English 300C-04: Literary Perspectives
Fall 2013 (3 semester units)
Course Meetings: MWF
11:00 – 11:50 p.m. NURS 102
Final Exam: Wed. 12/11 10:30-12:30
Instructor: Karrie Preasmyer
Email: karrie.preasmyer@vanguard.edu
To study literature is to study life 

“. . . art and literature both hold the key to a miracle: to overcome man’s ruinous habit of learning only from
his own experiences, so that the experience of others passes him by without profit. Making up for man’s
scant time on earth, art transmits between men the entire accumulated load of another being’s life
experiences with all its hardships, colors, and juices. It recreates—lifelike—the experience of other men, so
that we can assimilate his as our own.”
—Alexander Solzhenitsyn: Nobel lecture on literature
Required Text:
Abcarian, Richard, Marvin Klotz, and Samuel Cohen. Literature: The Human Experience, Reading and Writing.
11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. Print. ISBN 9781457604294;
VideoCentral: Literature package ISBN 9781457642050
Course Catalogue Description: ENGL 300C • Literary Perspectives (3 units)
Introduces the student to a variety of literary genres as well as diverse authors, cultures, and experiences. This course also covers the tools and
concepts necessary to the understanding and interpretation of literature. Students engage in classroom discussion, write papers, and take a
variety of quizzes and exams. This course is designed for non-English majors and is not to be taken by English majors as a substitute for ENGL 240.
Course Overview
This class is designed to introduce students to the various genres of literature—fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry—with relation to the
thematic perspectives of Culture and Identity (family, spirituality, individuality), Love and Hate (longing, adoration, anger, resentment), and the
Presence of Death (grief, loss, acceptance). Students will also develop an understanding of literary criticism and critical approaches. Responsive
reading and writing will be emphasized, comparing literary works as they relate to the human experience.
Department of English Mission: The English Department facilitates the rigorous study of literature and writing through Christian
perspectives on ethics, imagination, diversity, and truth; informed analysis of creative literature, and advanced strategies and techniques of
written communication, rhetorical analysis, aesthetic appreciation, and literary theory. The English Department promotes spiritual
development through the integration of faith and learning.
Grading Scale:
A+ 100 – 97
C+ 79.9 – 77
A 96.9 – 93
C 76.9 – 73
A- 92.9 – 90
C- 72.9 – 70
B+ 89.9 – 87
D+ 69.9 – 67
B 86.9 – 83
D 66.9 – 63
B- 82.9 – 80
D- 62.9 – 60
F Below 60
Assessment:
3 Formal Essays (15% ea)
Assignments/Quizzes
Attendance/Participation
Mid-term Exam
Final Exam
45%
10%
10%
15%
20%
“Every piece of writing is a kind of something. It takes
its place within a particular formal tradition and in
itself exemplifies that tradition.”
—Gebel et all, The Bible as Literature, 5th ed.

Formal essay(s): In order to measure an understanding of Literature as it pertains to the Human Experience, three formal essays are
required (Explication, Analysis, Comparison/Contrast). Each formal paper will be uploaded to the turnitin.com site through the Moodle
portal. Specific paper details will be outlined in class.

Assignments, quizzes, journals, & informal writing: The journal and informal writing you do will be built on written
responses to readings in the text and exercises related to the literary selections in each genre. Quizzes will be given as necessary.

Attendance, participation & class discussion: This class is designed to be interactive. Together we will examine and analyze

Mid-term & Final Exams: Both the Mid-term and Final exams will be comprehensive, including all literary aspects that each work
literature, discussing various authors’ styles, strategies, and themes. Your active participation is vital. You should be present and on time
for each class meeting and you should be prepared to ask questions and offer thoughtful comments on the readings. Regular and
punctual attendance is expected and is essential for optimum academic achievement.
entails. Exam specifics will be outlined in class and a study guide will be developed for complete understanding.

