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LIT 2100: Introduction to Literature Section 1122 (online)
Spring 2011
Instructor: Sara Smith
Email: ssmith2@uwf.edu
Office: 50/238A
Office Hours: M&W 1:45-2:45 and by appointment
Gordon Rule: LIT 2100 is a Gordon Rule Course. Students must therefore write at least 6,000 words for
the 3-hour course to satisfy the state requirement.
Course Objectives: This class will introduce you to a variety of influential literary texts from a range of
historical periods and cultures. We will develop reflective, analytical, and interpretive skills by
examining the contexts of these works, the dialogues that take place among them, their common
concerns, and their stark differences. More generally speaking, the ultimate purpose of this class is to
help make us more thoughtful and critical readers and viewers of any texts we encounter in life.
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course, students should be able to
-identify and define major elements of fiction, poetry, and drama
-understand the relationship between a literary text and its context of production and
reception
-Focus on a purpose, identify and assess the needs of different audiences,
and determine effective strategies for writing situations with the
appropriate voice, format, and structure.
- Use writing and reading effectively to interpret text and to translate
this knowledge clearly in synthesizing and analyzing their experiences in
focused writing
-make an interpretive, analytical argument about a literary text using support from the text
Required Materials:
 Available at UWF bookstore:
Literature: A Portable Anthology. 2nd edition. Ed. Janet E. Gardner et al. Boston: Bedford
2009.
 The assigned and supplemental readings that are not in the bookstore will be available via our
class’s eLearning site.
Special Technology
 This course is completely online. You must have consistent access to the Internet. In this
online course, you will log in about twice each week to complete the work and to meet
deadlines. If you took this class in the traditional way, you would drive to campus twice a
week. This course requires about the same amount of time as a conventional classroom
course, but you are not required to meet face-to-face or even to be online at a specific time.
The online course site is our meeting place, where you will access your assignments, take
part in a "conversation" through the online discussion forum, and submit your assignments
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to a student "dropbox." There are deadlines each week: most of the deadlines are Mondays
and Fridays by 11:00 p.m., but you can always submit assignments earlier!
Grade Breakdown:
Discussion Forum Postings: 10%
Almost every week, I will post a prompt on the discussion forum (located on our eLearning site). To
receive full credit for these posts, you must respond to each prompt thoughtfully and occasionally
comment on other students’ remarks—the goal is to simulate a lively discussion that might take place in
a classroom. Near the end of the semester, you will be graded holistically on the quality and quantity of
your participation in the discussions. I will provide due dates for these posts, but if for some reason you
can’t post on time, you may still post late for partial credit.
Short Response Papers 30%
You will write a total of three short response papers (150-400 words) in response to a prompt I will give
you for each.
Critical Analysis Essays: 60%
Paper 1 (1000 word minimum) 20%
Paper 2 (1000 word minimum) 20%
Paper 3 (1000 word minimum) 20%
For each essay, I will give you a list of topic questions; your answer to the question you choose will be
the thesis of your argument. If you wish to write about a topic that is not on the list of topic questions,
you must get my approval first. Keep in mind that a summary is not an argument: papers that merely
summarize a text will receive Fs. Also, please do not write about whether or not you liked the particular
text or think it is “good.” By including the texts on the syllabus, I am automatically implying that they
are worthy of study. I’m not asking you to like any particular text; I am asking you to read, analyze, and
speculate about it carefully. I will give you a more detailed assignment sheet for these papers later.
Late papers: for these assignments, I will deduct 20 points for every class period the paper is submitted
late. I will accept no more than one late paper at a time.
Notes about Succeeding in this Course
I am ready to help you to succeed in this Internet class. Please keep these things in mind:
 All Gordon Rule courses at UWF are time-consuming. If this course met in a conventional classroom,
we would meet three hours per week (and, of course, you would devote time to getting to class on
campus and additional time outside of class for readings and writing assignments). Plan to devote
considerable time to completing the requirements of the course. The time you must invest in this
online course is equal to the time required to succeed in a face-to-face course.
 Check your email daily on weekdays. Set yourself a schedule—check the course site early in the
week to view the week’s work.
 Keep in touch with me. Ask questions when you need help or feel overwhelmed. I can’t help you if I
don’t know you are having a problem!
 PRINT paper copies of important information and instructions! Just as in a traditionally taught class,
you should keep a copy of the syllabus and the assignments in a looseleaf notebook.
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
For additional information about support services, or if you are having problems accessing or using the
eLearning system, please check with the UWF Internet Help Desk, which provides support seven days a week
at 850 474 2075 or helpdesk@uwf.edu .
Submitting Written Assignments/Papers
 As a rule, papers will be uploaded using the Dropbox, the link to which may be found on the
eLearning toolbar.
 IMPORTANT: Please save and upload all written assignments as .doc, .docx, or .rtf files.
It is difficult for me to provide feedback on assignments if you submit an assignment that is not in one
of the formats specified.
 It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all paper submissions are successfully uploaded on
time into the Dropbox. Should there be an issue with the eLearning system, the alternate or backup method of submission is to me as an email attachment followed by upload to the appropriate
Dropbox folder when available (note, however, I do not accept late submissions via email). Double
checking the relevant Dropbox folder after upload to ensure submission is strongly encouraged.
Again, double checking the relevant Dropbox folder after upload to ensure submission is strongly
encouraged.
UWF WRITING LAB http://uwf.edu/writelab/
The Writing Lab is located in building 51 and provides a variety of services, such as tutoring, handouts,
and a grammar hotline. I encourage you to visit the Lab for assistance often, as records show that
students who get help at the Lab usually improve their quality of writing/grades much more quickly than
students who never set foot in the Lab. To make an appointment, you can call 474-2129 or 474-2029.
