Frederick Community College

 

EN 216-ONL: The Short Story

Online Syllabus

Spring 2012

 

Class begins: Jan. 30, 2012   Class ends: May 18, 2012  Last Day to Withdraw: April 16, 2012

 

 Instructor Information:

 

Name:   Betty Holton

 

Office:  H 238

E-mail:  Bholton@frederick.edu

Phone Number:  Office: 301-846-2551

                             Home: 301-271-4216

Contact Hours:                                                      Campus Mail Box #:  262

Email—expect a reply within 24 hours

    M       10:00-12:15

    Tu/Th   9:15-10:15         And by appointment

I tutor in the Writing Center, L 106, W 10:00-12:00; you are welcome to see me there.

 

Course Information:

 

Credits:  3

On-campus Meetings:  0

On-campus Exams: 2

Prerequisite:  EN 101

Co-requisites: none

 

Course Description:

 

EN 216 surveys a wide variety of short stories and analyzes the elements of the short story with emphasis on thematic development and relevance of the stories to life experiences in a variety of cultures and nations

 

 Core Learning Outcomes:

 

By the end of the course, students will have written papers, completed examinations, and participated in online discussions that demonstrate:

 

1.      informed critical responses to a variety of short stories and to the human values they express

       through an awareness of short stories as both a record and a reflection of culture.

2.      college-level communication skills and appropriate documentation of source material.

3.      an understanding and interpretation of social values by identifying and evaluating moral

       issues and conflicts, by displaying academic honesty, and by valuing lifelong learning.

4.      critical thinking skills in the analysis, comparison, synthesis, interpretation, and evaluation of

       short stories and the techniques used by writers to create them.

5.      appropriate use of literary terminology.

6.      the value of short stories as evidence of a multicultural society expressing the universality

       and diversity of the human experience and the importance and responsibility of the individual.

7.      the use of technology to format papers and conduct research.

 

 Instructional Methods:

 

This course consists of reading, online lectures, class discussion, collaborative learning, instructor comments on written work, and online (or library) research.

 

  How the Course Is Organized:

 

EN216-ONL is not a self-paced course. You will be responding to a series of questions based on the short stories and critical readings listed in the Assignments folder for a given week, posting them in the Discussion Board, and responding to other students. Your own contribution is due by 11:59:59 PM Thursday each week and your responses to others in the discussion forum are due by 11:59:59 PM Sunday of the week. Quizzes are due by 11:59:59 PM Sundays. In addition to the Discussion Board responses and quizzes, there are two essays and two exams. The main course support documents are located by way of the Course Materials button (syllabus, topical outline, policies, and resources.)  Everything you need to do will be listed under the Assignments button, including access to all lectures, discussion board assignments, essay assignments, and quizzes. 

One note: students will have access to the current and following week’s material if they choose to work ahead; however, assignment submission links will not be made available until the start of a given week.

All assignments have due dates that must be met.

 

Text and Course Materials:

 

Gioia, Dana, and R. S. Gwynn.  The Art of the Short Story. Longman, 2006.

 

A college dictionary.  A good online dictionary and thesaurus can be found at: www.m-w.com

 

Progress Report:

 

By the end of the sixth week of the semester, I will have given you written comments and grades on your work in the course.  At this point, you will be able to evaluate your progress and decide if you need to make any adjustments (additional time devoted to course, tutoring, conference with me) to best assure your success in this course.

 

Assessment

Point Value

Final Grade Scale

 

First essay

100

738-820      =A

Second essay

150

656-738      =B

Midterm exam

100

574-655      =C

Final exam

150

492-573      =D

Quizzes

120

 

Discussion Board Posts and Responses

200

 

 

Student Services

A variety of services are available to assist students in succeeding at FCC. Students can learn more about these services by visiting the Student Services web page: http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/index.aspx.

Students with disabilities who are in need of accommodations or who have questions related to disabilities services should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office at 301-846-2408. Students can learn more about these services by visiting the Services for Students with Disabilities web page: http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/disability.aspx.

 

 

 Participation Policy:

 

 

Your participation in discussions will be noted and evaluated as part of your grade.  In addition, your attendance on campus is required for the midterm and final exams. 

 

 

 

 

Late Work Policy:

 

Late work is accepted only if you have asked for and been granted an exception prior to the due date for the work.

 

  Email Policy:

 

 

With the exception of Maryland Online students, all FCC students will receive and are expected to use their FCC email address for correspondence with faculty and staff at the college. Students can establish and access their FCC email accounts at https://myfcc.frederick.edu. Email is an instructional tool essential to student-instructor and student-student communication. In the Blackboard environment by default, your email address is available to all students in this course.

However, students are permitted to use email addresses of other students in this course only for the purpose and the duration of this course.

The instructor can be expected to respond to regular student email inquiries (grades, posted assignments, and tests excluded) within 24 hours.

 

 

Academic Integrity:

 

Work in this course is subject to the provisions of the FCC Code of Academic Integrity. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated. As a student, it is your job to practice academic honesty at ALL times.  Make sure that all sources, particularly Internet sources, get proper credit for quotations, paraphrases, and ideas. More information about this and the Student Conduct Code are available at http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/studentpolicies.aspx

 

 

You must send your Academic Integrity Pledge to the instructor. The form is available at http://courses.frederick.edu/utilities/regform.htm

 
Topical Outline

 

NOTE:  Your instructor reserves the right to make changes to this outline as needed.

