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SYLLABUS—ENG 112, Introduction to Literary Genres
SEMESTER: Spring 2013
DIVISION: Arts and Humanities
INSTRUCTOR: Mary Lindborg (partially adapted from Dr. Jerry Burns) PROGRAM: English
Marian College dual credit program/St. Mary’s Springs Academy High School
COURSE NUMBER/TITLE: ENG 112/INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY GENRES
CREDITS: 3
SECTION: 01
TIME: M - F Period 5, Room 213
CATALOG DESCRIPTION: "A genres-based study of short stories, drama, and poetry; the
course focuses on applying tools of literary analysis to the interpretation of specific
works in order to increase insight and pleasure. A wide variety of works is read,
representing a diversity of cultures, contexts, and perspectives. Course objectives also
include developing critical reading, thinking, and writing skills and exploring the valuesladen nature of literature."
General Education Core Outcomes for ENG 112:
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Students will analyze and critique works, concepts and theories of creative expression. (KA6)
Students will develop logical, well-supported conclusions. (CT 4)
Students will use standard convention in all learning contexts to express themselves clearly.
(EC 4)
General Education Objectives:
This course will…
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investigate the nature and function of interpretative frameworks, the ways by which meaning is
created and understood, as well as the texts by which these frameworks get expressed;
investigate the significance of values and culture, and the construction of cultural and personal
identity;
investigate the ambiguity and complexity of human experience;
provide opportunities for students to read and interpret texts to discover and understand
patterns of meaning and relationships among ideas;
provide opportunities for students to think critically and reflectively, discerning and
understanding patterns of meanings and relationships among ideas;
provide opportunities for students to clearly demonstrate the relationships among ideas
through reflective, critical or creative writing; and
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provide opportunities for students to engage in an ongoing process of critical self-reflection as a
means of closely examining and better understanding their respective interpretative
frameworks.
It will also….
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provide opportunities for students to read literature from a diversity of contexts or
perspectives;
focus upon the reading of literature for both its intellectual content and its aesthetic
presentation;
provide opportunities for students to learn the tools and terminology of literary analysis and
criticism and apply those to the interpretation of specific literary works in order to increase
insight and pleasure;
explore the development of literature within aesthetic, social, cultural and intellectual contexts;
and
provide opportunities for students to investigate literature’s role as an expression of or
challenge to a society’s values.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To read a wide variety of literary works from a wide variety of perspectives in each of
three genres: short fiction, poetry, drama
2. To read literary works with more skill and pleasure
3. To increase awareness of literary terminology, form, and conventions
4. To write about literary works, as a means of understanding them and as a means of
developing skill in writing
5. To become familiar with techniques of literary analysis and with schools of literary
criticism
TOPICAL OUTLINE:
1. Drama
2. Short Stories
3. Poetry
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TEACHING STRATEGIES:
1. Class discussion
2. Group work/projects
3. Diverse reading assignments
4. Written assignments
5. Examinations, quizzes
7. Lecture
EVALUATION METHODS/INSTRUMENTS:
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Class and small-group discussion
Participation
Projects
Research papers
Examinations
Quizzes, impromptu responses
Semester Exam
GRADING CRITERIA:
Unit Tests – One unit
Research papers – One unit
Unit projects – One unit
Quizzes/Impromptu writings (averaged together) – One unit
Each unit is worth 100 points
Quarter grades are each 40% of the semester grade. All unit grades are added together each
quarter and divided by the number of units for the quarter to calculate the quarter grade.
Semester Exam – 20 % of semester grade
For the final semester exam, the class will form teams. Each team will write and perform an
original One Act Play.
Academic Honesty:
The rules and procedures set forth in the Student Handbook dealing with academic honesty will
be followed in this class. Students are expected to have familiarized themselves with these
rules and procedures. This applies to cheating, plagiarism and intentional misrepresentation of
the truth. If a paper is prepared by a student for this class, it is expected that the paper be the
student’s own work and that any use of the work of another in a student’s paper be properly
quoted and cited pursuant to MLA format.
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Policies
Attendance and Participation
You should come to class on a regular basis and on time. Keep in mind that quizzes, short
writing assignments, and class discussion are aspects of attendance. Class participation cannot
be made up. In extreme cases of emergency or illness, please keep me informed about your
situation, and we will work something out. Follow all of these classroom policies, such as
 Be on time and seated when the bell rings;
 No cells phones are allowed;
 No water bottles during class time;
 Backpacks out of the way during class;
 Follow same guidelines in the Computer Lab; all backpacks on the tables and out of the
way.
Classroom Etiquette and Discussion
In order to create a productive and positive learning environment, I ask that we all keep up
with the readings and take an active part in class discussion – listening, responding, etc. We
should all be considerate in class and show respect to the instructor and peers. We may not
agree with everyone’s interpretations of the readings, but we all have a valuable perspective
to share. Therefore, please respect everyone’s comments, questions, or views. At this point in
your Springs’ experience you should not be distracting to others.
Missed Quizzes / Daily Work
Missed quizzes and daily work cannot be made up except in cases of an emergency. In such
cases, the student should meet with the instructor as soon as possible to avoid grade
deductions and possible failure of the course.
