COURSE UNIT TITLE

Offered By

American Culture and Literature

Level of Course Unit

Third Cycle Programmes (Doctorate Degree)

Course Coordinator

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR NILSEN GÖKÇEN ULUK

Offered to

American Culture and Literature

Course Objective

This course is designed to establish and discern dialogues among particularly Anglo-Saxon and Turkish novels and to study the ties between literary texts and the local and national cultures from which they emerge as well as the universal values.
This semester will focus on thematic ties including the politics of rewriting, duality and dividedness, the body and language dichotomy, and the processes of storytelling and mythmaking.

Learning Outcomes of the Course Unit

Mode of Delivery

Face -to- Face

Prerequisites and Co-requisites

None

Recomended Optional Programme Components

None

Course Contents

Recomended or Required Reading

Main Sources:
Fiction:
Homer, The Odyssey
Margaret Atwood, The Penelopiad
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
J. M. Coetzee, Foe
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre
Jean Rhys, Wide Sargossa Sea
Miguel Cervantes, Don Quixote
Oğuz Atay, Tutunamayanlar

Theory-Criticism:
Susan Bassnett, Comparative Literature: A Critical Introduction
Clayton Koelb and Susan Noakes, The Comparative Perspective on Literature: Approaches to Theory and Practice
Haun Saussy, Comparative Literature in an Age of Globalization
Azade Seyhan, Tales of Crossed Destinies: The Modern Turkish Novel in a Comparative Context
Margaret R Higonnet, Borderwork : Feminist Engagements with Comparative Literature
Ann Massa and Alistair Stead (Eds.), Forked Tongues : Comparing Twentieth-Century British and American Literature

Supplementary Materials:
Charles Bernheimer, Comparative Literature in the Age of Multiculturalism
Meta Grosman, American Literature for non-American Readers : Cross-Cultural Perspective

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods

Lecture
Discussion
Text Analysis
Student Presentations

Assessment Methods

Successful / Unsuccessful

Further Notes About Assessment Methods

None

Assessment Criteria

Either the midterm or the final of this course will involve writing a research paper. The minimum criteria in the evaluation of this assignment will be the sensibleness and coherence of the argument, fluency of the development of ideas and thoughts, the quality and range of research, the intellectual level of the analyses and syntheses of the sources, their integration to the main idea, and the success in the accuracy, fluency in the idiomatic usage of language. The latest version of the MLA documentation style shall be employed in the research paper. The Wrks Cited must include at least ten secondary sources. Study aids such as Cliffsnotes, Sparksnotes will not be accepted as part of the Works Cited.
The minimum criteria for the in-class exam with essay type questions include the logical associations with the question, coherence and consistency in the unfolding and development of the idea(s), and the accurate and fluent usage of language.
In the presentations the minimum criteria for evaluation are an overall command of material, clarity and succinctness of verbal expression, organization of thoughts and ideas, timing, and the knowledgeableness of the presenting student in answering questions in the ensuing discussion.
In order to be able to follow class discussions and lectures, the students must read the required material for the week. Each student is thus expected to be ready to participate in an intellectually stimulating discussion of the texts. In addition, s/he is expected to establish ties between the present and previously introduced material in order to be able to develop a wider perspective on underlying issues.
In the quizzes, the questions are tailored to evaluate the student s class preparation for the day; therefore, they will be based on facts in rather than interpretations of the assigned materials.
In all sorts of exams, personal interpretations must be supported by facts and fact-based knowledge on the part of the student.
The grade from class participation will be earned based on the intellectual level of the student s class participation in discussions.

Language of Instruction

English

Course Policies and Rules

Any attempt at plagiarism at research papers will result in failure in this course and start a legal process against the student.
The minimum attendance requirement for this class is 70 %.

Contact Details for the Lecturer(s)

Address:Faculty of Letters Building Office A 220
Phone: (232) 301 86 78
E-mail: gokcenils@yahoo.com

Office Hours

By appointment.

Work Placement(s)

None

Workload Calculation

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes