Course Calendar & Presentations

How To Use The Course Calendar
Using all of this information requires a bit of organization, so follow these general instructions. For each week, begin by reading assigned work from the internet, indicated by an author’s last name and the story title. The Primary Source literature itself, listed by title and author, is on line. A Google search with title and the word TEXT will find the work if the provided link does not work. Following that, read the online presentation of the writing Strategy/Format for the week (Org & Outline, Quoting Your Sources, How To Take A Test, etc.). You are also required to read the Literary Terms for that week in Online Presentations (Character, Theme, Irony, etc.). Finally, read Questions for Reading and Writing. Anything not associated with page numbers or an author's name will be covered in chat. This will allow you to follow the schedule and be topical in the chat room. Read the directions. Assignments and due dates for papers and tests are posted on the Message Board. Most of this syllabus is self-explanatory. The following is a plan for the semester.

Tentative Schedule

Week 1

ASSIGNMENT:

Introduction
Writing strategies/Format
- Writing About Literature
- Objectivity in Analysis
- What I Expect on Out of Class Papers
  - MLA Formatting
Critical perspective
- Critical theory overview
- Formalist/New Criticism
Literary forms
- Lyrics
- Poetry, Meter
Primary source
- Owen, “Disabled”
- Jarrell,“The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”
- Mary, Lady Chudleigh, “To The Ladies”
- Garcia, Hunter, Lesh, Weir, “Truckin’”
  - (annotated lyrics)
  - (Live performance, audio from 1972 in Europe)

Week 2

ASSIGNMENT:

Writing strategies/Format
Critical perspective
Literary forms
- Rhythm & Versification
- Simile
Primary source
- Thomas,“Do Not Go Gentle…”
- Springsteen, “Nebraska”
  - (text)
  - (Author video)
- Brooks, “We Real Cool” (Author reads work)
- Fearing, “Dirge”
- Howe, “Practicing”

Response 1 Due

Week 3

ASSIGNMENT:

Writing strategies/Format
- Secondary Sources
Critical perspective
- Cultural Criticism
- Feminist Criticism
Literary forms
Primary source
- Pastan,“Marks”
- Poe, “The Raven”
- Cofer,“The Changeling”
- Olds, “Sex Without Love”
- Mora,“La Migra”

Paper 1 Due

Week 4

ASSIGNMENT:

Writing strategies/Format
- Supporting the Point: Analysis of Criticism/Evaluating Evidence
Literary forms
- Imagery and Symbolism
Primary source
- Randall, "Ballad of Birmingham"
- Walcott, "A Far Cry from Africa"
  - (text)
  - (author reads poem)
- Rich, "Diving into the Wreck"
  - (text)
  - (author reads poem)
- Roethke, "My Papa's Waltz"
- Hamby, "Ode to American English"

Response 2 Due
Test

Week 5

ASSIGNMENT:

Writing strategies/Format
- Drawing Inferences:
Critical perspective
- Psychoanalytic Criticism
Literary forms
- Drama
- Theme
Primary source
- Glaspell, Trifles

Week 6

ASSIGNMENT:

Critical perspective
- Reader Response Criticism
Literary forms
- Irony
Primary source
- Miller, Death of a Salesman

Response 3 Due

Week 7

ASSIGNMENT:

Critical perspective
Literary forms
- Character/Point of View

Week 8

ASSIGNMENT:

Critical perspective
- Deconstruction Criticism
Primary source
- Kincaid, “Girl”

Response 4 Due

Week 9

ASSIGNMENT:

Writing strategies/Format
- Narration: Writing About Fiction
- Analysis: Interpretation and Evaluation
Literary forms
- Plot, Character, Theme III

Week 10

ASSIGNMENT:

Literary forms
- Description: Point of View
Primary source
- Cheever, "The Swimmer"

Response 5 Due

Week 11

ASSIGNMENT:

Writing strategies/Format
- Deductive vs. Inductive Reasoning
Critical perspective
- Causal Analysis and Logical Fallacies
Literary forms
- Toulmin Logic
Primary Source
- Poe,"The Cask of Amontillado"
  - Text
  - Video
- Snow. "The Facts Behind 'The Cask of Amontillado'"

Week 12

ASSIGNMENT:

Writing strategies/Format
- The Term Paper: Getting Started
- Term Paper Idea due
Primary source
- Carver, “Cathedral”

Response 6 Due

Week 13

ASSIGNMENT:

OPEN OFFICE FOR FINAL PAPER CONSULATION

Note Cards for Term Paper Due

Week 14

ASSIGNMENT:

Outline for Term Paper due
Peer Edit Due

Week 15

Term Paper due/Final Test

Week 16

Finals Week

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photo of sunset at Playa Jaco in Costa Rica

Questions for Reading and Writing

Something to keep in mind in your essays and tests for this class (These are NOT the RESPONSE prompts for message board participation):

Be able to answer these four questions somewhere in the context of your essay. Please don't merely list the answers... make them part of your general discussion of the work.

What is the message? Clearly state it and support your response from the text itself. There can be more than one answer.
Who is the speaker of the message? Be as specific as you can. This is NOT necessarily the author. Authors will create characters or "voices" to tell a story or give a viewpoint. In lyrics, this often makes singer appear to be a different person than they really are or hold different values than they really do. In drama, that is all you get... all characters, no narrator.
Who is the audience of the message? There can be more than one, often linked to the message...or a single message may have different audiences with different expected results. Again, be specific and use text for support.
What methods does author use? Be specific, using terms from ENGL 101 -- irony, symbolism, theme, conflict -- and new terms from this course.
- In poetry, the use of meter and rhyme and condensation of ideas into brief images is common.
- In drama, the use of character, dialogue and setting are often important.
- In literature, all of these aspects may be factors.

Once you've gotten this information into your paper, then we apply the critical approaches to discuss HOW EFFECTIVELY the message was delivered by author.

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