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Introduction to Literature, English 2020, Spring 2014

Instructor: Nina McConigley, Lecturer, Dept. of English
Office: Hoyt 417
Phone: 766-2651
Email: nmcconig@uwyo.edu
Office hours: Tuesday 12:45-1:45 pm, Wednesday 1:00- 3:00 pm, or by appointment
English Department office: Hoyt 201 (my box is here)

Textbooks & Materials

Backpack Literature, 4
th
Edition, edited by X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia
An active email account and access to WyoWeb
Notebook for note-taking
A good dictionary
Course Overview: This course fulfills the University Studies WB requirement. Literature shows us
language in its most beautiful form, exposes us to new experiences and ideas, and teaches us to
understand and question our world. In this class, we will read literature from around the world, and
through discussion, writing, and film, explore the many meanings presented.
Course Objectives
Engage in critical thinking about texts through writing, research, and dialogue with peers and
the instructor
Learn to respond to texts by recognizing and reflecting on the complex layers in literature
Strengthen analytical writing skills, especially developing a clear thesis and organized,
engaging, and well-developed essays
You are expected to come to class prepared:
Always bring your books
Always have the days reading done
Always be ready to engage in discussion of the days reading assignment
Always be ready to participate in group work, as this is an integral part of the class


Office Hours and Email

Please feel free to visit me in my office during office hours, or by appointment. If you have any
questions or concerns about anything related to the class, please let me know right away, preferably
in person, and not via email.

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Email policy: You are free to email me about class, but keep in mind that Im not checking my
email 24 hours a day. So, emails should be limited to the hours between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm on
weekdays. If you email me at night or on weekends, you may not expect a prompt reply. If you are
having problems in class, it is best to come see me during office hours, rather than emailing me.

Emailing me to ask if we did anything in a class that you missed will not get a reply.


Attendance and Participation
You are expected to attend all classes:
In order for an absence to be excused, you must show me proof that you had a medical
appointment or a slip from the Office of Student Life.
If you know that you will be absent for a University sponsored activity, you must hand in
work before you leave and show me your excuse before you will be absent. For any other
excused absences (emergencies, illness, etc.), you must show me your proof on the day you
return to class. After that, I will not excuse the absence.
Arriving late or leaving early is discouraged. If you consistently arrive late or leave early,
your grade will suffer.
After three unexcused absences, your overall grade will be lowered 5% for each
additional unexcused absence.

Discussion
Two major goals of the course are to discuss what we read and to write about what we read. There
is seldom a single correct way to interpret a literary text and good readers often arrive at different
interpretations. Through discussion, not only will we enjoy the stories, poems and plays but also we
will listen to others interpretations, practice supporting our impressions with evidence from the
readings, and evaluate the credibility of all our interpretations. Because discussion is our best
tool for understanding and interpreting literature, you are expected to come to class ready to
participate. This is not a class in which you can fall behind in the reading, miss class, or fail
to participate.
Assignments and Grading

3 Response Papers 50 pts. each 150

Midterm Exam 50

Proposal &Annotated Bib for Final Paper 20
Research based Literary Analysis Paper 50
Participation 15
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Total 285 pts.

Written Work
All writing assignments and papers, except in-class writing, must follow standard MLA formatting,
and your grade will be affected by your following these rules:
Provide 1-inch margins on the top, bottom, and sides of each page
Provide your name, instructors name, course name and number, and date in the upper left-
hand corner of page one only
Provide your last name and page number in a header in the upper right-hand corner of each
page
Indent the first line of each paragraph inch
Double space throughout; do not add extra spacing between paragraphs
Use a standard New Times Roman, 12-point font
For any paper of more than one page, make sure you STAPLE the pages together. I
do not accept papers that have not been stapled.
Citations must follow MLA rules.
Late Assignments
All assignments must be completed and turned in on time. You must have prior permission (and a
GOOD reason) to have an extension. If your assignments are late without permission, or a
University Excuse, I will not accept them and they will receive a zero.
Plagiarism
Plagiarized writing is a form of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism, which means to use someone elses
language or ideas and to represent the language or idea as your own work, is a serious
offense. Plagiarism includes copying phrases and sentences from another source into you own
writing without appropriate citation or documentation, using someone elses paper, or having
someone else write all or part of your paper. If you are found to be plagiarizing, you will be turned
in to the University for disciplinary action.
Writing Conferences
Two important sources for feedback on your writing are teacher conferences and the Writing
Center.
Teacher conferences can be made during office hours or by appointment.
The Writing Center is located in Coe Library, Room 304. Call 766-5250 for an appointment.

