LIT 2331.

001
Spring 2011
Course Syllabus

Course Information:
LIT 2331.001
Masterpieces of World Literature: Latin American Literature—Independence through the
“Boom”
Class meeting times: Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30-1:45 pm
Class location: CB21.202

Professor Contact Information:

Shelby Vincent
Email: sdv034000@utd.edu
Office: JO 5.510
Office hours: Wednesdays 11:00 am-12:00 noon

“In the tale, in the telling, we are all one blood”—Ursula LeGuin

“…each [text] is born and lives in relation to other works composed in different
languages”—Octavio Paz

“Translation makes world literature possible”—Willis Barnstone

Course description:

In this course we will focus on some of the masterpieces of Latin American Literature
published between the Independence era of the early 1800s through the Latin American
literary “Boom” of the 1950s and 1960s. Throughout the semester we will read a wide
range of literature including political essays, short stories, novels, and poetry. As we read
these works in English translation, our discussions will not be limited to the works
themselves, but will also include an exploration of the interconnectedness of world
literatures and the ways in which currents of political, philosophical, and creative thought
traveled between Europe, Latin America, and the United States. In addition, we will discuss
the historical context in which the texts were written. Some of the questions we will keep in
mind as we read and discuss these works include: What is World Literature and why should
we be interested in studying it? Where does Latin American Literature fit in the global
schema? How is literature related to cultural identity?

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Students will:
Develop critical reading, thinking, and writing skills.
Gain a global view of the important literary movements of the 19th and 20th
centuries and how they were adapted to the Latin American context.
Gain an understanding of the relationship between literature and cultural identity.
Demonstrate and articulate the understanding of the above stated objectives
through written assignments and class discussions.

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Required Texts:

Arguedas, José María. Deep Rivers. Trans. Frances Horning Barraclough. Austin: University

of Texas Press, 1978. ISBN: 9781577662440

Bioy Casares, Adolfo. The Invention of Morel. Trans. Ruth L. C. Simms. New York: New York

Review of Books, 2003. ISBN: 9781590170571

Carpentier, Alejo. The Kingdom of This World. Trans. Harriet de Onís. New York: Farrar,

Straus and Giroux, 2006. ISBN: 9780374530112

Gómez de Avellaneda y Arteaga, Gertrudis. Sab, and Autobiography. Trans. Nina M. Scott.

Austin: University of Texas Press, 1993. ISBN: 9780292704428

Paz, Octavio. The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings. Trans. Lysander Kemp, Yara

Milos, and Rachel Phillips Belash. New York: Grove Press, 1985.

ISBN: 9780802150424

**Other readings listed in the Assignments & Academic Calendar below will be
provided by the instructor.

Recommended texts:

Franco, Jean. An Introduction to Spanish-American Literature, 3rd ed. New York: Cambridge

University Press, 1994.

Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic

Writing. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006.

Modern Language Association of America. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th

ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2009.

Strunk, William and E.B. White. The Elements of Style. New York: Longman, 2000.

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Assignments & Academic Calendar:

Week 1 January 10 Introduction and Overview

January 12 Ursula LeGuin—“It Was a Dark and Stormy Night”

*Text provided on eLearning

World Literature and Latin American Literature

Week 2 January 17 No class – MLK holiday

Independence January 19 Simón Bolívar—“The Jamaica Letter”

Andrés Bello—“Ode to Tropical Agriculture”

*Text provided on eLearning

Week 3 January 24 Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda—Sab

Part I (pp 27-94)
Nationalism

January 26 Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda—Sab

Part II (pp 95-147)

Week 4 January 31 Domingo Sarmiento—Facundo; or Civilization and

Barbarism
Selections: Chapter 1 (pp 9-27) and Chapter 5
(pp 71-85)
*Text provided on eLearning

February 2 Domingo Sarmiento—Facundo; or Civilization and

Barbarism
Selections: Chapter 8 (pp 123-137) and Chapter
13 (pp 189-205)
*Text provided on eLearning

**Paper topics due via email to instructor by 2 pm

Week 5 February 7 Conferences—proposals due for mid-term paper

February 9 Conferences—proposals due for mid-term paper

Week 6 February 14 José Martí—Selected Writings

“Our America”
Modernismo *Text provided on eLearning

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February 16 José Martí—Selected Writings

