Syllabus for ENGL 225: The Short Story
Spring 2011
Instructor and Contact Information:
Dr. Don Florence
(Ph.D., English, University of Illinois, 1993)
Gardner Learning Center, WNMU, Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Email: Our primary email communication will be through Blackboard email. In the Blackboard email box,
when you compose a message, just hit “browse” for the “Send to” box to find and pull up my email address. If
Blackboard email is down, you can contact me via Mustang Express at florenced1@wnmu.edu
Phone: If for any reason you need to call me, my number is 575-894-2884. Yes, I do have an answering
machine.
Snail mail: If you need to send a letter bomb, my home address is 512 N. Silver St., Truth or Consequences
NM 87901
Office Hours: Mondays 2-4 p.m. I will be online during these two hours every Monday unless you’re notified
otherwise. Also, I will be online periodically every day of the week and usually will respond to emails within
24 hours. On weekends and special occasions I might not respond sometimes for up to 48 hours, depending on
circumstances.
Course Description:
From the current edition of the WNMU course catalog: “Detailed study of short stories . . . Writing Intensive.”
ENGL 225 will introduce you to the short story (say howdy) and teach you some of its secrets and scandals.
You’ll learn the basic elements of the short story and of fiction generally: characterization, plot, setting, theme,
how to seem profound without really trying, etc. You’ll also learn skills necessary to analyze and appreciate
good literature, not-so-good literature, downright naughty literature, and literature just having an off day. You’ll
develop sensitivities you never knew you had (keep that healing ointment handy), enrich your understanding of
yourself and others, save the world, and meet WNMU’s 200-level literature requirement. You’ll also get the
free Ginsu knives, or you would, if I had them, which I don’t. Take that up with the administration.
Much like a writing course—and rejoice, you’ll be doing a fair amount of writing, for this is a “writing
intensive” course, by gosh and by golly—ENGL 225 emphasizes the active practice of skills rather than merely
the passive accumulation of knowledge. An understanding of literature is not something that can be neatly
wrapped up for you and dropped into your lap like a Christmas present or free Ginsu knives—not that you’d
want knives dropped into your lap anyway. Naturally, I will post weekly lectures on this, that, and the other
thing, which you will read in breathless rapture. Mostly, however, we’ll be discussing these stories, sharing
ideas and perspectives and Internet viruses. Perhaps you know the famous line from the movie Cool Hand
Luke: “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” I prefer to avoid such failures. That requires, horror of
horrors, that you actually read the stories assigned and even think about them before we get to them in our
electronic class. Yes, I realize that our culture frowns upon thinking, but hey, rebel. Luke did, and you see
where it got him. OK, dead, but as Woody Allen once remarked, being dead is a marvelous way to cut down on
expenses. And you don’t have to worry about changing your underwear, either.
Course Objectives:
Studies in the Short Story will help you to
ut short fiction critically
Or as the State of New Mexico likes to express it in fluent bureaucratese, students in general education courses
(including 200-level literature courses) will (a) "analyze and critically interpret significant primary texts and/or
works of art (this includes fine art, literature, music, theatre, and film)"; (b) "compare art forms, modes of
thought and expression, and processes across a range of historical periods and/or structures (such as political,
geographic, economic, social, cultural, religious, intellectual)”; (c) "recognize and articulate the diversity of
human experience across a range of historical periods and/or cultural perspectives”; and (d) "draw on historical
and/or cultural perspectives to evaluate any or all of the following: contemporary problems/issues,
contemporary modes of expression, and contemporary thought." Students will also demonstrate “an
understanding of the present that is informed by an awareness of past heritages in human history, arts,
philosophy, religion, and literature, including the complex and interdependent relationships among cultures.”*
* All quotations are from the New Mexico Core Competencies Assessment 2007-2008.
Required Texts:
Bausch, Richard, and R. V. Cassill, eds. The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. 7th ed. New York: W. W.
