ENG 145 Nobel Literature Online, Asynchronous May 22-July 1 2017 4 credits Course Web Info: ; see also for helpful resources

Instructor: Chad Stutz Office Phone: (978) 867-4754 Cell Phone: (617) 694-9722 Email: [email protected] Virtual Office Hours: M–F, 9-10:15 a.m. EST; by appointment

Description There can be no greater recognition in the literary world than the Nobel Prize for Literature. Awarded by the Swedish Academy, the prize is given for excellence in literature as a representation or illustration of culture. The award is given for an author’s entire oeuvre—often after the publication of a seminal work. In the study of Nobel Prize-winning authors, we are studying those individuals who, according to the directive of Alfred Nobel, “have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind,” and, in the field of literature, “have produced the most outstanding work of an idealistic tendency.” Our focus will be on selected works of fiction, poetry, and drama by Nobel laureates as we discover more about our world and what it means to be human through the literature of its disparate peoples. We will also, inevitably and deliberately, interpret what we read through the lens of our faith as we meet writers and characters who do not share a Christian worldview. Finally, we will work on developing reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through online discussions, reading quizzes, and an essay. This course fulfills the Core Global Understanding Theme (Old Core) and the Core Literature Requirement (New Core), helping students to foster “an understanding of and engagement with global cultures in all their diversity” (Core Objective #4).

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

 Demonstrate familiarity with the lives, cultures, and works of nine Nobel laureates.  Formulate charitable and critical responses to the questions these authors pose within their works.  Propose plausible, coherent interpretations of complex literary texts in written form.  Show how different approaches to a text yield varied interpretations.  Utilize a basic critical vocabulary when analyzing and discussing novels, poems, and plays.  Identify how distinct cultural contexts shape individual perceptions of the world and explain how these contexts present both difficulties and opportunities for human interaction and flourishing.  Determine what (good) literature can and/or cannot contribute to living a faithful Christian life in a modern global context.

Required Texts Nadine Gordimer, The Pick Up (Penguin). ISBN: 9780142001424. Czesław Miłosz, Second Space: New Poems (Ecco). ISBN: 9780060755249. Herta Müller, The Land of Green Plums (Picador). ISBN: 9780312429942. Pablo Neruda, The Book of Questions (Copper Canyon). ISBN: 9781556591600. Kenzaburo Oe, Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids (Grove). ISBN: 9780802134639. Eugene O’Neill, The Iceman Cometh (Yale). ISBN: 9780300117431. Harold Pinter, The Essential Pinter (Grove). 9780802142696. Wole Soyinka, Death and the King’s Horseman (Norton). ISBN: 9780393977615. Wisława Szymborska, Poems New and Collected (Mariner). ISBN: 9780156011464.

Our Class Although the Nobel Prize in Literature is considered the highest honor an author can receive, we must keep in mind that it did not even exist until the twentieth century (the inaugural prize was awarded in 1901). Consequently, a course focusing on the works of Nobel laureates is inevitably a course in modern literature. This limitation carries with it both problems and possibilities. One potential problem is the temptation to equate “great” with “modern.” While there is certainly much modern literature that is great, we must take care to resist what C.S. Lewis termed “chronological snobbery,” or the idea that what is newest is necessarily best. A vast corpus of literature composed before 1901 speaks just as insightfully to the human condition— perhaps more insightfully at times—as the literature of Nobel recipients. To forget this fact is to risk losing an important vantage-point from which to criticize modernity (and there is indeed a great deal to criticize). A potential problem of a different sort has to do with the interpretive demands that modern literature often places on us as students. If the literature of the past seems strange to us by virtue of its chronological distance, modern literature—for a variety of reasons worth discussing—often sets out intentionally to make the familiar strange. The result is that some students have even more difficulty wrestling with contemporary literature than they do with, say, the literature of the Victorian period. This formal difficulty is further complicated by the fact that a course in Nobel Literature is also necessarily a course in world literature. Although we will be reading one American writer, the majority of our readings derive from cultures outside of North America, some of them non-English speaking. Appreciating this literature, therefore, will require us to be sensitive to cultural differences and to the ways in which these differences inform an author’s vision of God, humanity, and the world.