“My Race”
“Simple Verses”
*Text provided on eLearning

Week 7 February 21 Rubén Darío—Prosas Profanas

“The Swan”
“I Seek a Form”
“Fatality”
*Text provided on eLearning

20s and 30s February 23 César Vallejo—Poetry

“Today I Like Life Much Less”
“Anger”
“Poem to Be Read and Sung”
*Text provided on eLearning

** Mid-term papers are due**

Week 8 February 28 José Vasconcelos—The Cosmic Race

*Text provided on eLearning

March 2 Nicolas Guillén—Poetry

“Small Ode to a Black Cuban Boxer”
“My Last Name”
*Text provided on eLearning

March 4 Mid-term grades due

Week 9 March 7 Adolfo Bioy Casares—The Invention of Morel

(pp 9-54)
The Boom

March 9 Adolfo Bioy Casares—The Invention of Morel

(pp 54-103)

March 11 Last day to withdraw with WP/WF

Spring Break March 14-19 Spring Break – no class

– no class

Week 10 March 21 Jorge Luis Borges – selections from Ficciones

“Pierre Menard, Author of Don Quixote”
“Funes the Memorious”
*Text provided on eLearning

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March 23 Pablo Neruda— selected poems

“Macchu Picchu”
Elemental Odes—Artichoke, Dictionary, Maize

*Text provided on eLearning

Week 11 March 28 Alejo Carpentier—The Kingdom of This World

Parts One and Two (pp 9-104)

March 30 Alejo Carpentier—The Kingdom of This World

Parts Three and Four (pp 107-186)

Week 12 April 4 Octavio Paz—The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other

Writings
Chapters 2 & 3, pp 29-64

April 6 Octavio Paz—The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other

Writings
Chapters 5 & 6 (part), pp 89-135

Week 13 April 11 Conferences

April 13 Conferences

Week 14 April 18 José María Arguedas—Deep Rivers

Chapters 1-6, pp 3-87

April 20 José María Arguedas—Deep Rivers

Chapters 7-9, pp 88-154

Week 15 April 25 José María Arguedas—Deep Rivers

Chapters 10-11, pp 155-233

April 27 Julio Cortázar—“Axolotl” and “House Taken Over”

Alejo Carpentier—“Journey Back to the Source”
Carlos Fuentes—“Chac Mool”

*Text provided on eLearning

Week 16 May 2 Last day of class

*Final paper due

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Grading Policy:
Attendance, participation, assignments: 15%
Informal Writing Assignments: 20%
Midterm paper: 30%
Final paper: 35%

(I will make use of the +/- system in grading as stipulated by the University of Texas at
Dallas Undergraduate Catalogue, 2008 – 2010.)

Writing Assignments and Descriptions:

**The instructor will submit all writing assignments to Turnitin.com.

Informal Writing Assignments (20%):

You will be required to write 6 “blog entries” and 6 “think pieces” — 12 total — on
the 19 authors we will read in this course. You will choose which authors to write on
and which format to write in. **These writings should be “jumping off points” for your
contributions to class discussion.

All informal writing assignments (“blog entries” and “think pieces” are due via
email to the instructor by 2 pm on the date due, which is the date the
author/text is discussed. If we spend more than one class period on a single author,
your written response is due on the final day we are scheduled to spend on that author.

Blog entries or discussion posts are short (100-250 words) and informal responses to the
readings and prompts or questions provided by the instructor.

Think pieces are a bit longer (300-500 words) and should be more focused and formally
structured (follow MLA guidelines) arguments about the reading. You should write “Think
Pieces” as economically as possible, with no superfluous verbiage. You should establish
your point from the beginning (i.e., in the first sentence) and support your claims with
textual evidence.

Suggested strategies:
Frame your argument in the context of the class lectures.
Frame your argument in light of the larger questions related to this course or
specific prompts given by the instructor.
Understand the text as being “in dialogue” with another piece we have read, and
write a mini-essay on how you think the essays “speak” to each other.
Structure your writing around a particular question you have about the reading or
subject matter or something that strikes you a particularly interesting/significant.

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Mid-term paper (30%):

Length: 1000-1250 words (about 3.5-4.5 pages, not including Works Cited) in MLA
format, 12-point font, double-spaced. Due on February 23, 2011.

Source limit: Two to three scholarly sources, including your choice of text(s) read in
the course of this semester.

Your mid-term paper will be a formally structured, critical argument centered on

one of the texts read during this course and on the questions and issues we are
exploring in this course.

Final paper (35%):

For the final paper you will revise, expand, and elaborate your mid-term paper.

