Module

in
Contem
porary,
Popular
, and
Emerge
nt
Literatu
re
 Module in Contemporary, Popular, and Emergent Literature

This course is designed to acquaint students with the literary production. This includes
the significant outputs of contemporary, popular, and emerging literatures that dictate literary
taste and production of the current milieu.

Anticipatory Set Performance Task Performance Task

(Critical Thinking) (Collaboration,
Communication,
Creativity &
Innovation)
Read Reflect Respond

At the end of the course, the students are expected to:

 Identify works that are definitive of contemporary, popular, and emergent literatures.
 Define the characteristics that locate the contemporaneity of a text.
 Discuss the merits of popular literatures vis-à-vis contemporary theoretical frameworks.
 Gain an understanding of contemporary theoretical frameworks.
 Discuss the characteristics of emergent literature.
 Conduct relevant research studies on the topics of contemporary, popular, and emergent
literatures and their iterations in the basic education language curriculum.
 Encourage active readership of Filipino works and authors.
 Manifest awareness of literacy and its importance in relation to national development.
 Demonstrate Augustinian-Marian values in employing English language pedagogies and
research study.
Weeks 1 – 5: Contemporary Literature

Before we Begin…
Establish your own basic knowledge regarding Contemporary Literature by
accomplishing the KWLA Graphic Organizer. Submit your work to your professor through
Messenger.

What I know What I would want to know

What I learned What affected me

 READ

Contemporary Period
The Filipino writer has become more conscious of his art with the proliferation of writers
workshops here and abroad and the bulk of literature available to him via the mass media
including the internet

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Half Filipino, half American, Jay Reguero lives in Michigan with his strict Catholic
parents. Although he was born in the Philippines, his parents had wanted a better life for him,
and so they moved him to America. Old enough to remember the Philippines when he left, Jay
misses his extended family and his homeland every day. Jay recalls how close he was to his
cousin, Jun. Ever since he left the Philippines, he used to keep in contact with Jun, writing him
letters all the time. Unfortunately, he has not been writing to Jun the way he used to. He has been
too busy playing video games and enjoying the last semester of high school. He is off to the
University of Michigan in the fall; it is easy to forget how hard life must be for Jun back home.
One day, Jay gets terrible news from his Filipino father.
Jun is dead. Someone murdered him as part of the country’s war on drugs. It has been
suggested that Jun dealt in narcotics, and when he was not dealing these drugs, he abused other
illegal substances. Jay has not seen Jun for years, but he knows his cousin. He knows that Jun
would not deal or use drugs; he is determined to find out what happened to him. Jay’s parents tell
him to let it go. They claim there is nothing he can do; they do not want to talk about it anymore.
Jay, however, cannot stop thinking about it. When a stranger sends him a message on Instagram,
implying that Jun was innocent, Jay takes this as a sign that he should clear Jun’s name. Jay asks
his parents if he can travel to the Philippines. He does not tell them about the Instagram message.
All he says is that Jun’s death made him realize how much he misses his extended family, and he
wants to learn more about his Filipino heritage.
His parents agree to let him spend the summer there, as long as he promises to stay out of
trouble. The moment Jay arrives in the Philippines, he feels like an outsider. People make fun of
him for his lighter skin, and they scold him for forgetting his Filipino roots. Jay wonders if he
made the wrong move traveling here, but
a need to clear Jun’s name and restore the
family’s honor is too strong to ignore.
Aside from investigating Jun’s death, Jay
vows to learn everything he can about his
culture, and the plight of Filipinos living
under the oppressive President Duterte’s
rule. He wants to raise awareness back
home about how badly Filipinos are
mistreated. Although President Duterte
has declared a war on drugs, the war
primarily affects poor people. Rich
Filipinos do not do anything to help them;
they simply stand back and watch as
Filipinos are persecuted every day. As
Jay discovers more about life in the
Philippines, he also learns more about Jun
and how his life turned out. He learns that
Jun only showed him one side of his life.
The real Jun isn’t who Jay thought he
was, which disappoints him at first. Jun
was a drug user, which contributed to his
death; Jay wants to know how Jun ended
up this way. Jun’s parents are strict and
unforgiving. His father demands a lot
from his children, and he expects their
unwavering obedience. Not knowing how
to show affection, he cares only whether his children reflect well on him or not. When Jun turned
to drugs, his father lost interest in his own son, causing Jun to run away. Jun’s mother is not
much better. A product of her culture, she is timid and submissive; she does not know how to
stand up to her husband. Although she missed Jun when he ran away from home, she did not
know how to bring him back into the fold. Jun symbolizes a lost generation of Filipino youth.
Although Jun was a drug user, he was also an active campaigner against Duterte’s
regime. He was not killed because of his drug connections. He was murdered because he dared to
stand up to his oppressor. Although he knows that he cannot bring Jun back, Jay wishes he could
tell Jun that he is proud of who he was. He vows to care more about his Filipino heritage and do
whatever he can to protest against Duterte’s violent rule.

Insurrecto by Gina Apostol

Two women, a Filipino translator and an American

filmmaker, go on a road trip in Duterte’s Philippines,
collaborating and clashing in the writing of a film script about a
massacre during the Philippine-American War. Chiara is
working on a film about an incident in Balangiga, Samar, in
1901, when Filipino revolutionaries attacked an American
garrison, and in retaliation American soldiers created “a
howling wilderness” of the surrounding countryside. Magsalin
reads Chiara’s film script and writes her own version.
Insurrecto contains within its dramatic action two rival scripts
from the filmmaker and the translator—one about a white
photographer, the other about a Filipino schoolteacher.

Eight Muses of the Fall by Edgar Calabia Samar

Eight Muses of the Fall (Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog) is

on the one hand a young man’s frustrated attempt to write the
great Filipino novel, and on the other, his coming to terms
with the futility of his search for his lost mother. Along the
way, he is guided and misdirected by some muses and
demons to re-imagine his personal past without the burden of
national history. He will be forced to accept that truth can
somehow be in the deceptive, inchoate recreation of
memories, without which, the fall seems inevitable.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah's memoir interweaves vignettes from his childhood and adolescence with
reflections on the history and culture of South Africa. The various episodes are not always
presented in a strict chronological order, and they include information about his life and the life
of his mother.
Trevor's mother, Patricia Noah, is born
into a Black South African family that belongs
to the Xhosa tribe. After her parents' divorce
and her father goes to live with his second
wife and new family, Patricia grows up feeling
neglected as the middle child of a working-
class single mother. Although she hopes to
return to live with her father, she ends up
being sent to live with her paternal aunt in an
impoverished rural area. Patricia, however, is
able to get a good education and is ambitious,
determined to make a better life for herself.
She begins working as a secretary, and when
she becomes frustrated with her family
members taking most of her money, she
moves to an apartment in Johannesburg by
herself. There, she meets Robert, a white man
with whom she becomes friends. Wanting to
have a baby so that she can establish a new
family for herself, Patricia persuades Robert to
father her child; she gives birth to Trevor, a
light-skinned, mixed-race child. At this time, it
is illegal in South Africa for people to have
sex with individuals from different racial
classifications, so Trevor is evidence of her criminal activity.
Although both Patricia and Robert have to make sure that they hide their relationship to
Trevor for fear of being arrested, he recalls a happy early childhood growing up first in a small
flat, and then, as the influence of apartheid gradually diminishes, in a primarily colored
neighborhood called Eden Park. He visits with his father every week, and he also spends time
with his mother's family in the Black neighborhood of Soweto. He is a rambunctious child and
his mother often disciplines him strictly, but they also have a very loving relationship. Patricia
encourages Trevor to be a curious and independent thinker who reflects critically, asks lots of
questions, and thinks for himself. She plants the seeds of ambition in him, encouraging him to
believe in himself and have aspirations. She also gives him a good educational foundation by
getting him enrolled in a private Catholic school, although Trevor often gets in trouble there for
challenging rules and questioning authority.
When Trevor is about six years old, Patricia meets a charismatic mechanic named Abel,
and after the two of them have dated for a while, they decide to marry. Trevor doesn't trust the
man who will become his stepfather, but there's little he can do. The marriage and then the birth
of Trevor's half-brother Andrew introduce new dynamics into the family. For example, Abel
does not like Trevor spending time with his father Robert, so Trevor visits less frequently. This
diminishing relationship leads to Robert moving away to Cape Town when Trevor is thirteen
years old. Around this time, Trevor also gets kicked out of Catholic school and transfers to a
public school called H.A. Jack at the end of the sixth grade. Starting at the new school, where
students of different races do not intermingle much, Trevor realizes that he feels most
comfortable with the Black students and identifies as Black. However, by this time it is clear that
he doesn't fit in well with any specific group. His mother's family and other residents of Soweto
have always treated him differently because he was light-skinned and spoke perfect English. In
the primarily colored neighborhood of Eden Park, he's considered either too black or too white to
fit in. Trevor rarely has close friends, is often bullied or outcast, and becomes resourceful about
moving fluidly between communities, focusing on honing his language skills so that he can try to
fit in wherever he goes.
This pattern continues once Trevor starts high school at Sandringham, a large public
school. By this time, his stepfather has experienced serious economic troubles after trying to start
his own car repair shop. Patricia provided money to help him, but Abel's problems with alcohol
make him irresponsible and the business fails. Abel has also begun to occasionally be physically
abusive towards Patricia, Trevor, and their pets. To cut their losses, they sell the shop and move
to a primarily white neighborhood called Highlands North. Patricia legally divorces Abel but
continues to live with him, supporting the family with her income while he drinks more and
more heavily. Trevor becomes interested in his own business ventures, first making money
placing lunch orders for other students, and then eventually selling pirated and mix CDs. While
awkward and unsuccessful at attracting girls, Trevor does have a few close friends and starts
making a significant income for himself.
When Trevor finishes high school, he has no clear plan in place. He does not have the
money to attend university, and the only work he can find is expanding his CD business and also
beginning to DJ parties. This line of work leads him to spending more and more time in
Alexandra, an impoverished neighborhood dominated by petty crime. By this time, tensions
between Trevor and Abel have led Trevor to move into his own apartment. The relationship
between Patricia and Abel has deteriorated, and he is hoping that his mother will leave Abel
entirely. Trevor is devastated when he finds out that Patricia is pregnant again, and he spends
less time with his mother and younger brothers after this. When he is in his early twenties, his
career starts to take off, giving him other things to focus on. When Trevor is twenty-four, his
mother encourages him to seek out his estranged father, Robert. Trevor tracks down Robert and
begins to rebuild a relationship with him. Patricia also eventually leaves Abel and remarries.
Trevor is startled to receive a phone call one day when he is in his mid-twenties and learn that
Abel has shot his mother. He rushes to her side and covers her medical costs. Miraculously,
Patricia sustains only minor injuries, and the incident reaffirms the deep love between mother
and son. Unfortunately, Abel is able to avoid jail time and goes on to live as a free man, having
served only parole.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

A coming-of-age story that raises many questions about concepts such as good and evil,
reality, time, and memory, Kafka on the Shore describes the journey of a fifteen year-old run-
away, Kafka Tamura, from his home in Tokyo to the shores of Takamatsu. Kafka flees home
because his father, a famous—but violent—sculptor, cursed him: he will kill his father and
sleep with his mother and sister. Kafka’s mother fled with his older sister when Kafka was four
years old.

Kafka takes refuge in a small private

library outside Takamatsu, where he meets an
understanding, supportive and intelligent
transgender young gay man named Oshima. The
enigmatic director of the library, Miss Saeki,
may be his mother. A young woman whom he
meets on the bus to Takamatsu, Sakura the
hairdresser, may be his sister.

Each chapter narrated by Kafka alternates

with a chapter about a mysterious older man
named Nakata. As the novel progresses,
Nakata’s life story and his separate journey to
Takamatsu become entwined with Kafka’s.

The victim of a bizarre childhood

accident that forever changed him, Nakata
navigates the world in a simple-minded, organic
fashion. As a result of his accident, he has no
memories of the past or ability to form memories
in the present. He cannot read or write. In
exchange for his memory and intellect, the
accident left him with the ability to talk to cats.
Now an old man, Nakata supplements his disability income by finding local families’ lost pets.
His search for one cat leads him to encounter great evil and sets him on a path to set the
universe, which has gotten off track, back the way it should be. A young truck driver, Hoshino,
is drawn into Nakata’s journey and helps him.

Nakata murders Kafka’s father—in the form of the cat-killer Johnnie Walker—and
follows Kafka to Takamatsu, where he is guided by intuition to perform a series of magical
deeds, involving opening and then closing the “entrance stone.” The entrance stone enables
Kafka, and others, to pass from one world to another in order to gain insight and self-
knowledge.

Both Kafka and Nakata flee as the police home in on the missing teenager and old man
for questioning in the murder of Kafka’s father. Oshima takes Kafka to his family’s cabin in
the woods to hide. Once there, he has a series of inexplicable encounters in the woods, and he
must choose whether to succumb to the curse laid upon him or to move beyond it to a life of
his own choosing. Nakata and Hoshino hide in an apartment on the outskirts of the city.

Though Kafka and Nakata never meet, Nakata’s actions allow Kafka to move into a
future free of his father’s curse. Kafka chooses life, just as Nakata dies. Hoshino completes
Nakata’s magical tasks, to honor Nakata’s memory. Kafka chooses to return to the world and
decides to go home and face his future, which includes finishing school and dealing with the
police and his inheritance, both literal and figurative, from his father.
 RESPOND

Tasks 1-2: Story Critique

Macro Skills: reading and writing Mode of Submission (Options)
Date of Submission: ________________ Online: See the instructions below
Offline: See the instructions below
Choose three (2) novels discussed in this module to read and analyze. Using any literary
approach, explain your evaluation regarding the three novels’ narrative.
Online: Upload your critiques on Facebook
Offline: Write your analyses in the module. Include a design related to the topic.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 Essay Rubric
Criteria 1 2 3 4
Thesis and/or problem Introduction states the Introductory paragraph Well-developed
is vague or unclear. thesis but does not contains some introductory paragraph
Background details are adequately explain the background contains detailed
a seemingly random background of the information and states background
Introduction collection of problem. The problem the problem, but does information, a clear
information, unclear, or is stated, but lacks not explain using explanation or
not related to the topic. detail. details. States the definition of the
thesis of the paper. problem, and a thesis
statement.
Conclusion does not Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion
adequately summarize summarizes main summarizes main summarizes the main
the main points. No topics, but is topics. Some topics without
suggestions for change repetitive. No suggestions for change repeating previous
Conclusion or opinions are suggestions for change are evident. sentences; writer's
included. and/or opinions are opinions and
included. suggestions for change
are logical and well
thought out.
Less than three main Three or more main Three or more main Three or more main
points, with poor points, but all lack points are present but points are well
development of ideas. development. may lack detail and developed with
Refutation missing or Refutation paragraph development in one or supporting details.
vague. missing and/or vague. two. Refutation Refutation paragraph
Main points
paragraph acknowledges the
acknowledges the opposing view, and
opposing view, but summarizes their main
doesn't summarize points.
points.
Lacks sources and/or All sources are All source material is All source material is
sources are not accurately used. All sources are used and smoothly
accurately documented. documented, but many accurately integrated into the text.
Incorrect format is are not in the desired documented, but a few All sources are
used. format on the Works are not in the desired accurately documented
Use of sources
Sources are not Cited page. Some format on the Works and in the desired
relevant nor reliable. sources are relevant Cited page. format on the Works
and reliable. Most sources are Cited page.
relevant and reliable. All sources are
relevant and reliable.
Work contains multiple Work contains Sentence structure is Punctuation and
incorrect sentence structural weaknesses generally correct. capitalization are
structures. There are and grammatical Some awkward correct.
Mechanics four or more errors in errors. There are three sentences do appear.
punctuation and/or or four errors in There are one or two
capitalization. punctuation and/or errors in punctuation
capitalization.
References for Weeks 1 – 5:

Supersummary. Patron saints of nothing. Retrieved from

https://www.supersummary.com/patron-saints-of-nothing/summary/#:~:text=Randy%20Ribay
%E2%80%99s%20young%20adult%20contemporary%20novel%2C%20Patron
%20Saints,LGBT%20representation%20and%20its%20portrayal%20of%20immigrant
%20identities.
Goodreads. Insurrecto. Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40237027-
insurrecto
Goodreads. Eight muses of the fall. Retrieved from
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13363690-eight-muses-of-the-fall
Gradesaver. Born of a crime. Retrieved from https://www.gradesaver.com/born-a-crime/study-
guide/summary
Supersummary. Kafka on the shore. Retrieved from https://www.supersummary.com/kafka-on-
the-shore/summary/

Images:

https://www.ebay.com/p/12032600915?iid=133099254784
https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/40237027-insurrecto
https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/13363690-eight-muses-of-the-fall
https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/29780253-born-a-crime
https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/4929.Kafka_on_the_Shore
Weeks 7 – 9: Popular Literature

Before we begin…
Establish your own goals for learning the Popular Literature by accomplishing the Goal
Organizer: 5W’s and H worksheet below. Send your work to your professor through Messenger.

READ
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Seventeen-year-old Hazel Grace
Lancaster reluctantly attends a cancer patients'
support group at her mother’s behest. Because
of her cancer, she uses a portable oxygen tank
to breathe properly. In one of the meetings she
catches the eye of a teenage boy, and through
the course of the meeting she learns the boy’s
name is Augustus Waters. He's there to support
their mutual friend, Isaac. Isaac had a tumor in
one eye that he had removed, and now he has to
have his other eye taken out as well. After the
meeting ends, Augustus approaches Hazel and
tells her she looks like Natalie Portman in V for
Vendetta. He invites Hazel to his house to
watch the movie, and while hanging out, the
two discuss their experiences with cancer.
Hazel reveals she has thyroid cancer that has
spread to her lungs. Augustus had
osteosarcoma, but he is now cancer free after
having his leg amputated. Before Augustus
takes Hazel home, they agree to read one
another’s favorite novels. Augustus gives
Hazel The Price of Dawn, and Hazel
recommends An Imperial Affliction.
Hazel explains the magnificence of An Imperial Affliction: It is a novel about a girl
named Anna who has cancer, and it's the only account she's read of living with cancer that
matches her experience. She describes how the novel maddeningly ends midsentence, denying
the reader closure about the fate of the novel’s characters. She speculates about the novel’s
mysterious author, Peter Van Houten, who fled to Amsterdam after the novel was published and
hasn’t been heard from since.
A week after Hazel and Augustus discuss the literary meaning of An Imperial Affliction,
Augustus miraculously reveals he tracked down Van Houten's assistant, Lidewij, and through her
he's managed to start an email correspondence with the reclusive author. He shares Van Houten's
letter with Hazel, and she devises a list of questions to send Van Houten, hoping to clear up the
novel’s ambiguous conclusion. Hazel is most concerned with the fate of Anna’s mother. She
figures that if Anna’s mother survives her daughter’s death, then her own parents will be alright
after Hazel dies. Van Houten eventually replies, saying he could only answer Hazel’s questions
in person. He invites her to stop by if she is ever in Amsterdam.
 Shortly after Augustus invites Hazel on a
picnic. It turns out he's planned an elaborate Dutch-
themed picnic where he reveals that a charitable
foundation that grants the wishes of kids with
cancer has agreed to grant his: he's taking the two
of them to Amsterdam to meet Van Houten. She is
thrilled, but when he touches her face she feels
hesitant for some reason. Over time she realizes
that she likes him a lot, but she knows she'll hurt
him when she dies. She compares herself to a
grenade.
In the midst of her struggle over what to do
about Augustus, Hazel suffers a serious episode in
which her lungs fill with fluid and she goes to the
ICU. When she is released after a period of days,
she learns that Augustus never left the hospital’s
waiting room. He delivers Hazel another letter from
Van Houten, this one more personal and more
cryptic than the last. After reading the letter, Hazel
is more determined than ever to go to Amsterdam.
There is a problem though: Her parents and her
team of doctors don’t think Hazel is strong enough to travel. The situation seems hopeless until
one of the physicians most familiar with her case, Dr. Maria, convinces Hazel’s parents that
Hazel must travel because she needs to live her life.
The plans are made for Augustus, Hazel, and Hazel's mother to go to Amsterdam, but
when Hazel and Augustus meet Van Houten they find that, instead of a prolific genius, he is a
mean-spirited drunk who claims he cannot answer any of Hazel’s questions. The two leave Van
Houten’s in utter disappointment, and accompanied by Lidewij, who feels horrified by Van
Houten's behavior, they tour Anne Frank’s house. At the end of the tour, Augustus and Hazel
share a romantic kiss, to the applause of spectators. They head back to the hotel where they make
love for the first and only time. The following day, Augustus confesses that while Hazel was in
the ICU he had a body scan which revealed his cancer has returned and spread everywhere. They
return to Indianapolis, and Hazel realizes Augustus is now the grenade. As his condition worsens
he is less prone to his typical charm and confidence. He becomes vulnerable and scared, but is
still a beautiful boy in Hazel’s mind. As this change occurs, she ceases calling him Augustus and
starts referring to him as just Gus, as his parents do. Hazel recognizes that she loves him now as
much as ever. Augustus’s condition deteriorates quickly. In his final days Augustus arranges a
prefuneral for himself, and Isaac and Hazel give eulogies. Hazel steals a line from Van Houten
about larger and smaller infinities. She says how much she loves Augustus, and that she would
not trade their short time together for anything in the world.
 Augustus dies eight days later. Hazel is astonished to find Van Houten at the funeral. Van
Houten explains that he and Gus maintained correspondence and that Augustus demanded Van
Houten make up for ruining the trip to Amsterdam by coming to his funeral to see Hazel. Van
Houten abstractly reveals the fate of Anna’s mother, but Hazel is not interested. A few days later
Isaac informs Hazel that Augustus was writing something for her. He had hinted about writing a
sequel to An Imperial Affliction for her, and as Hazel scrambles to locate the pages she
encounters Van Houten once more. He drunkenly reveals that Anna was the name of his
daughter. She died of cancer when she was eight, and An Imperial Affliction was his literary
attempt at reconciling himself with her death. Hazel tells Van Houten to sober up and write
another book.
Eventually Hazel learns that Augustus sent the pages to Van Houten because he wanted
Van Houten to use the pages to compose a well-written eulogy about Hazel. Lidewij forces Van
Houten to read the pages and sends them straight off to Hazel. The novel concludes with Hazel
reading Augustus’s words. He says getting hurt in this world is inevitable, but we do get to
choose who we allow to hurt us, and that he is happy with his choice. He hopes she likes her
choice too. The final words of the novel come from Hazel, who says she does.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling

Mr. Dursley, a well-off Englishman, notices strange happenings on his way to work one
day. That night, Albus Dumbledore, the head of a wizardry academy called Hogwarts, meets
Professor McGonagall, who also teaches at Hogwarts, and a giant named Hagrid outside the
Dursley home. Dumbledore tells McGonagall that someone named Voldemort has killed a Mr.
and Mrs. Potter and tried unsuccessfully to kill their baby son, Harry. Dumbledore leaves Harry
with an explanatory note in a basket in front of the Dursley home.
Ten years later, the Dursley household is dominated by the Dursleys’ son, Dudley, who
torments and bullies Harry. Dudley is spoiled, while Harry is forced to sleep in a cupboard under
the stairs. At the zoo on Dudley’s birthday, the glass in front of a boa constrictor exhibit
disappears, frightening everyone. Harry is later punished for this incident.
Mysterious letters begin arriving for Harry. They worry Mr. Dursley, who tries to keep
them from Harry, but the letters keep arriving through every crack in the house. Finally, he flees
with his family to a secluded island shack on the eve of Harry’s eleventh birthday. At midnight,
they hear a large bang on the door and Hagrid enters. Hagrid hands Harry an admissions letter to
the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry learns that the Dursleys have tried to
deny Harry’s wizardry all these years.
The next day, Hagrid takes Harry to London to shop for school supplies. First they go to
the wizard bank, Gringotts, where Harry learns that his parents have left him a hefty supply of
money. They shop on the wizards’ commercial street known as Diagon Alley, where Harry is
fitted for his school uniform. Harry buys books, ingredients for potions, and, finally, a magic
wand—the companion wand to the evil Voldemort’s.
 A month later, Harry goes to the train station and catches his train to Hogwarts on track
nine and three quarters. On the train, Harry befriends other first-year students like Ron Weasley
and Hermione Granger, a Muggle girl chosen to attend Hogwarts. At school, the first-years take
turns putting on the “Sorting Hat” to find out in which residential house they will live. Harry
fears being assigned to the sinister Slytherin house, but he, Ron, and Hermione end up in the
noble Gryffindor house.
As the school year gets underway, Harry discovers that his Potions professor, Snape, does
not like him. Hagrid reassures Harry that Snape has no reason to dislike him. During their first
flying lesson on broomsticks, the students are told to stay grounded while the teacher takes an
injured boy named Neville to the hospital. Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin bully, snatches Neville’s
prized toy and flies off with it to the top of a
tree. Harry flies after him. Malfoy throws the
ball in the air, and Harry speeds downward,
making a spectacular catch. Professor
McGonagall witnesses this incident. Instead of
punishing Harry, she recommends that he play
Quidditch, a much-loved game that resembles
soccer played on broomsticks, for Gryffindor.
Later that day, Malfoy challenges Harry to a
wizard’s duel at midnight. Malfoy doesn’t
show up at the appointed place, and Harry
almost gets in trouble. While trying to hide, he
accidentally discovers a fierce three-headed
dog guarding a trapdoor in the forbidden third-
floor corridor.
On Halloween, a troll is found in the
building. The students are all escorted back to
their dormitories, but Harry and Ron sneak off
to find Hermione, who is alone and unaware of
the troll. Unwittingly, they lock the troll in the
girls’ bathroom along with Hermione.
Together, they defeat the troll. Hermione tells
a lie to protect Harry and Ron from being
punished. During Harry’s first Quidditch
match, his broom jerks out of control. Hermione notices Snape staring at Harry and muttering a
curse. She concludes that he is jinxing Harry’s broom, and she sets Snape’s clothes on fire. Harry
regains control of the broom and makes a spectacular play to win the Quidditch match.
 For Christmas, Harry receives his
father’s invisibility cloak, and he explores
the school, unseen, late at night. He
discovers the Mirror of Erised, which
displays the deepest desire of whoever looks
in it. Harry looks in it and sees his parents
alive. After Christmas, Harry, Ron, and
Hermione begin to unravel the mysterious
connection between a break-in at Gringotts
and the three-headed guard dog. They learn
that the dog is guarding the Sorcerer’s Stone,
which is capable of providing eternal life
and unlimited wealth to its owner and
belongs to Nicolas Flamel, Dumbledore’s
old partner.
A few weeks later, Hagrid wins a
dragon egg in a poker game. Because it is
illegal to own dragons, Harry, Ron, and
Hermione contact Ron’s older brother, who
studies dragons. They arrange to get rid of
the dragon but get caught. Harry, Ron, and
Hermione are severely punished, and
Gryffindor is docked 150 points.
Furthermore, part of their punishment is to
go into the enchanted forest with Hagrid to
find out who has been killing unicorns recently. In the forest, Harry comes upon a hooded man
drinking unicorn blood. The man tries to attack Harry, but Harry is rescued by a friendly centaur
who tells him that his assailant was Voldemort. Harry also learns that it is Voldemort who has
been trying to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Harry decides that he must find the stone before Voldemort does. He, Ron, and Hermione
sneak off that night to the forbidden third-floor corridor. They get past the guard dog and
perform many impressive feats as they get closer and closer to the stone. Harry ultimately finds
himself face to face with Quirrell, who announces that Harry must die. Knowing that Harry
desires to find the stone, Quirrell puts Harry in front of the Mirror of Erised and makes him state
what he sees. Harry sees himself with the stone in his pocket, and at that same moment he
actually feels it in his pocket. But he tells Quirrell that he sees something else. A voice tells
Quirrell that the boy is lying and requests to speak to Harry face to face. Quirrell removes his
turban and reveals Voldemort’s face on the back of his head. Voldemort, who is inhabiting
Quirrell’s body, instructs Quirrell to kill Harry, but Quirrell is burned by contact with the boy. A
struggle ensues and Harry passes out.
 When Harry regains consciousness, he is in the hospital with Dumbledore. Dumbledore
explains that he saved Harry from Quirrell just in time. He adds that he and Flamel have decided
to destroy the stone. Harry heads down to the end-of-year banquet, where Slytherin is celebrating
its seventh consecutive win of the house championship cup. Dumbledore gets up and awards
many last-minute points to Gryffindor for the feats of Harry and his friends, winning the house
cup for Gryffindor. Harry returns to London to spend the summer with the Dursleys.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

