SYLLABUS – HONR 258T - TOOLS OF FICTION
Instructor: Mr. Dean Hebert
T/Th 3:30-4:45 pm ANA 0100
How to Contact Me Outside of Class: I am in the Honors office in Anne
Arundel Hall from 8:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m. M-F. Call my direct number (301-405-6775) to
talk to me or to leave a voice mail message. You can also e-mail me: dhebert@umd.edu .
To see me in person outside of class, it's best to make an appointment or call first,
because I can't promise I'll be free if you just drop in (but I might be).
Texts: We will be reading a wide variety of short stories, most of which will be
contemporary American stories. The required books which will provide a framework for
class discussions is The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, Seventh Ed.. (ISBN 0-39392611-7) and Rust Hills’ Writing in General and the Short Story in Particular. In
addition, we will discuss concepts of rhetoric from Wayne Booth's The Rhetoric of
Fiction, which is not a required textbook.
The Course (General): We will be learning about fiction on a variety of levels,
and we will read many short stories. I haven't scheduled all readings for the whole
semester in advance, because I want some flexibility to choose appropriate readings as we
go. Some of the stories we will read will be accompanied by commentary from the author
about the creation of the story. You will be expected to write a short story and to share it
with the class.
The Assignments: You'll have several writing assignments which count
toward your final grade: your creative work, a rewrite of your creative work, a series of
short essays, and a final.
I. The Creative Work (and rewrite): Everyone will have to create a work of
fiction to be discussed in class. Short stories are an ideal format, but if you're hard at
work on a novel and want to submit a chapter or two, that is also acceptable. You will
also be expected to revise and rewrite your work, based on the class discussion of it. Your
revision does not have to be shared with the class. The creative work and rewrite count
toward your final grade, but will be ungraded. If you do not complete a short story and
revise it, your final grade will be reduced by two letters (so, for example, a final grade of
“B” would become a “D.”)
My short story is due on: ______________________ .
II. Series of Short Essays: Four essays; due on Thursdays. You’ll be given a
question to address in 3-4 pages, applying your knowledge and observations to stories
we’ve read during the semester. Due dates are:
Essay 1: September 24
Essay 2: October 8
Essay 3: October 22
Essay 4: November 12
III. The Final: You will have a take-home final, which is due on the date of our
scheduled final exam (which is also when your creative work revision is due). You will
be given four stories, each of which will lack an ending. Your mission is to choose one,
write an ending for it, and then follow that up with a critical essay which explains the
choices you made to write your ending, using all of the concepts you’ve learned
throughout the semester.
How Your Final Grade Will Be Calculated:
Assignment
Creative project
Revision
Series of Short Essays
Final
Percent of Final Grade
--80% (20% each)
20%
Participation: Regular participation in class discussions is a requirement of
the course. While the percentages above add up to 100%, multiple absences or lack of
participation in discussions will adversely affect your final grade.
If Class is Cancelled: If the University cancels classes due to inclement
weather, I will try to e-mail everyone with an update to prepare for the next class. We
will continue at the next class at the point where we left off, and will adjust the remaining
classes as necessary.
Semester Schedule: (Subject to change, depending on dates students choose
for story workshops; additional stories may be assigned for class discussion.)
Sept. 1 – First Class meeting. Discuss syllabus; icebreaker.
Sept. 3 - “Showing vs. Telling.” Discuss Tobias Wolff Hunters in the Snow (to be
distributed). Discuss “The Short Story, as against the Novel and the Sketch” in
Hills.
Sept. 8 - “Moving Action” Discuss Atwood Death by Landscape in Norton Anthology.
Discuss “Fixed Action as Against Moving Action” in Hills.
Sept. 10 “Moving & Fixed Characters” Discuss Mason Shiloh in Norton. Discuss
“Moving Characters as Against Fixed Characters” in Hills.
Sept. 15 Discuss Butler Jealous Husband Returns in Form of Parrot (to be distributed).
Discuss “The Series Regulars as Against the Guest Stars” in Hills.
Sept. 17 “Narration” Discuss Carver Cathedral in Norton anthology and Gallagher Rain
Flooding Your Campfire. Discuss “The Character Shift, as against Movement
of Character” in Hills.
Sept. 22 Discuss LeGuin The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas in Norton Anthology
and Braverman Pagan Night ( www.katebraverman.com/pagannight.html ).
Sept. 24 ESSAY ONE DUE “Appeals to Literary Interests” Discuss Ellison The Man
Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore (to be distributed).
Sept. 29 Read “Knowing a Character” in Hills. Discuss Earley Charlotte (to be
distributed).
Oct. 1 Discuss O’Brien The Things They Carried in Norton and Jones The Pugilist at
Rest (to be distributed).
Oct. 6 Discuss “Techniques of Foreshadowing” in Hills. Discuss Ford Great Falls in
Norton.
