LIT 2100 – INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
MW 1-2:15, Spring 2014
Section 1218, Building 86, Room 117
Michael Colonna
Office: Building 51, Room 149
Office Hours: MW 11-noon
Email: mcolonna@uwf.edu
Catalog Description
Literature from various nations and historical periods chosen to reflect the evolution of the major genres of the Western literary tradition. Guides the student in defining the features which distinguish drama, fiction and poetry. Gordon Rule Course (Writing) and General Studies Course
(Humanities/Literature). Meets multicultural requirement.
Required Texts*
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. New York: Fawcett Crest, 1985.
Coetzee, J.M. Waiting for the Barbarians. New York: Penguin Books, 1980.
Faulkner, William. Go Down, Moses. New York: Vintage Books, 1940.
Kaufman, Moises. The Laramie Project. New York: Vintage Books, 2001.
McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Vintage Books, 2006.
Roth, Philip. The Human Stain. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.
Sartre, Jean-Paul. No Exit and Three Other Plays. New York: Vintage Books, 1946.
*You will also need to print out, read, and bring to class various stories, poems, and articles from my
Course Reserves, which you can access through the library’s website: http://library.uwf.edu/ .
Course Description
This course will introduce students to the scholarly study of literature. Students will engage works from various genres and cultures. Students will gain experience reading and critically analyzing short stories, poetry, novels, novellas, flash fiction, and plays, as well as several films and film adaptations, from better than a dozen countries and in translation from half a dozen languages. Course materials will include both canonized and contemporary authors. The course itself will explore the various ways in which “literary” authors create meaning in exploration and/or celebration of the human condition.
Students will learn to identify and analyze what literary and rhetorical devices such authors employ, and to what end; what historical or social or political comments such authors make, and how they make them; and how such texts convey or evoke emotion or sympathy, and for what purpose.
Over the course of the semester, students will learn how to critically read and argumentatively write about literature, using textual evidence to support their claims. Students will compose several short essays and a final research paper.

Your Grade
Quizzes (30%)
Short Papers (30%)
Participation (20%)
Final Paper (20%)
Quizzes
You may be used to skating by without reading, or without reading closely. You will not pass this class without carefully reading the assigned material.
You will be quizzed regularly on readings for this class, so read and read closely. Quiz structure may vary from short answer to fill in the blank to in-class essays. Quiz questions and answers will be used to structure our talking points during class discussions. Questions may seem at first random or incidental.
They are not. They are, emphatically, not. They’re designed to get you thinking and to force you to read closely, and by the end of the semester, you will, if you stick it out, be excellent readers all. Take the quizzes as a challenge: good students and close readers will learn to anticipate and figure out what I will ask before I ask it.
Attendance & Participation
Participation is mandatory. Your grade in this class will depend largely on your preparation for and participation in class discussion. You can’t contribute if you’re not in class. As per department policy, students are allowed two absences without consequence. Final grades will be reduced half a letter grade for each absence beyond the two allowed. Six absences will result in automatic failure of the course.
A Note on Course Readings and Class Discussions
Be kind. I expect each student to show respect for diversity during class discussions. There is no place in the classroom for racism, sexism, homophobia, or religious intolerance. Keep an open mind and a respectful tone. The topics discussed in this class are often controversial. It is incumbent upon each of us to treat those with whom we may disagree with courtesy and respect.
Assigned reading for this course will present you with material that opposes your beliefs and values, and you may find some of the material offensive. Bear in mind that I am not advocating, nor am I asking you to approve of, adopt, believe, or embrace any of the points of view found in the material we will be studying. However, it is important, first, to understand that some writers use such material to make their points, and second, to consider the ways in which these choices strengthen or weaken an author’s argument. Understand that one of the reasons you are in college is to expand your knowledge, of things familiar and approved of or otherwise. By remaining in this class, you consent to being exposed to the assigned materials. Alternative readings or assignments will not be offered.
Papers
You will write several (6-7ish) short papers for this course, in addition to the final. Your short papers will consist mainly either of essay responses to questions and prompts provided by me, or of critical response paragraphs engaging with the assigned material on a topic of your own choosing.
Each of these short essays must be submitted electronically via the course’s eLearning dropbox. (This class’s eLearning page can be accessed via https://my.uwf.edu/ under “Student Resources.”) A hard copy of each paper is not required but is highly recommended. If you do turn in a hard copy, I will mark it with extensive feedback and return it to you with my commentary as soon as possible. (Be sure to pay close attention to these markups; after all, the point of these assignments is to help you improve your