Entertainment Assembled: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, a Case
Study in Transmedia by Drew Menard (2015)
 After a thorough review of the transmedia efforts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I
would propose that the MCU is a trailblazer for the future of storytelling as we know it. While
the experience may not be as rich and meaningful as other, perhaps even more pure, transmedia
efforts from a philosophical standpoint, there is no question (for this I refer to the box office
success) that it at least lends itself to an enriching experience. Furthermore, while other more
artistic experiments in transmedia may more strongly utilize the principles of transmedia (to this
I could not speak in depth, considering the nature of this study) no other entertainment venture,
that I am aware of, has reached this level of prominence while staying true to the basic principles
of transmedia, as the MCU.
In its storytelling, the MCU more than adequately uses consistent references and
reappearances by characters (and their family members to a lesser degree), organizations, events,
and locations, as well as a consistent use of sciences/natural laws within its narrative universe. In
addition, the MCU employs extensive additive comprehension in order to connect its separate
installments, across media channels, providing a more enriching experience for those willing to
consume more media. Inconsistencies in any of these areas (such as references to the
organization S.H.I.E.L.D. in Iron Man vs. in all other MCU installments) were minor, so as to
not raise serious question to the continuity of the MCU’s grand narrative.
Marvel’s storytelling universe
is crafted in such a way that a viewer
could potentially enjoy any
installment without necessarily
having to consume the rest. It should
be noted that sequels (Iron Man 2,
Thor: The Dark World, etc.) are
much more enjoyable when
consumed in sequence within their
respective film franchises. This,
however, would be expected of any
sequel, and, still, the primary plot of
each sequel is not heavily contingent
upon a full understanding of the
previous film’s plot. To accomplish
this, Marvel uses dialogue and
backstory in its subsequent films to
help new viewers along with the plot.
In any case, consumption of the
whole of the MCU—across all media
platforms—does provide the most
rewarding experience.
My strongest criticism of the
MCU is not in the canon of its
narrative, but rather in the evident preferential treatment of media platforms. Jenkins, in his
writings, notes that the strongest uses of transmedia are ones “with no media privileged over any
other” (Jenkins, 2003). Considering that no characters who were first introduced on television
have (to date) made an appearance in film (though the reverse has occurred several times) and,
furthermore, that no driving plot points introduced on television were carried forth to the silver
screen. Plots within secondary elements, including all of the One-Shots and Fury’s Big Week,
rely heavily on plot points from film installments. Though they are each presented in such a way
to tell a closed, stand-alone story, these stories are greatly influenced by events from feature
films. For example, All Hail the King focuses on Trevor Slattery following his arrest in Iron Man
3. News footage in the One-Shot provides adequate context for his incarceration, however,
having viewed firsthand the plot of Iron Man 3, a viewer would understand more deeply the
severity of Slattery’s crime (he posed as a warlord to deter attention from a corporate leader’s
villainous plot).
While from a surface perspective this may seem as a flaw in the transmedia entertainment
value of the universe, upon deeper reflection this preferential treatment is justified. Jenkins
(2003) notes that not every media format attracts the same audience—film and television attract
the broadest crowd. Considering this is Marvel’s “Cinematic” Universe, it stands to reason that
film would be the driving vehicle of this endeavor. And while the Hollywood system of yielding
lackluster entertainment for an easy profit is a detestable entertainment model, one cannot
criticize an entertainment organization for seeking to make a profit. So, Marvel’s films serving as
both the primary source of revenue and the primary source of narrative material does not
necessarily diminish the value of its full, cross-media universe, in fact it makes fiscal sense.

Furthermore, it is reasonable to tell the broadest parts of the story for the broadest audience,
leaving the enriching elements for the more enthusiastic fans to gain a deeper understanding of
the grand narrative. This is consistent with the spirit of transmedia.
 Though film has been the most prominent source of driving plot material across the MCU
(such as with Coulson’s death and the Battle of New York in The Avengers or the rise of
HYDRA in Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Marvel has been taking innovative leaps with
its television series. The first season tied many of its plot storylines to those of feature films
(such as with the convergence of the nine realms in Thor: The Dark World and with the
dismantling of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier). And the series continued
to take leaps by introducing new aspects of the universe, even before film. For example, in
SHIELD Season 1 Episode 14 (aired March 4, 2014) a blue-skinned corpse appears. Later, in
Season 2 Episode 9, it is revealed that this creature was a Kree—which were featured
prominently in Guardians of the Galaxy (released August 1, 2014). Therefore, the introduction of
the Kree race on television predates the release of the film by several months. This was taken a
step further in the final episodes of the fall slate of SHIELD’s second season, which culminated
in two of its characters entering an underground temple (built on earth by Kree) and undergoing
metamorphosis (S2: E 10). This was revealed (Abrams, 2014) to be the introduction of the
Inhumans, which was announced by Marvel as an upcoming feature film (slated for release July
12, 2019). This further exemplified Marvel’s status as an ambitious groundbreaker in the world
of entertainment, more specifically in transmedia.
As the current generation of digital natives comes of age, the world of entertainment, the
expectations consumers have for their media, is likely to shift. With an increasingly connected
world, with entertainment available literally on demand, consumers are going to be most
engaged by the storytelling ventures that immerse them in a world—perhaps one day even
around the clock. With that in mind, Marvel’s transmedia endeavors are likely to serve as a
model for future blockbuster narrative franchises.

Black Mirror (Netflix Series)

This sci-fi anthology series explores a twisted, high-tech

near future where humanity's greatest innovations and
darkest instincts collide.
Launched in 2011, Black Mirror not only aims to entertain,
but it also invites us to think about how technology
can harm society and transform our behavior. Each episode
shows how an existing technology could evolve in the near
future, for better, or especially for worse. Technology can
be dangerous in itself, but more often malicious designers
or users use it to manipulate, humiliate, coerce, enslave or
kill.
In Black Mirror, the situations are familiar, but are pushed
to the extreme, provoking anxiety, destruction and even
death. Each episode is independent, with its own universe and style, though clues sometimes link
them. The topics covered include the obsession with celebrities, reality TV, social
networks, video games, smartphones, and pornography; the end of private life; robots and
androids; social and commercial profiling; fake news and opinion manipulation; dating sites and
matching systems; immersive augmented reality; cybersecurity and cyberbullying; the transfer of
memory or consciousness into a machine; and transhumanism.
One of the most iconic Black Mirror episodes is season 1, episode 2, “Fifteen Million
Merits”. It presents a world close to the description of philosopher Herbert Marcuse, in
which humanity is enslaved by mass media, advertising and industry. The main character, Bing,
spends his days pedaling an exercise bike in front of a television screen, like the whole of the
middle class. He earns credits, called “merits”, to buy products or services. In this materialistic
society, where technology dominates and corrupts, everyone is constantly being filmed. Reality
TV and gaming are the only entertainment and fame the only ambition. Not using pornography is
a crime. Although Bing wants to revolt and denounce the system that oppresses him, he
eventually becomes part of it, abandoning his morals for a comfortable life.
While Black  Mirror seems to unfold in the near future, the show depicts worrying current
trends. Its creator, Charlie Brooker, surfs the technological news, cleverly incorporating it
into terrifying scenarios. While these fantastic stories may seem exaggerated, technology,
particularly digital technology, is increasingly used in crime, is responsible for multiple
pathologies, and causes geopolitical conflict, the drift toward authoritarianism and social
deterioration. Black  Mirror prophecies that have come true are the subject of heated debate.
The perverse behavior presented in several episodes of Black Mirror can be observed on
social networks. On May 15, a 16-year-old Malaysian teenager committed suicide after asking
her Instagram followers if she should live or die, because 69% told her to end her life. Facebook
has also been blamed for broadcasting live 17 minutes of the March 15 attacks in Christchurch,
New Zealand in which 51 people died. Black Mirror repeatedly illustrates the morbid, sordid
tastes of many anonymous online viewers, as in the very first episode.
Season 3, episode 1, “Nosedive” describes an oppressive society where everyone
constantly grades other people’s words, actions, and publications on a five-point scale. They are
equipped with eye implants enabling them to see the grades of those around them. This satire on
a society where everyone is obsessed by their own image criticizes superficiality and the need to
portray oneself positively to obtain other people’s approval. The episode illustrates perfectly the
consequences of China’s “social credit” system, which monitors and records the entire
population in real time to “improve” behavior and strengthen the regime.
In season 3, episode 2, “Playtest”, a gamer tries an experimental video game that kills
him in a few milliseconds. The guinea pig is equipped with a virtual reality headset and a neural
implant. The implant hacks his brain and generates images based on his fears and physiological
data. The episode warns against giving developers control of human senses, and about the
immersive, invasive technologies that are the future of video games. “Playtest” was first
broadcast on Netflix on October 21, 2016, a few months after the release of the Facebook Oculus
Rift Headset on March 28, 2016.
Season 4, episode 5, “Metalhead”, describes a post-apocalyptic world, where intelligent killer
dogs hunt humans. This is a direct reference to the company Boston Dynamics, which Google
sold in 2017 to the Japanese group Softbank. In the series, these dogbots appear on building sites
and in public, but the project was initially a partnership with DARPA (Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency), a US military R&D agency.

RESPOND

Tasks 1-3: Film Critique

Macro Skills: viewing and writing Mode of Submission (Options)
Date of Submission: ________________ Online: See the instructions below
Offline: See the instructions below
Choose three (3) movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Using any literary/film approach,
explain your evaluation regarding the three films’ narrative.
Online: Upload your critiques on Facebook
Offline: Write your analyses in the module. Include a design related to the topic.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Essay Rubric
Criteria 1 2 3 4
Thesis and/or problem Introduction states the Introductory paragraph Well-developed
is vague or unclear. thesis but does not contains some introductory paragraph
Background details are adequately explain the background contains detailed
a seemingly random background of the information and states background
Introduction collection of problem. The problem the problem, but does information, a clear
information, unclear, or is stated, but lacks not explain using explanation or
not related to the topic. detail. details. States the definition of the
thesis of the paper. problem, and a thesis
statement.
Conclusion does not Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion
adequately summarize summarizes main summarizes main summarizes the main
the main points. No topics, but is topics. Some topics without
suggestions for change repetitive. No suggestions for change repeating previous
Conclusion or opinions are suggestions for change are evident. sentences; writer's
included. and/or opinions are opinions and
included. suggestions for change
are logical and well
thought out.
Less than three main Three or more main Three or more main Three or more main
points, with poor points, but all lack points are present but points are well
development of ideas. development. may lack detail and developed with
Refutation missing or Refutation paragraph development in one or supporting details.
vague. missing and/or vague. two. Refutation Refutation paragraph
Main points
paragraph acknowledges the
acknowledges the opposing view, and
opposing view, but summarizes their main
doesn't summarize points.
points.
Lacks sources and/or All sources are All source material is All source material is
sources are not accurately used. All sources are used and smoothly
accurately documented. documented, but many accurately integrated into the text.
Incorrect format is are not in the desired documented, but a few All sources are
used. format on the Works are not in the desired accurately documented
Use of sources
Sources are not Cited page. Some format on the Works and in the desired
relevant nor reliable. sources are relevant Cited page. format on the Works
and reliable. Most sources are Cited page.
relevant and reliable. All sources are
relevant and reliable.
Work contains multiple Work contains Sentence structure is Punctuation and
incorrect sentence structural weaknesses generally correct. capitalization are
Mechanics structures. There are and grammatical Some awkward correct.
four or more errors in errors. There are three sentences do appear.
 punctuation and/or or four errors in There are one or two
capitalization. punctuation and/or errors in punctuation
capitalization.

