a final project.
Interdisciplinary Topics in Creative Writing
Gender and Writing (3 units)
The course is on the relationship between gender and imaginative writing and explores how gender as subject-position is inscribed in what one writes, maps one’s sense of self, defines who one is and offers the means and strategies for re-writing identity.
Dreams and Writing (3 untis)
The course explores the relationship between the subconscious and the conscious in creative writing. It uses the findings of cognitive psychology on the way the mind perceives, creates and remembers images to understand how these images are the material for one’s writing. It also studies the techniques and style of literary texts which have oneiric qualities and characteristics, like the works of the surrealist writers as well as the stream of consciousness style of narration found in James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.
Virtual Space and Writing (3 units)
The course investigates the various forms of literary texts in the virtual world. Such texts create different sets of conditions for reading and writing than the conditions set by texts printed on paper. It also investigates the postmodern assertion that “the book is dead,” as well as the discourses to the contrary, like the arguments of Sven Birkerts in “The Gutenberg Elegies” on the primacy of the printed word.
Writing and the Scientific Mind (3 units)
The course explores the interplay between the creative human imagination and the scientific mind, focusing on works by scientists like naturalist Loren Eisely, mathematician Alfred North Whitehead, biologist Lewis Thomas, archeologist and philosopher Teilhard de Chardin, whose articulation of their pursuit of knowledge and truth is in the language of imaginative writing.
The Healing Arts and Writing (3 units)
The course examines the concept of illness as metaphor articulated by Susan Sontag and other writers. It delves into the relationship between writing and the healing arts and explores the ideas/practices put forward by medical doctors on the healing process mediated by imaginative writing.
Writing and the Spirit (3 units)
This course uses the metaphor of life as a spiritual journey and focuses on the study of literary and mystical writings through the ages that speak of the spirit in all its various human conceptions.
Writing and the Body (3 units)
This course studies literary texts where the relationship between language and the body is articulated in various ways. It also explores the concepts of eros and thanatos in literature, as well as the physical and philosophical concepts on the flesh.
Writing the Sports Hero (3 units)
The course focuses on the best samples of fiction written about sports heroes. It is a study of the archetype of the hero, from the Greek model to the present popular sports personalities; it also explores concepts of heroism in winning or losing competitive games.
Writing and the Para-Normal (3 units)
This course studies literary texts that explore para-normal or supernatural phenomenon. It also explores our human relationship to the mysterious and inexplicable in the world.
Writing and the Law (3 units)
This course studies literary texts that explore the depths of our human concepts of justice and the law, crime and punishment, culpability and innocence.
Music and Writing (3 units)
This course looks into the collaborative possibilities between music and the literary forms by studying musical forms like the opera, the musicale or the choral piece, which rely on librettos in giving aesthetic pleasure.
Writing and Peace (3 units)
This course examines literary texts that advocate the human ideal of peace between peoples of different cultures. This study of literary mediations and interventions as part of the process of creating a peaceful world also requires the study of how literary texts can offer radical solutions and ways towards peace.