Assignments

ENGL 2110 World Literature, Spring 2026

Section 03: MW 2:00-3:15 p.m., Arts & Sciences 246

In Class Activities

1. Lysistratic Nonaction aka Sex Strike!

Today, let's begin our discussion of Aristophanes's Lysistrata by break into groups of 4-5 students to meet some peers and break down the play's representation of gender and sexuality. Groups should respond to their assigned group number and elect a secretary to share, orally, their work with the class.

  1. Discuss the characters' attitudes toward men, men's roles and male sexuality. Select 2-3 passages demonstrating these attitudes.
  2. Discuss the characters' attitudes toward women, women's roles and female sexuality. Select 2-3 passages demonstrating these attitudes.
  3. Given the ironic tone of the play, what is the play's attitude toward men's roles and male sexuality? Select 2-3 passages demonstrating these attitudes.
  4. Given the ironic tone of the play, what is the play's attitude toward women's roles and female sexuality? Select 2-3 passages demonstrating these attitudes.
  5. What ideas does the play convey about marriage on the one hand and war on the other hand?

2. Connections, Conversions, and Queries

In accordance with modified campus operations due to the winter storm, today's class will be conducted asynchronously on the GeorgiaVIEW discussion board. To be marked Present, answer your assigned question in a 150-250 word response in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Discussions > Winter Storm Discussion Board by Tuesday, January 27, at 11:59 p.m. Here is the question:

Here are the assigned sections of Metamorphosis:

3. Self and Sacrifice

For today's class on The Bhagavad-Gita, let's break into groups (with secretaries taking notes to share with the large class) to discuss the key philosophical and moral ideas discussed by Arjuna and Lord Krsna.

4. From Chinese Philosophy to Christian Autobiography

Today, let's complete our discussion of Confucius and Laozi and begin our discussion of Augustine with directed questions to be answered by our six research project groups.

  1. Laozi and the Spiritual Way: What do Laozi's repeated use of terms like emptiness, nothingness, and nonaction suggest about the spiritual meaning of the Dao, the Way individuals should cultivate themselves? How does this compare to Confucius's teachings?
  2. Laozi and the Political Way: What do Laozi's repeated use of terms like emptiness, nothingness, and nonaction suggest about the political meaning of the Dao, the Way governments should rule? How does this compare to Confucius's teachings?
  3. Augustine and Childhood: How does Augustine talk about the relationship between the world and God, sinning and the soul, in Book I?
  4. Augustine and The Pear Tree: How does Augustine talk about flesh and the soul, the lower and the higher good, human power and divine power in Book II?
  5. Augustine, Student at Carthage and Augustine Leaves Carthage for Rome: What is Augustine's attitude toward love, on the one hand, and the school of rhetoric, on the other hand, in Book III? What is Augustine's attitude, first, toward his students, and second, toward his mother in Book V?
  6. Augustine, Earthly Love and Conversion: What does Augustine say about his mistress in Book VI? Explain what Augustine means by continence and contrition in Book VIII.

5. Dante's Descent

Let's spend our first day discussing Dante's Inferno by looking for and at significant patterns across its sections. After you are individual assigned a canto, spend a few minutes answering the following questions:

  1. What literally and narratively happens in the canto?
  2. What does the canto convey about either Heaven and the True Path or Hell, Sin, and Punishment?
  3. How does Dante react to what he witnesses on his journey in the canto?

Here are the cantos:

6. Shonagon's Delights and Disgusts

Today, let's break into groups to conclude our discussion of Kantian ethics and begin our conversation about The Pillow Book.

  1. Group 1
    1. Kant: Does Ovid's Metamorphosis contain any moral duties, hypothetical imperatives, or categorical imperatives?
    2. Shonagon, Sections 1, 2, 4 (NAWL 1252-5): What delights Shonagon and why? What breaks her heart and why?
  2. Group 2
    1. Kant: Does The Bhagavad-Gita contain any moral duties, hypothetical imperatives, or categorical imperatives?
    2. Section 6 (NAWL 1255-7): What does the vignette about the cat and dog say about courtier politics?
  3. Group 3
    1. Kant: Does Confucius's Analects contain any moral duties, hypothetical imperatives, or categorical imperatives?
    2. Shonagon, Section 20 (NAWL 1257-60): What status does poetry hold in court and why?
  4. Group 4
    1. Kant: Does Laozi's Daodejing contain any moral duties, hypothetical imperatives, or categorical imperatives?
    2. Shonagan, Section 22, 30 (NAWL 1260-4): What dispirits Shonagon and why? What is the status of religion in the court?
  5. Group 5
    1. Kant: Does Augustine's Confessions contain any moral duties, hypothetical imperatives, or categorical imperatives?
    2. Shonagon, Section 82 (NAWL 1265-71): What does the vignette about the old nun say about courtier attitudes toward appearances? What does the snow mountain vignette say about courtier values?
  6. Group 6
    1. Kant: Does Dante's Inferno contain any moral duties, hypothetical imperatives, or categorical imperatives?
    2. Shonagon, Section 104, 144, 257 (NAWL 1271-3): What distresses, endears, and pleases Shonagon and why?

