- to introduce students to the novel as a genre and its
development throughout the globe, with special emphasis on the 
relevance of text under discussion to contemporary social and 
ethical issues; 
- to trace the development of the genre in various cultural
traditions; to situate the literary works within larger social 
and historical patterns; 
- to improve students' critical abilities through the analysis 
of individual literary works; 
- to develop students' communication skills through oral
presentations and expository writing assignments.

Students' performances will be assessed through presentations,
papers, tests, and a final examination.

The course is organized around readings from major world novels,
with the specific works under analysis varying with the 
individual instructor. Special emphasis will be placed on the 
relevance of these texts to contemporary society around the 
world. 

Topics covered include: 
The novel in the West and the East; 
Prose fiction, the romance and the novel; 
The novel and the rise of print culture; 
Literacy, the novel, and the development of mass culture; 
Modernity, postmodernity, and the transformation of the novel. 

The following is a sample syllabus of readings for a single 
semester:

Longus.  Daphnis and Chloe
Murakami.  The Tale of Genji (selections)
Cao Xueqin.  The Story of the Stone (volume one)
Cervantes.  Don Quijote
Stendhal.  The Red and the Black
Mann.  The Magic Mountain
Pynchon.  Gravity's Rainbow
Morrison.  Beloved

Students are required to abide by the University of Georgia academic honesty policy.