Norton, 2005. ISBN 9780393926118
Course Requirements:
1. Complete all readings and post all required discussion responses on time. Readings and pertinent discussion
posts must be done during the week assigned. You may return later in the semester to add discussion posts to a
topic if you wish; however, only discussion posts made during the assigned week for given topics will count
toward your discussion grade. Remember that discussion posts can serve as fruitful sources of ideas for your
essays and that much of the enjoyment in this course will come from discussing the stories online. Also, regular
discussion posting signifies that you are attending the course, as required. Failure to attend the course via
regular discussion posting or failure to fulfill other required assignments may result in your being dropped from
the course before the April 1st deadline to withdraw without a course grade being reported. In such cases, I
prefer to drop students from the course rather than give them a bad grade at the end of the semester. So please
be sure to keep up on the coursework conscientiously.
2. Complete all paper assignments, including the take-home final exam, and submit each paper by its due date.
3. Maintain regular contact with the instructor about questions, observations, or problems you have.
Course Assessment & Grading:
Discussion Posts: Each week you will be asked to write one well-developed paragraph each in response to two
of my posted discussion questions and also to write one well-developed paragraph each in response to two posts
by your fellow students. In other words, you will be writing at least four paragraphs of discussion posts each
week. You may write longer responses and respond to more questions and posts if you wish; I’ve specified the
discussion requirements. Beyond that, you may do as much additional discussing as you wish.
Because forum discussion is intended as informal “electronic conversation,” posts are not held to the same
standard as critical papers, but they should nevertheless be reasonably organized, well written, and persuasive.
Required posts will be evaluated for thoughtfulness, insights and expressiveness. Discussion posts (semester
total) will count 25% toward your course grade.
Please remember that nobody is going to swat you down for anything you express—I leave such games to
politicians and “pundits” and the occasional fanatic. And while I use the Socratic method (named after the first
professor to drink himself to death) via “discussion questions” to direct weekly discussions, it’s not a case of
“guess what’s in that fool teacher’s mind.” I want to know what you think about each story, and why. Each
“reading” is a variable interaction between the unique complexity that is the story and the unique complexity
that is you. What matters is that you be able to give reasons for what you think, reasons that draw upon logic,
emotion, and subconscious associations. Don’t worry—it’s a lot easier than it sounds. You do it all the time
with your favorite movies, music, and people. And just remember—asking a good question can be a way to
advance a discussion.
Papers: You will write three papers, each approximately four pages in length, typed, double spaced. You are
not required to use outside (secondary) sources; indeed, I generally prefer that you don’t. If you do use any
outside sources, please be sure to document all such sources using proper MLA format. (Consult the MLA
handbook or check with me.) Be sure to attribute all ideas and words not your own to their proper sources.
Plagiarism results in an automatic F for that assignment. For more on plagiarism, see the 2010-2011 WNMU
catalog, pp. 60-61. Finally, whether or not you use secondary sources, please remember that each paper should
be primarily your ideas about the given topic. I’m interested in your analysis, not somebody else’s. This course
emphasizes reading, writing, and thinking. Also, please remember that each paper should be well organized,
well written, fluent, and relatively free from mechanical errors. At the time of the first paper assignment, I will
review briefly some principles guiding the writing of critical papers and will be glad to answer questions by
email while you’re writing your papers. Remember that you can consult the WNMU Online Writing Center at
http://www.wnmu.edu/wow/ for further assistance. Each paper will count 20% toward your course grade, for a
total of 60%.
Final Exam: The take-home final exam is in essay format and thus in some respects is another paper
assignment, although stressing breadth rather than depth. The final exam counts 15% toward your course grade.
The Course Grading System:
A : 93% - 100%
A-: 90% - 92%
B+: 87% – 89%
B: 83% - 86%
B-: 80% - 82%
C+: 77% - 79%
C: 73% - 76%
C-: 70% - 72%
D+: 67% - 69%
D: 63% - 66%
D-: 60% - 62%
F:
less than 60%
General Course Information:
Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally and to exhibit civility and courtesy toward one
another and toward their beloved instructor. Sweetness and light should be our guiding principles since this is a
literature course, not politics. Be graceful, lucid, responsible, cooperative, kind, truthful, intellectually honest,
and sundry other nice things. Granted, Mark Twain said, “Be good and you will be lonesome”—but be bad and
you might not like the company you get.