References for Weeks 7-9:

Sparknotes. The fault in our stars. Retrieved from https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-fault-in-
our-stars/summary/
Sparknotes. Harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone. Retrieved from
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/harrypotter/summary/
Menard, D. (2015). Entertainment assembled: The marvel cinematic universe, a case study in
transmedia. Liberty University School of Communication & Creative Arts. Retrieved from
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/58826243.pdf
Netflix. Black mirror. Retrieved from https://www.netflix.com/ph/title/70264888#:~:text=This
%20sci%2Dfi%20anthology%20series,innovations%20and%20darkest%20instincts%20collide.
Allal-Cherif, O. (2019, June 5). Black mirror: The dark side of technology. Retrieved from
https://theconversation.com/black-mirror-the-dark-side-of-technology-118298

Images

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a9/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/41/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars_
%28Official_Film_Poster%29.png
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/
51DF6ZR8G7L._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/
MV5BNjQ3NWNlNmQtMTE5ZS00MDdmLTlkZjUtZTBlM2UxMGFiMTU3XkEyXkFqcGde
QXVyNjUwNzk3NDc@._V1_UY1200_CR90,0,630,1200_AL_.jpg
https://cnnphilippines.com/.imaging/mte/demo-cnn-new/960/dam/cnn/2018/4/24/Lead-2.jpg/
jcr:content/Lead%202.jpg
https://www.boxofficepro.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/mcu-rewind775x970-479x600.png
https://image-cdn.hypb.st/https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fhypebeast.com%2Fimage
%2F2020%2F05%2Fmarvel-cinematic-universe-tony-goldhawk-chronological-order-scene-list-
001.jpg?q=75&w=800&cbr=1&fit=max
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/
MV5BYTM3YWVhMDMtNjczMy00NGEyLWJhZDctYjNhMTRkNDE0ZTI1XkEyXkFqcGde
QXVyMTkxNjUyNQ@@._V1_.jpg
Weeks 10 – 11: Emergent Literature

Before we Begin…
List three ideas that comes into your mind whenever you hear the words “Emergent.”
Submit your work to your professor through Messenger.

>

>

>
 READ

Emergent Literature: Essays on Philippine Writing by Elmer

A. Ordóñez

The essays in Emergent Literature: Essays on

Philippine Writing vividly recreate the dizzying
ferment in the literary scene of the late 1960s and
subsequent years for students born too late to have
experienced the tremors and jolts that shook the
academe all over Metro Manila during those critical
years. The year 1968 was when the Communist Party
of the Philippines was reestablished and activists of the
national democratic movement disseminated the
political and cultural essays of Mao Zedong. The
subject matter of the essays suggests that cumulative
impact of the ideas of the great Chinese leader on the
literary scene. Ideas on art and literature developed
during China's revolutionary struggle introduced
Filipino teachers and writers to a literary theory they
could pit against the tenets of the New Criticism
which, under the political conditions prevailing in the
1960s, was proving itself to be reactionary....Dr.
Ordoñez upon his return from Canada threw himself
into the thick of the struggle and found himself in the
company of fellow professors in the forefront of the
movement.
The Zine Culture in the Philippines
 In the 1930’s, the world was enthralled by the burgeoning world of science fiction – a
genre that slowly shaped up throughout the 19th century. Sci-fi up to that point had been a loose
category; often bundled with the more distinct fantasy classification. But as the 20th century
rolled, the genre grew in popularity for a number of reasons. One is due to the widespread
appreciation of the technological breakthroughs accomplished at the time, particularly in places
like the United States. And another, the rise of a platform that allowed the genre to further
proliferate: the pulp magazine.

It was there that The Comet—said to be the first-ever known zine–

was created.

Published by the Science Correspondence Club, The Comet was a

fan-made zine that prominently featured correspondences from sci-
fi fans, often talking about relevant issues in the genre and science
itself.  While there were existing professional magazines dedicated
to such topics already, these fanzines held a more intimate nature to
them, becoming a platform that went beyond just mere sharing of
ideas. It connected the community in ways typical publications could not. This is further
enhanced by their low prices and DIY nature of production.

88 years later, the story of how The Comet started still mirrors how the zines of today
began. In the local zine scene, it’s essentially these same characteristics that form the backbone
of the medium. However, if the sci-fi fandom was what helped push zines into existence, it was
the punk community that played a crucial role in its emergence here in the Philippines.

HERALD-X—considered the zine that started it all—was released in 1987 as a way to

make themselves known, correct any misconceptions surrounding them, and “articulate their
collective frustrations,” as Bernie Bagaman notes in his review of the publication.
 But while HERALD-X might have prompted the release of more zines throughout the
years, the scene was mostly insular, with micro-communities and sub-groups also having
publications that reflected ideas and aesthetics specific to their own sub-cultures. During the
time, one might find themselves having to be associated with a particular community–or at least,
participating in certain events—to obtain copies of these zines.
 For instance, Adam David – co-founder
of Better Living Through Xeroxography
(BLTX) and a zine veteran—attributes his
knowledge of the medium to the Pinoi Punk
Community, thanks to his parents Howlin’ Dave
and Delilah. He recalls that to get copies of punk-
oriented zines, one would attend concerts or go to
small stores catering to them, such as the Khumb
Mela in Harrison Plaza, Cartimar.

“Historically, zines have been made for mini-

communities by people within those mini-
communities, typically only relevant to its members,” says David. “So the means of distribution
have never been about talking to and convincing people outside of their circle that their mores,
aesthetics, or philosophies might be relevant to them.”

In the years that progressed, however, zines began to gain a broader awareness. Part of
this, perhaps, could be attributed to the changing technological landscape. When internet
proliferated in the 90’s, zinesters utilized it as a way to strengthen their presence. So while zines
were still mostly spread via word-of-mouth, the Internet made it easier to follow specific
publications.

Paolo Jose Cruz, co-organizer of ZineCon 2001 and also a zine veteran, notes how
personal websites–particularly the guestbook function—were a quick, non-intrusive way to get in
contact with the zine maker.

“I was a member of international e-mail lists and Yahoo! Groups for zinesters back in the late
90’s,” he shares. “Print or analog zines have always been distributed, at least partly in sync,
with digital tech, for as long as I’ve been involved.”
 In a sense, the internet served as a way for readers to get updates on specific zines, for
creators to share their works further, and for fellow makers to open opportunities for
collaboration. Eventually, as the ecosystem shifted gears, so did the zine culture.

“Social media and online commerce platforms made it easier for zine makers to promote and
circulate their works,” notes Cruz. But even so, for a portion of the early 2000’s, it mostly
remained underground. David speculates it might be because zines often “carried information
relevant to the communities they circulated in”—and often, ideas which mainstream culture
deems “dangerous or without value.”

What changed, then? One could

say that it stems partly from an
economic shift, particularly in the
creative sector. Cruz notes how in
recent times there had been a “general
clamor for more tangible analog and
print media” as well as a commercial
landscape that leans towards “more
niche or specialty arts and craft
hobbies.” And with this focus on
creative work, sprung more avenues.
David mentions fine arts classes and
workshops about “monetizing art
creation,” while Cruz remarks on the
emergence of mixed spaces where
zines can find a substantial consumer
base.
 But pinpointing when the exact period zines came into fashion, a lot of it hinges on the
growing popularity of fairs, expos, and conventions—particularly Komikon, the largest and
longest-running comics convention in the Philippines. Mac Arboleda, a member of Magpies
Press, recalls how his introduction to the scene spurned from joining his college comics
organization, where he was “exposed to people who self-published their works, and events like
Komikon.” However, he notes that it was WiSiK 2014—an annual arts festival in Los Baños—
that he “saw zines that captured the essence of the medium,” and decided to take part in the
scene.

One couldn’t deny Komikon’s impact on the zine landscape. Through a steady
combination of marketing and select exhibitors, zine creators were pushed into broader public
consciousness and propelled the scene towards popularity. But while the convention might have
shed more light on the platform, its spread was heightened by the collective effort of various
communities and movements around the country, like BLTX and Magpies.

David, for instance, notes how Komikon and BLTX showed different sides to the
community: while Komikon showed the fun in creating such publications and the value of the
medium, expos like BLTX, on the other hand, had reminded audiences that zines are part of
a “small press tradition” that is meant to challenge status quo ways of thinking and judgment.
And there’s Arboleda who remarks on the growing number of art collectives and events
dedicated to the craft beyond the Metro Manila area, such as Elbikon.

But with zine culture’s growing prominence, there are bound to be some snags. David
notes, for instance, the “mercenary attitudes” that may arise with some creators, such as selling
zines at exorbitant prices and limited print runs despite their origins. Fortunately, despite its
surge in popularity, the spirit of what zines were meant to be continues to live on, even onto
newer generations.

Arboleda, who has been in the scene for three years, notes that he was initially attracted
to zine creation due to the “appeal of being able to ‘publish’ your work on your
own.” Nowadays, he finds that most of the attraction comes from a “re-evaluation of the
importance of print,” particularly in this age of fake news and revisionism. But most
importantly, he notes how their allure comes from how accessible they are, with their ability to
tap into raw emotions and form communities—a feat that zines continue to do more than 80
years later.

