Course Outline

Course Description: Critical and close reading of Amitav Ghosh’s novels and essays, writings and conversations about his work as well as contemporary criticism to investigate Ghosh’s portrayal of the world, contexts for his writing, and ideas about the novel form and their implications on Anglophone literature scholarship, and to explore a variety of approaches to Ghosh’s work.

Class Time: Th 1–4 p.m.

Class Location: MCS 501/12

Required Texts

Course packet
Ghosh, Amitav. The Shadow Lines. 1988. New York: Mariner Books, 2005. Print.
Ghosh, Amitav. The Calcutta Chromosome: A Novel of Fevers, Delirium and Discovery. 1995. New York: Harper Perennial, 2001. Print.
Ghosh, Amitav. The Hungry Tide. 2004. London: HarperCollins, 2005. Print.
Ghosh, Amitav. Sea of Poppies. 2008. London: Hodder, 2009. Print.

Detailed Schedule

Syllabus (Word file)

Requirements and Expectations

• Reading Responses: Aside from occasional writing of other kinds, reading responses are useful exercises that attempt to explain, discuss or comment on an issue or a question that you pose about the reading. No more than one page double-spaced is expected per response but it should be well thought out. Four are required but you may write more if you wish, in which case the best four out of the batch will be counted toward your grade. See samples.

• Attendance and Participation: Discussion of the texts will be a big part of this class and students are encouraged to express their opinions, share observations and ask questions. Come prepared to discuss the reading material.

• There will be occasional film screenings, two 10-minute in-class presentations, and a final paper (5–7 pp.).

Links

• Amitav Ghosh (official website) 

Useful References

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.  7th ed.  New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. (library has 5th ed.)

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.  11th ed.  Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2003.

Oxford English Dictionary.  2nd ed.  20 vols.  Oxford: Oxford UP, 1989.

Roget's International Thesaurus.  6th ed.  Ed. Barbara Ann Kipfer.  New York: Harper, 2001. (7th ed. coming out in August)