LOVE in the EAST and WEST MEL 321/MES 342/CL 323/CTI 345 Fall 2019
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University of Texas at Austin Department of Middle Eastern Studies LOVE IN THE EAST AND WEST MEL 321/MES 342/CL 323/CTI 345 Fall 2019 Unique # 40384/39939/33444/28969 Instructor: Jeannette Okur Email: [email protected] Course Description: Participants in this course will examine various definitions and cultural representations of love, as expressed in major Eastern and Western literary works, and explore the question, "To what extent do conceptions and representations of love differ cross-culturally?" Class activities will include mini-lectures and performance reading, as well as comparative analysis and discussion of the portrayal of topics like "love and beauty," "love and separation," "love and madness," "love and marriage," "love and time," "love and war," "love and self-sacrifice," "love and death," and "love for the divine and love for the human". Participants will also, on occasion, be introduced to significant musical, visual art and cinematic forms/productions related to the poetry, prose and theatrical works read. Students’ engagement in reader response writing and peer review of that writing will enhance the quality of their small and large group discussions. As all texts will be read in English translation, there is no language prerequisite. However, students capable of reading some texts in the original language/s will be encouraged to do so. Prerequisites: The course has no prerequisites. Global Cultures Flag: This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present. Languages Across the Curriculum Component: Students who have completed the Intermediate Turkish sequence (ie. have earned a grade of C or higher in TUR 320L or TUR 329) are eligible to sign up for an additional credit hour in Turkish language via the “Languages Across the Curriculum Program”. Students taking this credit hour with Dr. Okur will read and discuss short texts in Turkish (and view and discuss additional Turkish films) related to the main course topics. Course Materials: Required Texts (to buy): 1. Aϊtmatov, Chingiz. (2007). Jamilia. Trans. J. Riordan. Telegram Books: London. ISBN: 978-1-84659-032-0. 2. The Romance of Tristan and Iseult. (2005). Retold by J. Bédier. Trans. H. Belloc and P. Rosenfeld. Dover Publications. ISBN: 978-0486440194. 3. Shafak, Elif. (2010). The Forty Rules of Love. A Book of Rumi. Viking Penguin: New York, NY. ISBN: 978- 0-670-02145-1. 4. The Story of Layla and Majnun by Nizami. (1997). Trans. R. Gelpke, Z.I. Khan and O. Safi. Omega Publications: New Lebanon, NY. ISBN: 0-930872-52-5. Von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. (1989). 5. The Sorrows of Young Werther. Trans. Michael Hulse. Penguin Classics. ISBN: 978-0140445039. [1] Required Texts (to be provided via Canvas): 1. Jami, Hakim Nuruddin Abdurrahman. (1980). Yusuf and Zuleyha. An Allegorical Romance. Trans. D. Pendlebury. Octagon Press: London. ISBN: 900-860-77-4. (to be posted on Canvas, as the text is out-of-print. Note that copyright law prohibits your sharing/distributing this pdf text.) 2. Shorter texts to be distributed as handouts or via Canvas: a. Appendix from As’ad E. Khairallah’s Love, Madness, and Poetry. An Interpretation of the Mağnūn Legend b. Gail Kern Paster’s essay, Romeo and Juliet: a Modern Perspective c. Summary of Farhad and Shirin d. Chpt. 5 of Sadi's Gulistan, or The Rose Garden e. Book III of Sadi's Boston, or Pleasure Ground 3. Selections from Ibn Hazm’s The Ring of the Dove. A Treatise on the Art and Practice of Arab Love. Trans. A.J. Arberry. Full text available online: http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/hazm/dove/ringdove.html Selected poems by Yunus Emre, Mawlana Jalalaeddin Rumi, Hafez, Khalil Gibran, and various Ottoman and European poets to be posted on Canvas. Recommended Texts: 1. Andrews, Walter C. and Mehmet Kalpakli. (2005). The Age of Beloveds: Love and the Beloved in Early- Modern Ottoman and European Culture and Society. Duke UP: Durham & London. ISBN: 0-8223-3424-0. 2. Barks, Coleman Barks with John Moyne, A.J. Arberry & Reynold Nicholson. (1995). The Essential Rumi. Harper Collins: San Francisco, CA. ISBN: 0-06-250959-4. 3. Gorgani, Fahkraddin. (2008). Vis and Ramin. Trans. D. Davis. Penguin Books: New York, NY. ISBN: 978-0- 14-310562-6. 4. Ottoman Lyric Poetry. An Anthology (Expanded Ed.). (2006). Ed. and Trans. By Walter G. Andrews, Najaat Black, Mehmet Kalpakli. U. of Washington Press: Seattle & London. ISBN: 0-295-98595-X. 5. Mirror of the Invisible World. Tales from the Khamseh of Nizami. (1975). Trans. by Peter j. Chelkowski. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: New York. ISBN: 0-87099-142-6. 6. Nightingales & Pleasure Gardens: Turkish Love Poems. (2005). Ed. and Trans. Talat S. Halman. U. of Syracuse Press: Syracuse, NY. ISBN: 0-8156-835-7. 