RESPOND

Tasks 1: Blog Writing

Macro Skills: reading and writing Mode of Submission (Options)
Date of Submission: ________________ Online: See the instructions below
Offline: See the instructions below
Research any social or political concerns in the Philippines, analyze it and write your
commentaries regarding these concerns.
Online: Upload your blog on Facebook
Offline: Write your analyses in the module. Include a design related to the topic.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Essay Rubric
Criteria 1 2 3 4
Thesis and/or problem Introduction states the Introductory paragraph Well-developed
is vague or unclear. thesis but does not contains some introductory paragraph
Background details are adequately explain the background contains detailed
a seemingly random background of the information and states background
Introduction collection of problem. The problem the problem, but does information, a clear
information, unclear, or is stated, but lacks not explain using explanation or
not related to the topic. detail. details. States the definition of the
thesis of the paper. problem, and a thesis
statement.
Conclusion does not Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion
adequately summarize summarizes main summarizes main summarizes the main
the main points. No topics, but is topics. Some topics without
suggestions for change repetitive. No suggestions for change repeating previous
Conclusion or opinions are suggestions for change are evident. sentences; writer's
included. and/or opinions are opinions and
included. suggestions for change
are logical and well
thought out.
Less than three main Three or more main Three or more main Three or more main
points, with poor points, but all lack points are present but points are well
development of ideas. development. may lack detail and developed with
Refutation missing or Refutation paragraph development in one or supporting details.
vague. missing and/or vague. two. Refutation Refutation paragraph
Main points
paragraph acknowledges the
acknowledges the opposing view, and
opposing view, but summarizes their main
doesn't summarize points.
points.
Lacks sources and/or All sources are All source material is All source material is
sources are not accurately used. All sources are used and smoothly
accurately documented. documented, but many accurately integrated into the text.
Incorrect format is are not in the desired documented, but a few All sources are
used. format on the Works are not in the desired accurately documented
Use of sources
Sources are not Cited page. Some format on the Works and in the desired
relevant nor reliable. sources are relevant Cited page. format on the Works
and reliable. Most sources are Cited page.
relevant and reliable. All sources are
relevant and reliable.
Work contains multiple Work contains Sentence structure is Punctuation and
incorrect sentence structural weaknesses generally correct. capitalization are
structures. There are and grammatical Some awkward correct.
Mechanics four or more errors in errors. There are three sentences do appear.
punctuation and/or or four errors in There are one or two
capitalization. punctuation and/or errors in punctuation
capitalization.
References for Weeks 10 – 11:
Goodreads. Emergent literature: Essays on Philippine writing. Retrieved from
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1892934.Emergent_Literature
Musni, P. (2018, September 10). Zine culture in the Philippines. Retrieved from
https://purveyr.com/2018/09/10/zine-culture-in-the-philippines/

Images
https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1275010675l/
1892934.jpg
https://www.scoutmag.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Zines-01.jpg
https://zinefestpt.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/the-comet.jpg
https://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbcwwnEAcL1qdk87wo1_400.jpg
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn
%3AANd9GcRQXcFweJTz2riXd0nFp3oBsW3hjOXa9bK4Hg&usqp=CAU
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Daf24naWsAYpBR9.jpg
Weeks 13 – 16: Contemporary Frameworks in Literary
Theory

Before we begin…
Establish your own goals for learning the literary theory by accomplishing the Goal
Organizer: 5W’s and H worksheet below. Send your work to your professor through Messenger.

READ
Memory (Literary Theory)
'Memory' in different disciplines
For reasons that are hotly debated but that are not really germane to this proposal, little
was done with the first two of these notions until the 1980s, when ‘memory’ suddenly began to
make an appearance in a range of different disciplines. The work of psychologists was
demonstrating the extent to which memory is subject to change over time and (self)manipulation,
issues that became politically controversial through the ‘recovered’ memory of alleged victims of
incest and the trial of John Demjanjuk. Meanwhile, historians and social scientists who studied
twentieth-century memory practices refined Halbwachs’ insight that there is a relationship
between changing social discourses, practices and expectations, and the way in which individuals
will remember the past.

Terminology
Whereas Halbwachs used the term ‘collective
memory’, many students of literature and some
philosophers prefer the term ‘cultural memory’, while
historians and social scientists mostly use the term ‘social
memory’. In practice these differences in terminology
point less to diverging definitions of communal memory,
than to different approaches to studying it. Halbwachs
chose an approach based on sociological categories –
family, class, religion. Many students of ‘cultural
memory’ come to the subject with a strong interest in
recollection, repression and the subconscious, sometimes
informed by psychoanalytical thought, and trace these in
literary and visual sources. Both because of a lack of
suitable sources and because of issues of genre, the
methods and approaches that they use are not very
appropriate in an early modern environment. Students of
‘social memory’ tend to focus more on the social
environment of memory and ask how individual stories about the past interact with existing
narratives and other forms of commemoration.

This, seemingly, is something for which evidence can be found in early modern societies.
The working assumption of this proposal is that both public and personal memory in the early
modern period were shaped by a lively interaction between orality, manuscript and print, ritual
and material culture, in which memories promoted ‘from above’ interacted with memories ‘from
below’. Some scholars have presented social memory as a realm of resistance against the public,
dominant version of memory that is known as ‘history’. If traditional history was a discourse
about the past that was produced by the victors and that privileged those who had generated
written evidence, memory, by contrast, might be seen as the repository of knowledge of ‘people
without history’, or traumatized communities who might remember as an ‘act of faith’. Yet while
it is certainly true that social memory can be used very effectively as an alternative for dominant
and state-supported views of the past, it seems unhelpful to construct our understanding of social
memory around it’s a priori opposition to dominant, literate or state-associated memory.

Social memory
Indeed, more often than not, social memory is the result of a blend between public and
personal memorization. For example, the story about food shortages in World War II that can be
heard from an elderly lady on the evening of 4 May 2006, was very much a personal memory.
Yet as she told it while they were queuing to lay down their flowers at a war monument, after the
two minutes’ silence at the Dodenherdenking by which the Dutch commemorate the dead of
World War II, the telling of the tale interacted with, and was probably shaped by, a very public
form of commemoration.

There is reason to believe that similar processes

can be detected in the seventeenth century; the
history plays about the Revolt that were being staged
by exiles from Flanders and Brabant in the Republic
could be highly political public statements in
discussions about war and peace. Yet, as seen below,
their political commitment was undoubtedly kindled
by the frequent rehearsal of personal memories about
the circumstances that had forced their families to
leave Flanders and Brabant.    As the German scholar
Jan Assmann has emphasized, the social memory of
an event will change once there is no one alive to tell
the tale from their own experience, or to have heard it
told by those who experienced it themselves.

In an effort to bridge the gap between ‘social’ and

‘cultural’ memory, Assmann argues that at this stage ‘communicative’ memory (kommunikatives
Gedächtnis) will transform itself into ‘cultural’ memory (kulturelles Gedächtnis).10 As our
project will cover a period of about 135 years, we will examine whether we can see such a
transition at work, and investigate the ‘floating gap’ between these two forms of memory.   

A final point to investigate is whether processes of social memory in early modern Europe
were actually similar to those in the modern world. Pierre Nora, one of the founders of memory
studies in the 1980s, distinguished between a primordial world before the French Revolution in
which milieux de mémoire had still been able to function, and a modern world of historical
remembrance in which only lieux de mémoire were left.11 While critics agree that Nora’s
notions of pre- industrial milieux de mémoire were poorly founded, the idea that ‘modernity’ has
had an impact on memory remains widespread. For Aleida Assmann, the years around 1800 were
the moment at which the ‘art of memory’ was replaced by the ‘force (vis)’ of memory, in which
memory became the motor behind new social developments.12 Others have mentioned mass
communication and state formation as the catalysts for profound changes in collective
memory.13 Yet such interpretations seem to ride on the back of other assumptions about early
modern European culture, such as its alleged lack of a public sphere, its poorly developed notion
of the ‘self’, or its deficient historical consciousness, that have already been challenged by
historians of the early modern period.14 At the same time, the gap between history and memory
that many modernists discern is much less evident in early modern culture. One obvious task for
the team is to develop a better-founded understanding of the distinctive features of early modern
social memory.

Trauma Theory
A central claim of contemporary literary trauma theory asserts that trauma creates a
speechless fright that divides or destroys identity. This serves as the basis for a larger
argument that suggests identity is formed by the intergenerational transmission of trauma.
However, a discursive dependence upon a single psychological theory of trauma produces a
homogenous interpretation of the diverse representations in the trauma novel and the
interplay that occurs between language, experience, memory, and place.

Considering the multiple models of trauma and memory presented in the trauma
novel draws attention to the role of place, which functions to portray trauma's effects
through metaphoric and material means. Descriptions of the geographic place of traumatic
experience and remembrance situate the individual in relation to a larger cultural context
that contains social values that influence the recollection of the event and the
reconfiguration of the self.

The trauma novel demonstrates how a traumatic event disrupts attachments between
self and others by challenging fundamental assumptions about moral laws and social
relationships that are themselves connected to specific environments. Novels represent this
disruption between the self and others by carefully describing the place of trauma because
the physical environment offers the opportunity to examine both the personal and cultural
histories imbedded in landscapes that define the character's identity and the meaning of the
traumatic experience. The primacy of place in the representations of trauma anchors the
individual experience within a larger cultural context, and, in fact, organizes the memory
and meaning of trauma. Trauma, in my analysis, refers to a person's emotional response to
an overwhelming event that disrupts previous ideas of an individual's sense of self and the
standards by which one evaluates society.

The term "trauma novel" refers to a work of fiction that conveys profound loss or
intense fear on individual or collective levels. A defining feature of the trauma novel is the
transformation of the self ignited by an external, often terrifying experience, which
illuminates the process of coming to terms with the dynamics of memory that inform the
new perceptions of the self and world. The external event that elicits an extreme response
from the protagonist is not necessarily bound to a collective human or natural disaster such
as war or tsunamis. The event may include, for example, the intimately personal experience
of female sexual violence, such as found in Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina and
Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, or the unexpected death of a loved one, as found in Edward
Abbey's Black Sun.

