Introduction to Literature 

Spring, 2006 ENG 1600 - Section 14 / Wednesday: 6:00 – 8:50 p.m. / (Room 315, Congress building) 

Instructor: Kristin Scott, MFA, A.M. 

Department of English, Columbia College Chicago 

   Syllabus    Required Text/Resources    Contact Instructor

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the genres (literary forms) of fiction, drama, nonfiction, and poetry. Introduction to Literature establishes connections between literature and other areas of arts and communications by thoughtful and careful reading, analysis, and interpretation of narratives from a variety of writers from a number of culturally diverse backgrounds. This course can help prepare you for your chosen field, because no matter what your field of study, all majors deal with narratives and/or elements of literature.    A painter, for example, is not only painting an image, but also often representing some story, some narrative, as is often the musician, the novelist, and the poet. Similarly, a game designer is either directly or indirectly part of the creation of a narrative, plot, or creation of a story, as is a filmmaker, someone working on an advertising campaign, an audio technician working on the set of a theater play, or a fashion designer working on a television series.    Not all artists create “stories” per se, but there are often many literary elements involved in all forms of “art making” – characterizations, points of view, symbolism, metaphors, themes, irony, paradox, rhythm, rhyme, tone, perspective . . . and the list goes on and on. Having a good understanding and working knowledge of these interrelated elements can only enrich your creative repertoire by providing a wider variety of perspectives and a more enhanced skill set.    Furthermore, the skills you will learn in this class (methods of analysis and interpretation) are incredibly useful in “real life” situations: “reading between the lines,” questioning what you read, see, and hear more regularly (such as advertisements, contracts, etc.), becoming more discerning of the difference between fact and fiction, and so forth, which can all lead to making wiser decisions.

Prerequisites

You should have completed Composition I before taking this course. You may take Introduction to Literature while taking Composition II, but you must complete Composition I before taking this course.

Goals and Objectives

Students will 1) become familiar with one or more of the major forms of literature, such as poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction and 2) be able to demonstrate that familiarity by being able to read and write critically about one of those forms /genres. Also, by the end of this course, you should be able to:    demonstrate a critical understanding of and appreciation for literature when analyzing literary texts.  understand and appreciate figurative language (metaphors, similes, and the like) within literary texts. understand, appreciate, and apply knowledge of plot, character, point of view, imagery, theme, setting, irony, tone, symbols, and language when reading literature.  develop a reasonable interpretation of a literary text and to support that interpretation with evidence.  identify common or culturally specific themes (such as the theme of difference) in literature by writers of different races, genders, and ethnic backgrounds.  identify similarities between works of literature and other works of art or forms of communication.

Format

The class has a lecture/discussion/workshop format. Class readings will mostly include selected readings from the required text, some handouts, and a few reading selections and/or complimentary essays that will be available online to print and read.    Each class will involve:  1) discussion of assigned reading 2) critique and discussion of student response assignments  We will also be listening to author readings (from the accompanying CD) and may take one field trip, if the opportunity arises (TBD).

Quizzes

Occasionally, and without regularity, I may give announced and unannounced quizzes based on the readings and/or the class discussions. Your quiz grades will be averaged into your weekly response grades.

Weekly Response Assignments

In addition to weekly in-class writing, you will continue to practice your critical response skills by composing weekly 2 page typed response based on guided assignments from the instructor. All assignments must be typed and double-spaced, with standard margins. As assigned, these responses will vary and may take the following forms: summary responses, elaboration and continuation of in-class writing exercises, journal entries, creative writing pieces, and focused essays.    You must bring your weekly response assignments to class with you each week, as assigned; if late, they will NOT be accepted. If, for some reason, you must miss class that day, you may e-mail your response assignment to me by the beginning of class time the day it is due.    These weekly responses will give you many opportunities to reflect upon the reading, help you further develop your own insights about theme, character development, image, scene, dialogue, writing style, and so forth, and hone your critical thinking and writing skills.    These weekly response assignments will cumulatively count as 25% of your final grade. Not turning them in will quickly lower your entire final grade (25% may not sound like much, but believe me, it can have a HUGE impact on your final grade).

Papers

You are required to write two (2) analytical papers, each a minimum of 5-6 pages in length. These papers must be typed, double-spaced, and must be composed using standard, 12-point font sizes, and with standard 1” margins. I will discuss additional (and minimal) format specifications during the first two weeks of class.    Each paper is worth 25% of your final grade. If you do not hand in EACH of these two papers, you will not pass the course. I will accept late papers, but a full letter grade (without plus and minus's) will be taken off for EVERY DAY (not every class day) it is late.

Paper Grades

Letter grades on your papers will be based on the following: originality; organization; focus; and overall clarity. As you generate strategies for writing and revision this semester, keep in mind that I look for papers that demonstrate your own thoughts, not merely what you think I want to read. See HANDOUT for criteria that will give you a basic idea of how I will evaluate your prose.

