English 2013
Introduction to Literature
University of Texas-San Antonio 1604
Spring 2010
T Th 12:30 – 1:45
BB 2.01.18
Karen Dodwell, Ph.D.
karen.dodwell@utsa.edu
Office: MB 2.248C
210 458 5055
Office hrs: T Th 8–9:00 & appointments after 3:30
Course Description in UTSA Catalogue
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Prerequisite: Completion of Core
Curriculum requirement in rhetoric. Introductory study of
great works of literature with an emphasis on novels,
plays, and poetry by British and American authors.
Designed for nonmajors.
Course Objectives
 Apply the skills learned in rhetoric and composition
to the study of literature.
 Develop an informed and flexible outlook by reading
a sampling of poetry, fiction, and drama.
 Become intellectually adaptable by exploring the
intersections of gender, ethnicity, race, religion, and
politics in literature
 Learn to read literary texts closely, analyze them,
and synthesize ideas about them
 Develop a scholarly vocabulary and voice for
discussing and writing about fiction, poetry, and
drama
 Understand the basics of critical strategies
 Understand how to write a scholarly argument.
Text and Course Materials
 The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 8th edition,
Michael Meyer
 Also see Blackboard for study guides, etc.
Course Policies
 Attendance is important. Roll will be taken in every
class, and daily grades require class attendance.
There are no daily grade make-ups.
 Dropping the course by the specified UTSA
deadline is the responsibility of the student.
Check the UTSA website for drop dates. Students
who do not drop before the appropriate drop date
will receive a grade in the course, even if they quit
attending.
 Support services, including registration assistance
and equipment, are available to students with
documented disabilities through the Office of
Disabled Student Services (DSS), MS 2.03.18.
Students are encouraged to contact that office at
458-4157 early in the semester.
 Plagiarism will not be tolerated and may result in an
“F” for the course. Plagiarism consists of copying
another student’s work and turning it in; copying a
paper off the internet and turning it in; not
documenting the ideas and opinions of other
writers—even when not quoting them directly.
 Laptops are allowed only on the perimeter of the
classroom. Try not to sit in front of other students
with a laptop. If you surf the web during class, you
will be asked to turn off your computer. Flashing
screens can distract other students.
 No text messaging or use of other electronic
devices in class please.
Grades
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
A = 90 – 100 points
B = 80 – 89 points
C = 70 – 79 points
D = 60 – 69 points
F = Below 60 points
Course Requirements
Daily work
25%
Group Project 1 10%
Group Project 2 10%
Test #1
Test #2
Final Exam
15%
15%
25%
Daily work - may include quizzes, in-class writing,
homework, group work, and other learning activities.
Daily work is not scheduled on the course calendar.
Students must be present to receive the credit for daily
work. NO LATE DAILY WORK IS ACCEPTED
because the content is discussed immediately in class.
Daily work extra credit - Students may attend two
approved humanities lectures and events on campus for
extra daily work credit. Instructions and events will be
posted on Blackboard
Group Project #1 – Students write a three-page paper
about identity issues in one story. Information from
primary and secondary sources must be documented
using MLA style. See details on Blackboard.
Group Project #2 – Students write a nature poem with a
Texas setting and create a slide show or a video to go
with it. The poem must be annotated and also analyzed
in a short paper. See details on Blackboard.
Late group projects receive the following point
penalties: one class period late = 10 points; two classes
late = 15 points; three classes and beyond = 20 points
Tests #1 and #2 and the final exam will contain
multiple choice and true/false questions and one or more
essay questions.
Reading Schedule
Identities in Fiction
T Jan 12 - Introduction to the course and to the theme of
identity in fiction; Jamaica Kinkaid, “Girl”
Th Jan 14 – PLOT – Read pages 67-94; “Three Girls,”
Joyce Carol Oates; “Love in the Air,” Ha Jin
T Jan 19 - CHARACTER – Read pages 123-129.