7. Shikibu Wrote What Now?

Let's begin our first day of discussion of Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji by reviewing some significant passages that paint a picture of marriage and relationships in tenth century Japan.

Next, let's discuss the following questions.

8. The Princely Morality

Today, let's divide into groups and delve into the politics and morality of ruling as advised by Niccolò Machiavelli. Here are the questions:

  1. First, explain Machiavelli's political advice.
  2. Then, consider the moral idea underlying the political consultation.
  3. Finally, explore how Machiavelli's political and/or moral understanding might change from a prince ruling a monarchy to an elected leader ruling a representative democracy.

Here are the groups:

  1. Princely Virtues (NAWL 1576)
  2. On Liberty and Parsimony (NAWL 1577-78)
  3. On Cruelty and Pity, and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved or to Be Fears, and Vice Versa (NAWL 1578-80)
  4. In What Way Faith Should Be Kept by Princes (NAWL 1580-1)
  5. On Avoiding Contempt and Hatred (NAWL 1581-4)
  6. In What Way Flatterers Are to Be Avoided (NAWL 1589)

9. The Ethics of Caring for a Lunatic

Today, let's divide into groups to complete our discussion of the ethics of care and begin our discussion of Don Quixote. Here are the groups and questions:

  1. Concept: Select and discuss significant quotations that explain the ethics of care.
  2. Characters: Review the literature on our syllabus and discuss how two main characters employ the ethics of care.
  3. Narrator: Draw a brief character sketch (in writing) of the narrator and select two quotations to illustrate it.
  4. Don Quixote: Draw a brief character sketch (in writing) of the narrator and select two quotations to illustrate it.
  5. Sancho Panza: Draw a brief character sketch (in writing) of Sancho Panza and select two quotations to illustrate it.
  6. Reactions: Discuss how and why other characters, such as the innkeeper and the sex workers, react to Don Quixote, and select two quotations to illustrate your analysis.

10. The Tempest of Power Dynamics

For our final in-class group activity, let’s look at the vicissitudes of power in William Shakespeare's The Tempest.

  1. Prospero: What does Prospero’s monologue suggest about his feelings toward his brother, his books, and political power? (NAWL 1788: 1.2.88-116)
  2. Caliban: What does the exchange between Caliban and Prospero illuminate about the power dynamics of their relationship? (NAWL 1794-5: 1.2.330-374)
  3. Gonzalo: What does Gonzalo’s plan for colonization of the island indicate about his attitude toward European civilization, on the one hand, and new lands, on the other hand? (NAWL 1803: 2.1.142-163)
  4. Ferdinand and Miranda: What does Ferdinand and Miranda’s conversation reveal about relationships in terms of gender and power? (NAWL 1813-4: 3.1.33-86)

Research Project

While the in-class essay exams will test your comparative understanding of world literature and its predominant issues, the research project will compel you to delve deeper into an author's work, examine a text from a variety of perspectives, and collaborate with peers. Here are the components of the research project

  1. Sign Up: First, sign up for a text to research,
  2. Plan of Action and Working Bibliography: Then, read the text and then meet with your group to create a plan of action (meeting times, deadlines) and working bibliography (a 20-source MLA formatted list of scholarly journal articles and scholarly book chapters found using University Library Research Methods search processes, not Google, that also indicates which members are responsible for reading which sources) that each group member must submit to the professor at least two weeks before the presentation. Failure to submit the plan of action and working bibliography on time at GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Research Project will result in a 1/3 letter grade penalty.
  3. Annotated Bibliography: Next, group members should work on their own reading and annotating at least 4 scholarly journal articles and book chapters. Each annotation should be approximately 100 words long and describe 1) the topic of scholarly discussion, 2) the main idea, meaning, or conclusion as it relates to the work of literature, and 3) how the source helps your understanding of the work of literature. The OWL provides additional strategies of summarization, evaluation, and reflection as well as sample annotations. Each group member should submit their own 4 source annotated bibliography to GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Research project at any time on presentation day.
  4. 10-15 Minute Presentation and Slide Show: Finally, groups should meet to create a 10-15 minute presentation with accompanying slide show that highlights the results of their research. Do not just read your annotations but share patterns of critical interpretations and scholarly debates. Each group member should speak during the presentation and only one group member needs to upload the slide show to GeorgiaVIEW > Assignments > Research Project.
  5. Grade: Your research project grade will be based on your active participation in the group, the quality of your research and annotations, and the delivery of your part of the presentation. You can retrieve your graded assignment approximately one week after your presentation in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Research Project. Here's how to calculate your course grade.

Exam 1

In class, sans notes or textbook, you will write two comparative essays, one on themes of literature and one applying ethics to literature. Then, outside of class, you will revise and resubmit one of those two essays. More details, including exam preparation recommendations, will be provided two weeks before the exam.

Exam 2

Same as Exam 1.

Exam 3

Same as Exam 2, during the final exam time, without essay revision and resubmission.

 

© Alex E. Blazer 2026