Reading assignment(s): All reading assignments should be completed by the due date. Familiarity with the material is necessary for
productive class discussions and can serve as models for your own writing and reflection and can spark ideas for your final paper topic. I
ask that you give the readings thoughtful consideration and/or written response before coming to class so you are ready to participate.
Plagiarism: Vanguard University is a community of Christian scholars. Students are expected to search for truth with integrity and accuracy. This
quest requires humility about our abilities, respect for the ideas of others, and originality in our thinking. We seek to be followers of Christ in the
classroom, in the library, and at the privacy of our computers. For both scholarly and spiritual reasons, plagiarism and all other forms of academic
dishonesty are not to be pursued in the Vanguard community. Faculty evaluation of student assignments will check for evidence of plagiarism. If
evidence is discovered, the student will be confronted and the appropriate consequences will be applied, and the incident will be reported to the
Provost.
Definitions of Plagiarism: To plagiarize is to present someone else’s work—his or her words, line of thought, or organizational structure—as our
own. This occurs when sources are not cited properly, or when permission is not obtained from the original author to use his or her work. By not
acknowledging the sources that are used in our work, we are wrongfully taking material that is not our own. Another person’s “work” can take
many forms: printed or electronic copies of computer programs, musical compositions, drawings, paintings, oral presentations, papers, essays,
articles or chapters, statistical data, tables or figures, etc. In short, if any information that can be considered the intellectual property of another
is used without acknowledging the original source properly, this is plagiarism.
Minimal plagiarism is defined as doing any of the following without attribution:
Inserting verbatim phrases of 2-3 distinctive words, substituting synonyms into the original sentence rather than rewriting the complete
sentence, reordering the clauses of a sentence, imitating the sentence, paragraph, or organizational structure, or writing style of a source,
and/or using a source’s line of logic, thesis or ideas. Consequences: At the professor’s discretion, assignments may be rewritten and
resubmitted, with or without a grade penalty. Repeated instances of minimal plagiarism may be treated as substantial plagiarism.
Substantial plagiarism is defined as doing any of the following without attribution:
Inserting verbatim sentences or longer passages from a source, combining paraphrasing with verbatim sentences to create a paragraph or
more of text, repeatedly and pervasively engaging in minimal plagiarism. Consequences: For a first offense, the student typically receives a
failing grade on the assignment that has been plagiarized, and a Report of Plagiarism (see Appendix D) is submitted to the Provost’s Office. For
a second offense, the student typically receives a failing grade in the course, and a Report of Plagiarism is submitted to the Provost’s Office.
For a third offense the student is recommended for expulsion from the University. Action is taken at the discretion of the Provost.
Complete plagiarism is defined as doing any of the following without attribution:
Submitting or presenting someone’s complete published or unpublished work (paper, article, or chapter), submitting another student’s work for
an assignment, with or without that person’s knowledge or consent, using information from a campus file of old assignments, downloading a
term paper from a web site, buying a term paper from a mail order company or web site, reusing or modifying a previously submitted paper
(e.g., from another course) for a present assignment without obtaining prior approval from the instructors involved. Consequences: For a
first offense, the student typically receives a failing grade in the course, and Report of Plagiarism is submitted to the Provost’s Office. For a
second offense, the student is typically expelled from the college. Action is taken at the discretion of the Provost.
Classroom Diversity Statement: As students and faculty at Vanguard University of Southern California, and foremost as Christian believers,
we endeavor to communicate with honesty and confidentiality, to speak with encouraging and edifying words, and to create a safe environment
where we shelter one another with love when vulnerabilities arise. This classroom intends to foster a Christ-centered community that promotes
appreciation and respect for individuals, enhances the potential of its members, and values differences in gender, ethnicity, race, abilities, and
generation.
Disability Services Office: The Disability Services Office offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with
disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your professor(s), and the Disability
Services Office. If you have not yet established services through the Disability Services Office, but have a temporary or permanent disability that
impacts your learning, attention, mental health, vision, hearing, physical health, or other disabilities that may require accommodations, you are
welcome to contact the Disability Services Office. The Disability Services Office is located in the Scott Building 244, 714.619.6483
disabilityservices@vanguard.edu.