The popular trauma theory employed today depends upon the abreactive model of
trauma, which is used to assert the position that traumatic experience produces a "temporal
gap" and a dissolution of the self. For example, in Worlds of Hurt Kali Tal writes:
"Accurate representation of trauma can never be achieved without recreating the event
since, by its very definition, trauma lies beyond the bounds of 'normal' conception" . This
Freudian concept of trauma and memory emphasizes the necessity to recreate or abreact
through narrative recall of the experience. Yet, at the same time, this model claims, as Tal
makes clear, that the remembrance of trauma is always an approximate account of the past,
since traumatic experience precludes knowledge, and, hence, representation. The literary
trauma theory articulated by Kali Tal, and critics such as Cathy Caruth, considers the
responses to traumatic experience, including cognitive chaos and the possible division of
consciousness, as an inherent characteristic of traumatic experience and memory. The idea
that traumatic experience pathologically divides identity is employed by the literary scholar
as a metaphor to describe the degree of damage done to the individual's coherent sense of
self and the change of consciousness caused by the experience. 
Ecocriticism
Ecocriticism is a broad way for literary and cultural scholars
to investigate the global ecological crisis through the intersection of
literature, culture, and the physical environment. Ecocriticism
originated as an idea called “literary ecology” (Meeker 1972, cited
under General Overviews) and was later coined as an “-ism”
(Rueckert 1996, cited under General Overviews). Ecocriticism
expanded as a widely used literary and cultural theory by the early
1990s with the formation of the Association for the Study of
Literature and Environment (ASLE) at the Western Literary
Association (1992), followed by the launch of the flagship
journal ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and
Environment (cited under Journals) in 1993, and then later the
publication of The Ecocriticism Reader (Glotfelty and Fromm 1996,
cited under Collections of Essays). Ecocriticism is often used as a catchall term for any aspect of
the humanities (e.g., media, film, philosophy, and history) addressing ecological issues, but it
primarily functions as a literary and cultural theory.

This is not to say that ecocriticism is confined to literature and culture; scholarship often
incorporates science, ethics, politics, philosophy, economics, and aesthetics across institutional
and national boundaries (Clark 2011, p. 8, cited under General Overviews). Ecocriticism remains
difficult to define. Originally, scholars wanted to employ a literary analysis rooted in a culture of
ecological thinking, which would also contain moral and social commitments to activism.
As Glotfelty and Fromm 1996 (cited under Collections of Essays) famously states, “ecocriticism
takes an earth-centered approach to literary studies,” rather than an anthropomorphic or human-
centered approach (p. xviii). Many refer to ecocriticism synonymously as the study of “literature
and the environment” (rooted in literary studies) or “environmental criticism” (interdisciplinary
and cultural).

Ecocriticism has been

divided into “waves” to historicize
the movement in a clear trajectory
(Buell 2005, cited under Ecocritical
Futures). The “first wave” of
ecocriticism tended to take a
dehistoricized approach to “nature,”
often overlooking more political and
theoretical dimensions and tending
toward a celebratory approach of
wilderness and nature writing.
Ecocriticism expanded into a
“second wave,” offering new ways
of approaching literary analysis by, for example, theorizing and deconstructing human-centered
scholarship in ecostudies; imperialism and ecological degradation; agency for animals and
plants; gender and race as ecological concepts; and problems of scale. The “third wave”
advocates for a global understanding of ecocritical practice through issues like global warming;
it combines elements from the first and second waves but aims to move beyond Anglo-American
prominence. There are currently hundreds of books and thousands of articles and chapters
written about ecocriticism.

Island Studies
A central claim of contemporary literary trauma theory asserts that trauma creates a
speechless fright that divides or destroys identity. This serves as the basis for a larger
argument that suggests identity is formed by the intergenerational transmission of trauma.
However, a discursive

Islands occupy a significant space in literature. They are more than scenic locations; they
are literary devices whose natural boundaries help shape and contain narratives. Fictional islands
exist as either lost paradises where poetry and contemplation happen, or places where law breaks
down and conventional morality gets tested.

The French historian Michel de Certeau argues that

the myth of Robinson Crusoe is one of the few
invented within modern European society.
Considering the island space as a metaphor for a
European social system in-the-making, de Certeau
argues that the story of Robinson Crusoe is highly
representative of occidental modern historiography.
According to him, the novel contains the three
elements that define the modern practice of writing
history, namely the blank page, the text and the
construction: “the island that proposes an empty
space, the production of a system of objects by a
master subject and the transformation of a ‘natural’
World.”

Following the Second World War, “when hopes

were deceived, when disillusionment took root”, as
François Dosse comments (1987, p. 189, my
translation from the French), it is not surprising that
European history and the myth of Robinson Crusoe
were both subject to narrative fragmentation and relativism. In post-war European society,
“history lost its meaning, it was fragmented into multiple segments.” In literature too, new
Robinsons were to question the great narrative discourses of modernity.
 The Magus is written in the form of a
Bildungsroman that reveals an encounter with the
inner self. Its structure is that of a labyrinth, where
each hypothesis is tested to find if it is true or false.
When reason cannot solve the matter, dreams and
mystery intervene. Apparently the island experience
leads Nicholas Urfe to reconcile nature and culture,
rationality and love, the individual and Occidental
post-war society. The novel can also be read as
expressing a desire to re-enchant society through the
recovery of mythology, an understanding of
psychology, and a recollection of the arts and
humanities. The narrative techniques used in the novel,
such as fragmentation, paradox, pastiche and irony, are
characteristic of postmodern literature, and equally
reveal a desired detachment from major discourses of
modernity.

Among other things, The Magus highlights the

aim of literary creation as conceived by John Fowles.
In this regard, Fowles argued that his writings aim to
present to the reader a new perspective on things, different from political or media discourses. If
literary writing is related to the freedom of expression, reading fiction is linked to the freedom of
thinking and to the exercise of boosting creativity.

In short, then, part of the symbolic power of The Magus involves a combination of
reflexivity, imagination, acceptance of a social construction of reality, and an experience of
esthetics, which are equally understood as an exercise in liberty of thought.

Literature and Ethics

Literature and Ethics covers a wide gamut of literary periods and genres, including
essays on Victorian literature and modernism, as well as several studies on narrative, but the
central ethos emerges from considerations of issues of responsibility and irresponsibility as
they find expression in literary study, and in ethics. Essays by J. Hillis Miller and Eugene
O’Brien among others, for example, explore the deeply felt inheritance of Derrida, while
several essays––including those by Shirley Chew and Suzie Gibson––interpret the question of
responsibility via a close exploration of contemporary novels. Several other essays offer
careful analyses of the intersection between formal matters and authorial responsibility, or
lack thereof, while others probe the state of the discipline of literary studies itself. Despite a
diversity of approaches and objectives, many of the essays in one way or another express an
anxiety about the continued viability of general theories of ethics and responsibility in an age
almost universally given over to the rejection of universal principles.

Students and academics who are

interested in literary theory, ethics, narrative
form, and issues of authorial responsibility,
and how such matters inform the reading of
literary texts, will find that this collection
offers a wide array of approaches and
viewpoints by major figures from the
relevant sub-disciplines in literary studies.
The collection offers much-timely critical
observation on a variety of contemporary
authors but also provides critically
adventurous commentaries on Victorian
literature, and on Indian, African, Irish, and
Australian literature. The volume assembles
a collection of essays that would illustrate the
great diversity of methods by which
considerations of responsibility can and do
offer insight into a range of literary texts, and
theoretical discourses, while also making a
contribution to the philosophical question of
responsibility (and irresponsibility) in the
contemporary world.

The collection as a whole testifies to

the human fascination with issues of
responsibility, just as it testifies to the necessity of posing questions of responsibility as
questions of ethics and literature, the necessity of recognizing, in other words, that
“responsibility” names a concept whose only ground is the history of those fictional narratives
of responsibility and irresponsibility that modern civilization would do well to continue
inventing and reflecting upon critically. So whether ethical discourses find expression in
theoretical debate––or in and through the sophisticated fictions that constitute an imaginative
culture––what is clear, both from wider discussions related to the value of literary texts that
are such a central part of contemporary literary studies, and from the varied and nuanced
arguments that are made in this collection, is that questions of responsibility are central to
literature, philosophy, and the arts, just as they are to the social realities that spawned them in
the first place.

From this perspective, this collection owes much to what amounts to a veritable
renaissance in ethical theory, the consequences of which can be seen now beyond the bounds
of philosophy in literary and cultural studies. Hence, the so-called “ethical turn” in criticism,
indebted to a renewed interest in the legacy of Levinas, to the more proximate engagement in
Jacques Derrida’s late work with religious, ethical, and political themes, and to a number of
crucial interventions in literary studies, beginning with J. Hillis Miller’s The Ethics of
Reading, whose enduring influence is reconfirmed by the several invocations of that work in
 this book. The essays collected here, to be sure, do not all grow organically from the soil of
this “turn,” but they do necessarily become a part of the continuing project of literary studies’
contribution to ethical criticism.

Literature and Ethics is an important book for all literature and literary theory
collections. It has specific resonance for students and teachers who are interested in the value
of literary study, and in questions of ethics and narrative.

Transmedia Studies/ Digital Humanities

Transmedia storytelling (also known as transmedia narrative or multi-platform
storytelling) is the technique of telling a single story or story experience across multiple
platforms and formats using current digital technologies. In other words, the study of
Transmedia Storytelling—a concept introduced by Henry Jenkins, author of the seminal book
(2006) Convergence Culture—warns that this is an emerging subject and different authors have
different understandings of it.

Since the concept "narrative" is not fixed, Kalin Kalinov offers this
definition: A transmedia narrative is a multimedia product which communicates its narrative
through a multitude of integrated media channels.

