World Literature II - London Study Abroad Summer 2008

Course Description: This course is a literary study which explores human experience by examining diverse aesthetic and cultural perspectives from Shakespeare’s era to modern times. Since we will be in London, the course will examine several English literary texts that are important in the history and development of England. We will also examine texts from other parts of the world that explore Britain’s cultural role in the world.

Instructor

David Johnson, Ph.D.

e-mail:

Class Sessions:

Monday and Wednesdays 9:00 - 11:30 am

Tuesdays: Fieldtrips approximately 9:00 - 3:00 pm

Required Texts:

Achebe, Chinua. (1996). Things Fall Apart. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Conrad, Joseph. (1999). Heart of Darkness. New York: Penguin.

Dickens, Charles. (2003). Oliver Twist. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics.

Doyle, Arthur C. (2001). Hound of Baskervilles. New York: Signet Classics.

Shakespeare. William. (2007). King Lear. Sourcebooks MediaFusion.

Poetry:

  • Coleridge, S. Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Kubla Khan

  • Keats, J. Ode to a Nightingale

On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once again

On Seeing the Elgin Marbles

  • Wordsworth, W. Admonition to a Traveler

Upon Westminster Bridge

  • Yeats, W.B. The Second Coming

Short Story

  • UnknownDick Whittingtonand His Cat

Attendance Policy

Students are expected to attend all class sessions and fieldtrips. In keeping with the policy of the London program, students who miss a class or field trip will have their grade reduced one letter grade. Students who are seriously ill should contact me as soon as they are able.

Grades:

Journal 25%

Students are required to write journal entries about the literature we read and the places we visit. Think about connections between what we read and what we experience while in London. You also need to reflect on your personal experiences. Some of these we will answer in class.

Answer questions like the following:

What cultural differences have you noticed?

What have you missed about home?

What has been the most interesting (fun, mundane, exciting)?

Exams 25% each

Exams will cover major characters, events, and themes in the works that we read. They will be essay in format.

Essay 25%

In this essay, students are expected to compare and contrasts some of the works we have read. I will give additional directions as to format in class.

Participation 25%

Students are expected to actively participate with comments and questions about our readings.

DateReadingField TripAssignment

June 23 / Heart of Darkness
June 24 /
  • Maritime Museum
  • Lunch
  • Royal Observatory
  • Queen’s House

June 25 / Heart of Darkness
Rime of Ancient Mariner
Kubla Khan / Journal #1
June 30 / Things Fall Apart
July 1 /
  • British Museum
  • Lunch (Nigerian Restaurant Mama Calabar)
  • Bank of England Museum
  • Tower of London

July 2 / Things Fall Apart
The Second Coming
On Seeing the Elgin Marbles / Exam
Journal #2
July 7 / Oliver Twist
July 8 /
  • British Library
  • Lunch
  • Dicken’s Oliver Twist Tour

June 9 / Oliver Twist
Ode to a Nightingale
Dick Whittington and His Cat / Journal #3
July 14 / King Lear
July 15 /
  • Dickens Museum
  • St. Paul’s Cathedral
  • Sherlock Holmes Museum
  • Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey)
  • Lunch
  • Globe Theater

July 16 / Shakespeare Sonnets
On Sitting Down to Read King Lear Once Again / Essay
July 21 / Hound of Baskervilles
July 22
July 23 / Hound of Baskervilles
Admonition to a Traveler
Upon WestminsterBridge / Journal #4
Exam