Course Title:
English 40A: Current Literature

Instructor:
Robert Bini; (209)954-5395; rbini@deltacollege.edu

Required Text:
One novel of student's choice.
Guterson, David. Snow Falling on Cedars. New York: Vintage, 1995.
Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. New York: HarperPerennial, 1999.
Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Plume, 1998.
Tsukiyama, Gail. The Samurai's Garden. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994.

Office:
Cunningham 425, Stockton campus; Phone: 954-5395

Catalog Statement:
This course is designed to acquaint the student with themes of contemporary literature. It covers the contemporary novel. English 1A proficiency recommended.

Course Description:
Students are required to complete a minimum of three projects; a project consists of a twenty-minute oral presentation and a three-page, typed paper on the same topic. The papers should follow the MLA style of documentation. Students can choose from a range of topics: a review of literary criticism of the novel, a biographical study of the author, the setting of the novel, the development of a character or characters, an analysis of themes or symbols in the novel, a discussion of the dominant point of view, or the writer's style of writing.

Explanation of Grading Criteria:

Participation 20%
Three Reports and Papers 60%
Final Exam 10%

Attendance: According to school policy, a student may be dropped for missing one of the first three class sessions. The thirteenth week of the semester is the last week for withdrawing from this class with a "W." Students who do not pass this course and who have not dropped this course before this time will receive an "F." It is the student's, not the teacher's, responsibility to complete the paperwork by the above deadline.

Click the links below to view sites associated with The Samurai's Garden.

• Meet the author, Gail Tsukiyama.
• Visit the author's website on a literature magazine.
• Japanese gardens. Click on the photo to the left, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page for more photos. Click on these for enlarged photos. Return to the next photo at the top of the page, click, and see the next set of photos.
• A Japanese garden.
• A short summary of Japan invading China in the 1930s.

Click the links below to view sites associated with Snow Falling on Cedars.

• Meet the author, David Guterson.
• Here's a review of the novel.
• "The Conflict Behind the Battle Lines."
• During the war, Kabuo Miyamoto serves in the 442nd Regiment.
• See a map of New Caledonia, the island where Ishmael Chambers was injured in battle.

Click the links below to view sites associated with The Poisonwood Bible.

• Click here to visit Barbara Kingsolver's web site.
• Patrice Lumumba's speech on Independence Day, June 30, 1960.
• Type in Patrice Lumumba in Search for information on his assassination, legacy, and the recent situation in the Congo.

Click the links below to view sites associated with Beloved.

• The Nobel Prize Internet Archive with links to Toni Morrison's acceptance speech.
• Time Line of African American History, 1852-1880. The novel starts in 1873.
• An educational site with valuable links to articles by and about Toni Morrison.
• On Toni Morrison receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature.
• Known as the Conductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman leads hundreds of slaves to freedom.
• On Frederick Douglas and his life as a slave, an abolitionist, and a newspaper publisher.

Click the links below to view sites associated with literature and research writing.

• Delta College Library homepage. Check the links to the Online Databases, the MLA Style, and Research Strategies. Workshops are also available on a regular basis.
• Sample research paper in Adobe Acrobat.
• Sample research paper from Diane Hacker's Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age.
• Check the Reference Units and Interactive Tutorials for information on how to get started with your research.
• Links to sites dealing with literature and specific authors.
• Literature links on fiction, drama, poetry, essays, and critical theory.
• An online database providing links to various subjects commonly used in writing topics.
• Academy of American Poets. Click on Find a Poet for information on various poets.
• Arts and Letters Daily: An updated report of news and reviews.

Top of Page