At the same time, however, a course that focuses narrowly on (modern) Nobel Literature also presents certain possibilities. Above all, perhaps, this course provides us with an opportunity to engage with great literature that speaks to us in a voice that is, in one important sense, our own—a voice that emerges from the depths of our own contemporary anxieties, questions, sufferings, and triumphs. Whatever the personal, geographical, political, cultural, and religious differences between us and the Nobel laureates we read this semester, by the Providence of God our lives have unfolded at roughly the same point in human history. If nothing else, we are neighbors in time, and this alone may be enough to ensure that, after much hard work, the literature we read throughout this course will resonate with us in a distinctive way. Whether these authors’ answers are, or ought to be, our answers remains to be seen, but either way we can move forward with full confidence, knowing that, at the very least, their questions are certainly our questions.

We will also spend some time thinking about why we as Christians should, or should not, read imaginative literature at all. What, if anything, can literature contribute to our ongoing quest to “Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength” (Mark 12:30)? Can literature help us to become more responsible observers and participants in an increasingly diversified Church and an increasingly globalized world? If so, how?

Our class will proceed primarily by way of online discussion. As a pedagogical tool, discussion is useful in that it invites original thinking, enables immediate feedback and refinement of ideas, develops critical thinking, and encourages active interpretation. In contrast to traditional lecture-style courses, discussion-based courses are distinguished by their intimacy and their emphasis on exploratory dialogue. Thoughtful discussions, however, often require some basic knowledge. To this end, I will make available a handful of mini-lectures on each of the authors we will be reading that are designed to provide you with some important background information. Still, the bulk of our class will be spent conversing with one another on Blackboard. For this sort of course to function effectively, all members of the class must be prepared on a regular basis to contribute questions and ideas and to engage actively in dialogue. (Remember that discussions, whether online or in a traditional classroom setting, are only as strong as the weakest participant.) Imagine our virtual classroom as a space of mutual exploration in which students and the instructor work together to identify problems and solve them.

A Word about 100-Level Courses There is often a good deal of confusion among students about the expectations associated with 100-level courses. Some students wrongly believe that 100-level = EASY, 100-level = LOW WORKLOAD, or 100-level = NOT VERY IMPORTANT. In fact, these are false assumptions that do nothing more than imperil your learning. 100- level has little to do with effort or workload; on the contrary, 100-level core courses like this one are intended to offer some basic exposure to a given topic or field of study and, in the process, to facilitate your growth into a well-rounded, well-educated human being. For this reason, the 100-level designation refers primarily to the anticipated depth of coverage relative to the collective knowledge and expertise within a given discipline. In ENG 145, for example, although we will read one scholarly essay to get a taste of what academic writing in literary studies is like, we will spend comparatively little time discussing the details of various theoretical paradigms and methodologies, the nuanced hermeneutical debates surrounding individual texts carried on by professional scholars, or a particular author’s place within broader literary historical movements—issues that interest specialists in the field and that you would likely encounter in upper-level English courses. This is certainly not to suggest that our conversations about the authors we read will lack depth and rigor of another kind, but they will most often avoid the language of the specialist. Put simply, 100-level = INTRODUCTORY. Introductory, however, does not mean that you will not have to work hard, perhaps especially if you are a non- English major or have had very little experience with contemporary literature. This is especially true in an online summer course, in which the shortened time frame necessitates moving through the material at a relatively rapid pace. I expect you to put forth your best effort consistently and to marshal all of your gifts and talents in the service of your learning in this course. I do not say this to scare you—indeed, one of the main purposes of this class is to help you cultivate an appreciation for all that literature can contribute to your development as a person created in the image of God—but rather to calibrate your expectations. A 4-credit course is a 4-credit course, no matter the level (see the next section), and I can assure you that the reading requirements and other assignments are quite on par with those found in introductory literature courses at other prominent institutions around the country. Remembering this point will enable you to make the most of your time in this class and help to forestall any frustration that might otherwise arise from misguided expectations.

