WRITING 2: INTRODUCTION TO ACADEMIC WRITING
UNIT THREE: WRITING IN THE HUMANITIES
Wed Nov. 15
Reading Due: “Like
FALL 2006
THE SHORT STORY
Glass” by Ann Beattie (available on EReserves)
Reading Journal Due: Before reading, free write for a page: what do you think makes a short story? What parts
make it up? What makes it good? After reading the story, freewrite another page (you can also take more
deliberate notes/bullet points if you prefer): How did the story surprise you? Did it challenge or break some of
your expectations of what a story should do? Be specific. You may wish to think in particular of terms like plot,
point of view, setting, character, theme, and symbolism.
In class: intro to analysis of the short story; theme; read and discuss Kate Chopin’s “The Story of An Hour”
WEEK EIGHT
Due: Second Paper and Unit Two Portfolio
Mon Nov. 20
Reading Due: “A
Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner and “The Jilting of Granny
Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter (available on EReserves)
Reading Journal Due: Write a one to two page journal entry addressing all four of the following questions:
What do you think point of view is in a story? What does the point of view in “A Rose for Emily” contribute to
the story? What do you think is a character’s role in a story? How does character contribute to Katherine Anne
Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”?
In class: point of view and setting; discussion of stories; Paper 3 assignment
Wed Nov. 22
No class today. Happy Thanksgiving!
WEEK NINE
Reading Due: “The Man
Mon Nov. 27
of the Crowd” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Balloon” by Donald
Barthelme (available on EReserves)
Reading Journal Due: Write a one to two page journal entry addressing these four questions: How is setting
important to a story? How does the setting influence your understanding of Poe’s story? What do you think
symbolism is, and how does it affect a story’s meaning? Do you think there is symbolism in Barthes’ story? Do
you think he is poking fun at symbolism at all?
In class: setting and symbolism; discussion of stories
Wed Nov. 29
Reading Due: “Will
You Please Be Quiet, Please?” by Raymond Carver (available on
EReserves)
Reading Journal Due: In a page, analyze one aspect of Carver’s short story: theme, setting, point of view, etc.
If you were making this into a film, how would you convey that aspect of the story and its importance for the
larger effect of the story?
In class: watch sections of Robert Altman’s Short Cuts; discuss adaptation
WEEK TEN
Due: Rough draft of Paper 3 (bring TWO copies)
Mon Dec. 4
In class: Peer review
Wed Dec. 6
Due: Optional revision of Paper 1 or Paper 2
In class: teacher evaluations, last things
WEEK ELEVEN
Mon Dec. 11
Due: Third Paper and Unit Three Portfolio, to my office between 11 and 12:50. Late papers will be
docked 10% per day off the final grade, unless you have arranged an extension in advance.