ENG 104.11: Approaches to Literature
Fall 2012
Section 11
Instructor: Sara Taylor Boissonneau
Email: srtaylo4@uncg.edu
Classroom: MHRA 2211
Meeting Times: TR 12:30-1:15pm
Office: MHRA 3210D
Office Hours: TR 9:00-11:00am and by appointment
This course is designed to introduce you to the basic elements of literary analysis through both
reading literary texts and reading about how scholars study those texts. Our course readings
form a broad survey of American literature from the 19th and 20th centuries, organized by genre.
While we will focus primarily on building a vocabulary for analysis and a set of lenses for
examining literature critically, I would also like us to think about the label “American literature”
and the ways in which the texts under discussion here might reflect, shape, and/or challenge the
idea of “Americanness.”
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for ENG 104
1. Demonstrate the reading skill required for the student of literary texts.
2. Identify and/or describe some of the varied characteristics of literary texts.
3. Demonstrate orally, in writing, or by some other means, a fundamental ability to use
some of the techniques and/or methods of literary analysis.
4. Identify and/or describe some of the various social, historical, cultural, and/or
theoretical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted.
Required Texts (available through the University bookstore)
Baldwin, James. Go Tell it on the Mountain. 1952. New York: Dial, 2005. ISBN:
0385334575
Gardner, Janet E., et al. Literature: A Portable Anthology. 2nd ed. Boston & New York:
Bedford St. Martin’s. 2009. ISBN: 9780312619183
Lancaster, Tammy, et al. Lenses: Perspectives on Literature. Plymouth, MA: HaydenMcNeill. 2012. ISBN: 9780738051055
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. 1947. New York: Penguin, 2009.
ISBN: 9780141190273
Course Requirements
Essay 1 (20%): 3-4pp, typed, double-spaced. Students will write a literary analysis of a
text of their choice from the fiction unit. Detailed assignment sheet to be provided. dueOct. 4
Essay 2 (20%): 3-4pp, typed, double-spaced. Students will write a literary analysis of a
text of their choice from either the fiction or the poetry units. Detailed assignment sheet
to be provided. due-Nov. 15
Midterm exam (20%): Short answer and essay, covering material assigned to that point.
Oct. 11
Final exam (20%): Short answer and essay. Comprehensive (covers all three units). Dec.
6, 12:00pm
Reading Quizzes (10%): Short unannounced quizzes as needed to check for reading
completion and concept comprehension, no more than once per week.
Preparation and Participation (10%): Students are expected to complete assigned
reading and participate actively in class by taking notes, asking questions, and
contributing to our discussions. The P&P portion of the final grade also includes any inclass and other informal writing assignments graded for completion only.
Final Grade Calculation
All major assignments will be assigned a letter grade that corresponds to the following
percentages in my grade book:
A 95%; A- 90%; B+ 87%; B 85%; B- 80%; C+ 77%; C 75%; C- 70%; D+ 67%;
D 65% D- 60%; F 50%
A weighted average will constitute the final grade according to the following ranges:
A 94-100%; A-90-93%; B+ 87-89%; B 84-86%; B-80%-83%; C+ 77-79%; C 7476%; C-70-73%; D+ 67-69%; D 64-66%; D-60%-63%; F<60%
Attendance Policy
Students are allowed three absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond
those allowed, students will lose a half letter grade from the P&P portion of the final
grade. Students who miss six classes on a two-day schedule will fail the course. Please
speak with me if you experience an illness and/or emergency that will cause you to miss
multiple classes.
Students are by state law allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays. These
absences do not count toward the total maximums allowed above. If a student plans to
miss class due to a religious holiday, he or she must notify the instructor at least 48 hours
prior to the absence.
Academic Integrity
“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values:
honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example,
cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating
academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be
pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are
incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be
tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the
university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at
<http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu>. I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity
Policy. First violations of the integrity policy will result in failing the assignment. If you
plagiarize one of your essays, you will get no credit for that essay. If you cheat on a
single exam, you will receive no credit for that exam. Subsequent violations of either
kind will result in course failure and referral to university officials.
