World Literature

About This Course

What is culture and how has it been conveyed through literature? This course will take students on a journey of self-discovery and cultural awareness by reading literature that tells the stories from various perspectives around the world. Students will strive to recognize the similarities and differences in literature and culture by looking at certain time periods, geographical areas, and themes. The course will involve reading, writing, discussion, critical thinking, and self-discovery as students explore the world through words. Prerequisites: None

Course Objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to...

• Compare and contrast own culture with that of others
• Explain how ethnocentrism can be both positive and negative
• Explain how writings can have multiple meanings
• Explain how culture is or can be reflected in various types or writing or stories
• Analyze the impact setting has on a story.
• Explain how the conflict of a story can reveal issues within a culture
• Explain how authors use characterization in their writing
• Explain how elements of fiction help to shape a story’s theme
• Describe how and why themes can be universal

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Culture

Unit 2: Culture and Literature

Unit 3: Creation Stories, Myths, and Fables

Unit 4: Customs and Values Conveyed Through Setting

Unit 5: Cultural Components Revealed through Conflict

Unit 6: Values and Beliefs Revealed through Characterization

Unit 7: Societal concerns Revealed through Theme

Unit 8: Exploring Your Interests

Resources Included: Online lesson instruction and activities, opportunities to engage with a certified, online instructor and classmates, when appropriate, and online assessments to measure student performance of course objectives and readiness for subsequent academic pursuits.

Additional Costs: One additional novel is to be purchased or otherwise acquired by the student, choosing ONE of the following:

• Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Scoring System: Michigan Virtual does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school mentor is also able to access this score within the Student Learning Portal. Schools may use this score for conversion to their own letter grading system.

Time Commitment: Semester sessions are 18-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1 or more hours per day in the course to be successful. Summer sessions are 10 weeks long: Students must be able to spend a minimum of 2 or more hours per day, or about 90 hours during the summer, for the student to be successful in any course. Trimester sessions are 12-weeks long: Students must be able to spend 1.5 or more hours per day in the course to be successful.

Technology Requirements: Please review the Michigan Virtual Technology Requirements: https://michiganvirtual.org/about/support/knowledge-base/technical-requirements/
Students must also have access to YouTube.

Instructor Support System: For technical issues within your course, contact the Customer Care Center by email at CustomerCare@mivu.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Instructor Contact Expectations: Students can use chat, email or private message system within the Student Learning Portal to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance.

Academic Support Available: In addition to access to a highly qualified, Michigan certified teacher, students have access to academic videos and outside resources verified by Michigan Virtual. For technical issues within the course, students can contact the Michigan Virtual Customer Care by email at customercare@michiganvirtual.org or by phone at (888) 889-2840.

Required Assessment: Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, instructor-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments.

Technical Skills Needed: Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to:

• Download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• Download and install software
• Use a messaging service similar to email
• Communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• Open attachments shared in messages
• Create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• Edit file share settings in cloud-based applications, such as Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides
• Save a file as a .pdf
• Copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• Insert images or links into a file or html editor
• Search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• Work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• Activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• Use presentation and graphics programs
• Follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• Use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• Create and maintain usernames and passwords

Additional Information: None