Additional Material:
Watch and listen to this video clip:
https://youtu.be/thZnd_K8Vfs
 RESPOND

Task 1: Film Critique

Macro Skills: viewing and writing Mode of Submission (Options)
Date of Submission: ________________ Online: See the instructions below
Offline: See the instructions below
Watch Disney’s Wall-e (2008), and using the ecocriticism, explain your
evaluation regarding the films’ narrative.
Online: Upload your critiques on Facebook
Offline: Write your analyses in the module. Include a design related to the topic.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 RESPOND

Task 2: Film Critique

Macro Skills: viewing and writing Mode of Submission (Options)
Date of Submission: ________________ Online: See the instructions below
Offline: See the instructions below
Watch Cast Away (2000), and using the island studies approach, explain your evaluation regarding the films’ nar
Online: Upload your critiques on Facebook
Offline: Write your analyses in the module. Include a design related to the topic.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 RESPOND

Task 3: Film Critique

Macro Skills: viewing and writing Mode of Submission (Options)
Date of Submission: ________________ Online: See the instructions below
Offline: See the instructions below
Watch Batman Begins (2005), and using the Trauma Theory approach, explain
your evaluation regarding the films’ narrative.
Online: Upload your critiques on Facebook
Offline: Write your analyses in the module. Include a design related to the topic.

__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Essay Rubric
 Criteria 1 2 3 4
Thesis and/or problem Introduction states the Introductory paragraph Well-developed
is vague or unclear. thesis but does not contains some introductory paragraph
Background details are adequately explain the background contains detailed
a seemingly random background of the information and states background
Introduction collection of problem. The problem the problem, but does information, a clear
information, unclear, or is stated, but lacks not explain using explanation or
not related to the topic. detail. details. States the definition of the
thesis of the paper. problem, and a thesis
statement.
Conclusion does not Conclusion Conclusion Conclusion
adequately summarize summarizes main summarizes main summarizes the main
the main points. No topics, but is topics. Some topics without
suggestions for change repetitive. No suggestions for change repeating previous
Conclusion or opinions are suggestions for change are evident. sentences; writer's
included. and/or opinions are opinions and
included. suggestions for change
are logical and well
thought out.
Less than three main Three or more main Three or more main Three or more main
points, with poor points, but all lack points are present but points are well
development of ideas. development. may lack detail and developed with
Refutation missing or Refutation paragraph development in one or supporting details.
vague. missing and/or vague. two. Refutation Refutation paragraph
Main points
paragraph acknowledges the
acknowledges the opposing view, and
opposing view, but summarizes their main
doesn't summarize points.
points.
Lacks sources and/or All sources are All source material is All source material is
sources are not accurately used. All sources are used and smoothly
accurately documented. documented, but many accurately integrated into the text.
Incorrect format is are not in the desired documented, but a few All sources are
used. format on the Works are not in the desired accurately documented
Use of sources
Sources are not Cited page. Some format on the Works and in the desired
relevant nor reliable. sources are relevant Cited page. format on the Works
and reliable. Most sources are Cited page.
relevant and reliable. All sources are
relevant and reliable.
Work contains multiple Work contains Sentence structure is Punctuation and
incorrect sentence structural weaknesses generally correct. capitalization are
structures. There are and grammatical Some awkward correct.
Mechanics four or more errors in errors. There are three sentences do appear.
punctuation and/or or four errors in There are one or two
capitalization. punctuation and/or errors in punctuation
capitalization.

References for Weeks 13 – 16:

Pollman, J. (2013). Memory: Concepts and theory. Retrieved from
https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/research/research-projects/humanities/memory-concepts-
and-theory#tab-1
Balaev, M. (2008). Trends in Literary Trauma Theory. Retrieved from
https://scinapse.io/papers/59062409#:~:text=A%20central%20claim%20of
%20contemporary,that%20divides%20or%20destroys%20identity.&text=The%20primacy
%20of%20place%20in,memory%20and%20meaning%20of%20trauma.
Gladwin, D. (2017). Ecocriticism. Retrieved from
https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780190221911/obo-
9780190221911-0014.xml
The Guardian. Why writers treasure islands.. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2011/may/31/writers-islands-fiction
The International Academic Foum (2017, April 20). Narratives of the literary island: European
poetics of the social system after 1945. Retrieved from https://iafor.org/journal/iafor-journal-of-
literature-and-librarianship/volume-4-issue-1/article-4/

Cambria Press (2020). Literature and ethics: Questions of responsibility in literary studies.
Retrieved from https://www.cambriapress.com/cambriapress.cfm?
template=4&bid=308#:~:text=Literature%20and%20Ethics%20is%20an,questions%20of
%20ethics%20and%20narrative.
Sacred Heart University. Digital humanities: A pathfinder: Transmedia narrative. Retrieved
from https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.php?g=989333&p=7276674

Images
https://www.google.com/search?q=halbwachs&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwibw7r--
ZnrAhXNApQKHR00DPwQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=hallbwa&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgYIABAKEBg6BAgjECc6BQgAEL
EDOgcIABCxAxBDOgQIABBDOgIIAFDivQFY_dEBYI7XAWgBcAB4AIABZogBywWSAQ
M3LjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=3h82X5vcNc2F0ASd6L
DgDw&bih=610&biw=1280&rlz=1C1CHBF_enPH892PH892#imgrc=UiIrP5PLm1lwjM
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttp%2Fwww.archidis-naet.eu
%2Fgroup4.pdf&psig=AOvVaw3LTisbABzAqxqVzd_GwNYH&ust=1597469241341000&sour
ce=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCOCJq-f6mesCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAP
https://www.theravive.com/img/therapedia/Abreaction-Therapy.jpg
https://image.slidesharecdn.com/28-sejalchauhanp-7-140314034825-phpapp01/95/eco-criticism-
6-638.jpg?cb=1394768946
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcQeg_w9w-
al8MI3KLYmTbATVCq8vwsn-IRPnw&usqp=CAU
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/literature/images/e/ee/1889RobinsonCrusoeUSA.jpg/
revision/latest?cb=20170211102934
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ef/Themagus_cover.jpg
http://www.cambriapress.com/wimages/9781604976052front.jpg
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/
MV5BMjExMTg5OTU0NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjMxMzMzMw@@._V1_.jpg
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81Gskk2ow8L._AC_SY879_.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/af/Batman_Begins_Poster.jpg

Week 17: Performance Task

Task: Literary Portfolio
Macro Skills: viewing, reading and writing Mode of Submission (Options)
Date of Submission: ________________ Online: See the instructions below
Offline: See the instructions below

Compile all of your written tasks that you have written over the course of this module.
Online: Create a blog website containing all of your written works. One written work is equivalent to one
article/page of your blog/website. Make it sure that each article contains:
1. By line (your name, e.g. Article Title by First Name Middle Initial Surname).
Offline: Write/Compile your written work in a short clear book. It must contain the following:

1. Title page containing your name, year and section.

2. Table of contents
3. Border and designs

(Electronic) Writing Portfolio Suggested Assessment Rubric

 Superior (4) Satisfactory (3) Needs Unsatisfactory (1)
Improvement (2)
Content Fully responds to Sufficiently responds Does not respond or Does not respond to
all criteria of the to most criteria of the incompletely most criteria of the
assignment assignment responds to some assignment
criteria of the
Clearly identifies Identifies and Does not identify or
assignment
and fully develops main develop most
develops all ideas/themes, but Does not identify or ideas/themes
ideas/themes some may lack develop some main
Provides few details
clarity or depth ideas/themes
Provides logical, and little support or
valid and specific Generally provides Provides support but support that is
details and logical and valid may not be logical or illogical or invalid
support details and support valid; some details
Omits relevant
may be missing
Effectively uses Effectively uses most information; outside
all relevant relevant information, Frequently omits sources
information, including outside relevant information; inappropriate or
including outside sources outside sources may missing
sources be inappropriate or
For the most part, Draws
missing
Draws clear and draws clear and unclear/inappropriat
appropriate appropriate Draws mostly e conclusions or
conclusions conclusions unclear or omits conclusions
inappropriate entirely
conclusions
Organiza- Clearly and Consistently Frequently does not Does not organize
tion consistently organizes ideas, but organizes ideas; ideas
organizes ideas structure may be structure is formulaic
Conveys little or no
formulaic or or unsophisticated
Maintains focus or sense of
unsophisticated
consistent focus Sometimes lacks purpose
and sense of Generally maintains focus or sense of
For the most part,
purpose focus purpose
does not structure or
Effectively For the most part, Often does not order paragraphs
structures and effectively structures structure or order
Does not link ideas
orders paragraphs and orders paragraphs
paragraphs
Links ideas with Links some ideas,
smooth and For the most part, but transitions are
effective effectively links missing or unclear
transitions ideas, but transitions
may be unclear or
 ineffective
Style Shows clear For the most part, Is inconsistent in Shows little
awareness of shows awareness of showing awareness awareness of
purpose and purpose and audience of purpose and purpose and
audience audience audience
Uses effective and
Uses varied sentence Uses little variety in Uses no variety in
sophisticated and structure sentence structure; sentence structure;
varied sentence some syntax errors syntax errors
Uses vocabulary and
structure may be present frequently present
style that are mostly
Uses vocabulary appropriate to the Uses vocabulary or Uses vocabulary or
and style that are audience; some style that are style that are
appropriate to the words may be used frequently inappropriate to the
audience incorrectly inappropriate to the audience; words are
audience; words are consistently used
often used incorrectly
incorrectly
Mechanics Makes virtually Makes few grammar, Makes occasional Makes frequent
no grammar, punctuation, or grammar, grammar,
punctuation, or spelling errors; these punctuation, or punctuation, or
spelling errors are not distracting to spelling errors; these spelling errors;
the reader may be distracting to these are distracting
Uses correct
the reader to the reader
citation format to Identifies and
document documents most Sometimes uses Uses incorrect or no
references and sources appropriately correct citation citation format to
sources format to document document
references and references and
sources sources