ASIAN 207 A: Special Topics in Literature and Culture of Asia

Spring 2022
View in MyPlan View in Time Schedule
Meeting:
TTh 2:30pm - 4:20pm / SAV 130
SLN:
10522
Section Type:
Lecture
Instructor:
FAIRIES, GENIES, AND MONSTERS: THE ROMANCE IN INDIA
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Hamza nama 5.jpg

Fairies, Genies, and Monsters:

The Romance in India

Spring 2022

Link to Course Schedule

Instructor:  Prof. Jennifer Dubrow, Associate Professor, Asian Languages and Literature

Email: jdubrow@uw.edu 

Office Hours: M 3:30-4:30 PM and by appointment. Zoom ID for office hour: https://washington.zoom.us/j/97043556601

Class Times and Place: TTh 2:30-4:20 PM, in 130 Savery Hall. (If the Covid pandemic worsens, we may switch to a hybrid format, in which case I will provide links for synchronous Zoom sessions.)

Course Description:

This course introduces the romance in India, a literary genre of fantastic adventures, supernatural encounters, and brave heroes. Major readings comprise The Arabian Nights, The Adventures of Amir Hamza, and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. We will explore the development of the genre by reading one of the most famous and beloved examples of romance from India. Toward the end of the course we will study The Hobbit as a modern example of the romance genre, and compare it with The Adventures of Amir Hamza. All works will be read in English translation, and no prior knowledge is assumed.

Course Goals:

  • To analyze and appreciate the major texts covered in this course (The Arabian Nights, The Adventures of Amir Hamza, The Hobbit);
  • To become familiar with the romance genre;
  • To use the analytical skills developed in class and apply them to modern examples of the romance genre.
  • To develop original arguments (defined as: debatable claims that can be supported by evidence) and to present those arguments clearly in written form; and to engage creatively with the texts and present your understanding of the major texts through a creative final project.

Required Books:

Please note VERY CAREFULLY that you are buying THE CORRECT EDITION of all course books. All of the required books for this course are available in multiple editions. It is important that we all have the same edition so that we can refer to page numbers and review passages together in class.

Required Books:

1) Ghalib Lakhnavi and Abdullah Bilgrami. The Adventures of Amir Hamza. Special abridged edition. Translated by Musharraf Ali Farooqi. Modern Library, 2012. Available at UW Bookstore. Also, To buy on Amazon BE SURE NOT TO BUY THE COMPLETE EDITION! The copy you buy should contain 560 pages.

2) J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit. Houghton Mifflin, 2012. Available at UW Bookstore. Also, To buy on Amazon

3) The Arabian Nights. Norton critical edition. Selected and edited by Daniel Heller-Roazen. Translated by Husain Haddawy. W.W. Norton, 2010. Available at UW Bookstore. Also, To buy on Amazon 

Available through UW Libraries, but only 1 user may use at a time: UW Library-1 user access 

Other readings will be made available on the "Files" page of the course website (UW log-in required). 

Assignments and Grading:

The final grade for Asian 207A will be based on the following factors:

  • A weekly response to the readings posted on the course discussion board, in which you copy passages or sentences that struck you as important, interesting, worthy of discussion, or confusing and say why it struck you that way; raise questions related to the reading; or answer specific questions that I may pose. This is not a plot summary, but rather a chance for you to engage with the reading before class discussion. To be posted by 11 AM on either Tuesday or Thursday in Weeks 2-9, except Weeks 5 & 7, in which due on Thursday. Credit/no credit, 1 score will be dropped. (20%)
  • 2 short responses, of 2-3 pages each (double-spaced), on The Arabian Nights and The Adventures of Amir Hamza; due on Friday, April 22 by 5 PM (for The Arabian Nights) and Monday, May 23 by 5 PM (for The Adventures of Amir Hamza) on Canvas. Short Responses will be graded on a 20-point scale. (30%)
  • A final creative project that engages with aspects of the romance genre, as based on The Adventures of Amir Hamza and The Hobbit. Ideas/suggestions for this project will be given, but you may also develop your own ideas. Some possible ideas: developing a dating profile/Wikipedia page for a character from The Adventures of Amir Hamza; enacting a comparative battle scene like those in The Adventures of Amir Hamza vs. The Hobbit. Due Tuesday, June 7 by 4 PM on Canvas. Will be graded on a 100-point scale. (15%)
  • A 1-paragraph proposal or prototype for your final project, due Friday, May 20 by 5 PM on Canvas. Credit/no credit. (5%)
  • Presentation of the creative final project in class, on either May 31 or Jun. 2. Will be graded on a 10-point scale. (10%)
  • Participation in class, which includes asking questions in class, bringing passages for discussion, and thoughtful engagement in class discussions. (20%)

Student Responsibilities:

Students are responsible for carrying out assigned readings by the dates specified. Please have your copy of the reading available for you to use during class sessions. If for any reason you are unable to attend a class session, please find out from another student what was covered in that session. If you are ill, there is no need to contact the instructor; however, if you have a major illness or life event that will cause you to miss more than one class, please email me so that we may make any necessary arrangements.  Please do let me know if a major life event happens during the quarter that you would like to discuss. Attendance will be taken in each class.

