***This is advance course information only and does not constitute a complete syllabus. I reserve the right to change it. The syllabus for the course will be posted on the first day of classes.***

ENGL 101: Introduction to Literature

http://www.csub.edu/~ccoffman/ENGL101-S05/

CSUB Bakersfield Campus

Classroom: Music 112

MW 3:30-5:35

CRN: 21866

Spring 2005

Dr. Chris Coffman

ccoffman@csub.edu

http://www.csub.edu/~ccoffman

Course Description:

The Subject:

This course is designed to give you the critical tools to analyze literature from a wide range of cultural traditions. Through the study of a broad selection of texts, you will develop strategies for critical reading by practicing the most basic approach to literature: Formalism. Formalism involves recognizing and considering the effects of the “form” of the text: the distinct way in which it is written. By following this approach, you will learn to identify different genres (types) of literature, such as short stories, novels, poems, and dramas. Moreover, when we break down each of our texts into their formal elements, you will learn what is distinct about each of these genres, and how an author manipulates the formal features of the text—such as plot, point of view, setting, sound, and figurative language—in order to create a text’s meaning. Much as a student of music learns to play a song by breaking it down into parts, working in detail on each and then stringing all of the parts back together to interpret the song as a whole, we will break down literary texts into their most basic elements so as more easily to interpret their meaning.

This course’s Formalist approach to interpretation and broad selection of readings is designed to ensure that you will receive the same level of exposure to literature that is provided in introductory courses at other Cal State campuses. Indeed, our textbook is widely used in similar first-year courses across the nation. Yet just like any other course in literature, this class will by its very nature involve substantial daily reading: each of the literary texts will illustrate a different formal element of literature and will be important to your development as a reader. If you do not have time to read the texts, you will have serious difficulty in passing the course. I thus encourage you to consider carefully whether you are able to make the commitment to complete this kind of course at this time.

The Roles of the Textbook and Class Meetings:

The role of textbooks in English courses is different from it is in classes in other disciplines. In this class, while some parts of the textbook will provide background information that will help you to develop skills in literary analysis—such as explanations of terms that describe the techniques that writers use—most of the readings that you do in preparation for class will not offer facts and ideas to memorize but rather literary texts to interpret. Similarly, while some lecture-driven segments of our class sessions will reinforce and clarify the terminology presented in the textbook, most of our time together in class meetings will not offer facts for you to absorb but rather activities and discussions that will allow you to test out your own interpretations of the literature.

This course’s emphasis on active learning—on asking you actively to engage with the literature—rather than on passive learning—on asking you to memorize my interpretations of the texts—is deliberate, and is meant to build your ability to analyze the texts on your own. Your active participation in your own learning—though detailed preparation for class, regular attendance, and participation—will be crucial to your success in this course. Both daily informal writing assignments in class and an out-of-class reading journal will allow you to test out your own interpretations of the texts, even if you are not sure of your answers, before writing your two graded essays, completing the two WebCT tests, and taking the Final Exam.

My role in this process will primarily be that of a coach: I will offer you the tools of critical analysis and will support you as you learn how to use them, much as a trainer would guide a person that is learning how to swim. Just as the goal of instruction in swimming is for the student to learn to swim on his or her own, the goal of this course is that by the end of the term, you should be able to use the tools of critical analysis to make sense of the texts that you will continue to encounter afterwards—whether in other English classes, at the movies, or in everyday life.

Course Goals:

• To learn to identify the elements of literary texts and to develop critical approaches to them
• To practice writing, critical reading, and literary analysis

Department Goals and Objectives:

This course supports the following goals and objectives of the CSUB undergraduate program in English:

Goal I: To know major writers in their cultural context, and to compare these writers’ characteristic styles and themes.

Goal II: To analyze and compare literary works in a well-organized, thesis-driven argument that demonstrates a high level of understanding both of textual form and theme.

Please save all of the papers that you write for this and other courses. If you decide to be an English major, you will need use them in your senior year to complete a portfolio in which you demonstrate your competencies. For more information on the portfolio, please seand the Handbook at http://www.csub.edu/english/eng200folder/nenglish200.htm

Required Materials:

• Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. New York: Longman, 2005. ISBN 0-321-24551-2 or 0-321-18330-4.

• Hacker, Dianna.  A Writer’s Reference.  New York:  Bedford, 2003.  0-312-41523-0.  You may substitute a similar book, so long as it offers instruction in MLA Style and a comprehensive review of grammar.  Whichever book you use, you will be responsible for using proper grammar and MLA Style as discussed in Hacker, so please see me during office hours if you have any questions about whether a text you already own will be suitable.

• One three-ring binder for regular (8 1/2 x 11 paper); choose a binder with no wider than a 1/2-inch ring

• Index Dividers with File Pockets, made to fit the three-ring binder

 Recommended Materials:

You will need a good English-language dictionary for this course; during the unit on poetry, you will be required to bring your dictionary to class. If you don’t already own one, I recommend the following for its high quality and portability.

• Soanes, Catherine, F.G. Fowler, and H.W. Fowler. Pocket Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0198605714.

Prerequisites:

ENGL 100 or equivalent. As this course will assume the skills in college-level writing that are developed in ENGL 100, I will not waive this prerequisite.

Waiting List Policy:

This course is capped at 50 students.  If you wish to add and the course is closed, you should appear on the first day of classes to be put on the waiting list.  (No students will be put on the waiting list before the first day of classes.)  To remain on the waiting list, you must continue to attend class and turn in all work on schedule.  Please keep in mind that being on the waiting list does not guarantee admission to the course, which is contingent on your satisfaction of prerequisites, your position on the waiting list, and the number of enrolled students that drop.  (If nobody drops, no students from the waiting list can enroll.)  Thus, if you are on the waiting list, it is in your best interest to arrange for a backup course.