Course Outline: Due to its advantageous nature, the schedule is subject to change as necessary and listed works will
be marked as “suggested readings”.
Week 1
Week 3
Why we read literature (3-6)
Reading fiction (6-11)
9/4, 6 only
Fiction:
“Araby” James Joyce (122)
“Wild Berry Blue” Rivka Galchen (127)
“Orientation” Daniel Orozco (105)
Reading Poetry (11-17)
9/9, 11, 13
Poetry:
“The Chimney Sweep” William Blake (176)
“The Lamb” William Blake (177)
“The Garden of Love” William Blake (177)
“London” William Blake (178)
“Not Waving but Drowning” Stevie Smith (189)
“To Carry the Child” Stevie Smith (190)
“Constantly Risking Absurdity” Lawrence Ferlinghetti (193)
“Hanging Fire” Audre Lorde (196)
“The School Children” Louise Gluck (198)
“My Century” Alan Feldman (198)
“From the Diary of an Almost-four-year-old” Hanan Mikha’il ‘Ashrawi (200)
“Plus C’est La Meme Chose” Katherine McAlpine (201)
“My Wicked Wicked Ways” Sandra Cisneros (202)
“Christmas, 1970” Sandra M. Castillo (203)
“The Manhattan Project” Spencer Reece (205)
“Experience” Carrie Fountain (206)
Reading Nonfiction (24-30)
Innocence & Experience
Week 2
8/26, 28, 30
Nonfiction:
“Salvation” Langston Hughes (299)
“American History” Judith Ortiz Cofer (302)
“Pop Art” Brian Doyle (309)
“What I Learned” David Sedaris (311)
“Commencement Speech, Kenyon College” David Foster Wallace (315)
Conformity & Rebellion
Week 4
Week 5
9/16, 18, 20
9/23, 25, 27
Writing about literature (31-48)
Explication (49-51)
~Essay 1: Explication
Fiction:
“A Hunger Artist” Franz Kafka (353)
“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” Ursula K. Le Guin (380)
“Tiger Mending” Aimee Bender (395)
Poetry:
“But Men Loved Darkness Rather Than Light” Richard Crashaw (426)
“On Being Brought From Africa to America” Phillis Wheatley (426)
“I Am the People, the Mob” Carl Sandburg (434)
“From Requiem” Anna Akhmatova (439)
“If We Must Die” Claude McKay (442)
“Harlem” Langston Hughes (443)
“The Unknown Citizen” W. H. Auden (443)
9/30, 10/2, 4
Week 7
10/7, 9, 11
Week 8
10/14, 16, 18
Love & Hate
Culture & Identity
Week 6
Week 9
10/21, 23, 25
Week 10
10/28, 30, 11/1
Week 11
11/4, 6, 8
“Ballad of Birmingham” Dudley Randall (444)
“We Real Cool” Gwendolyn Brooks (446)
“What Work Is” Philip Levine (447)
“God: The Villanelle” Marvin Klotz (449)
“The Market Economy” Marge Piercy (450)
“Why I Left the Church” Richard Garcia (451)
“The Colonel” Carolyn Forche (452)
Nonfiction:
“A Modest Proposal” Jonathan Swift (500)
“Why We Are Infidels” E. L. Doctorow (517)
“’Imagine There’s No Heaven’ …” Salman Rushdie (520)
Fiction:
“Sonny’s Blues” James Baldwin (564)
“Everyday Use” Alice Walker (589)
“Uncle Rock” Dagoberto Gilb (596)
“War Dances” Sherman Alexie (602)
*Mid-Term Exam*
Poetry:
“I’m Nobody! Who Are You?” Emily Dickinson (672)
“A Poet To His Baby Son” James Weldon Johnson (672)
“We Wear the Mask” Paul Laurence Dunbar (674)
“Old Black Men” Georgia Douglas Johnson (674)
“I Would Like” Yevgeny Yevtushenko (681)
“Telephone Conversation” Wole Soyinka (685)
“All Shall Be Restored” Kay Ryan (687)
“Latin Women Pray” Judith Ortiz Cofer (695)
“Dear John Wayne” Louise Erdrich (696)
“How I Got That Name” Marilyn Chin (697)
“Negative” Kevin Young (702)
“Root” Terrance Hayes (703)
“Adjectives of Order” Alexandra Teague (704)
“My Heart” Frank O’Hara (709)
“Monday” Billy Collins (709)
“Chinese Silence No. 22” Timothy Yu (713)
Nonfiction:
“What if Shakespeare Had Had a Sister” Virginia Woolf (804)
“Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell (816)
“Two Ways to Belong in America” Bharati Mukherjee (823)
~Essay 2: Analysis
Fiction:
“Hills Like White Elephants” Ernest Hemingway (886)
“Good People” David Foster Wallace (890)
Poetry:
“With His Venom” Sappho (896)
“85” Catullus (896)
“A Poison Tree” William Blake (908)
“A Red, Red Rose” Robert Burns (909)
“Fire and Ice” Robert Frost (910)
“One Perfect Rose” Dorothy Parker (911)
Week 12
11/11, 13, 15
“One Art” Elizabeth Bishop (914)
“Love Poem” John Frederick Nims (915)
“A Happy Love” Wislawa Szymborska (915)
“Happy and Unhappy Families I” Lisel Mueller (916)
“Valediction” Seamus Heaney (924)
“Sonnet” Billy Collins (925)
“Getting Through” Deborah Pope (927)
“Learning the Bicycle” Wyatt Prunty (928)
“My Papa’s Waltz” Theodore Roethke (937)
“Those Winter Sundays” Robert Hayden (937)
“Eating Alone” Li-Young Lee (940)
Reading Drama (17-24)
Drama:
“Trifles” Susan Glaspell (1050)
Week 13
11/18, 20, 22
11/25 only
Week 15
12/2, 4, 6
Life & Death
Week 14
12/9, (11, 13)
Fiction:
“The Death of Ivan Ilych” Leo Tolstoy (1114)
Poetry:
“Affirmation” Donald Hall (1244)
“When Death Comes” Mary Oliver (1245)
“Daffodils” Alicia Ostriker (1246)
“Mid-Term Break” Seamus Heaney (1248)
“Suicide Note” Janice Mirikitani (1249)
“Let Evening Come” Jane Kenyon (1251)
“Facing It” Yusef Komunyakaa (1252)
“Problems With Hurricanes” Victor Hernandez Cruz (1253)
“Chicken Salad” Mark Halliday (1254)
“Sweet” Linda Gregerson (1255)
Nonfiction:
“Meditation XVII, from Devotions …” John Donne (1288)
“The Sloth” Jill Christman (1296)
“Joyas Voladores” Brian Doyle (1302)
Drama:
“Death Knocks” Woody Allen (1280)
*Final Exam*
Finals
Week 16
Nonfiction:
“Webstalker” Katha Pollitt (1088)
“Virtual Love” Meghan Daum (1095)
~Essay 3: Compare/Contrast
“. . . Thus I have understood and felt that world literature is no longer an abstract anthology, nor a
generalization invented by literary historians; it is rather a certain common body and a common spirit, a
living heartfelt unity reflecting the growing unity of mankind.”
—Alexander Solzhenitsyn: Nobel lecture on literature
