Winter 2009

Course Description:
=> This course is designed to introduce students to a wide variety of fiction, poetry and drama focusing on British and American literature since the Renaissance. Through reading literature, we can come to a greater understanding of the time periods in question while simultaneously gaining a better understanding of ourselves. However, the critical reading of literature also helps us develop our reasoning skills, skills that can be used in a multitude of fields. While reading the works discussed in class, we will consider them from many different perspectives. We will discuss their traditional place in society as well as their more contemporary interpretations.

Course Outcomes:
=> By the end of this course, students should:
1) Be fluent in a variety of literary styles
2) Be able to critically discuss fiction
3) Understand mechanical literary devices such as metaphor, irony, theme, plot, and character development
4) Understand linguistic devices such as figures of speech, imagery, tone, and symbols
5) Understand the connection between the production of literature and the political and cultural environment from which the poems come.

Attendance:
This course is primarily discussion based, so it is important that you are here on a regular basis. Furthermore, as there are only seven weeks throughout the semester, missing one class is like missing two classes during a fall or winter semester.

Course Policies:
=> Be on time. Arriving late is rude and will cause you to miss important information. This can greatly affect your participation grade.
=> If you are absent, find out what you missed from a class mate. (It is a good idea to exchange phone numbers with someone for this purpose.)
=> Late papers will not be accepted.
=> All work must be typed (with a font of 10 - 12, in “Times New Roman”), double spaced, stapled, and complete, following the standard MLA format.
=> Turn cell phones off

Course Requirements and Grading:
=> There is a five page paper. (200 points)
=> There are two 2 page papers. (50 points each)
=> There is a take-home mid-term exam based on three or four essay questions. You will be given the questions well in advance, and you will have some choice as to which questions you will answer. (240 Points)
=> There is a take home final exam, and again, there will be some choice as to the essay questions you will respond to. When you turn it in, there will also be an in class essay. (300 Points)
=> Participation: this course is primarily discussion based, so it is important that you are here and participating on a regular basis. (100 Points)
=> There will also be 12 ten point reading comprehension quizzes throughout the semester. I will drop the lowest score. (110 Points)

Plagiarism:
=> This is the act of using an outside source (a quote, a fact, or a paraphrase) without proper citations. Most often this is done accidentally, without the knowledge of the writer; never the less, it is illegal, and will result in failure. Proper citation will be focused on throughout the course, so this will hopefully not become an issue.

Course Supplies:
=> Bausch, Richard & R. V. Cassill. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. New York, W. W. Norton and Company: 2006.
=> Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein (1818 Edition). Ed. J. Paul Hunter. New York, W. W. Norton and Company: 1996.
=> James Baldwin: Giovanni’s Room. Any edition is fine
=> Goldman, William. The Princess Bride. Any edition is fine
=> You also need a good collegiate dictionary.

Course Calendar
Date In Class

Jan 5 Introduction hand out

Jan 7 Margaret Atwood: “Happy Endings;” Ernest Hemmingway: “A Clean Well Lighted Place” Hand outs

Jan 9 Washington Irving: “Rip Van Winkle” Hand out

Jan 12 Mary Shelley: Frankenstein

Jan 14 Frankenstein cont

Jan 16 Frankenstein cont

Jan 19 No Class: MLK Day

Jan 21 Edgar Allen Poe: “The Fall of the House of Usher” P 1264

Jan 23 Nathaniel Hawthorne: “The Birthmark” P 648

Jan 26 Kate Chopin: “The Story of an Hour” P 297

Jan 28 Ambrose Bierce: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” P 140;

Jan 30 Charlotte Perkins Gilman: “The Yellow Wallpaper” P 597; Two Page Paper #1 Due

Feb 2 Joseph Conrad: “Heart of Darkness” P 310

Feb 4 “Heart of Darkness” cont

Feb 6 “Heart of Darkness” cont

Feb 9 James Joyce: “Araby” P 741

Feb 11 William Faulkner: “A Rose for Emily” P 520

Feb 13 James Thurber: “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” P 1447

Feb 16 Virginia Woolf: “Kew Gardens” P 1603

Feb 18 Jorges Louis Borges: “ Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote” P 147

Feb 20 Zora Neale Hurston: “The Conscience of the Court” P 682; Two Page Paper #2 Due

Feb 23-27 Winter Recess - No Classes, Campus Open

March 2 William Carlos Williams: “The Use of Force” P 1590; Mid Term Exam Due

March 4 Flannery O’Connor: “Good Country People” P 1212

March 6 Vladimir Nabokov: “Signs and Symbols” P 1165

March 9 James Baldwin: Giovanni’s Room

March 11 Giovanni’s Room cont

March 13 Giovanni’s Room cont

March 16 John Cheever: “The Death of Justina” P 258

March 18 Julio Cortázar: “A Continuity of Parks” P 371, “Letter to a Young Lady in Paris” P 372

March 20 Ruth Prawaer Jhabvala: “Passion” P 713

March 23 William Goldman: The Princess Bride

March 25 The Princess Bride cont

March 27 The Princess Bride cont

March 30 Toni Cade Bambara: “Gorilla, My Love” P 60; Five Page Paper Due

April 1 Toni Cade Bambara” The Lesson” Hand out

April 3 Toni Cade Bambara: story TBA Hand out

April 6 Alice Walker: “Everyday Use” P 1512

April 8 James Alan McPherson: “Why I Like Country Music” P 1073

April 10 John L’Heureux: “Brief Lives in California” P 897

April 13 Tim O’Brien: “The Things They Carried” P 1188

April 15 Louise Erdrich: “Matchimanito” P 507

April 17 Alice Hoffman: “The Wedding of Snow and Ice” P 673


April 22 Final Exam 9:00-10:30