orb
English 1582


Syllabus

Schedule

Assignments

Schedule

The following schedule is subject to change according to the demands of the class. I will announce changes to it in class when the need presents itself.

M
August 25
Introduction
 
Module One: Experimental Storytelling in Prose and Poetry
 
W
August 27
Italo Calvino, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, chs. 1, If on a winter's night a traveler, 2, Outside the town of Malbork, 3
 
M
September 1
Labor Day Holiday
W
September 3
Calvino, chs. Learning from the steep slope, 4, Without fear of wind or vertigo, 5, Looks down in the gathering shadow
 
M
September 8
Calvino, chs., 6, In a network of lines that enlace, 7, In a network of lines that intersect, 8
W
September 10
Calvino, chs. On the carpet of leaves illuminated by the moon, 9, Around an empty grave, 10, What story down there awaits its end?, 11, 12
 
M
September 15
Calvino group mini-presentations (will count in the "quiz" category)
Epiphany Poems in The Book of Luminous Things (4-8), including
D. H. Lawrence "Maximus"
Kikaku, "Above the Boat"
Issa, "From the Bough"
Jean Follain, "Music of Spheres"
Carlos Drummond de Andrade, "In the Middle of the Road"
W
September 17
Wisława Szymborska, "In Praise of Self-Deprecation" (21), "Four in the Morning" (22), "View with a Grain of Sand" (67)
Valéry Larbaud, "Images" (77-78)
 
M
September 22
Joseph Brodsky, "In the Lake District" (115), "Odysseus to Telemachus" (116)
Tomas Tranströaut;mer, "Syros" (126), "Outskirts" (130)* and "Tracks" (154)
Rolf Jacobsen, "Rubber" (155)
W
September 24
Module One Examination
 
Module Two: Colonization and Its Consequences
 
M
September 29
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart, chs. 1-4
W
October 1
Achebe, chs. 5-8
 
M
October 6
Achebe, chs. 9-11
W
October 8
Achebe, chs. 12-15
 
M
October 13
Achebe, chs. 16-19
W
October 15
Achebe, chs. 20-25
 
M
October 20
Quiz on Things Fall Apart
Manjula Padmanabhan, Harvest, Act 1
W
October 22
Padmanabhan, Act 2
 
M
October 27
Padmanabhan, Act 3
W
October 29
Module Two Examination
 
Module Three: Writing in Conflict
 
M
November 3
Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis, pp. 3-71
W
November 5
Satrapi, pp. 72-142
Peer-Editing of Character Analysis Papers
 
M
November 10
Satrapi, pp. 143-206
W
November 12
Satrapi, pp. 207-275
Final Draft of Character Analysis Due
 
M
November 17
Satrapi, pp. 276-341
W
November 19
Ha Jin, In the Pond, Chs. One-Four
Quiz on Satrapi's Persepolis
 
M
November 24
Jin, Chs. Five-Eight
W
November 26
Jin, Chs. Nine-Eleven
 
M
December 1
Jin, Chs. Twelve-Fifteen
W
December 3
Semester Review
 
F
December 12
Final Exam, 8-9:50am

John D. Schwetman
21 August 2025