Gordon College Official Credit Hour Statement For each semester hour of credit, students should expect to spend a minimum of 2-3 hours per week outside of class in engaged academic time. This time includes reading, writing, studying, completing assignments, lab work, or group projects, among other activities.

Course Requirements Regular reading assignments constitute the main component of this course. You are expected to read each selection carefully and in its entirety. I have made available on Blackboard “Some Basic Questions for Reading Texts Critically,” which can be applied to any literary text you read. In addition, text-specific Reading Questions designed to help you interact with the assigned texts on a deeper level are available on Blackboard for each author. I encourage you to use these resources on a regular basis to increase your understanding, which will in turn enrich our online discussions. Although there is a modicum of flexibility in terms of when you complete the readings, I strongly advise you to follow the schedule at the end of the syllabus as closely as possible. You are also required to listen to the nine mini-lectures on each author. These lectures provide valuable contextual information that will help you to understand each writer’s point of view more fully. You will, moreover, be tested on this information during each unit exam (see below). Mini-lectures will be available untiI 11:59 p.m. EST on the day prior to each unit exam. You will not, therefore, have access to the lectures during exams, although you will be permitted to consult whatever notes you have taken on these lectures. In addition to reading and listening to the lectures, your grade for this course will be based on the following:

Discussion Board (40%) The best insights into a given text are often the result of energetic exchanges between students and between students and the instructor. Regular participation is therefore an essential ingredient for success in a course of this sort. Since this is an online course, the Discussion Board (accessible through Blackboard) will serve as our main forum for raising questions, offering interpretations, and challenging one another’s thinking. The purpose of all posts and comments is to promote dialogue and critical thinking. Because this is the space in which the much of the learning for this course will take place, you are expected to make regular contributions to the Discussion Board. These contributions will take two forms:

1. ORIGINAL POSTS (30%)—Original posts (i.e., creating a new discussion thread) are those contributions that make a novel observation, advance a fresh interpretation, or raise a new question about a reading. To receive credit, they must be at least 100 words long, and they must engage the class text directly by referring to a particular passage (or passages), referencing a key theme or issue raised by the text, and/or citing specific examples. Posts that are too short or do not pass the basic “engagement test” will not count towards your overall grade for the Discussion Board (see below). Posts in this category, moreover, should be written with the class in mind—that is, they should aim to foster discussion, not foreclose on it. When raising questions for the rest of us to consider, you should strive to formulate questions that are open-ended (e.g., Why do you think Herta Müller chose to write in such a disorienting style?) or address some concrete point of confusion (e.g., What do you think Miłosz means when he says that he is “Wandering on the outskirts of heresy”?). In posing your questions, you should aim to be as thought-provoking as possible. Avoid questions with obvious or single answers, and don’t be afraid to take some intellectual risks. (The best questions are often the most honest ones!) If you opt to make an observation on or offer an interpretation of a passage, you should do so in such a way that invites further comment or questions.

2. COMMENTS ON OTHERS’ POSTS/COMMENTS (10%)—In addition to offering original posts, you will also be required to comment on the posts and/or comments of others. (You may, of course, comment on someone’s comments on your original post.) Unlike original posts, there is no minimum word requirement, but to receive credit your comments must do something substantial to advance the conversation in a concrete way (e.g., disagreeing with someone’s interpretation, presenting counter- evidence, answering another person’s question, raising an additional question, defending your view, offering further textual evidence for a particular reading, or asking for clarification on a specific point). Avoid simplistic affirmations (e.g., “I like what Sue said about…”) and mere statements of agreement (e.g., “I agree with John when he writes…”). Instead, aim to amplify or problematize the post somehow (e.g., “I agree with John when he writes…, but I think he’s also overlooked…” or “Sue raises an interesting question, but to answer it we also need to think about…”).

Aside from the basic criteria noted above (length, the directness of your engagement with the readings, and advancing the conversation.), posts will not be graded on the rightness or wrongness of your observations or interpretations (although your classmates and I may, of course, challenge your interpretations with our comments). As with discussions in a traditional classroom environment, you should feel free to test your ideas, refine your thinking, and find the right words to express your views without fear of being downgraded. In other words, your grade for the Discussion Board will be based primarily on your level of participation or the number of posts/comments you contribute to conversation over the duration of the course:

ORIGINAL POSTS (NEW “THREADS”) COMMENTS ON OTHERS’ POSTS/COMMENTS 50 or more posts = A+ 63 or more comments = A+ 44–49 posts = A 59–62 comments = A 40–43 posts = A- 54–58 comments = A- 37–39 posts = B+ 47–53 comments = B+ 34–36 posts = B 41–46 comments = B 31–33 posts = B- 33–40 comments = B- 28–30 posts = C+ 28–32 comments = C+ 26–27 posts = C 26–27 comments = C 24–25 posts = C- 24–25 comments = C- 23–24 posts = D+ 23–24 comments = D+ 21–22 posts = D 21–22 comments = D 18–20 posts = D- 18-20 comments = D- 17 or below = F 17 or below = F

Keep in mind that while Original Posts and Comments all appear on the same Discussion Board, these represent distinct grading categories (Original Posts=30%, Comments=10%). This system is also designed to allow for some flexibility in your posting schedule. You may, for instance, decide not to post one day and to post multiple times on another day. The frequency of your posting is up to you; however, you must make at least one original post and one comment on each of the nine authors we are studying to earn an A (or A+) on the Discussion Board. If you fail to post and comment at least once for each author, the highest grade you can earn for the Board is a B. In the event that one of your posts or comments falls below the word limit or does not meet the basic engagement test, I will notify you privately that your contribution will not count towards your final total (and, if necessary, explain the reasons for my assessment).

Reading Quizzes (10%) As a way to monitor your basic comprehension and to incentivize careful reading of the texts, I will give short reading quizzes on the last day devoted to each author. These quizzes may cover both the primary text (novel, poem, or play) and an author’s Nobel lecture. Quizzes will usually consist of between ten and twenty short answer questions designed to test your general understanding only. I will not, in other words, ask you to make interpretive judgments on these quizzes, nor will I ask you questions about obscure details (though I will offer questions of this sort as extra credit). Still, achieving high marks requires critical reading and thorough preparation. Students who skip or skim the assigned readings will in all likelihood score poorly. By contrast, those students who read slowly and carefully, take notes, ask critical questions of the text, utilize the Reading Questions available on Blackboard, and participate actively and frequently in the class Discussion Board will typically score well. Quizzes will be made available on Blackboard early in the morning on the day designated on the syllabus, and they must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on the same day. Quizzes may not be made up at a later date. You may use your books and notes to complete the quiz, but you are not permitted to collaborate or share answers with other members of the class. Submission of a quiz will be taken as testimony to the fact that all work on this quiz is solely your own. Any evidence that you have violated this policy will result in a zero for this quiz and all remaining quizzes in the course.

Unit Exams (30%; 3 x 10% each) Each major unit will conclude with a Unit Exam. These exams will cover all of the texts considered over the course of the unit (including Nobel lectures) and will include a quotation identification and analysis section; a short answer section covering the background information provided in the mini-lectures on each author; and a brief reflective essay section. The best preparation for the unit exams is keeping up with the reading, listening attentively to the mini-lectures and taking good notes, and participating regularly in our Discussion Board conversations. If you do this consistently, there will be very little separate preparation necessary. As with the Reading Quizzes, exams will be made available on Blackboard early in the morning on the day designated on the syllabus, and they must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on the same day. Exams may not be made up at a later date. You may use your books and notes, but you may not make copies of the mini-lectures for use during tests; nor are you are not permitted to collaborate or share answers with other members of the class. Submission of an exam will be taken as testimony to the fact that all work on the exam is solely your own and that you have not accessed the lectures during the testing period. Any evidence that you have violated these policies will result in a zero on the exam and all remaining exams in the course. Please note that the last of the unit exams is scheduled for the final Saturday of the course (July 1).

