Literature & Composition 301: World Literature

World Literature focuses on literature around the world and analyzes how culture affects these stories. This class is for high school students who have completed at least one high school literature class or taken AP English.

$625.00

World Literature is designed to teach both literature and composition. Rather than separating the two skills, we use literature to guide our topic choices in a variety of writing styles, including narrative, poetry, comparison, exposition, and research writing.

Additionally, this class utilizes independent analysis assignments to discuss literature with others in the class.

This class focuses on literature around the world and analyzes how culture affects these stories. We begin in the ancient world with two famous epics: Gilgamesh and The Odyssey.

Then we move to the Middle Ages and study literary development in Beowulf and Canterbury Tales, analyzing several short works as well.

We move through the Asian world and eventually find our way into the modern era, where we focus on non-Western literature in the Realism and Modernism movements.

We end the year with a research project that allows students to explore one of these authors or events from this time in more detail.

Throughout the year, we read literature from: Greece, Rome, Egypt, Japan, India, China, England, France, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States, and Nigeria.

This class meets honors diploma requirements in most states. Please be sure to check your state’s guidelines to ensure honors credit for your student.

Details

Requirements

Sample Syllabus

Time Expectation:

Classes have daily assignments. Some assignments span several days to give flexibility. Assignments are intended to take approximately 1½ hours a day to complete.

Class Objectives:

Analyze the themes, symbols, characters, plot, and point of view in literature
Evaluate the way an author's culture influences a work
Cite textual evidence to support literary analysis
Explore the tenets of literary movements around the world
Write in several different styles, including narration, exposition, comparison, poetry, and description

Class Features:

Students will submit their narrative and poetry to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards writing contest
Daily contact with a coach who evaluates mastery and skills will be provided

Class Requirements:

This class is for high school students who have completed at least one basic literature classes or taken AP English. Note: you do not need to take this course before you take AP English.

Required Class Materials:

Write from the Heart: a Resource Guide to Engage Writers
Norton Anthology of World Literature Volume 1, Third Edition
Literature Guide 301 (ebook)
Night by Elie Wiesel
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
One 19th or 20th century novel of the student's choice, including the following authors: Tolstoy, Chekov, Dostoyevsky, Ibsen, and Flaubert
Short stories by Chekov, Maupassant, Ichiyo, and Kafka
Ancient Poetry (Egypt, Hebrew, Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese)
Creation Stories from around the world (Babylonians, Hebrews, Greeks, Hopi(Native American), Japanese, Indian)
Excerpts from epics such as Gilgamesh, the Odyssey, Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, and Tale of the Genji

All books and ebooks are available on Write from the Heart's online store. Short stories and poetry are provided in the Literature Guide 301.

Example Week 4: Monday: Complete the following activities in the order given:

Review the attachment Analyzing Poetry. Use these techniques as you read.
Read the introduction Poetry and Thought in Early China.
Read several poems from the following selections. Read enough from each to make sure you get a sense of the religious beliefs of that people.
Complete the attachment Comparing Ancient Religious Poetry as you read. This sheet is due Friday of Week 4.
1. Ancient Egyptian Poetry
2. The Bible (feel free to read Psalms outside of this Volume)
3. Sappho
4. Classic of Poetry (China)
5. The Tamil Anthologies
6. Catullus

Tuesday-Wednesday: Complete the following activities:

Conference with your coach on your Fiction paper.
Continue to complete your Poetry Comparison sheet.

Thursday-Friday: Complete the following activities:

Revise your Sudden Fiction Paper according to your coach conference. Post the revised copy in your Sudden Fiction Paper folder as a reply to your revised copy and title it Ready for Editing
Complete your Poetry Comparison sheet. Create a topic called Ancient Poetry in your board and post it there.
Additionally, as a reply, write a response summarizing what you discovered. What are the biggest similarities or differences in the poetry you studied? What are they missing or comprehending? You have until next Tuesday to post this.