ENGL C1002 - Introduction to Literature

Transfer Status

CSU/UC

Prerequisite

Successful completion of college-level composition (ENGL C1000/ENGL C1000H/ENGL C1000E/C-ID ENGL 100) or equivalent.

Unit(s)

3.00

• Lecture: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)
• Total: 51.00 Contact hours/102.00 Out of class hours/153.00 Total hours/3.00 Unit(s)

Course Description: In this course, students are introduced to works by diverse authors and major literary genres, developing close reading and analytical writing skills. Students also develop appreciation for and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of literature. (C-ID ENGL 120).

Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Integrate research, including primary and secondary sources, applying documentation skills responsibly and effectively.
2. Compose formal written analyses of texts by diverse authors that demonstrate appropriate academic discourse and the conventions of literary analysis.
3. Define common literary terms and apply them to the analysis of specific texts.
4. Identify key elements of major literary genres (including poetry, drama, fiction) in order to analyze and interpret texts.
5. Interpret and analyze a variety of diverse texts.

Topic Titles / Suggested Time Topic

Lecture

1. Class Activities
2. Collaborative Group Work
3. Discussion
4. Homework: Students are required to complete two hours of outside-of-class homework for each hour of lecture
5. Lecture

1. Methods of evaluation used to observe or measure students’ achievement of course outcomes are at the discretion of local faculty.
   
   Formal writing, including essays.
   
   Informal writing (examples include journals, discussions, annotations, reader responses, in-class writing, and responses to questions).
   
   Minimum 5,000 words of writing which may include a combination of drafts, written peer response, and other forms of writing.
   
   Other evaluation methods may include assignments such as quizzes, projects, presentations, and portfolios.

Reading Assignments

1. Read James Wright's "Saint Judas" and evaluate his use of allusion and the sonnet form in a minimum 300-word short writing.
2. Read Toni Morrison's Beloved, and find as many possible symbols as you can. Choose the three uses of symbol that you found most compelling, and try to interpret them in multiple ways, relating each interpretation back to what you've identified as a major theme in the novel. Bring these notes on the symbols and possible interpretations to our next class.

Writing Assignments

1. In a short essay (4-6 pages) compare at least two of the assigned poems. Your paper should define, discuss, and analyze the basis for comparison (form/style, motifs/theme, figurative language), the relevance of the comparison, and the insight we gain by seeing these poems in relation to one another rather than separately.
2. Read Lu Xun's "Preface to a Call to Arms" and "Diary of a Madman" and write an online discussion post of at least 100 words that identifies at least two major uses of irony in each text. Begin by formulating Lu Xun's broader purpose in both pieces for your reader, then analyze the possible functions of two different examples and explain how these ironies relate to his broader purpose. Once you've completed your post, choose one of your classmates' posts, and, using specific examples from that post, analyze and evaluate your classmate's arguments.

Out-of-Class Assignments

1. Attend one of the suggested literary events (a reading or performance) and write a short response (1-2 pages) that critiques the work(s) presented using appropriate literary terminology. Alternative options to complete this assignment will be identified in the instructions.
2. Choose one novel from the list of suggested novels, and choose one of the critical frameworks we've discussed. Find an example of an analysis of some aspect of this novel that uses this same framework. This example should give you an idea of how that writer defines the scope of her/his project. Then decide on the limits of your scope, your own topic, and use your chosen framework to write a minimum two page analysis of your novel that you will present to the class on your assigned day. Be sure that your topic is not the same as the topic in the example that you found, and you must submit both your written analysis and a copy of your example on the day of your presentation.

Meyer, M. (2024). The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Macmillan, 13th. 9781319331825.

Barnet, Sylvan, et al. (2010). An Introduction to Literature. Longman, 16th. 978-0205633098.

Mays, K. (2024). The Norton Introduction to Literature. Norton, 15th. 9781324085898.

DiYanni, R. (2007). Literature, Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. McGraw-Hill, 6th. 978-0077974916.

Gardner, Janet E. (2025). Reading and Writing About Literature. Macmillan, 6th. 9781319474072.

Harmon, W. (2012). A Handbook to Literature. Pearson, 12th. 9780205024018.

Kennedy, X. et al. (2019). Backpack Literature. Pearson, 6th. 9780134756790.

Hacker, D. & Sommers, N. (2024). A Writer's Reference. MacMillan, 11th. 978-1319413002.

Modern Language Association of America. (2021). The Modern Language Association. 9th, 9th. 978-1603293518.

Other Learning Materials

Note: Multiple texts may be necessary to fulfill the purposes of this course. Any individual text listed below may not stand alone as sufficient. Text selection should include a diverse set of authorial voices that may include a range of cultures, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Open Educational Resources (OER) may be used in place of any type of text.

Full-length novels or other separately published works.

Textbooks older than 7 years must be clearly labeled as classic or legacy.

Texts used by individual institutions and even individual sections will vary.

English (Masters Required)