Some individuals might choose to disclose personal information during class. It is important that all students
agree not to discuss or write about what others have discussed in class. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas
(along with your money), and what happens in class, stays in class.
If you have any special needs that render difficult your meeting this course’s requirements, please contact the
WNMU Disability Services Office at 575-538-6400. Please see additional information below.
If you’re not familiar with online course technology, please review the free tutorials available from Blackboard.
There are also links to Online Student Resources, the Online Writing Center, Ask a Librarian (out for a date?),
and Library Database Search in the Web Links (see the Course Tools menu at left) and in the WNMU
Resources folder on the course home page.
If you have any questions, please contact me or contact the WNMU Help Desk at helpdesk@wnmu.edu or 575574-4357. You might also consider posting a question to the Q & A section of our discussion forum and hope
that one of your fellow students is a techie.
The syllabus and schedule are both tentative and hence subject to change if I find certain policies, procedures,
and assignments not working so well as intended.
I’ve tried to assemble a reading list that is both challenging and enlightening as to what short fiction can
accomplish, and I’ve grouped stories in fascinating and fun ways that should knock your electronic socks off.
Please recognize that although there are 32 story assignments during the semester, many of these stories are
quite short, so the total reading for the course is moderate (about 500 pages).
For some weeks the reading assignments are easier than during other weeks; you should take advantage of the
“easy” weeks to read ahead. See the Schedule for reading assignments for the semester; also, please note the
individual weekly assignments (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, etc.). All these assignments are available in the
Learning Modules, linked in the Course Tools menu.
All of the assigned stories except London’s “To Build a Fire” are in our anthology. I’ll make the London story
available either as a link to an online e-text or as an electronic “handout.”
An online course offers more flexibility to juggle time than does a regular classroom course, but an online
course also requires more self-discipline. Don’t get behind; you will find it very difficult to catch up. Be sure
to do all readings and assignments during the time periods allotted. If you have questions, problems, or just
want to chat about course ideas and issues, remember that I’m here, at least electronically! As noted above, I’m
on the computer frequently and typically answer emails quickly and fully.
Please let me know if work, illness (yours or that of a family member), server or computer problems, vacation,
or other extenuating circumstances affect your ability to keep up the expected pace. Depending on specific
problems, we can often adjust due dates for posts or even paper assignments to accommodate individual and
class needs.
I encourage a relaxed, inquisitive atmosphere where students are not afraid to take chances intellectually. I
especially value originality and intellectual honesty.
In literary discussion and writing, there are rarely “right” and “wrong” answers. Instead, there are thoughtful,
well-developed, and well-supported arguments--and those that are less so. Try to produce the former. Each of
you comes to this course with a unique set of experiences, intellectual pursuits, emotions, and interests. Take
advantage of that fact and explore eagerly the intersection between what you read and what you are. Reading
and discussing literature can be enormously rewarding, but it requires a strong commitment on your part. Yes,
it’s yet another case of your getting out what you put in.
Course Expectations and WNMU Policies for Students
The following sections are generic WNMU policies and procedures, some of which overlap with what I've
already written in my personalized syllabus above. Please acquaint yourself with all this material.
Attendance:
Attendance in an online class is evaluated by your attendance to the material. You will get out of the course
what you put into the course. You will need to be a “self-starter”, and control your own calendar in order to
meet the deadlines for the course.
Informed Consent:
Some individuals may choose to disclose personal information during class. Therefore, it is important that all
classmates agree not to discuss or write about what others have discussed in class.
Professionalism:
Students are learning professional skills and are expected to engage in classroom discussions, complete reading
assignments and turn in assignments in a timely fashion as befitting professional behavior.
Scholarly Writing:
Use clear, college-level writing with correct spelling and grammar for all assignments. If you need help in
writing, check with the WNMU Online Writing Center.
