I like the term 'found syllabi.' It reminds me of 'ready-made art' - stuff you find washed up on the beach and hang on your wall. There's so much that gets washed up on the web that we can modify and use. There's no doubt that the structures of the media itself determines the way we - and students - plan, learn, know, and expect to communicate. Just check out the video below.
EN 223: Survey of American Literature
The Conversation of American Literature, History, and Culture: Who is an American? How Should an American Live?
http://www.assumption.edu/users/lknoles/Syllabi/amsurveyfal01.html
- Click on "Literature and the "Conversation of Mankind" and find this sentence: "And whether consciously or unconsciously, each time a person sits down to write, s/he is entering a conversation with his/her future audience and past life." Apart from its underscoring of the lit-crit conundrums: consciousness, communication, future, past - the site displays tremenduous respect for texts and reading. Re. 'goals' it is quite refreshing that they seem so self-evident that all you need is a subtitle; and re. 'Course Methods' that the document is inaccessible.
ENAM 312: AMERICAN LITERATURE SINCE 1865
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/enam312/
- We can always discuss format and content but this syllabus not only fulfills its practical purpose of providing structure for the class but also spurs imagination and creativity by providing images etc. Of course, such a class becomes a sort of 'canon' in its selection of works but (almost) any selection addressing the social, political, cultural etc. themes of the time period in conjunction with a clear, concise understanding of why we read and study literature should do the trick.
Philosophy/Chinese-Japanese 350:Comparative Methodology
http://faculty.vassar.edu/brvannor/Asia350/
- This course is just absolutely fascinating! It deals with fundamental human understanding of which any literary piece provides an example. The content of this class, the aim of these philosophers: "understanding and making judgments," not least in inter-cultural contexts, is the context that spins around our enjoyment of literature. The pedagogy is also so palatable: there's the text in the syllabus: prepare it; we'll discuss it in class! A basic, civilized, respectful approach.
ENL 684/FLL 684 Literary Criticism I: Theory & Practice
http://home.earthlink.net/~blueheeler19/lkcourses/fll684/FLL684.html
- Obviously, the topic is important. The outline and syllabus are a bit terse but hopefully the abilities of the instructor and the energies of the (mixed bag of) students in the collaborative format will accomplish to engage teory with practice.
ENG 203: Introduction to Literature
http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/markport/lit/introlit/introsyl.htm
- Theory is just about the most practical thing there is. We hardly do anything without it. The very act of engaging language is theory which is why grammar is such a marvellous tool for understanding. That is pretty much what the first paragraph ('Objectives') and the following sections express. The syllabus and its clickable items continuously reinforce the purpose of studying literature while providing methods. Informative, supportive, coaching, an exemplary web-overview of a course. We can always discuss content, of course.
'Dream course:'
World Literature in Historical Perspective
- Develop an historical perspective
- Develop an analytical and interpretational methodology
- Select representative works of literature from a spectrum of cultures
- Find a way to make contrasting and complimentary perspectives relevant
- Create a gallery of issues, themes, behaviors
- All of the above in collaboration with student participants (provided the class is small; otherwise lecture brilliantly)
- Fit it into 15 weeks; although a 2-semester format would be beneficial
- Make it work!
Issues: plenty.
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