Final Paper (20%) Your culminating work for this course will be a 5-6 page essay. In general, your final essay must 1) present a strong, argumentative thesis statement; 2) support this thesis using numerous quotations and examples drawn from the text(s); 3) integrate relevant secondary sources that advance and enrich the argument; 4) develop the argument in a clear and coherent fashion suitable for your audience; and 5) provide your readers with a smooth and pleasant reading experience—i.e., one that is not interrupted by deficiencies in grammar, punctuation, formatting, and style. Your paper must incorporate at least three secondary sources into your discussion. You should restrict your citations to reputable academic sources (books, peer-reviewed journal articles, etc.). Avoid Wikipedia, Sparknotes and Cliffsnotes, and popular, non-academic websites, the quality of which varies widely. All sources must be cited properly and consistently according to an approved style sheet. (I recommend using whatever citation format is considered normative for your own discipline—APA, Chicago, MLA, Turabian, etc.) Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, with a standard 11- or 12-point font. I will provide a list of possible topics, or you may choose a topic of your own in consultation with me. I encourage you to begin thinking about paper ideas early in the course and to discuss these with me as often as necessary via email or during virtual office hours. If you do not have much experience writing argumentative papers about literary texts, I would advise you to take advantage of the optional reading assignments listed on the course schedule. These readings discuss the basic principles of writing about literature and provide models of both strong and weak essays. The final paper must be submitted as a Word-compatible attachment via your Gordon email account by 11:59 p.m. EST on the final Saturday of the course (July 1).

Extra Credit There will be no extra credit opportunities available in ENG 145, so please plan accordingly.

Grading All assignments will be graded using the standard letter scale (A, B, C, D, F—with plusses and minuses). The full scale will be used, with a grade of C indicating average competency. Papers, quizzes, and tests carry individual point values. Your earned percentage on these assignments (and by extension your letter grade) will therefore be based on the number of points you score out of the total possible. Letter grades for the Discussion Board correspond to the following numeric scale:

A+ = 100 A=98 A- = 92 B+ = 88 B = 85 B- = 81 C+ = 78 C = 75 C- = 71 D+ = 68 D = 65 D- = 61 F = 55

Grades may be viewed at any time by logging on to Blackboard and accessing the link for this course. Final course grades will be based on the percentages listed below. Note that this a precise scale. While I reserve the professional right to make small adjustments (both positive and negative) in unique cases, please assume that I will not do so at the end of the semester.

99.5-100.0 = A+ 92.5-99.4 = A 89.5-92.4 = A- 87.5-89.4 = B+ 82.5-87.4 = B 79.5-82.4 = B- 77.5-79.4 = C+ 72.5-77.4 = C 69.5-72.4 = C- 67.5-69.4 = D+ 62.5-67.4 = D 59.5-62.4 = D- 59.4 and below = F

Late Papers and Requests for Extensions In order to ensure that I have adequate time to provide you with constructive feedback, a firm due date has been established for the essay in this course. Turning in a late paper suggests a lack of commitment on your part. Moreover, it creates a situation in which I may not be able to respond to your essay in detail—a situation detrimental to your learning. To encourage you to turn in your paper in a timely fashion, the following guideline will apply: any paper not turned in by the scheduled due date/time will be downgraded one letter grade per day late. Requests for extensions will be considered only in the following cases: a death in the family or a serious illness requiring medical attention. In the latter case, you must submit the appropriate verification (see next section) with your paper to receive the extension. All other requests for extensions will be denied, so please do not ask for them.

