ENG 106W/Section 14

Instructor: Robin Provey

Mon/Wed 12:15 1:30 p.m.
BR 103 - Spring 2016
Old Main 302 office 203-837-3278
Email: proveyr@wcsu.edu
Office hours: Mon/Wed. 10-11 a.m.
Other times available by appointment
Course Title: Intro to Fiction
Course Number: ENG106W-14
Credits: 3
Course Description: Study of representative novels and short stories in order to develop students
abilities to read prose fiction carefully. The course informs students understanding of
how the literary form suits both an authors and an ages aesthetic. Not for major credit. Every
semester. Prerequisite: W sections only: WRT 101 or equivalent or placement exam. General
Education: Humanities/Literature.
Prerequisite: Successful completion of WRT 101: Composition I: The Habit of Writing.
Assignments
All reading assignments will be posted on Blackboard Learn. Please check the syllabus for reading
assignments, which are subject to change as the instructor deems appropriate.
Grading will be as follows:
In-class work/quizzes/participation
Paper 1
Paper 2
Paper 3 and presentation

25 percent
25 percent
25 percent
25 percent

Plagiarism
Please do your own work. Plagiarism copying the work of another directly without permission or
credit is unacceptable and will result in an F for the course. If you quote someone or use research
material, please use citations and give credit to the author. See me before or after class if you need
clarification.
The following section is from the Universitys Academic Honesty Policy; you should acquaint
yourself with the full policy (it is available online):
2.2 Academic Honesty Violation
The most common academic honesty violations are cheating and plagiarism. Cheating and

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plagiarism are complex issues, therefore we offer the following definitions.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

Submitting material that is not ones own

Using information or devices that are not allowed by the faculty member.
Obtaining and/or using unauthorized material.
Fabricating information.
Violating procedures prescribed to protect the integrity of a test, or other evaluation exercise.
Collaborating with others on assignments without the faculty members consent (not be
confused with tutoring in the university learning centers).
Cooperating with or helping another student to cheat.
Having another person take an examination in the students place.
Altering exam answers and requesting that the exam be re-graded.
Communicating with any person during an exam, other than the faculty member or exam
proctor.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

Directly quoting others without using quotation marks or indented format to identify them.

Using sources of information (published or unpublished) without identifying them. This can
be ones own past work.

Paraphrasing materials or ideas of others without identifying the sources.

Accessibility Services If you have a disability and would like to request accommodations, please
visit AccessAbility Services, located in Higgins Annex 017. They will give you an accommodation
letter that you should bring to me as soon as possible.
Throughout the course, I want you to ask questions even small ones; I want you to point out
things that look like errors so that we can discuss them maybe they are errors, maybe they are
frequently thought of as errors lets explore that and figure out whats most appropriate and
accurate. This class is going to be interactive so that you dont just listen to me and write everything
done. The more we discuss, the more you will retain.
The following is the coursework outline, which is subject to change, depending on how fast the
course moves along, class cancellations, and other unforeseeable conditions.
Alas -- Welcome to Intro to Fiction! Please come to class prepared and ready to discuss the texts.
Literary fiction is based on interpretation, and there are no right answers. We will have respectful
discussions and when challenging others ideas, we will do so in a respectful manner. That being
said, please do not hesitate to discuss your thoughts about a particular work. The more students who
participate in the discussion, the more lively the class.
There will be papers assigned throughout the semester. We will discuss the content of these
papers more thoroughly in class. Please make sure the papers are handed in when they are due
lateness, with extreme exception, is unacceptable and will result in a zero for the assignment.
Please do your own work. Plagiarism copying the work of another directly without permission or
credit is unacceptable and will result in an F for the course. If you quote someone or use research

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material, please use citations and give credit to the author. See me before or after class if you need
clarification.
There will be no quizzes given in my classroom unless the majority of students are not doing
the readings. Anyone who misses a quiz will receive a zero. Please be on time for class and
remember that there are no cell phones on during class. If you are going to be late or need to keep
your phone on during a particular class, please see me ahead of time.
I am available at the above office hours and, because I work on campus, am also available
during other times if you make an appointment with me. If you have a disability and would like to
request accommodations, please visit AccessAbility Services, located in Student Center 207. They
will give you an accommodation letter which you should bring to me as soon as possible. All such
information will be kept confidential. Please make use of the resources offered by the university
thats what they are here for!
SYLLABUS OF CLASSWORK/ASSIGNMENTS (this is only a guideline and will change
throughout the semester depending on our pace as a class)

Grading

Class participation/attendance/quizzes
Paper 1 on short fiction paper
Paper 2 on Grapes of Wrath
Final paper on an author and his work

25
25
25
25

Theme: A Place to Belong

Week 1 (Jan. 20)

Welcome go over syllabus, book,

Overview of MLA and requirements; what makes a
good story; why literature is important; writing
assignment: what is your
Favorite story or piece of literature discussion
followed by writing

*ADD Roman Fever

Week 2 (Jan. 25/27)

Week 3 (Feb. 1/3)

Chopin Story of an Hour

Wharton Roman Fever
The Lottery (hand out)

Overview of Elements of Fiction

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PLOT exposition, rising action, conflict, suspense,
climax and resolution.
Walker The Flowers
Faulkner A Rose for Emily
What is a thesis? MLA works cited page and in-text
citations.
Arguing literature

Argument v. opinion
Character
Godwin A Sorrowful Woman
Melville Bartleby

Setting (NEED NEW STORY)

Hemingway Soldiers Home
Welty A Worn Path

Week 4 (Feb. 8/10)

Week 5 (Feb. 17)

Week 6 (Feb. 22/24)

Point of view first or third person is the

narrator a
major or minor character
Updike A&P p. 201
How to Tell a True War Story
Incorporating quotes
Erdich The Red Convertible (Handout)
Reader response p. 1460-62
Cultural criticism p. 1455
Everyday Use (handout)

Week 7 (Feb. 29/Mar 2)

Symbolism
Red convertible
Steinbeck The Chrysanthemums

Paper 1 DUE
Theme
Jewett White Heron
Crane The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky
Mansfield Miss Brill

Style, Tone, Irony

Carver Popular Mechanics

Week 8 (Mar 7/9)

Week 9 (Mar 14/16)

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Minot Lust
Elements of Fiction
A&P

Week 9 (Mar 28/30)

Grapes of Wrath

Week 10 (Apr 4/6)

Grapes of Wrath

Week 11 (Apr 11/13)

Paper due on Grapes of Wrath

Nathaniel Hawthorne
Young Goodman Brown
Ministers Black Veil

Flannery OConnor - TBA

Week 12 (Apr 18/20)

Ernest Hemingway Hills/Snows

Raymond Carver Cathedral/So much Water Close to
home

Week 13 (Apr 25/27)

Edgar Allen Poe TBA

Week 14 (May 2/4)

Final papers due May 2 - presentations

Assignments:
Paper 1:
3-4 page research paper on one of the short stories we are covering. Your
paper will be thesis based and you will interpret the story to develop the ideas in your thesis. Your
interpretation of the story will clarify and evaluate the writing and the purpose of the story. Use text
and ACADEMIC sources.
Page 2:
4-5 page research paper on the Grapes of Wrath. This will be a thesis-based
paper in which you use research to develop your position.
Page 3:
3-4 page research paper on one of the authors and his or her work that we
covered during the last section of the course. This is also a thesis-based paper with research. You
must also be prepared to present your paper using some sort of visual. The visual and presentation
will be worth 25 points of your final paper grade.

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