Writing Center

The Writing Center is for ALL students at ALL levels of writing. The type of consultation the center offers is simply a standard part of the successful writing process. You can use the center by making an appointment over the phone or drop in on the hour. You may also elect to sign up for a weekly hour-long session, at a time of your choosing to meet with the same consultant. Each consultant has a background in most of the majors offered at Columbia.    Using the Writing Center will undoubtedly raise the level of success you achieve in any class that requires writing. Columbia is home to one of the largest and most successful writing centers in the country, and I strongly urge you to take advantage of it. As an incentive, for each time you make an appointment with a writing center consultant for this class, you will receive extra credit. You must, however, document your consultation/s by having the center consultant write their name (legibly), sign, and date the draft that you had the consultant review and show it to me.

Creative Project

To encourage connections between this course and your individual work in the arts and/or media, you will produce one creative project in response to any work of literature on our syllabus. You may use whatever artistic medium you wish, as long as it is connected to your major in some shape, form, or fashion (for example, a filmmaker could create a storyboard if he/she chooses, rather than a short film). No matter what artistic medium you choose, you must also turn in a brief essay (minimum of 2 pages in length) that discusses, in detail, how your creative project is connected to a work of literature we have read this semester. This brief essay will be submitted on the day you present your creative project to the class (see below for presentation dates).    If you are a writer, for example, you might compose a creative piece of your own that responds to a text we have read this semester. If you are a musician, you may choose to compose a short piece of music in response to a work of literature we have read, then perform and tape this piece of music (or perform it live for the class). If you are a dancer, you could perform a dance for the class-or submit a videotape of your performance-in response to a text. (A musician and a dancer – or any combination of students with different majors - could even come together and do a joint project, but MUST speak to me first and get approval). If you are a photographer, you could submit a creative project that captures settings and/or characters that you think fit one of the stories, poems, or plays on our syllabus. If you are a filmmaker, you could turn in a screenplay for a short film or scene, or submit a videotape or storyboard. If you are a journalist, consider doing a personality profile of a character in a piece of literature, or of an author; consider interviewing a published author (interviews can be done on email as well as in person); or rewrite a short story, poem, or play as a news story. A fashion designer could create a mini-sized costume he/she imagines for a character or set of characters or a colored illustration. An animator could create a short animation or storyboard of a scene or characters acting out a scene. Within the first few weeks of the semester, I will provide a longer list of suggested creative projects.    Each of you will sign up for a specific date in which you will present your creative projects, and you will meet with me in my office to discuss the project as you are planning it. You must meet with me at least once to discuss your creative project, and your project itself must be chosen in consultation with me. Creative projects will be presented to the class from April 5th - May 10th. Creative projects are graded primarily according to the strength of the connection you make between the work of literature and your own artistic or professional medium or creative process. Your creative project is worth 25% of your final grade.

Class Participation

Attendance is required – both physically and mentally. You are expected to take an active role in class discussions and workshops. I therefore presume that you will not stare out the window (or into space), sleep during class, text message your buddies, pass notes, or listen to your IPod. Please make sure your phone is off or on buzz (and buried deep inside your backpack), so it's not heard while in class.

Academic Honesty

The Columbia College Chicago Catalogue states that "The College prohibits the following conduct: all forms of academic dishonesty, including cheating; plagiarism; knowingly furnishing false information to the College; forgery; alteration or fraudulent use of College documents, instruments, or identification." If you misrepresent another's ideas and/or written work as your own, then you will earn an "F" for the course. Academic dishonesty is not worth the penalty it incurs.

Attendance and Lateness

The English Department's policy on attendance states: “ More than two absences in a class that meets once a week . . . will affect your grade and can result in failure.” You are permitted two (2) absences. I will lower the final grade of any student who is absent from more than 2 classes or who is consistently late. You can be (AND WILL BE) charged with a half-absence if you miss more than 15 minutes of any one-class session. In accordance with English Department policy (above), any student who violates this policy risks failing the class.

Policy Regarding Assignment Submissions

To receive full credit, all assignments must be presented in hard copy at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Electronic assignments will ONLY be accepted in the event of an unexpected absence – NOT because your printer is broken, you forgot to print before you left home, you have no money to print, or you ran out of ink! If you run into any of these issues, then you MUST find another way to get your paper printed . . . ask your roommate to help, call a friend, beg a stranger, go to the computer lab in the English department, email it to someone in class who will print it out for you, whatever it takes – but there are a thousand people around you with printers that do work, so it shouldn't be that hard.    I realize we all sometime run across printer problems (I have myself many times), which is why you shouldn't wait until the last minute to try to print out your paper . . . I highly recommend, if you don't have one already, getting a USB port disk that you can easily carry around with you and saving your papers/assignments on these frequently, so you can quickly and easily use any computer (PC or Mac) anywhere, whenever you need.    REMEMBER: Late weekly responses will NOT be accepted.

Grading policy

A	96 - 100
A -	90 - 95
B +	87 - 89
B	83 - 86
B -	80 - 82
C +	77 - 79
C	73 - 76
C -	70 - 72
D	60 - 69
F	below 60

 

Paper # 1	25%
Paper #2	25%
Creative Project Presentation	25%
Weekly Response Assignments	25%
TOTAL:	100 %