Length: 1500-2000 words (about 5-6.5 pages, not including Works Cited) in MLA
format, 12-point font, double-spaced. Due on May 2, 2011.

Source limit: Minimum of 5 scholarly sources, including your course chosen text(s)

**Note that the grade on the final paper will be based on both revision and
elaboration.

**All formal writing assignments (mid-term and final paper) are due vial email to the
instructor by 2 pm on the date due.

Useful websites and databases:

UT Dallas Writing Center:

http://www.utdallas.edu/ossa/gems/writing/index.html

The Purdue OWL (for 2009 MLA Guidelines)

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/11/

Scholarly databases (accessed through McDermott Library website

JSTOR
Project Muse
Literature Resource Center (LRC)
Literature POWERSEARCH
WorldCat
Ulrichsweb.com
MLA International Bibliography
Scribner Writers Series

**Note on sources:
Wikipedia is not an acceptable source
Nor are reviews of books

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Informal Presentations:

The first 15 minutes (or so) of most class meetings will begin with small group
discussions, the topic for which will be assigned by the instructor at the beginning of
class.

Each student will be responsible for leading a group discussion, making notes, and
presenting the group’s findings to the rest of the class at least once during the
semester.

Each group leader will be graded based on facilitation and presentation of the
discussion, as well as group engagement or involvement.

Conferences:

Mandatory, individual and private meetings with your instructor. If you fail to keep
your conference appointment you will be counted absent.

For the first conference you will turn in your proposal, which will include your topic,
thesis statement, and sources.

During the second conference we will go over your mid-term paper and discuss any
issues or questions. And you will submit your remaining sources.

Note:

**All assignments must be submitted when and as required in order to successfully

complete this course. Late assignments will not be accepted and will receive 0 credit.

**Assignments and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. You
will be notified in advance of any changes.

Course & Instructor Policies:

Attendance
Because each class period consists of a mixture of lecture and discussion, your
thoughtful, attentive, and active participation is essential (and will form a portion of
your grade).
If you sleep, engage in non-class-related activities, or interfere with your classmates'
ability to learn you will be counted absent for that day.
Be on time - class starts promptly.
Leaving early will count as an absence.

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Attendance is absolutely crucial to your success. I encourage you to come to every
class meeting; otherwise, you will miss a great deal of information and material you
need to succeed in this course. Each student is allowed four missed classes, no
questions asked. Save them for when you really need them. Each additional absence
above the noted three will cause 4% to be deducted off your final letter grade for the
semester.

Punctuality
Persistent tardiness to class is disrespectful to both your instructor and your peers.
Continually arriving late to class will affect your participation grade in the course.
Three tardies will result in one unexcused absence for the course; I will consider
you absent if you arrive more than 15 minutes late to class.

Class Participation
Your success in this course is a function of your level of engagement. I am interested
in the quality of your remarks rather than the quantity. Please use your analysis of
the readings, your blog entries, and prior research and/or study when responding
orally in class, and please be prepared to back up any points you make.

Participation in this course does not include doing work unrelated to this course
during class, sleeping in class, or using the computers or other personal electronic
devices for personal messaging, research, or entertainment.

Late Work
All assignments must be submitted when and as required in order to successfully
complete this course. Late assignments will not be accepted and will receive 0
credit.

Personal Communication Devices

Turn off all cell phones before the start of class and put them away. Do not use them
during class.

Laptops may not be used.

Room and Equipment Use

Tampering with or destroying any of the computers, printers, modems, or wiring in
the classroom is strictly prohibited. Violations will result in disciplinary action by
the Dean of Students’ office.

Off-campus Instruction and Course Activities

Below is a description of any travel and/or risk-related activity associated with this
course.

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Policies and Procedures for Students

The University of Texas at Dallas provides a number of policies and procedures designed to
provide students with a safe and supportive learning environment. Brief summaries of the
policies and procedures are provided for you at http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies
include information about technical support, field trip policies, off-campus activities,
student conduct and discipline, academic integrity, copyright infringement, email
use, withdrawal from class, student grievance procedures, incomplete grades, access
to Disability Services, and religious holy days.

You may also seek further information at these websites:

http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm
http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html
http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm
http://www.utdallas.edu/disability/documentation/index.html

Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work
done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high
standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one's own
work or material that is not one's own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one
of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records.
Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any
other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university's policy on
plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of
turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the
Professor.

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