1 MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH & PORTUGUESE
INFECTIOUS WORDS – PGSE 0325-A
Meeting times and places: T/TH from 1:30-2:45PM in Old Chapel 401
Instructor: Valéria M. Souza
Office: Warner 402
Office Hours: Mon 11:30AM-12:30PM, Tues & Thurs. 12:30-1:30PM & by appointment
Office Tel: 802-443-5673
E-mail: [email protected]
Required Texts:
1. Os Lusíadas, by Luís Vaz de Camões – Available online for free; will also be made available to
the class in .PDF format
2. O Alienista, by Machado de Assis - Available online for free; will also be made available to the
class in .PDF format
3. O Beijo no Asfalto, by Nelson Rodrigues – Will be made available to the class in .PDF format;
also available from the Davis Family Library
4. Onde Andará Dulce Veiga: Um Romance B, by Caio Fernando Abreu – Available for
purchase in the College Bookstore
At the instructor’s discretion and/or based on students’ suggestions and needs, additional short
texts in various formats (e.g. – films, news reports, scholarly articles, documentary films, etc.)
will be included as part of the course. This will depend, in part, upon students’ unique research
interests.
Course Description and Objectives:
In this course, we will examine representations of illness in Portuguese and Brazilian literature.
Readings will include the “scurvy episode” of Luís Vaz de Camões’ Os Lusíadas (1572); Machado
de Assis’ short story O Alienista (1882), Nelson Rodrigues’ play O Beijo no Asfalto (1960), and
Caio Fernando Abreu’s novel Onde Andará Dulce Veiga (1990). The range of genres and periods
reflected in this selection will allow students to gain experience in the critical reading of both
canonical and lesser-known Lusophone works, in addition to exploring the relationship between
literary representations of illness and the socio-political and historical context(s) in which they
are produced.
By the end of this course, students will have produced a final paper or project of their own
design that incorporates the material studied but also builds upon it, branching out to
incorporate students’ individual research interests and goals.
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Criteria for Evaluation:
Grading scale:
A = 93-100
B+ = 87-89
B- = 80-82
C = 73-76
D = 60-69
A- = 90-92
B = 83-86
C+ = 77-79
C- = 70-72
F = Below 60
Percentage Breakdown of Final Grades:
Participation in class discussions
Short analyses (2)
Final paper / project proposal
Final paper / project
35%
20%
15%
30%
Course Assignments:
1. Short analyses (2) – 20 % - Students will complete two short analyses of two different
texts of their choosing that we’ve studied in this course. Examples of texts include poems,
novellas, plays, novels, short stories, films, critical/theoretical/scholarly articles, pieces of
artwork, and so on.
Each short analysis should be 2-4 typed, double-spaced pages in length using 8.5 x 11” paper
with 1” margins and a 12-point font.
The purpose of these analyses is threefold: 1.) to strengthen critical thinking and analytical
skills; 2.) to practice advanced writing in Portuguese; and 3.) to begin thinking through texts,
concepts, and ideas relevant to the final paper or project for the course.
The due dates for these analyses are listed in the course schedule below.
2. Final paper or project proposal — 15% — In the 8th week of the course, students will
prepare a formal, written proposal describing the final paper or project they wish to undertake.
This proposal should be 2-5 typed pages in length and contain the following information in
Portuguese:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Proposed title of the final paper or project
Proposed topic of the final paper or project
A brief overview of existing work that has been done on the chosen topic, and/or who or
what the “influences” on your work will be
Proposed media and stylistic/genre format in which the paper/project will be completed.
(For example, will this be a classic “final paper”? A film? An artistic response to course
material? A sociological or anthropological piece of analysis? Etc.)
Proposed methodology for completing the paper/project
Proposed list of texts to be used, aka a Works Cited list
Proposed length of the paper or project (in pages, minutes, etc.)
Proposed method of submission to the instructor (e.g. – file attachment, hard copy, etc.)
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3. Final paper or project — 30% — Due by 23:59H EST on May 22nd (the last day of the
Spring final examination period). This paper or project will be based upon the work that the
student initiated in the “Final Paper or Project Proposal,” taking into account any changes
indicated by the instructor upon return of the graded “Proposal.” This work, like all other work
in the course, is to be completed in Portuguese.
***
Additional Notes, Policies & Information:
1. Extra-Credit: There is no extra credit for this course.
2. For your personal reference please save all materials that are returned to you. Should any
problems arise with the recording of your grades, you’ll be required to present these materials.
3. Regarding the Proposed Class Schedule included in this syllabus: The instructor reserves the
right to make changes as needed.
***
Students with Disabilities:
Here is some information from the ADA Office:
“You are not alone!”
