English 111
Introduction to Literature
Walla Walla Community College
Spring 2013
Instructor:
Email:
Phone:
Office:
Address:
Mrs. Andrews
linda.andrews@wwcc.edu
(509) 527-4641 (office)
#9, office hours 12:30-1:30 daily
WWCC mail room, main campus
Texts:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
True Grit by Charles Portis
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Good Poems, edited by Garrison Keillor
plus other assorted handouts
Other materials: notebook and dictionary
Opportunities offered by this class:
This course is designed to increase your insights into literature by helping you understand
imagery, voice, character, setting and story elements. We will read fiction, poetry and
autobiographically-based novels, as well as view two or three films. Important abilities
that this course can help you with are critical thinking, challenging assumptions, reading
aloud, language appreciation and your ability to produce coherent essays that respond to
your readings. This class will help answer questions about the impulse to understand
human existence through writing. I welcome you to a community of learners where you
will contribute to the exchange of ideas and to each other’s education.
This is how you can realize the opportunities of this class:
 Keep a journal (notebook) for your reading summaries, responses to discussion
questions with citations, questions for discussion, and pre-writing for papers.
 Read closely the assigned materials, write papers, and complete daily assignments.
 Attend class every day and participate in discussions.
 Present your ideas through papers, presentations, discussion and journal writing.
Coming-of-age paper
25 points
Reading paper to the class
10 points
Discussion
150 points (approx. 30 days x 5)
Journal -Alexie, Walls, Portis, Otsuka 80 points
Film responses
40 points
Poetry paper/presentation
20 points
Vocabulary quiz
30 points
TOTAL
355 points (approximately)
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Ways to understand the nature and progress of your learning:
You may find yourself reading differently—noticing figurative language, appreciating the
well-turned phrase, feeling a new kind of emotional impact from readings and films. You
may also come to value what happens when a whole group reads the same material, and
brings their individual experience and insight to bear on the literature.
Attendance and class commitment. I understand your registration for this class to be a
commitment to learn about literature. Therefore, I will expect to see you here every
scheduled day and on time. I also understand that life can present unexpected challenges.
To accommodate those challenges, you are granted five absences. Use them as you
want—for sports activities, illness or vacation—but use them wisely. In exchange, you
will confer with me to cover missed material. Any more than five absences, however, are
bound to affect your commitment and progress and will cost—the 6th and subsequent
absences result in a subtraction of 10 points each. Accumulated absences soon make it
mathematically impossible to pass the course.
Classroom etiquette. My hope is that you will get to know each other and be
comfortable sharing your ideas. Because we are a community of learners, we direct
remarks and questions to the entire class and avoid distracting behavior. Some examples
of distracting behavior are: rudeness, doing work for other classes, eating noisily, having
private conversations, ringing cell phone, leaving for a phone call and coming back,
sleeping, being argumentative in ways that do not further the knowledge of the group, or
any other behavior that breaks the concentration of the group, and/or pulls inappropriate
attention toward yourself and away from the learning of the other students. Any of these
behaviors will earn you an absence and will potentially result in a lowered grade. Note
Student Code of Conduct in catalog. On a happier note, your positive contribution to the
classroom is valuable to your own education and that of your classmates.
Other Policies:
Lateness to class. Lateness will count against your attendance record. Two lates = one
absence. Late is defined as coming in to class once the door has been closed. More than
10 minutes late = absent.
Assignments. Homework is due when class begins. It must be typed—no exceptions.
Plagiarism. You are expected to do your own work. Any instance of plagiarism will
result in an F for the paper and possibly for the course.
Readiness for discussion. Please bring with you the books or materials under discussion.
Note: If you have a disability for which you may need an accommodation, please
contact the Disabilities Coordinator in the Student Development Center. Please see
her as early as possible in the quarter.
Content disclaimer. Necessarily, because literature deals with all facets of living, there
will be talk of life, of death, of the various human hungers. There may also be selections
that contain rough (transgressive) language. If you feel uneasy about such topics and
conversations, let’s talk together about the challenges you might face. This is a college
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level course and you can expect mature discussion of a wide variety of subjects, as
prompted by the work under examination.
Grade Scale:
93-100 A
80-82 B68-69 D+
90-92 A78-79 C+
63-67 D
88-89 B+
73-77 C
60-62 D-
83-87 B
70-72 C59 and below F
Schedule
Week of
Apr. 1
Introduction to class requirements, texts, and each other
Introduction to Sherman Alexie
Weds-Fri: Discuss The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Week of
Apr. 8
Complete discussion of Absolutely True Diary
Discussion of how to create your own coming-of-age story
Film: Smoke Signals
Week of
Apr. 15
Readings of your coming-of-age stories to the class
Begin discussion of Half Broke Horses
Week of
Apr. 22
Continue discussion of Half Broke Horses
Introduction to Charles Portis
Week of
Apr. 29
Discussion of True Grit
Week of
May 6
Film: True Grit
Introduction to Julie Otsuka and oral histories of the Japanese internment
Week of
May 13
Discussion of When the Emperor Was Divine
Wednesday, May 15: No class. Advising Day.
Note: Friday, May 17 is the last day to drop classes.
Week of
May 20
Begin three weeks of poetry with Good Poems
Discuss Adopt-a-Poet assignment
Week of
May 27
Monday, May 27: Memorial Day holiday. No class.
Continue exploration of poetry
Week of
June 3
Complete poetry discussions
Film: Il Postino
Week of
June 10
Readings of favorite paragraphs
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