 

 

 

Week

 

Subject
 
Assignment

 

 

1
 
Introduction to it all—

Introduction of participants

Syllabus and other course materials

“The Art of the Short Story” (3-6)

Holst: Zebra Storyteller (see Assignments/Week 1 in

     Blackboard.  This is not in our text)

 

 

Week 1 Discussion Board

 

 

 

2
 
Beginnings and Endings--
Concept: Characterization (854-top of 857)

Fitzgerald: “Babylon Revisited” (247-263); read author’s

     biography, bio (246-247) and Author’s Perspective, AP

     (262-263)

Carver: “A Small Good Thing” (88-105); read bio (76-77) and

     AP (104-105)

 

Week 2 Discussion Board
Week 1-2 Quiz

 

 

3
 
More Beginnings and Endings--
Concept: Writing about Fiction (863-877)

Jackson: “The Lottery” (390-398); read bio (389) and AP (396-

     398)

Atwood: “Happy Endings” (22-24); read bio (21) and AP (24-

     25)

Chekhov, “Misery” (147-151); read bio (133-135) and AP (151)

 

Week 3 Discussion Board 

 

 

4

 

Initiation Stories--

Concept: Setting (859-860)

Oates: “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been”? (664-

     676); read bio (663) and AP (676)

Achebe: “Dead Man’s Path” (9-10); read bio (21) and AP (12-

     13)

Lessing: “A Woman on a Roof” (538-545) read bio (537-538)

     and AP (545-546)

 

Week 4 Discussion Board
Week 3-4 Quiz

 

 

 

5
 
Crime and Punishment--

Concept: Symbolism

Faulkner: “Barn Burning” (225-238); read bio (224-225) and

     AP (245)

Hurston: “Sweat” (378-387); read bio (377-378) and AP (387-

     388)

Resource Reading: Look again at Writing about Fiction (863-

     877)

 

Week 5 Discussion Board

Essay #1 

 

 

6

 

Quests--

Concept: Plot (849-854)

Munro: “How I Met My Husband” (649-661); read bio (648-

     649) and AP (661-662)

Cheever: “The Swimmer” (123-131); read bio (122-123) and

     AP (131-132)

Joyce: “Araby” (430-434); read bio (429-430) and AP (464)

 

Week 6 Discussion Board
Week 5-6 Quiz

 

 

7

 

Epiphanies--

Concept: Theme (860-861)

Wharton: “Roman Fever” (832-842); read bio (831) and AP

     (841-842)

O'Connor: “Revelation” (689-704); Read bio (677) and AP

     (704-706)

London, “To Build a Fire” (548-558); read bio (547-548) and

     AP (559-560)

 
Week 7 Discussion Board


 

 

8

 

Mid-Term Week--

How to take an essay exam

 

Mid-Term Exam (in the

     Testing Center)

 

9

 

More Epiphanies--

Camus: “The Guest” (65-75); read bio (64-65) and AP (74-75)

     Baldwin: “Sonny’s Blues” (27-49); read bio (26) and AP

     (49-52)

Hemingway: “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” (372-376); read bio

     (370-372) and AP (375-376)

 

Week 9 Discussion Board
Week 7 & 9 Quiz

 

10

 

Heritage--

Mishima: “Patriotism” (629-646); read bio (628-629) and AP

     (646-647)

Cisneros: “Barbie-Q” (160-162); read bio (160) and AP (162-

     163)

Silko, “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” (739-742); read bio

     (738) and AP (742-743)

 

Week 10 Discussion

     Board

 

11

 

Forces of Nature--

Concept: Point of View (857-858)

Crane: “The Open Boat” (196-216); read bio (195) and AP

    (213-216)

Ellison: “A Party Down at the Square” (218-223); read bio

     (217) and AP (222-223)

 

Week 11 Discussion

     Board
Week 10-11 Quiz

 

12

 

Mothers and Fathers--

Concept: Style (861-862)

Walker: “Everyday Use” (810-816); read bio (809-810) and AP

     (816-818)

Lawrence: “The Rocking-Horse Winner” (517-528); read bio

     (502-503) and AP (528-529)

Updike: “Separating” (800-808); read bio (799) and AP (808)

 

Week 12 Discussion

     Board

 

13

 

Matters of Conscience--

Ha Jin, “Saboteur” (419-427); read bio (419) and AP (427-428)

LeGuin: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omalas” (531-535);

     read bio (530-531) and AP (535-536)

Resource Reading: Writing about Literature (863-877)

 

Week 13 Discussion

     Board

Essay #2

 

 

 

14
 
Relationships--

Chopin: “The Storm” (153-156); read bio (152) and AP (159)

Mason: “Shiloh” (578-588); read bio (577) and AP (588-589)

Gilman: “The Yellow Wallpaper” (297-309); read bio (296) and

     AP (309)

 
 
Week 14 Discussion
     Board
Week 12-14 Quiz

 

15
 
Final Exam Week--

How to take an essay exam

 
Final Exam (in the Testing
     Center)

 
 
Online Courses observe all College breaks

Specific dates will be listed in the Course Calendar in

     Blackboard.