Ethics and Plagiarism All work submitted for this course must be your own. If you draw upon ideas and/or quotations from secondary sources, you must cite those works appropriately. An instance of plagiarism, even if inadvertent, will result in a zero on the assignment and will usually mean an F for the course. You are therefore advised to familiarize yourself with what constitutes plagiarism. If you have questions, please see me. In addition, I encourage you to review the college’s policies on Dishonesty and Plagiarism in the Gordon College Student Handbook. Citing others’ work properly is a way to treat them charitably. I ask that you practice charity not only towards those critics you cite but also towards those with whom you interact in this class (instructor, classmates, even authors and texts). Put simply, follow the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). In addition, other forms of academic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating and the misuse of library materials, are also contrary to both the Christian and academic principles of this institution and may result in an F for the course.

Course Website and Email A webpage for this course can be found by logging on to Blackboard. Any papers or assignments submitted via email must originate from your official Gordon College email address (I will not accept any papers, quizzes, etc. from other email accounts—gmail, yahoo, etc.). Papers submitted from other email accounts will be counted late. Furthermore, in the event that I need to get in touch with you, I will do so via your college email address. If you prefer to use another email address for correspondence purposes, you should set up your Gordon email to forward mail to this address automatically. Doing so will ensure that you do not miss any vital communications.

Virtual Office Hours I will hold virtual office hours on Monday through Friday for the duration of the course at the times listed at the top of the syllabus. During these times, I will be available via email, text, telephone, or Skype to answer any questions or address any concerns you may have about the course content. You are, of course, welcome to email, text, or call at other times as well, but I may not be able to get back to you right away. If you need immediate assistance with something or if you anticipate a lengthier dialogue, please consider “visiting” with me during regularly scheduled virtual office hours.

Some Closing Remarks I look forward to an exciting and productive time together. If you have any questions, problems, concerns, or prayer requests, please don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I welcome your virtual visits and your feedback, and help is always available to those who seek it. Above all, let us remember the words of Paul in Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Soli Deo gloria.

ENG 145—Schedule of Assignments Note: This schedule is subject to change.

I INTRODUCTION: WHY READ LITERATURE AT ALL AND HOW DO I READ IT CRITICALLY?

M MAY 22 Reading: Jill Peláez Baumgaertner, “The Humanities as Indulgence or Necessity?” in Liberal Arts for the Christian Life; “How to Raise Good Questions about a Text”; “Some Basic Questions for Reading Texts Critically” (Blackboard) Discussion Board

II NOBEL FICTION

NADINE GORDIMER (South Africa, 1991)—“who through her magnificent epic writing has—in the words of Alfred Nobel—been of very great benefit to humanity”

T MAY 23 Lecture: Introduction to Nadine Gordimer (Blackboard) Reading: The Pickup, pp. 3-96 Discussion Board

W MAY 24 Reading: The Pickup, pp. 97-185 Discussion Board

TH MAY 25 Reading: The Pickup, pp. 186-268 Discussion Board

F MAY 26 Reading: Gordimer’s Nobel Lecture (Blackboard) Reading Quiz #1 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

S MAY 27 Optional Reading: “How to Write About Literature,” “What Is an Effective Thesis Statement and Why Should I Care?,” “Mapping Out the Introduction to a Literary Analysis,” “The Mechanics of an Effective Literary Analysis” (Blackboard)

KENZABURO OE (Japan, 1994)—“who with poetic force creates an imagined world, where life and myth condense to form a disconcerting picture of the human predicament today”

M MAY 29 Lecture: Introduction to Kenzaburo Oe (Blackboard) Reading: Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, pp. 21-89 Discussion Board

T MAY 30 Reading: Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, pp. 90-140 Discussion Board

W MAY 31 Reading: Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids, pp. 141-189 Discussion Board

TH JUNE 1 Reading: Oe’s Nobel Lecture (Blackboard) Reading Quiz #2 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

HERTA MÜLLER (Germany, 2009)—“who, with the concentration of poetry and the frankness of prose, depicts the landscape of the dispossessed”

F JUNE 2 Lecture: Introduction to Herta Müller (Blackboard) Reading: The Land of Green Plums, pp. 1-72 Discussion Board