writing by learning from your mistakes.) If you do not turn in a hard copy, you will not receive markups
and will get back only a holistic grade.
Students who struggle with the first or the first few short paper assignments may be required to have subsequent paper(s) read by UWF’s Writing Lab. The Lab is located in Building 51 and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. It’s a great resource for students who need or who wish to improve their writing, offering one-on-one paper tutoring services, brain-storming sessions, hourly grammar lessons (starting in Week Three, with “Commas”), and a pretty nifty website to help with all your grammary questions: http://uwf.edu/writelab/ .
Final Paper
Your final paper will be written on a topic of your own choosing. You will be required to research and develop your topic, referencing at least 3 sources. Topics must be approved by me in advance. If you find yourself struggling to come up with sources or ideas, come see me during my office hours. Final papers will be 6-8 pages in length and will critically engage the material we cover in class.
Late Papers
Late papers will be docked a full letter grade for every 24 hours they are late; they must be turned in
both electronically and in hard copy and will not receive markups or feedback, other than a grade. As per departmental policy, I will not accept more than one late assignment at a time.
Contacting the Instructor
Please feel free to email me with questions. Just realize that your professors often have upwards of 100 or more students per semester and are endlessly bombarded with emails from students, administrators, publishers, editors, conference organizers, and spammers. I’ll get back to you; be patient. When emailing me, use clear subject lines (i.e., “Jane Doe, LIT2100, with a question”), sign emails with your full name, and be as direct and as concise as possible.
You should maintain a professional tone when communicating with professors, both in person and via email. Assume the tone is formal unless your instructor suggests otherwise. Do not send emails with
gross grammatical errors, unless you don’t care for a response. Text and net-speak are not appropriate.
Spell out your words, capitalize your “i”s, and observe traditional grammar rules. I don’t want to sound like a bitter old fart, but i is not want u 2 go in2 the reel world lookin like a azzhat.
I am available after class and during my office hours, if you have any questions or concerns. If you’re unable to catch me then, send me an email with the times (times—plural) you’re available and we can set up an appointment convenient for the both of us.
DEPARTMENT & UNIVERSITY POLICIES
General Studies Curriculum
Introduction to Literature is designated as a General Studies course. The General Studies curriculum at the University of West Florida is designed to provide a cohesive program of study that promotes the development of a broadly educated person and provides the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in university studies. This course has been approved as meeting your requirement in the Literature area.
The two major General Studies learning outcomes for this course are Writing and Ethical Reasoning.

If you are interested in a major in English, Literature or Creative Writing track, you should contact the office of the Department of English and World Languages at (850) 474-2923. If you are undecided about your current major, you should contact your academic advisor, the Career Center at (850) 474-2254, or the English Department Advisor, Ms. Kate Baumann, at (850) 474-2927.
Gordon Rule Requirement:
This is a “Gordon Rule” course. Students earning their first baccalaureate degree are required by Florida
Statutes to satisfy the Gordon Rule Writing requirement by taking twelve semester hours of coursework in which college-level writing must be demonstrated through multiple assignments, totaling approximately (but not limited to) 6000 words. A grade of "C-" or higher is needed in the courses to satisfy this requirement. Gordon Rule courses may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs):
So I’m ‘sposed to tell you about these things called SLOs: the skills you’ll walk away from this class having acquired. Fun, fun. And terribly enlightening, I’m sure.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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Demonstrate understanding of various rhetorical strategies used across literary genres;
Identify, discuss, and critically analyze canonized literature from various countries and cultures;
Build reading and writing skills crucial for the production of college-level academic writing;
Understand specific literary concepts and devices, as well as the way in which these function to create meaning within a text;