Students who are not able to come to campus may inquire about the Lab’s online paper reading service.
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A NOTE ON CONTROVERSY IN LITERATURE: Remember that because literature often grows out of
and creates controversy, some of our readings and discussions will undoubtedly be of a
“controversial” nature. Keep in mind that when I assign a text I am not asking you to adopt a
particular viewpoint or belief system—I am asking you to read and consider each text thoughtfully.
Also, while I strongly encourage serious discussion in the forum, please do not be rude to others
whose opinions may not match your own. Note that a bad attitude will affect your grade.
Student Code of Conduct: The Student Code of Conduct sets forth the rules, regulations and expected
behavior of students enrolled at the University of West Florida. Violations of any rules, regulations, or
behavioral expectations may result in a charge of violating the Student Code of Conduct. It is the
student's responsibility to read the Student Code of Conduct and conduct themselves accordingly. You
may access the current Student Code of Conduct at http://www.uwf.edu/judicialaffairs.
Disabled Student Services: Disabled Student Services provides a variety of auxiliary services for students
with disabilities, including sign language interpreting, exam accommodations, and assertive devices.
Contact Disabled student Services at 474-2387.
UWF Statement on Plagiarism: Plagiarism is academic dishonesty--willfully copying someone else’s work
without acknowledging the source(s) or pretending that the work of a “ghost writer” is the student’s
own. Plagiarism is a serious offense, and both the English Department and the University have stringent
policies for handling offenders. A student found guilty of plagiarism may receive a failing grade on the
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assignment or for the course. A student may also be referred to the CAS Dean for further action by the
Academic Standards Committee. Papers submitted to this class must be the student’s original work
composed during this semester for this specific course. If a student uses passages from a paper that he
or she has prepared for a previous class, then those passages must be quoted, cited, and documented in
MLA style. http://uwf.edu/cas/aasr/Plagiarism.doc.
Your instructor’s note on plagiarism: Most instructors these days, including me, are plagiarism-savvy. I
immediately Google any paper I suspect of plagiarism, and if that does not yield results, I have faculty
access to highly sensitive plagiarism detecting software. My colleagues and I frequently work together
to track down plagiarists and get them out of the university system. Plagiarism is the theft of someone
else’s intellectual property; it is a grave offense and a great insult to your instructors and to the students
who work hard and actually want to learn. If you are not willing to do the work it takes to succeed,
perhaps you should think twice about pursuing a college degree.
GRADING SCALE: A (100-93) A- (92-90) B+ (89-88) B (87-83) B- (82-80) C+ (79-78) C (77-73) C- (72-70) D+ (69-68) D
(67-60)
Week 1
Jan. 5-7
Bierce, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (51)
Discussion Post due Friday, Jan. 7 11 p.m.
Week 2
Jan. 10-14
Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (70)
Discussion Post due Friday, Jan. 14, 11 p.m.
Week 3
Jan. 18-21
Kafka, “The Metamorphosis” (106)
Discussion Post due Friday, Jan. 21
Week 4
Jan. 24-28
Short Paper #1 due Monday, Jan. 24, 11 p.m.
Steinbeck, “The Chrysanthemums” (204)
Week 5
Jan. 31-Feb. 4
Essay #1 due Monday, Jan. 31, 11 p.m.
Jackson, “The Lottery” (242); Marquez, “A Very Old Man with
Enormous Wings” (294)
Discussion Post due Friday, Feb. 4
Week 6
Feb. 7-11
O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (277); Oates, “Where
Are You Going, Where Have You Been” (318)
Week 7
Feb. 14-18
Short Paper #2 due Monday, Feb. 14, 11 p.m.
Bambara, “The Lesson” (347); Walker, “Everyday Use” (368)
Discussion post due Friday Feb. 18
Week 8
Feb. 21-25
Wyatt, “They Flee from Me” (463); Marlowe, “The Passionate
Shepherd to His Love”(464); Shakespeare, Sonnets (465-467) Herrick,
“To the Virgins, Make Much of Time”(471); Milton, “When I
Consider How My Light is Spent” (474); Marvell, “To His Coy
Mistress” (476)
Discussion Post due Friday, Feb. 25
Week 9
Feb. 28-Mar. 4
Blake, “The Lamb” (485); “The Tyger”(486); “London”(487);
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Wordsworth, “The World is too Much with Us”(496); Byron,
“She Walks in Beauty” (499)
Week 10
Mar. 7-11
Essay # 2 due Monday, Mar. 7, 11 p.m.
Frost, “After Apple-Picking (549), “The Road Not Taken” (550),
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (554)
Discussion post due Friday, Oct.29
Week 11
Mar. 14-18
Spring Break
Week 12
Mar. 21-25
Moore, “Poetry” (560); McKay, “America” (569); cummings,
“pity this busy monster” (572); Toomer, “Reapers” (573)
Week 13
Mar. 28-Apr. 1
Short Paper #3 due Monday, Mar. 28, 11 p.m.
Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz” (583); Bishop, “One Art” (585);
Olds, “I Go Back to May 1937” (664); Hacker, “Villanelle”
(665); Hicok, “Plus Shipping” (720)
Discussion post due Friday, Apr. 1
Week 14
Apr. 4-8
David Ives, Sure Thing (1164)
Discussion Post due Friday, Apr. 8
Week 15
Apr. 11-15
Work on Essay #3
Week 16
Apr. 18-22
Essay # 3 due Friday, April 22