S JUNE 3 Optional Reading: Published Example of an Effective Introduction to a Literary Analysis; Student Example of a Literary Analysis (Bad), Student Example of a Literary Analysis (Better); Student Example of a Literary Analysis (Best) (Blackboard)

M JUNE 5 Reading: The Land of Green Plums, pp. 73-173 Discussion Board

T JUNE 6 Reading: The Land of Green Plums, pp. 173-242 Discussion Board

W JUNE 7 Reading: Müller’s Nobel Lecture, pp. 245-258 (also on Blackboard) Reading Quiz #3 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

TH JUNE 8 UNIT EXAM (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST)

III NOBEL POETRY

PABLO NERUDA (Chile, 1971)—“for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent’s destiny and dreams”

F JUNE 9 Lecture: Introduction to Pablo Neruda (Blackboard) Reading: The Book of Questions, pp. 1-74 Discussion Board

S JUNE 10 Optional Reading: “Reading Secondary Criticism; or, Some Tips on Reading the Critics Critically” (Blackboard)

M JUNE 12 Reading: Neruda’s Nobel Lecture (Blackboard) Reading Quiz #4 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ (Poland, 1980)—“who with uncompromising clear-sightedness voices man’s exposed condition in a world of severe conflicts”

T JUNE 13 Lecture: Introduction to Czesław Miłosz (Blackboard) Reading: Second Space: New Poems, Part I Discussion Board

W JUNE 14 Reading: Second Space: New Poems, Part III (“Treatise on Theology”) Discussion Board

TH JUNE 15 Reading: Miłosz’s Nobel Lecture (Blackboard) Reading Quiz #5 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

WISŁAWA SZYMBORSKA (Poland, 1996)—“for poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to light in fragments of human reality”

F JUNE 16 Lecture: Introduction to Wisława Szymborska (Blackboard) Reading: Poems New and Collected, from Calling Out to Yeti, pp. 3-23 Discussion Board

S JUNE 17 Optional Reading: “A Quick Guide to MLA (8th ed.),” Purdue OWL Guide to MLA Formatting (Blackboard)

M JUNE 19 Reading: Poems New and Collected, from The People on the Bridge, pp. 179-219; from The End and the Beginning, pp. 223-258; Szymborska’s Nobel Lecture, pp. xiii- xviii (also on Blackboard) Reading Quiz #6 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

T JUNE 20 UNIT EXAM (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST)

IV NOBEL DRAMA

EUGENE O’NEILL (United States, 1936)—“for the power, honesty and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which embody an original concept of tragedy”

W JUNE 21 Lecture: Introduction to Eugene O’Neill (Blackboard) Reading: The Iceman Cometh, Acts 1-2 Discussion Board

TH JUNE 22 Reading: The Iceman Cometh, Act 3 Discussion Board

F JUNE 23 Reading: The Iceman Cometh, Act 4; O’Neill’s Banquet Speech (Blackboard) Reading Quiz #7 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

WOLE SOYINKA (Nigeria, 1986)—“who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence”

M JUNE 26 Lecture: Introduction to Wole Soyinka (Blackboard) Reading: Death and the King’s Horseman, Acts 1-3 Discussion Board

T JUNE 27 Reading: Death and the King’s Horseman, Acts 4-5 Discussion Board

W JUNE 28 Reading: Soyinka’s Nobel Lecture (Blackboard) Reading Quiz #8 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

HAROLD PINTER (England, 2005)—“who in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression’s closed rooms”

TH JUNE 29 Lecture: Introduction to Harold Pinter (Blackboard) Reading: The Birthday Party, Acts 1-2 Discussion Board

F JUNE 30 Reading: The Birthday Party, Act 3; Pinter’s Nobel Lecture, pp. 1-13 (also on Blackboard) Reading Quiz #9 (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Discussion Board

S JULY 1 UNIT EXAM (Blackboard; due by 11:59 p.m. EST) Final Paper Due (via Gordon College email account by 11:59 p.m. EST)