Learn how to participate in civic discourse and actively discuss ideas from a broad range of perspectives;
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Evaluate both implicit and explicit arguments in a wide variety of textual forms;
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Develop research skills necessary to construct convincing arguments by: finding electronic and print research material; locating background and explanatory material using encyclopedias, dictionaries, and reference databases; judging the appropriateness and authority of sources;
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Write clearly and persuasively about literature and literary criticism;
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Understand the pervasive and uninhibited spread of bureaucracy and its subsequent emphasis on measurement and the production of capital, ignoring the holistic development, personal happiness, and existential situation of the individual.
Plagiarism Policy:
I do not tolerate plagiarism. Papers submitted to this class must be your original work composed during this semester for this specific course. You are responsible for knowing the University’s policy on plagiarism and abiding by it. UWF’s policy on plagiarism can be found at the following URL: http://uwf.edu/cas/aasr/Plagiarism.doc
.
The UWF Student Handbook defines plagiarism as “the act of representing the ideas, words, creations, or work of another as one’s own.” Plagiarism is a very serious offense, and both the English Department and the University have stringent policies for handling offenders. A student found guilty of plagiarism may receive a failing grade on plagiarized assignments, or for the entirety of the course. The student may also be referred to the Dean’s office for further action by the Academic Standards Committee.
Instructors may recommend students be suspended or expelled from the University. In the case of extreme violations, students may be hung, drawn, and quartered on the Cannon Green.

I reserve the right to use plagiarism detection software to assist me in enforcing the University’s policy.
Student Conduct:
The Student Code of Conduct sets forth the rules, regulations, and expected behavior of students enrolled at the University of West Florida. Violations of any rules, regulations, or behavioral expectations may result in a charge of violating the Student Code of Conduct. It is the student’s responsibility to read the Student Code of Conduct and comply with these expectations. The Academic
Misconduct Policy (2011) defines various forms of academic misconduct and describes the procedures to be followed regarding student violations. The Student Code of Conduct and the Academic
Misconduct Policy can found at the following: http://uwf.edu/osrr/ and http://uwf.edu/academic/policies/misconduct/misconduct.cfm
.
Additional Assistance:
The Student Disability Resource Center SDRC at the University of West Florida supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation, please notify the SDRC and myself as soon as possible. You may contact the SDRC office by e-mail at sdrc@uwf.edu
or by phone at (850) 474-2387. Appropriate academic accommodations will be determined based on the documented needs of the individual.

Schedule of Readings and Assignments**
1/6 Syllabus.
1/8 Intro to Literature (“Fable, Parable, and Tale” on Course Reserve).
Barthelme (“The School” on Course Reserve).
Carver (“Little Things” on Course Reserve).
1/13 Hemingway (“Hills Like White Elephants” on Course Reserve).
Chopin (“The Storm” on Course Reserve).
1/15 Faulkner (“Barn Burning” on Course Reserve).
1/20 No Class. Paper One due.
1/22 The Book of Job (read http://www2.hn.psu.edu/faculty/jmanis/bible/job.pdf
).
Poetry—Shakespeare, Rilke, Rumi, etc. (“Poetry on God & Religion” on Course Reserve).
1/27 Sartre. No Exit.
1/29 Kafka. (“Before the Law” & “Letter from the Emperor” on Course Reserve).
Coetzee. Waiting for the Barbarians Ch. 1.
2/3 Coetzee. Waiting for the Barbarians Ch. 2-4. Paper Two due.
2/5 Coetzee. Waiting for the Barbarians Ch. 5-6.
2/10 Poetry—Whitman, Oliver, Lorca, etc. (“Poetry on Nature and Self” on Course Reserve).
Paper Three due.
2/12 Poetry—Whitman, Oliver, Lorca, etc. (“Poetry on Nature and Self” on Course Reserve).
Faulkner. “The Bear” in Go Down, Moses, Part 1.
2/17 Faulkner. “The Bear” in Go Down, Moses, Part 2-4.
2/19 Faulkner. “The Bear” in Go Down, Moses, Part 5.
2/24 Baldwin (“Going to Meet the Man” on Course Reserve).
Poetry—Hughes, Knight, Tretheway, etc. (“Poetry on Race in America” on Course Reserve).
2/28 Proulx (“Brokeback Mountain” on Course Reserve).
3/3 Kaufman. The Laramie Project. Paper Four due.
3/5 Kaufman. The Laramie Project.
3/10 No Class.
3/12 No Class.
3/24 Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. I-VIII.
3/26 Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale Ch. IX-Notes.
3/31 Akutagawa (“In a Grove” & “Rashomon” on Course Reserve). Paper Five due.
4/2 Rashomon [film].
4/7 Roth. The Human Stain.
4/9 Roth. The Human Stain.

4/14 Roth. The Human Stain. Paper Six due.
4/16 The Human Stain [film].
4/21 McCarthy. The Road.
4/23 McCarthy. The Road.
4/28 Final Paper Due.
**This schedule is subject to change over the course of the semester. It is your responsibility to stay upto-date on any changes, both by paying attention during class and by communicating with classmates when you are unable to attend.