7. Shakespeare, William. (2004) Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library). Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster: New York, NY. ISBN: 978-0743482806. (or an online version, if you have not read the play in the last two years). 8. Seyh Galip. Beauty and Love. (2005). Trans. by Victoria Rowe Holbrook. The Modern Language Association of America: New York. ISBN: 0-873552-934-0. *** More texts related to the subject of love will be recommended later in the course, especially as you begin to work on the comparative paper. Course Films: 1. Romeo and Juliet (1968), Dir. Franco Zeffirelli (138 min.) 2. Tristan and Isolde (2006), Dir. Kevin Reynolds (125 min.) Some Recommended Films: 1. West Side Story (1961), Dir. Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise 2. Moulin Rouge (1952), Dir. John Huston. 3. The Girl with the Red Scarf (1978), Dir. Atif Yılmaz 4. Like Water for Chocolate (1992), Dir. Alfonso Arau 5. Head On (2004), Dir. Fatih Akin. 6. The Color of Love (2007), Dir. Maryam Keshavarz ~ 2 ~ 7. Ali and Nino (2016), Dir. Asif Kapadia Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of “Love in the East and West”, students will: ! Be familiar with the themes, references, imagery, metaphors and rhetorical style of major pieces of classical Arab, Persian and Ottoman/Turkish literature related to the subject of love, and – to a lesser extent – to the content and style of well-known English, French, and German literary pieces on the subject. ! Have improved their critical thinking and writing skills, in particular, their ability to - Form and support a thesis. - Interpret or critique evidence. - Synthesize material and identify patterns. - Carry out comparative research. ! Have improved their dramatic reading (recitation) and discussion skills, in particular, their ability to - Identify and portray character/speaker motivation. - Capture the listeners’ attention and/or imagination when reading, reciting or speaking to a group. - Listen and respond constructively to classmates’ comments. - Disagree agreeably and support oral arguments in a logical, effective manner. - Discuss independently, without the constant prodding of the instructor. ! Have gained greater awareness and appreciation of and insight into transcultural nature of literary production. ! Have gained greater awareness and appreciation of and insight into the varying media (ie. cinema, music, visual arts) in which famous literary works have found new expression. Grade Distribution: Attendance and Participation 20% Reader Response Papers 20% Mid-Term Exam 15% Final Paper/Presentation 30% Final Exam 15% Please note that in this course, your final grade will be based primarily upon the quality of work you do all along, rather than on performance on one or two “big exams.” Hence, you should pace yourself, work consistently, and stay organized. Consistent effort will pay off in the end! Grade Distribution/Course Requirements in Detail: 1. Attendance and Participation (20%): Most class time will be devoted to discussing/interpreting the texts you will have read prior to coming to class. Some contextual background information and analysis will be given by the instructor in the form of mini- lectures, but the bulk of course activity will depend on students’ active oral and written participation. Viewing (film) and listening (music) activities will also require students’ critical response, i.e. active discussion. Small group work should be taken seriously. This part of your grade will be based on a daily “attendance and participation” grade assigned by your instructor and/or TA according to the following criteria: 3- You are actively engaged in discussing the course material with your partner/classmates/teachers from the moment you walk into the class until you leave it. Full credit will be given when you, i. arrive to class on time ~ 3 ~ ii. are well prepared for the class, which means that you have carefully read the assigned pages, taken note of particularly interesting, moving or puzzling sections of the assigned work, and completed any assigned pre-discussion activity/exercise before coming to class. iii. bring the necessary materials to class, including print-outs of shorter texts/handouts you have downloaded from the Canvas course. (You may use your laptop to refer to longer electronic texts.) iv. are alert and participate actively when we are working together as a class v. make maximum use of pair/group work time by a) understanding the learning objectives of tasks assigned b) staying focused on those objectives c) continuing to work with your partner/group on the task objectives even if you “finish” an assigned task before the allotted time is up (Ask your TA or instructor for additional instructions if you aren’t sure what to do next). 2- You are present but lacking in one or two of the above criteria for full credit in participation. A “2 points” grade is a warning that you are not working at your full potential.