As of the year 2009, approximately 1 in every 15 students at Middlebury has identified as having
a disability. Find out what the ADA Office can do for you! If you have a documentable learning
disability, or other form of disability, identify yourself! Our office provides confidential services
and accommodations for students who have special needs affecting their learning, vision,
hearing, speech, mobility, and physical and psychological health. Such services can include, for
example, the assigning of note takers or readers or scribes, access to scanners, screen-reading
software with voice synthesizers or large-print software, interpreting services, Phonic Ear
assistive listening systems, extended time on tests, and much more. We have an Assistive
Technology Center located in the lower level of Meeker House. If you think we can help, please
stop by and take advantage of all we can offer!"
Contact the ADA Office:
Meeker House 003
Telephone: 802.443.5936
Coordinator: Jodi Litchfield (email: [email protected])
ADA Office webpage: http://www.middlebury.edu/studentlife/diversity/ada
Plagiarism & Academic Honesty:
In the academic community, plagiarism (using someone else’s ideas without giving the person
due credit) is considered a very serious violation of honesty. If you are not familiar with what
constitutes plagiarism, please talk to your professor immediately.
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You can find information on plagiarism and how the university deals with such cases on the
page for Academic Honesty / Honor Code / Disciplinary Policies:
http://www.middlebury.edu/about/handbook/student/Academic_Disciplinary_Policies/node/
133981.
You can also find more information on plagiarism on the following webpages:
a.) Writing and Plagiarism Guides:
http://subsplus.middlebury.edu/subsplus/subjects/docs/Writing%20and%20Plagiarism%20G
uides_10-3-09.htm
b.) Plagiarism in Academe:
http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/plagiarism.html
Students should also be careful regarding the type of assistance they should seek from others.
For example, having someone simply write over you composition, correcting your mistakes,
takes away from you the opportunity to be more attentive to the type of mistakes you make and
therefore to avoid making them in the future. That should also be considered academic
dishonesty. Be careful then, so that collaboration, note sharing, group work, tutoring (etc.) do
not turn into someone doing your “learning” for you.
***
Proposed Class Schedule [Subject to Change]:
Semana 1
3a
5a
14 de Fev.
16 de Fev.
Introdução ao curso; apresentações
O “episódio do escorbuto” d’Os Lusíadas
“O que é uma doença?”: Início do percurso...
Semana 2
3a
5a
21 de Fev.
23 de Fev.
Não há aula hoje
“O ‘episódio do escorbuto’ d’Os Lusíadas” cont’d +
“Constructions of Disability in the Ancient Greek World:
The Community Concept” + “BarberSurgeons” - Winter
Carnival Recess begins at 4:15PM
Semana 3
3a
5a
28 de Fev.
1 de Mar.
O Alienista – Capítulos I-V
O Alienista – Capítulos I-V cont’d
Semana 4
3a
5a
6 de Mar.
8 de Mar.
O Alienista – Capítulos VI-XIII; Análise curta #1 due
O Alienista – Capítulos VI-XIII cont’d
Semana 5
3a
5a
13 de Mar.
15 de Mar.
Foucault, século XIX, prisões/hospitais – Texto(s) TBA
Filme: “Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After
Willowbrook” (1996)
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Semana 6
3a
5a
20 de Mar.
22 de Mar.
Filme: “Cropsey” (2009)
Discussão dos filmes em relação à obra de Machado, etc.
***Spring Recess : Friday March 23rd – Sunday, April 1st***
Semana 7
3a
3 de Abr.
5a
5 de Abr.
Semana 8
3a
10 de Abr.
5a
12 de Abr.
Semana 9
3a
17 de Abr.
5a
19 de Abr.
Onde Andará Dulce Veiga? – Capitulo: “Terça-feira;
Final Paper / Project Proposal due
Onde Andará Dulce Veiga? – Capitulo: “Quarta-feira”
Semana 10
3a
5a
24 de Abr.
26 de Abr.
Onde Andará Dulce Veiga? – Capitulo: “Quinta-feira”
Onde Andará Dulce Veiga? – Capitulo: “Sexta-feira”
Semana 11
3a
1 de Maio
5a
3 de Maio
Onde Andará Dulce Veiga? – Capitulos: “Sábado” e
“Domingo”
Nelson vs. Caio: Textos em dialogo?
Semana 12
3a
8 de Maio
5a
10 de Maio
O Beijo no Asfalto – Primeiro e Segundo Atos; Análise
curta #2 due
O Beijo no Asfalto – Terceiro Ato
Brasil nos anos 50/60; o fenómeno “Leave it to Beaver”; o
conceito da “família brasileira”; Sontag – Texto(s) TBA
Onde Andará Dulce Veiga? – Capitulo: “Segunda-feira”
“Postmodern Illness” (Morris); Images of AIDS
(Tanner); Links to Rodrigues and Abreu
Images of the “sick” body in contemporary Brazilian
graffiti and in artwork – Última aula do semestre
Entrega do trabalho/projeto final: 3a-feira, dia 22 de maio às 23:59H EST (ou antes).
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