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Cell phones: Please remember to turn off your cell phone before class begins.
Policy or Syllabus changes: All changes to policies or syllabus will be announced in class or
through a timely email.
Instructional Modification and Accommodation: If you have a physical, learning, or
psychological disability and require accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible. You
will need to register with, and provide documentation of your disability to, University Disability
Support Services (UDSS) in SEO, room 330 Knight Hall, 766-6189, TTY: 766-3073.
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Schedule

M 1/13 Class Introductions, Course Overview
W 1/15 Reading a Story pgs. 5-17, Why Literature Matters
F 1/17 Plot , A & P, pgs. 18-23, Where are You Going, Where Have You Been? pgs. 323-337

M 1/20 No class, MLK Day
W 1/22 Point of View pgs. 28-33, A Rose for Emily pgs. 33-41, The Things They Carried pgs.
337-351
F 1/25 Character, pgs. 54-55, Cathedral 77-90

M 1/27 Setting, pgs. 93-95, To Build a Fire pgs. 106-118, The Half-Skinned Steer (handout)
W 1/29 Tone and Style pgs. 138-142, A Clean Well-Lighted Place 142-146, Irony, 162-163, The
Gift of the Magi pgs. 164-168, Prompt for Paper #1
F 1/31 Theme, pgs. 174-177, Brownies 177-194, The Parable of the Prodigal Son pgs. 215-216

M 2/3 No Class
W 2/5 Symbol, pgs. 225-228, The Yellow Wallpaper 237-251, The Lottery pgs. 258-265
F 2/7 A Good Man is Hard to Find pgs. 352-365

M 2/10 Writing About Literature, pgs. 1083-1095, Peer Review Day
W 2/12 What it Means to Say Phoenix Arizona pg 272
F 2/14 Response Paper #1 due

M 2/17 The Fat Girl (handout), Bullet to the Brain (handout)
W 2/19 Dialogue, Hills Like White Elephants (handout)
F 2/21 Story TBA, In-Class author visit

M 2/24 Introduction to Poetry, pgs. 377-391, Prompt for Paper #2
W 2/26 No Class
F 2/28 No Class

M 3/3 Words (poems TBA)
W 3/5 Listening to Voice (poems TBA), Saying and Suggesting, Figures of Speech (poems TBA)
F 3/7 Imagery, Myth and Narrative (poems TBA)

M 3/10 Sound (poems TBA)
W 3/12 Rhythm (poems TBA)
F 3/14 Response Paper #2 due, MIDTERM

M 3/17 SPRING BREAK
W 3/19 SPRING BREAK
F 3/21 SPRING BREAK

M 3/24 Closed Form (poems TBA), Prompt for Paper #3
W 3/26 Open Form (poems TBA)
F 3/28 Symbol (poems TBA)
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M 3/31 Read Othello, Act I-II
W 4/2 Read Othello, Act III
F 4/4 Read Othello, Act IV-V

M 4/7 Read A Dolls House, Act I
W 4/9 A Dolls House, Act II
F 4/11 Response Paper #3 due, A Dolls House, Act III

M 4/14 The Glass Menagerie, Scenes I-IV
W 4/16 Writing a Research Paper pgs. 1137-1155, The Glass Menagerie, Scenes V-VII
F 4/18 Annotated Bibliography due

M 4/21 Nonfiction essays TBA
W 4/23 Nonfiction essays TBA
F 4/25 Nonfiction essays TBA

M 4/28 No Class, conferences
W 4/30 No Class, conferences
F 5/2 Last day of class, Final Paper due


Final Exam:

Your final paper is your final in the class. We will not meet on the final exam day.