Special Needs:
Services for students with disabilities are provided through the Academic Support Center’s Disability Services
Office in the Juan Chacon Building, Room 220. Some examples of the assistance provided are: audio materials
for the blind or dyslexic, note takers, readers, campus guides, audio recorders, a quiet testing area, and
undergraduate academic tutors. In order to qualify for these services, documentation must be provided by
qualified professionals on an annual basis. Disability Services forms are available in the Academic Support
Center. The Disability Services Office, in conjunction with the Academic Support Center, serves as Western
New Mexico University's liaison for students with disabilities. The Academic Support Center’s Disability
Services Office can be contacted by phone at 575-538-6400 or e-mail at matterr@wnmu.edu
Communication Policy Statement Regarding Official Email :
WNMU’s policy requires that all official communication be sent via Mustang Express. As a result, all emails
related to your enrollment at WNMU and class communication – including changes in assignments and grades –
will be sent to your wnmu.edu email address. It is very important that you access your Mustang Express e-mail
periodically to check for correspondence from the University. (Please note that this is a general university
policy based primarily on classroom courses. For correspondence pertaining to our Blackboard course, please
use our Blackboard email box.)
If you receive most of your email at a different address you can forward your messages from Mustang Express
to your other address.
Example: Martin Classmember was assigned a WNMU email address of classmemberm12@wnmu.edu but
Martin would rather receive his emails at his home email address of martinclass@yahoo.com
Martin would follow the direction provided at
http://www.wnmu.edu/campusdocs/direction%20for%20forwarding%20email.htm
WNMU Policy on Email Passwords:
WNMU requires that passwords for access to all of the protected software, programs, and applications will be
robust, including complexity in the number of characters required, the combination of characters required, and
the frequency in which passwords are required to be changed. Minimum complexity shall include:
·
Passwords shall contain at least six (6) characters.
·
Passwords shall contain at least one capital (upper case) letter, and at least one symbol (numbers and
characters such as @ # $ % & *).
·
Passwords shall be changed at least every 90 days. (8/6/08)
Integrated Use of Technology:
Because this is an online course, I am making the assumption that you are comfortable utilizing a computer, and
navigating various software programs like Blackboard and Microsoft Word.
Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures:
Each student shall observe standards of honesty and integrity in academic work completed at WNMU. Students
may be penalized for violations of the Academic Integrity policy. Please refer to pages 60-61 of the 2010-2011
Catalog; especially note the definition of plagiarism on p. 60. Intentionally or unintentionally submitting the
words and/or ideas of somebody else as your own work constitutes plagiarism and will not be tolerated.
Code of Civility
In order to promote a positive, professional atmosphere among students, faculty and staff, the following Code of
Civility has been developed:
Respect: Treat all students, faculty, staff and property with respect and in a courteous and professional manner.
This includes all communications, whether verbal or written. Let your actions reflect pride in yourself, your
university, and your profession.
Kindness: A kind word and gentle voice go a long way. Refrain from using profanity, insulting slang remarks,
or making disparaging comments. Consider another person’s feelings. Be nice.
Truth: Exhibit honesty and integrity in your dealings with fellow students, faculty and staff members. Don’t
lie, don’t cheat, and don’t steal.
Responsibility: Take responsibility for your actions. This includes gracefully accepting the consequences of
your behavior.
Cooperation: Exhibit a cooperative manner when dealing with students, faculty and staff so we may all work
towards our common goals and mission.
Acceptance: Accept differences in others, as they accept differences in you. This includes diversity in opinions,
beliefs and ideas and everything else that makes us unique individuals.
Schedule for ENGL 225: The Short Story – Spring 2011
Dr. Don Florence
Please note: in addition to the assignments listed below, each week you will be writing one paragraph, each, in
response to two of my discussion topics and in response to two of your fellow students’ posts regarding the
week’s assigned story readings. You may respond to more topics and posts if you wish, of course.
In other words, you’ll be writing at least four paragraphs each week in the discussion forum as your class
participation. For more details, see the individual weekly assignments and links in the Learning Modules, found
in the Course Tools menu. The weekly discussion questions immediately follow each weekly lecture. At the
beginning of each course week I will also post the discussion topics in that weekly section of the discussion
forum.