Attendance Policy:
The course emphasizes the value of personal interaction as a way of revealing and encouraging
close reading of the literature and other assigned readings. Accordingly, regular attendance in
class, and preparation for it, are assumed. Students are expected to attend class regularly and
to contribute to class discussion.
Preparation for class: Students must follow the schedule and have assignments in on time.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Kirszner, L.G. & Mandell, S.R. (2011). 7th Edition. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing.
Thomson/Wadsworth.
Hamilton, Edith (1999). Mythology. Grand Central Publishing: New York. (from school
bookstore)
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ENG 112
Schedule of Classes
Spring 2013
Readings are subject to modifications.
Unit One – Shakespearean Drama: Hamlet – January 25th to March 4th
Introduction to Shakespeare/Background – “Understanding Drama” pp. 1234 - 1249
Critical Reading of the Play Hamlet
Research paper on Hamlet due Friday March 11th
Assessments: Unit Tests (Act I, II-III, & IV-V 50-65 pts each) /Research paper (requiring
2-3 sources)
Modern Drama: Introduction to Drama (Complete Worksheet) followed by March 4th –8th
(A Study in Themes, Motifs, Characterization)
Read “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell in text: pp. 1319 – 1330
Read “When I Was a Little Girl and My Mother Didn’t Want Me by Joyce Carol Oates pp.1266-69
Read “Beauty” by Carla Bethany pp. 1270 – 1274
Read “Tape” by José Rivera pp. 1275 - 1278
Assessment: Unit Test
Introduction to semester final and formation of teams: March 11th – 18th : Students in
teams will write a One Act Play (10 minutes), perform it and burn it to a DVD for the day
of semester finals.
Unit Two – Mythology & Literature: March 19th – April 30th (Edith Hamilton’s Mythology)
Senior Retreat: Thursday/Friday, March 27th & March 28th
Spring Break: Friday March 29th – April 1st
Introduction: Reading the Introduction to Myth from our text on p. 491 followed by Hamilton’s
The Great Heroes before the Trojan War pp. 146 – 185
The Great Families of Mythology pp. 247 – 281
The Heroes of the Trojan War pp. 185 – 247
Other Selections
Related readings from text:
“Symbol, Allegory, and Myth”: pp. 487 – 493
From “Fun Home”: by Alison Bechdel (Graphic Art) pp. 493 – 498
Charles Baxter: “Gryphon” pp. 277 – 288 (Short Story)
Allusion: p. 1023
“Dreams of Suicide” by William Meredith p. 1025
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“Musée des Beaux Arts” – W. H. Auden p. 1032 (pictorial handout) - PAPER
“Helen” – Hilda Doolittle p. 1029
“Leda and the Swan” – William Butler Yeats p. 1030
“On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” – John Keats p. 984
“Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats pp. 1171 – 72
“Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats pp. 949 – 51
“Ulysses” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson p. 1203
“Ithaka” by C. P. Cavafy (handout)
“Sea Grapes” – Derek Walcott p. 1031
“Yet Do I Marvel” – Countee Cullen p. 1028
Frank O’Connor – “My Oedipus Complex” (Handout – Short Story)
Assessments: Mythology Partner Presentations/Powerpoint or Prezi; Unit Test Assessment;
Research Paper
Unit Three: Short Stories and Poetry (continued) May 1st to May 27th
Poetry: Diction/Word Choice, Form/Idea, Imagery (Epigram & Haiku) pp. 993 – 998
e. e. cummings, “In Just-“pp. 883 – 884
Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “What is an Epigram?” - p. 994
William Blake, “Her Whole Life Is an Epigram” – p. 994
Martin Espada, “Why I Went to College” – p. 994
Matsuo Bashō, “Four Haiku” – pp. 995 - 96
Carolyn Kizer, “After Bashō” – p. 996
Jack Kerouac, “American Haiku” – pp. 997 - 998
Assessment: Poetry Writing Assignment
Symbol/Allegory
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson pp. 508 – 516 (Graded Exercise in Annotation)
“Island” by Langston Hughes p. 1015
A Study of Source Material
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates pp. 617 - 630
“When Characters from the Page Are Made Flesh on the Screen.” by Joyce Carol Oates
from “The Pied Piper of Tucson” by Don Moser p. 644
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” by Bob Dylan
“The Pied Piper of Hamelin” (Anonymous) p. 649
“Little Red Riding Hood” by Charles Perrault p. 651
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William Faulkner, “Barn Burning” pp. 391 - 404 – Point of View
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” p. 226 - Plot
John Updike, “A & P” pp. 259 - 264 - Character
Flannery O’Connor, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” pp. 447 - 57 – Style, Tone, Language
James Joyce, “Araby” pp. 434 - 438– Style, Tone, Language
Charlotte Gilman, “Yellow Wallpaper” – pp. 459 – 471 – Style, Tone, Language
D. H. Lawrence, “The Rocking Horse Winner” pp. 589 - 600 – Theme
Assessment: Final Paper and/or Unit Test
Literature Selections will be chosen according to Themes and the use of Literary Devices.
Assessments will include quizzes, unit tests, and papers.
The final semester exam will be a creative One Act Play composed by teams of four that
you will submit for correction and then burn to a DVD for class viewing and assessment.