Professor Allyssea Carver Email: CarverA@lamission.edu English 101 Tuesday/Thursday, 10:35 am- 12:00 pm Room: INST 2004 Office Hours: TBD REQUIRED TEXTS: X.J. Kennedy; Dana Gioia: Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing (7th Edition) William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night s Dream Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany s Robert Louis Stevenson: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde N. Scott Momaday: Three Plays: The Indolent Boys, Children of the Sun, and The Moon in Two Windows Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol ALL OTHER WORKS WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE OR VIA HANDOUT This course will focus on the interpretation of reading a text and examining the intricacies of the work through essays. We will discuss plot, scene settings, character development, poetic aesthetic, social situations, destiny vs free will, allusion, and more! The
course will move from reading plays into poetry, followed by understanding a story and literature, and finally ending with using research to examine a text further. The Objective of this class is to complete 4 essays ranging from 4-6 pages and 1 research paper 6-8 pages in length. The Midterm will consist of a presentation focused on a specific poem assigned in class. It will consist of a Powerpoint or Prezi that should be the equivalent of 7-10 minutes with specific details of the work. The readings should be read prior to the class they are assigned. All papers must be typed, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 point font (MLA style). Essays: There are 4 types of essay to choose from. You will be required to complete 1 of each type of essay by the end of the semester. Essay 1: Poem- Close Read: observe facts and details- notice all striking features of the text, including rhetorical features, structural elements, cultural references/historical references etc. Essay 2: Play- Character Analysis-Protagonist, Antagonist, or both: evaluate a character's traits, their role in the story, and the conflicts they experience Essay 3: Short Story- Compare & Contrast: choose 2 stories to evaluate together, opt for focusing on the characters or the plot Essay 4: Novella- Argumentative: pick a topic that speaks to you and persuade someone to think the way you do without using emotional ideas (no- I, we, you, us, me, my, etc!!)
** You must complete 1 of each in order to complete the class! Research Paper: Prompt 1: This class has been focused on connecting the seasons/ holidays to the works being read. Compile evidence to express why the work you choose is directly connected to the season/holiday and vice versa Prompt 2: Many Characters are subjected to emotional strain. What does this do to their mental health? Create research that will express whether they are mentally sound, even in the most extreme situations, or if they have suffered too much to be considered sane in their actions. Prompt 3: There are many forms of culture and ethnicity within literature. Utilizing the works from class, create a forum to discuss how different cultures are represented, whether good or bad. Prompt 4: Poems and stories can represent other things than what we initially think. Showcase the true focus of a work beyond what the initial read represents. Prompt 5: A prompt of your choosing that MUST be approved by me before you begin work on it. *You are in charge of following along with the syllabus, reading the work before the discussion, handing in the work ON Time, and coming to all the classes. I will not accept late papers unless discussed with me prior to the due date.
**Syllabus is subject to change at any time. You are in charge of keeping up to date via Canvas and in class discussions. If you have any questions, issues, or concerns throughout the class DO NOT HESITATE! Please reach out to me via office hours or email. Syllabus August 28: Introduction to the course Ron Koertge- These Students Couldn t Write Their Way Out of a Paper Bag Q & A A Poem is Never Finished Minor Poets August 30:
Robert Frost- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening The Road Not Taken (689) Writing About a POEM- (1381) September 4: Shakespeare- A Midsummer Night s Dream September 6: Shakespeare- A Midsummer Night s Dream Writing About a PLAY- (1403) September 11: Tim O Brien- The Things They Carried (462) Writing About LITERATURE- (1335) September 13: John Updike- A & P (17) Writing About a STORY- (1356) September 18: Dylan Thomas- Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night (659) Walt Whitman- O Captain! My Captain! (762) September 20: James Joyce- Ulysses (876)
Margaret Atwood- Siren Song (820) PAPER 1 DUE 4-6 pages September 25: Emily Dickinson My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun (581) The Soul selects her own Society (775) Because I could not stop for Death (777) September 27: Wallace Stevens- Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird (673) Aaron Abeyta- thirteen ways of looking at a tortilla (816) October 2: Truman Capote- Breakfast at Tiffany s October 4: Truman Capote- Breakfast at Tiffany s October 9: Somerset Maugham- The Appointment in Samarra (6) October 11: Franz Kafka- Metamorphosis (268) ESSAY 2 DUE 4-6 pages October 16:
Midterm: Poem Presentation part 1 October 18: Midterm: Poem Presentation part 2 October 23: Lewis Carroll- Jabberwockey (545) October 25: Grimm Brothers- Godfather Death (12) October 30: Robert Louis Stevenson- The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde November 1: Robert Louis Stevenson- The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde November 6: Joy Harjo Erdrich Alexie November 8: Chrystos Table Manners I Walk in the History of My People ESSAY 3 DUE 4-6 pages
November 13: N. Scott Momaday- The Indolent Boys November 15: N. Scott Momaday- Children of the Sun The Moon in two Windows November 20: Sherman Alexie- This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, AZ (380) November 22: HOLIDAY November 27: Jane Martin- Beauty (1277) Writing a RESEARCH PAPER- (1414) November 29: O. Henry- The Gift of the Magi (182) ESSAY 4 DUE- 4-6 pages December 4: Charles Dickens- A Christmas Carol December 6: Charles Dickens- A Christmas Carol December 13:
Final Class: 10 am - 12 pm RESEARCH PAPER DUE 6-8 pages