“Saving Sourdi” pp. 131-143; “Mines” pp 173- 181
Th Jan 21 – SETTING – Read pages 182-184
“Soldier’s Home” pp 185-190; “Anthropology” pp 192200; How to Tell a True War Story, pp 617-626
T Jan 26 - POINT OF VIEW – Read pp 218-223
“We Came All the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like
This?” pp 224-234; “Videotape” pp 627 – 631
“Her First Elk” pp 658-667
Th Jan 28 – SYMBOLISM – Read pp. 270-273
“Clothes” pp 273-282; “The Cranes” pp 300-303
“The Free Radio” pp 696- 701
T Feb 2 – THEME – Read pp. 304-307
“Miss Brill” pp. 317-320; “Love in LA” pp 321-324
“Everyday Use” pp 757-763
Th Feb 4 - STYLE, TONE, IRONY – Read 339-343
“Brownies” pp 358-373; “Better Be Ready ‘Bout Half
Past Eight” pp. 580-594;
“One of These Days” pp 692-695
T Feb 9 – Lecture on paper writing and group project;
group project work in class
Th Feb 11 – FLANNERY O’CONNOR, Read pp 438-444
and “Good Country People,” pp 456-469
.
T Feb 16 – FLANNERY Read “A Good Man is Hard to
Find” pp. 445-456 and Perspectives, pp. 485-490.
Th Feb 18 –Test #1
Nature Poetry
T Feb 23 – Group paper projects due in class.
Introduction to poetry unit and to poetry group projects.
Read “Reading Poetry,” pp 769-790. Focus on “The
Fish”
Th Feb 25 – FORM – Read pp. 1004-1033, paying
attention to the various kinds of forms (ode, sonnet, etc).
We will focus on the following poems:
“Loveliest of trees, the Cherry Now,” p 1005
“The World is Too Much With Us” p 1009
“The Gathering Evening” p 1296
“The United Fruit Company” p 1307
“Meeting at Night” p 1316; “To a Waterfowl” p 1317
T Mar 2 – SOUNDS – Read pp 949-964 for terminology.
We will focus on the following poems:
“A Bird Came Down the Walk” p 953
From “The Cataract of Lodore” p 959
“God’s Grandeur” p 962
“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” p 967
“These are the Days When the Birds Come Back” p
1080; “Some Keep the Sabbath going to Church” p
1083; “A Light Exists in Spring” p 1095
Th Mar 4 – RHYTHM – Read pp 980-988 to grasp
terms. We will focus on the following poems:
“Waiting for the Storm” p 986; “The Lamb” p 994; “The
Tygre” p 995; “Neither Out Far nor In Deep” p 1143;
Langston Hughes pp 1157 – 1165; “Formula” p 1172;
“Drum,” p 1176
T Mar 9 – FIGURES OF SPEECH – Read 898-907 for
terms. Focus on the following poems:
“To a Wasp” p 906; “Lightning Bugs” p 911; “A Noiseless
Patient Spider” p 915; Robert Frost pp 1117-1126 with
“The Pasture” and “The Road Not Taken” and “Birches”
pp 1134;
Th Mar 11 – IMAGES AND IMAGERY – Read pp 872873; “Windsurfing” p 875; “Root Cellar” p 877; “Dover
Beach” p 878; “The Panther” p. 889; “To Autumn” p 892
T Mar 16 and TH Mar 18 Spring Break!!!
T Mar 23 - PABLO NERUDA, read pp 869-871 and go
to web and read “Heights of Machu Picchu”
http://www.janushead.org/10-1/Neruda.pdf
Th Mar 25 – WORD CHOICE, WORD ORDER, TONE –
Read pp 829-836; “Convergence of The Twain p 851; “A
Man Said to the Universe” p 931; “I Wandered Lonely as
a Cloud” p 1354; “It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and
Free” p 1355; “April and Silence” p 1312; “Spring and
All” p 1353
T Mar 30 – Test #2
Drama and Introduction to Critical Strategies
Th Apr 1 – Written portion of group poem projects
due; read pp. 1365-1379 (including Trifles) and 13831386
T Apr 6 – The Glass Menagerie, Scenes I – III, pp
1976-1989; Critical Strategies for Reading, pp -20792089
Th Apr 8 - The Glass Meangerie, Scenes IV – VI, pp
1989-2008; Critical Strategies for Reading, pp 20902094 (historical strategies)
T Apr 13 The Glass Menagerie, Scenes VII to end, pp
2008-2021; “Production Notes” p 2022-2023; Critical
Strategies, pp 2094-2098 (gender and myth)
Th Apr 15 Drama in Popular Forms pp 1390-1410
T Apr 20 Krapps Last Tape, pp1825-1834 and Trying to
Find Chinatorwn p 1901-1007
Th Apr 22 – Visual portion of group poem project
due in class; Best poets contest in class
T Apr 27 – Best poets contest in class
Th May 29 - no class; student study days
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 5, 10:30 – 1:00