El alma

Los ángeles

Los ángeles pueden volar porque se toman a sí mismos a la ligera.

Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Literature of the Americas II

LITERATURE OF THE AMERICAS

SYLLABUS | 2017 SECOND TERM

Daniel Scarfo | Austral University | International Program

3 credits, 6 ECTS

English

Instructor: Daniel Scarfo, Ph.D. (Yale University)

Course Description

This course analyzes some of the most important literary pieces of the Americas, focusing in three different traditions associated with particular geographies: North America, the Caribbean and the River Plate region.

Course Aims/Objectives

* Knowing and understanding the literature of the Americas.

* Reading and being able to recognize important American writers and their contributions.

Requirements and Prerequisites

Introductory Course

Learning outcomes

This course aims to allow the student to:

* know and understand different aspects of the American culture, especially its literature.

* be able to compare different writers and genres, and speak critically about them

analyze literature in relation to its historical, geographical and cultural context.

Developmental Outcomes

Students should demonstrate: responsibility and accountability, independence, open and critical mind as well as appreciation of differences.

Contents

August 7: The Discovery of the New World: Arcadia and Utopia. Introduction to the course

August 14: Emerson's and Hawthorne's New England

Herman Melville, “Bartleby, the scrivener”

August 28: Chicago’s World Fair and Hollywood: an American experience.

Carl Sandburg’s “Chicago”

Scott Fitzgerald, “The crack-up”

September 4: William Faulkner's New South

William Faulkner, The sound and the fury

September 11: The Beat Generation

Jack Kerouac, On the road

September 18: Students’ Presentations on selected writers

September 25: Latin American Writings: A literary heritage explored.

Multiple Choice Examination I

October 2: The Writing of the Caribbean: Carpentier and García Márquez

Alejo Carpentier, “Journey back to the source”

Gabriel García Márquez, “Chronicle of a death foretold”

October 9: Latin American Poetry: Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, Cèsar Vallejo. Selected poems and Jean Franco's An Introduction to Spanish American Literature (chapter 9)

October 23: Tango lyrics and Argentinian literature. Tropicalia lyrics and Brazilian literature

Selected texts

October 30: River Plate Literature: Jorge Luis Borges

“An autobiographical essay”, “Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius”, The Aleph”

November 6: River Plate Literature: Julio Cortázar

“Axolotl”, “Casa tomada”, “The Southern Highway”

November 13: Multiple Choice Examination II and Final Papers Discussion

November 28: Final paper due

Class Policies

Attendance

• Students may only miss two classes in each course. Failure to meet this requirement will translate into failing the course.

• If as a result of being absent a student misses an exam, he/she will receive zero points and fail the class.

• It is up to the Director of International Programs to decide whether an absence is justified due to an illness or other force majeure causes. The student will have to produce proof of such situations.

Punctuality

1. Arriving late or leaving early equals to an absence. The tolerance will be five minutes.

2. Coming in and out of the class repeatedly will translate into an absence.

3. It is up to the faculty to make exceptions. The student must inform and explain the situation in advance or as soon as circumstances allow him/her to.

Class Participation

Such participation is an important part of your performance. Please come to class with written notes, your questions and thoughts about the possible meanings of the texts you have read. What strikes you? What paragraphs, elements, or points seem to you to be the most significant or enigmatic? Why? I note participation at the end of each session. Come to class each day ready to participate. Complete all reading, bring assigned texts to class, and try to speak at every meeting. If you do not bring your text, if you have not read it before the class or seem distracted, you will not receive participation credit that day.

Assignments

Student’s responsibilities:

• Following the professor’s instructions regarding content, structure, format, etc.

• Meeting the deadline

• Submitting the assignment properly

• Making sure the assignment is received by the professor

Professor's responsibilities:

1. Providing the students with clear guidelines

2. Being specific on the deadline (date and time)

3. Explaining how the student should submit his/her work

4. Confirming each student the assignment has been properly received within 48 hours

The burden of delivery falls on the student, who is responsible for checking the file is not corrupted and that file format can be opened with any standard software. Students are encouraged to CC or CCO themselves at a different address to make sure the email is deliverable and the file can be opened.

Missing the deadline will result in losing one point every 24 hours past the deadline.

Presentations (2 page close reading + discussion, 15 mins. total): Students read short papers aloud in class. Presentations offer a brief reading of a writer. Each student leads class discussion with 2 questions after his or her presentation. Students hand in hard copies of close readings and questions the day his/her presentation is due.

Guidelines for the final paper (due November 28^th 11:59pm)

Final papers should demonstrate mastery of course materials and reading practices. They should show that you have been a student in this course and followed the class presentations and discussions. Also,

a) They should contain between 8 and 10 pages, besides the bibliography.

b) I recommend to start writing many more pages (early!!!) and then proceed to clean up the document discarding what is unnecessary to the point you are trying to make.

c) I expect an essay on one of the topics we discuss in class or that are available in the syllabus, or a topic in a dialogue with them, and you should keep that dialogue.

d) It must also show a dialogue or discussion with at least one text from the bibliography

e) Then you can also add all the bibliography you want to add (available or not in the syllabus)

Formatting Instructions: Assignments should be double-spaced with standard margins in 12-point Times New Roman font. Number pages and include a title. Do not include additional spaces between paragraphs.

The day the paper is due, send a digital copy to scarfedu@yahoo.com.ar and alfajoraltazor@gmail.com

Assessment

Participation 20%

Presentation on selected writer 20%

Multiple Choice I 15%

Multiple Choice II 15%

Final paper 30%

1. To pass a course the following criteria must be met:

1. Getting at least a 4 (60%) as a final grade.

2. Getting at least a 4 (60%) in the final paper.

3. Getting at least a 3 (50%) in all other assessment instances.

4. Meeting the attendance requirement.

2. There will be no make-up exams or make-up assignments

3. Missing the deadline will result in losing one point every 24 hours past the deadline.

4. You must also request an extension at least one day before an assignment is due, otherwise the extension will not be given and the late assignment will not be accepted.

Academic integrity

1. Students must show the utmost sense of honesty and responsibility.

2. Any form of plagiarism, cheating or collusion is subject to severe academic punishment, ranging from failing the class to being expelled from the University.

3. It is the student’s responsibly to know how to use, quote and reference sources adequately, or to ask the professor if the student is unsure.

Code of conduct in class

1. Students must be respectful of others. They must not disrupt the class with their behavior, nor should they make comments or exhibit attitudes of a derogatory or inflammatory nature that may likely offend or hurt other people in the class.

2. Eating in class is not permitted but drinking could be if the professor allows it.

Use of electronic devices

1. The use of cell phones in class is not permitted.

2. Other electronic devices are not allowed either unless explicitly authorized by the professor.

3. In no case should a tablet, laptop, or similar, be used for non-academic purposes.

4. Failure to abide by any of the above will result in an absence and/or losing points for participation.

Los dedos confusos

La espalda se me parte en dos, como si me hubieran pegado un hachazo por atrás. La sensación de indefensión causada me llega hasta a la punta de los dedos. Estos parecieran querer temblar, confusos, como no sabiendo en qué mano debería ir cada uno.