I’ll be adding various video clips (mostly from YouTube) to give examples of ways that some stories have been
dramatized for film. These clips are recommended viewing to give you additional possible perspectives on
various stories.
All the assigned stories except London’s "To Build a Fire" are in our course anthology, The Norton Anthology
of Short Fiction, 7th ed. For the London story I’ll provide a link to an online e-text or furnish an electronic
"handout."
At the start of each course week, be sure to click on the numbered weekly link in the Learning Modules to get
details about that week’s assignments and activities. For most of the course, a "week" begins on a Wednesday
morning and runs until the following Tuesday evening, thus including a weekend and two days thereafter.
Week 1 (Jan. 10-18): Introduction
"Writing about Fiction" in The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, pp. xxi-xxix.
My lecture on the elements of fiction
Week 2 (Jan. 19-25): Poe and Hawthorne (I)
Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher"
Hawthorne, "Young Goodman Brown"
My lecture on the ambiguity of thought and perception in Poe and Hawthorne
Week 3 (Jan. 26-Feb. 1): Poe and Hawthorne (II)
Poe, "The Purloined Letter"
Hawthorne, "The Birthmark"
My lecture on ratiocination in Poe and Hawthorne
Week 4 (Feb. 2-8): Youth & Quest
Joyce, "Araby"
Cather, "Paul’s Case"
Berriault, "Who Is It Can Tell Me Who I Am?"
My lecture on youth, disorientation, and the quest for identity
Week 5 (Feb. 9-15): Humor
Twain, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"
Thurber, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"
Lardner, "Ex Parte"
My lecture on various forms and purposes of humor in short fiction
Paper #1 assigned on Feb. 9th, due Wednesday, February 23rd
Week 6 (Feb. 16-22): Absurdity & Satire
Barthelme, "Me and Miss Mandible"
Bambara, "Gorilla, My Love"
Garcia Marquez, "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World"
Wolff, "In the Garden of the North American Martyrs"
My lecture on the fictive uses of absurdity and satire
Week 7 (Feb. 23-Mar. 1): Bizarre Satire
Bierce, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"
Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily"
Jackson, "The Lottery"
My lecture on short fiction and methods of madness
Paper #1 due Feb. 23rd
Week 8 (March 2-6): Questions
A chance to review and ask questions about the course thus far.
Paper #2 assigned on March 2nd, due Wednesday, March 30th
Week 9 (March 7-13): Spring Recess
Week 10 (March 14-22): Dark Fantasy
Lawrence, "The Rocking-Horse Winner"
Bradbury, "The Veldt"
Capote, "Miriam"
My lecture on fiction and the subconscious mind
Week 11 (March 23-29): Realism and Naturalism
Crane, "The Open Boat"
London, "To Build a Fire"
My lecture on realism and naturalism
Week 12 (Mar. 30-Apr. 5): Realism and Romance
Chekhov, "The Lady with the Dog"
Fitzgerald, "Babylon Revisited"
My lecture on fictive mingling of realism and romance
Paper #2 due on March 30th
Week 13 (April 6-12): Brevity and Irony
Chopin, "The Story of an Hour"
Hemingway, "Hills Like White Elephants"
Updike, "A & P"
My lecture on small things ironic
Paper #3 assigned on Wednesday, April 6th, due Wednesday, April 27th
Week 14 (April 13-19): On the Edge
Gilman, "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Ellison, "King of the Bingo Game"
Welty, "A Worn Path"
My lecture on marginalization and madness
Week 15 (April 20-26): Alienation
Melville, "Bartleby, the Scrivener"
My lecture on putting the alien in alienation
Week 16 (April 27-May 6): Alienation and the Surreal
Kafka, “The Metamorphosis”
My lecture on alienation and nightmare
Paper #3 due on Wed., April 27th
Take-home essay final exam issued on Wednesday, April 27th, due by noon, Thursday, May 12th
Week 17 (May 9-12): Final Exam Week
Take-home essay final exam due by noon, Thursday, May 12th