Attendance vs. Participation in Class:

I will take attendance in class, and will use the Canvas Attendance feature to do this, as it allows both you and me to easily keep track of who was in which class. Canvas calculates the percentage of your attendance in class. Please note that this is not the same as your participation grade. Your attendance percentage will not affect your participation grade. Rather, your participation grade is based on the quality and quantity of your participation in class, whether by asking a question, responding to a question, reading aloud, presenting group work to the class, or bringing a passage to read to class.

Rule of thumb for participation: All students should try to participate at least once in every class, but no more than 3 times/class.

Note on Course Modality (in-person vs. Zoom):

We will start the course in person, but with a few caveats. As you all know, the Covid-19 pandemic is ongoing. Moreover, the new sub-variant of Omicron, BA.2, is spreading in the US and may cause a rise in cases. Our course is full at 30 students. We have been assigned the classroom of 130 Savery Hall, which seats exactly 30 students. It has windows and last time I checked, an air filter. But we will have no extra seats and no space for social distancing.
ASIAN 207 is a relatively small, undergraduate literature course. I run this course as a discussion course, which means we’ll be spending most of the class sessions discussing the assigned readings as a class and in small groups. We’ll be talking through the whole class. I usually circulate throughout the room, and students may also move around to be in different groups when appropriate.
Given this situation, I would like to ask that we all wear masks in class. I will always provide a 5-10 minute break halfway through class when you can step out into the hallway to eat and drink, go to the bathroom, take a break from the mask etc. The UW Library provides free KN-95 masks. They’re available free and with no explanation at the Circulation desk and at the main entrance (across from the Starbucks). Please make sure you have a mask before class. I highly recommend KN-95, as they’ve been shown to prevent infection much more successfully than cloth masks or surgical masks. This is also the UW guidance.
If the case counts rise significantly, we may move to a hybrid format. This means that we will have class sessions live over Zoom during regular class times. If/when we do this, we will meet synchronously on Zoom from 2:30-4:20 PM on TTh, the same times as regular class. If it is safe to do so, we can return to the regular classroom. The nature of the pandemic is unpredictable, and it’s also possible we will shift back and forth between in-person and Zoom meetings. I will keep you posted in class and over Canvas if we’re going to shift formats.
During all of these meetings, my primary concern is your safety. Please do not come to in-person class if you are not feeling well or have Covid-19. I have created an online forum on our Canvas page for students to solicit and receive notes from class sessions: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1546294/discussion_topics/7167682. If you have to miss a class, please do not worry about your participation grade. Your participation grade is based on your active involvement in class discussions. You do not have to attend every class. Rather, my general guideline is that all students should try to participate at least once in every class, but no more than 3 times/class. Participating means asking a question, answering a question I pose, or responding to other students. If you participate at least once but no more than 3 times a class for a class in which you are present, you should be fine. I will highlight examples of good participation in class, and we’ll continue to discuss it. Do not come to class for a participation grade if you are ill.
 
My hope is that we’ll be able to remain in-person. If we have to move online, I have taught this course and many others online for the last 2 years, and have some different strategies to keep them interactive and productive.

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty:

Students are expected to abide by all University of Washington regulations concerning plagiarism and academic honesty. Plagiarism is defined as using in your own work the creations, ideas, words, inventions, or work of someone else without formally acknowledging them through the use of quotation marks, footnotes, bibliography, or other reference. Please check with your instructor if you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism. Instances of plagiarism will be referred to the Vice Provost/Special Asst to the President for Student Relations and may lead to disciplinary action. It is your responsibility to be aware of the university's standards for academic conduct. A good summary can be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf (Links to an external site.).

Course Policies:

Electronics Policy:

To maximize student learning and participation in the course, students are asked to not use electronics while in class. If you require the use of a laptop or other electronics to take notes or for other reasons, please speak with the instructor. 

Students are expected to observe the following rules in class:

  • Arrive in class on time so that other students are not disturbed;
  • Refrain from conversing with fellow students while class is in progress;
  • Turn off cell phones and other electronic devices;
  • Do not use personal computers to cruise the Internet, read email, or engage in activities unrelated to class.

Zoom Best Practices (if we meet on Zoom):

Office hours will also be conducted during Zoom. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, some class sessions may be taught synchronously during regular class times on Zoom. I will post links for any Zoom meetings for this class on the Zoom portion on Canvas (see Zoom on the menu on the lefthand portion of your screen). 

Some tips about Zoom best practices:

  • Please be sure to mute yourself when not speaking.
  • Please do keep your video on during class unless I am giving a longer lecture. I will let you know when it's not important to have your video on. 
  • The UW recommends that you create a dedicated space where you live for participating in online classes.
  • Feel free to use the Chat function to communicate with the instructor or the class as a whole as we work.

Disability Accommodations:

If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability Resources for Students, 448 Schmitz Hall, (206) 543-8924. If you have a letter from DSO indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to the instructor during the first week of the term so that we can discuss appropriate arrangements.

Religious Accommodations:

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links to an external site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/) (Links to an external site.).

Catalog Description:
Introduction to the literature of one or more Asian traditions considered in its cultural context. Content varies depending on the specialization and interest of instructor. Texts in English translation.
GE Requirements Met:
Social Sciences (SSc)
Arts and Humanities (A&H)
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
November 21, 2024 - 10:46 am