S ASIA 254A
Fairies, Genies, and Monsters:
The Romance in India
Winter 2023
Link to Course Schedule
Instructor: Prof. Jennifer Dubrow, Associate Professor, Asian Languages and Literature
Office: M212 Gowen Hall (note: on the mezzanine level, above the 2nd floor)
Email: jdubrow@uw.edu
Office Hours: W 4:30-5 in M212 Gowen Hall; Th 3:30-4 on Zoom (https://washington.zoom.us/j/94656939734)
Class Times and Place: MW 2:30-4:20 PM, in 115 Smith Hall
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
All 3 books are available on reserve for at Odegaard Undergraduate Library: Link to course Reserves. They all have a 24-hour loan period (i.e., you'll have to return the book within 24 hours). This is a great option if you've forgotten your book at home, or can't get a book and need to tide yourself over with the reserve copy.
All other readings are available through links on the Course Schedule.
Assignments and Grading:
The final grade for S ASIA 254A 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 Monday or Wednesday in Weeks 2-9, except Weeks 3, 5 & 8, in which due on Wednesday. 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 Tuesday, Jan. 31 by 5 PM (for The Arabian Nights) and Friday, Feb. 24 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 are given in the Final Project proposal on the Assignments page. Also, you can try your hand at the annual Hamzanama cartoon contest! https://www.hamzanama.org/ Due Tuesday, March 14 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 Monday, Feb. 27 by 11:59 PM on Canvas. Credit/no credit. (5%)
- Presentation of the creative final project in class, on either Mar. 6 or Mar. 8. 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 when you are 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. We are still dealing with Covid and other viruses. If you are ill, please do not come to class.
If you need to miss class, I have set up a discussion forum for students to post class notes: https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1614465/discussion_topics/7733639. Please send an email to the class list if you would like to request class notes for a particular session: sasia254a_wi23@uw.edu.
Guideline for participation: When you are in class, try to participate at least once in every class, but no more than 3 times/class. Participation can mean reading a selected passage aloud in class, asking a question, or responding to a question I or a student poses in class.
Mask policy:
Course Policies:
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.
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.).
Safety
Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested.
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.).
Other Resources:
Facts and information regarding Winter quarter 2023