COURSE NUMBER: ENG 108:5
COURSE TITLE: Topics in British & American Literature ~ Murder in the Mountains
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES/COREQUISITES: none
FOR WHOM PLANNED: ENG 108 satisfies a General Education Literature (GLT) requirement in the undergraduate curriculum. This
section has also been approved as a Writing Intensive course. Please note that ENG 108 does not count toward the English major.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Nancy Gray Bucknall, 103D Foust, 334-4361, Nancy_Bucknall@uncg.edu, Office hours: by apt via
Starfish.
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Variable topics. Offerings may include Southern Writers, The Mystery Novel, Women Writers, The Imperial
Imagination, and Grail Literature. Our course will focus on
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:
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
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Demonstrate the reading skill required for the study of literary texts.

Identify and/or describe some of the various social, historical, cultural, and/or theoretical contexts in which literary
texts have been written and interpreted.
Identify and/or describe some of the varied characteristics of literary texts.
Demonstrate orally, in writing, or by some other means a fundamental ability to use some of the techniques and/or methods of
literary analysis.
TEACHING METHODS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR ACHIEVING LEARNING OUTCOMES: Careful reading and clear writing are best
supported by testing one’s ideas in a community of readers & writers. Our class will function as such a community through in-class
discussions & group work. I expect each student to come to class having carefully read the assigned text and having considered the
questions for discussion. Your papers will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your developing abilities to identify and understand
the literary texts we have read as a class, as well improve your writing skills.
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
Paper 1
Paper 2
Paper 3
Paper 4
Reflection
Draft Workshops
Blackboard quizzes
15%
15%
15%
15%
10%
15%
15%
REQUIRED TEXTS:
A Land More Kind Than Home, Wiley Cash, HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN-13: 9780062088147
Deliverance, James Dickey, Random House Publishing Group, ISBN-13: 9780385313872
Nightwoods, Charles Frazier, Random House Publishing Group ISBN-13: 9780812978803
Oral History, Lee Smith, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated ISBN-13: 9780425245460
The Ballad of Tom Dooley, Sharyn McCrumb, St. Martin's Press ISBN-13: 9781250007452
The World Made Straight: A Novel, Ron Rash, Picador ISBN-13: 9780312426606
Please note that all texts are available in both print & e-book formats
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular class attendance is a responsibility and a privilege of university education. Our class will work best when you are present, having
read the assignments and being ready to engage in meaningful, respectful discussion. Should you miss more than 3 class meetings for any
reason, you will lose 3% from your final grade for each additional class missed. If you miss more than 6 class meetings total, you will fail
the course. The University allows for a limited number of excused absences each academic year for religious observances required by the
faith of the student.
WRITTEN WORK:
You will be required to submit 4 out of 6 Papers (one for each novel we read) to demonstrate your mastery of the Student Learning
Outcomes. In addition, you will be required to compose a reflection on the connections you see among all the novels. Your writing will
play a central role in our course: we will engage in writing workshops, discuss writing strategies, and reflect on well-written essays. Late
work is not accepted.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY: Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust,
fairness, respect, and responsibility. Supporting and affirming these values is essential to promoting and maintaining a high level of
academic integrity. You will be required to sign the Academic Integrity Policy on all major work submitted for the course. Violations of
this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students Office and could result in a range of very serious sanctions. For more information,
please see: http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/