WLIT 394: Special Topics in World Literature: The Folktale Tradition (CRN 97)
M-R 10:15-12:15, FITZ 307

 Home -- Policy Statement -- Syllabus -- Assignments -- Angel -- Research Links

For this class you have 4 assignments: Angel postings, an article response, a group presentation and paper, and a final exam. All written assignments must be typed, and all need to be in MLA format. Each assignment is worth 25% of your final grade.

Angel Posting and Miscellaneous: During the course, you will be required to post 8 responses to the readings to Angel discussion boards. Each Tuesday and Thursday starting 2 June, you will submit a post to the designated discussion board. The subtitle of each board indicates the text(s) that you may focus on in your post. You have several options for your posts: you may respond to something that was discussed in class; you may respond to a question/comment posted in the instructions for the discussion board; you may respond to a classmate’s comments; you may come up with your own topic of discussion. Some things to consider discussing about all of the texts include character analyses, thematic elements, imagery/symbolism, and other aspects of literary analysis that you have learned in this and other classes. You are not to summarize plot.

I’m looking for a solid paragraph or two of concrete, specific analysis, and I encourage you to reference specific passages in the texts in your analyses. Choose only a single aspect of the text to discuss or your post will be too broad. Use standard academic English (i.e. no emoticons or internet/chat/texting abbreviations) in your posts. Posts will be graded on a scale of 0 to 10: 0 = no post; 1-5 = E; 6 = D; 7 = C; 8 = B; 9-10 = A. Flaming posts will earn you an automatic 0 for the post, and a second occurrence of flaming will earn you a 0 for the remainder of this portion of your grade. Note that you may post more than the required 8 times (and I encourage you to do so), but you will only be graded on 8. Grades for the posts will be available on Angel. The grammar and mechanics policy will not be applied to the posts; however, excessive errors will have an adverse effect on your post’s grade.

In addition to the Angel posting, I may occasionally assign additional writings or give quizzes if I am dissatisfied with the quality of your discussions. These additional works will count as part of this component of your final grade.

Article Response: For this assignment, you will read a critical journal essay (or an article published in a book) that is at least 5 pages long about folktales and write a response to it in which you 1) supply an MLA citation of the article; 2) give a short, 1-paragraph summary of the argument; and 3) discuss the positive and negative aspects of the author’s claims. You may choose any article about folktales as long as it is not a pedagogically-focused article. The article can be about a specific folktale or type of folktale or it may be about a specific revision or retelling. Please note that you may not choose a book review as your article. I recommend the journal Marvels & Tales as your starting point. You can access the past four years of the journal through Academic Search Complete (the articles are available full text). However, if you find an article from a different resource that appeals to you, you are welcome to use it so long as it is not a web source, a book review, or an actual folktale—it must be a critical source. Other good journals include Folklore (full-text available), Asian Folklore Studies (full-text available), Journal of Folklore Research (full-text available), and Journal of American Folklore (some full-text available through JSTOR). If you’re not sure if your article is acceptable, or if you need help finding an article, please see me as soon as possible.

Your response should be 2-3 pages long, in MLA format, and you should include an MLA citation of the article at the beginning of the response. Your goal is to analyze the author’s approach to folktales. Questions to keep in mind as you’re reading the article and preparing your response include: What is the author’s thesis (i.e. main argument)? What literary theory (or theories) is the author employing? What folktale(s) are being analyzed to formulate the argument? Is the textual evidence supplied by the author adequate to prove his/her point? Do you see any holes in the argument? Was there anything in the texts overlooked in the creation of the argument? Is there additional evidence to support the claim that the author overlooked?

Proofread your work carefully, for the grammar and mechanics policy will be applied to this assignment. You may submit the response in a hard copy or by e-mail attachment (use Word or Rich Text Format). The response is due on Wednesday, 15 June, by 5:00.

Presentation and Handout: For this assignment, you will work individually or with one classmate. You will choose a folktale (type) and make a 15-20 minute presentation about that folktale (type) in which you explain what the core components of that tale—what makes that folktale (type) unique. You will also create a handout that contains the following information:

1. An MLA heading and header;
2. The name of your folktale (type) as the title of the handout;
3. An explanation of the folktale (type) in which you explain the required elements of the folktale and the optional ones (3-4 pararaphs minimum);
4. An annotated list of the variations read for the presentation (see specifics below);
5. A list of at least 5 additional variations that fit your folktale (type)—any mix of variations is acceptable;
6. An annotated list of 3 secondary sources related to your topic.*

This handout must be posted as an attachment to Presentation Files discussion board before your presentation (post it in Rich Text Format or as a Microsoft Word document). You must also give me a copy of the handout on the day of your presentation. Optionally, you may make copies for the class as well, though you are not required to do so. Plan to project your handout (or a version of it—you may create a PowerPoint presentation) for the class using the computer station. The handout may be single-spaced.

You will be required to read one traditional version of your folktale. If you are working with a partner, you will both read the same traditional version. In addition to this version, you must also read a different cultural version of the folktale (not just a different translation) and a modern revision of it, and a fourth variation of the folktale (either traditional or revised). If you are working with another classmate, your 3 additional versions of the folktale must be different for each of you. Each variation read must be annotated for the handout (you will have 4 annotations of the primary works for one person, 7 for two people). Your annotations of the folktales should include be a brief (3 sentences tops) summary of the version. The annotations of the secondary sources should contain a brief summary (no more than 3 sentences) and an explanation of how they connect to the folktale you’re exploring. If one of the folktales from class fits your genre, you may use it as one of the versions you annotate.

Your goal for the presentation is to clearly and specifically articulate a definition of your chosen folktale. You will need to mention specific examples from the versions you have read. Your secondary sources should help you to make your definition, though you should not rely on those sources for the full definition. Talk about some of the similarities and differences between versions of the folktale. What makes them all fit in the folktale (type)? Where do they differ from each other? Your presentation should not be a recitation of all the variations that you’ve read; rather, it’s a chance for you to show how the variations of the folktale work, to define the folktale. You will also want to consider the dividing lines—what would a text that is close to the folktale but not part of it look like?

Sign up for the presentation is 2 June, though you may have until 6 June to choose your folktale (type). You may not choose the following folktale for your topic: Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Rumpelstiltskin. There may be no overlap of folktales, so have a couple of options in mind when you sign up in case someone else chooses your first choice. Presentations will begin on Tuesday, 21 June.

*Only one secondary source may be a web site (and it may not be Wikipedia). You may use SurLaLune Fairy Tales.com to gather information, but it may not be one of your annotated sources either (though if you use it, you must cite it). The remaining sources must be journal articles and/or critical books about your topic. For this secondary research, you may need to interlibrary loan materials, so get started early. I don't want to hear the day before you present that you can't get any materials. If you have questions about finding secondary sources (or any other sources for that matter), see me.

Background from Backgrounds Archive