Late Work
Late work will not be accepted unless a student makes prior arrangements with me. If
you think you will have difficulty completing an assignment on time, please let me know
ASAP.
Accommodations
Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about
accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such
accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus
before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of
the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm,
Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: ods@uncg.edu.
Course Calendar
Week 1
T Aug 21
R Aug 23
Introduction to course and each other
Lenses, Introduction (Lancaster and Sparks); Chapter 1: “To Read is to
Write” (Scudder and Browning); Chapter 3: “Reading through Genre”
(Leuschen and Shook)
(NOTE Friday, Aug 24 is the last day to change courses or course sections without special
permission/last day to drop course for tuition and fees refund)
Fiction
Week 2
T Aug 28
Baldwin, Go Tell it On the Mountain-Part 1
R Aug 30
Baldwin, GTM-Part 2; “Common Writing Assignments” (LPA 1219-1230)
T Sep 4
Lenses, Chapter 2: “Writing about Literature” (Wooten and Babb);
Chapter 7: “The Character(s) of Literature” (Gibson)
R Sep 6
Baldwin, GTM-Part 3
T Sep 11
Lenses, Chapter 8: “Time, Setting, and Place: The Locations of Literature”
(Webb and Sparks); “Writing about Stories” (LPA 1238-1253); essay 1
assigned
R Sep 13
Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” (LPA 3-13); Chopin, “The Story of
an Hour” (LPA 66-68); (200-204)
T Sep 18
Lenses, Chapter 9: “Narrators and Speakers: The Voices of Literature”
(Hall and Puzzo)
R Sep 20
O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (LPA 277-290); Walker,
“Everyday Use” (LPA368-375)
T Sep 25
Welty “A Worn Path” (LPA 213-220); (LPA 158-166); Gilman, “The
Yellow Wallpaper” (70-83);
R Sep 27
Cisneros, “The House on Mango Street” (LPA 414-416); Alexie, “What
You Pawn I will Redeem” (LPA 438-457)
T Oct 2
Lenses Chapter 4: “Symbolic Relationships and Figurative Language”
(Boissonneau and Buck);
R Oct 4
Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death” (LPA 547); Dunbar, “We
Wear the Mask,” (548); Frost, “After Apple-Picking” and “Birches” (LPA
549 and 551); essay 1 due
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Poetry
Week 7
Week 8
T Oct 9
Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “Spring and All” (LPA 557-558);
McKay, “America” (569); exam review
R Oct 11
Midterm exam
(Friday, October 12 is the last day to drop a class without academic penalty)
Week 9
T Oct 16
NO CLASS-Fall Break
R Oct 18
Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B” and “Harlem” (LPA 575-577);
Gwendolyn Brooks “We Real Cool” and “The Bean Eaters” (LPA 593);
“Literary Criticism and Literary Theory” (LPA 1287-1296); essay 2
assigned
Week 10
T Oct 23
R Oct 25
Philip Levine, “What Work Is” (LPA 615); Adrienne Rich, “Diving into
the Wreck” (624); Lenses, Chapter 5: “Creating Meaning Literature”
(Burns and Milne)
Clifton, “at the cemetery, walnut grove plantation…” (644); Komuyakaa,
“Facing It,” (673); Dove, “The Satisfaction Coal Company,” (687);
Erdich, “A Love Medicine”
Drama
Week 11
T Oct 30
Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act I (LPA 1026-1062); review Lenses, Ch. 3
(emphasis on section about drama)
R Nov 1
Miller, Death of a Salesman; Act II (LPA 1062-1103)“Writing about
Plays” (1248-1249)
Week 12
T Nov 6
Film, Death of a Salesman
R Nov 8
Film, Death of a Salesman
Week 13
T Nov 13
R Nov 15
Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire
Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire; essay 2 due
Week 14
T Nov 20
NO CLASS-Thanksgiving Break
R Nov 22
NO CLASS-Thanksgiving Break
Week 15
T Nov 27
Film, A Streetcar Named Desire
R Nov 29
Final exam review
Week 16
T Dec 4
R Dec 6
NO CLASS-Reading Day
12:00pm-- Final Exam