Oct. 8 ESSAY 2 DUE “Implied Authors and Ideal Readers” Discuss handout from
Booth’s The Rhetoric of Fiction (to be distributed). Discuss Glover Why I
Decide to Kill Myself and Other Jokes (to be distributed).
Oct. 13 – Discuss Barrett The Littoral Zone in Norton.
Oct. 15 - Discuss “The Inevitability of Retrospect” in Hills. Discuss Earley The Prophet
From Jupiter (to be distributed).
Oct. 20 – Discuss “Techniques of Suspense,” “Mystery and Curiosity,” “Conflict and
Uncertainty,” and “Tension and Anticipation” in Hills. Discuss Delany The
Drowning (to be distributed)
Oct. 22 - ESSAY 3 DUE Discuss Bloom Silver Water (to be distributed).
Oct. 27 - (Workshops of student stories may begin here and will continue throughout the
semester). Bell Customs of the Country (to be distributed). Workshop student
story?
Oct. 29 -Discuss Oates Heat (to be distributed). Workshop student story?
Nov. 3 - Discuss Frucht Fruit of the Month (to be distributed). Workshop student story?
Nov. 5 - Discuss Wolff Smokers (to be distributed). Workshop student story?
Nov. 10 - Discuss Cunningham White Angels (to be distributed).
Nov. 12 ESSAY 4 DUE Workshop Student Stories
Nov. 18 Workshop Student Stories
Nov. 20 Workshop Student Stories
Nov. 25 Workshop Student Stories
Dec. 2 Workshop Student Stories
Dec. 4 Workshop Student Stories
Dec. 9 Workshop Student Stories
Dec. 11 Workshop Student Stories/Last Day of Classes
CORE Distributive Studies: CORE-General Education has both broad
learning outcomes for the program as a whole and outcomes for each of the different
CORE Distributive Studies categories. To see the Student Learning Outcomes for CORE,
please visit: http://www.ugst.umd.edu/core/LearningOutcome.htm. No one CORE course
will address all of the Learning Outcome Goals listed for its category. Some courses may
contribute to general education in important ways not directly covered by the learning
outcomes listed.
Academic Accommodations: If you have a documented disability, you should
contact Disability Support Services 0126 Shoemaker Hall. Each semester students with
documented disabilities should apply to DSS for accommodation request forms which
you can provide to your professors as proof of your eligibility for accommodations. The
rules for eligibility and the types of accommodations a student may request can be
reviewed on the DSS web site: http://www.counseling.umd.edu/DSS/receiving_serv.html
Academic Integrity & the Honors College
The University is an academic community. Its fundamental purpose is the pursuit of
knowledge. Like all other communities, the University can function properly only if its
members adhere to clearly established goals and values. Essential to the fundamental
purpose of the University is the commitment to the principles of truth and academic
honesty. Accordingly, the Code of Academic Integrity is designed to ensure that the
principle of academic honesty is upheld. While all members of the University share this
responsibility, The Code of Academic Integrity is designed so that special responsibility
for upholding the principle of academic honesty lies with the students. (The University of
Maryland Student Honor Council)
All University of Maryland students are asked to write and sign the following Honor
Pledge to all submitted assignments and exams:
I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on
this assignment/examination.
The University of Maryland honor system is fully described in the Code of Academic
Integrity. Please read: www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/code.html. The Code is
administered by an all-student Honor Council. The student Honor Council office is
located in room 2118 Mitchell Building and can be reached at 301-314-8204.
The Honors College works to enrich its community life by promoting an atmosphere of
honesty, trust, and mutual responsibility. In the event that a Honors College student is
found responsible for a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity by the Student Honor
Council, he or she will be dismissed from the Honors College for the semester in which
the violation took place and for all subsequent semesters in which the student is enrolled
as an undergraduate at Maryland.
Religious Observances: The University System of Maryland policy provides
that students should not be penalized because of observances of their religious beliefs,
students shall be given an opportunity, whenever feasible, to make up within a reasonable
time any academic assignment that is missed due to individual participation in religious
observances. It is the responsibility of the student to inform the instructor of any intended
absences for religious observances in advance. Notice should be provided as soon as
possible but no later than the end of the schedule adjustment period. Faculty should
further remind students that prior notification is especially important in connection with
final exams, since failure to reschedule a final exam before the conclusion of the final
examination period may result in loss of credits during the semester. The problem is
especially likely to arise when final exams are scheduled on Saturdays.
CourseEvalUM
Your participation in the evaluation of courses through CourseEvalUM is a responsibility
you hold as a student member of our academic community. Your feedback is confidential
and important to the improvement of teaching and learning at the University as well as
to the tenure and promotion process. CourseEvalUM will be open for you to complete
your evaluations for fall semester courses between Tuesday, December 1 and Sunday,
December 13. You can go directly to the website (www.courseevalum.umd.edu) to
complete your evaluations starting December 1. By completing all of your evaluations
each semester, you will have the privilege of accessing the summary reports for
thousands of courses online at Testudo.