English
104 Assignments - Fall 1999
(Section #1337, T-Th 9:30-10:45
a.m., Des 1)
Here Cora will be posting
online handouts
after they are distributed in class
Note: Response Writing Topics will be posted one week after
given in class;
Make-Up Response Writings must be completed in the Library
Testing and Tutoring Center
within one week--i.e. before graded Response Writings are
returned in class.
See Eng 104
Course Plan for assignment deadlines
Class Preparation & Participation: StudentWriting
Response Writing #1 (Poe) Directions & Topics; Evaluation
Checklist for Response Writings;
Seminar #1 (Maupassant & Chekhov) Deadlines, Directions &
Topics;
Response Writing #2 (Chopin & Gilman) Topics; Seminar
#2
(Joyce & Huston) Topics;
Response Writing #3 (Hemingway, Faulkner, O'Connor); Seminar
#3 (Baldwin, Carver)
Final Project Description
Seminar #4 & Response
Writing #4
(Evaluating Fiction) Deadlines & Directions
ENG104 Self-Assessment (Student Learning Outcomes &
Course Reflections):
Due
with Final Project
Midterm Discussion Paper StudentWriting
Topic Choices,
Directions & Advice, Evaluation
Criteria
See Eng 104Course Plan for revised assignment deadlines
Final Project Directions
Be prepared to
discuss your Final Project at the Eng 104 Final Exam Meeting - See Eng 104Course Plan
NOTE WELL: Final Project Deadlines were amended in class:
Deadline for
Final Project can
be extended to Fri.,
Dec. 10, by noon, with no grade penalty.
Also Note Well: No late Final Projects can be accepted after Dec.
10, &
there is no revision option on the Final Project.
[Directions:] You will have 15 min. to respond in writing to one of the following topics. When you cite (quote, paraphrase, or summarize) a passage from the text, please identify it by page number given in parenthesis, as I do below:
1. Every detail counts. In the excerpt "The Importance of the Single Effect in a Prose Tale," Edgar Allan Poe asserts that "there should be no word written, of which the tendency, direct of indirect, is not to the one pre-established design" (855). That is, Poe believes every word, every detail—however minor--should be selected carefully to contribute in some way to the overall unified "effect or impression" of a story on its readers (854).
- First, identify the overall unifying "effect or impression" that "The Cask of Amontillado" seems designed to create.
- Then identify one seemingly minor word choice or detail from the tale and explain why you think it was carefully chosen to contribute(s) to this overall "effect or impression" of the story.
2. "My heart grew sick…." In class, we discussed various interpretations of a key line near the end of Poe’s "The Cask of Amontillado": "My heart grew sick—on account of the dampness of the catacombs" (670). Explain your interpretation of this line and its significance to understanding the character Montresor and/or the meaning of Poe’s prose tale.
3. Key Plot Conflict. Western story plots typically hinge on a central "conflict or struggle between opposing forces" (940). What do you interpret to be an important "conflict or struggle" driving the plot of "The Cask of Amontillado"? Be sure to identify the "opposing forces" in conflict or struggle, and to support or illustrate your interpretation by citing one or two specific passages from the story.
4. Understanding Montresor. One approach to understanding "The Cask of Amontillado" is to analyze and try to understand its major character, the murderer Montresor. What, for you, seems to be one important key to understanding Montresor--and thus why he acts as he does in the story? Be sure to support/illustrate your interpretation of Montresor’s character by citing one or two specific passages from the story.
Evaluation Checklist For Response Writings (@ 10 points possible)
___1. Responds to assigned topic choice
___2. Communicates main ideas and explains interpretation clearly
___3. Demonstrates thoughtful class preparation (e.g. assigned readings & relevant class presentations/discussion)
___4. Supports main points with persuasive reasoning & explication of well-selected specific examples/citations from the literary text(s)
___5. Shows knowledge of/ability to apply relevant literary concepts/terms &/or contextual information
Maupassant & Chekhov (with relevant glances at Poe)
1. Deadlines: See also Eng 104
- Tues., 10/5/99: Discuss Seminar #1 directions & preparation, assign Seminar Leaders & Discussion Topics, and constitute Seminar #1 groups
- Thurs., 10/7/99: In-Class Seminar #1
Seminar #1 Discussion Topic Choices:
- Literary Realism: Defining Characteristics of 19th-Century Literary Realism as demonstrated in the Short Stories of Guy de Maupassant (i.e. "The Necklace") and Anton Chekhov ("The Lady with the Pet Dog")
- Plot: Comparison/Contrast of plot structures in Maupassant’s "The Necklace" and Chekhov’s "The Lady with Pet Dog"
- Character: Comparison/Contrast of character/izations in Maupassant’s "The Necklace" and Chekhov’s "The Lady with Pet Dog"
- Genre: Defining Characteristics of the Modern Short Story, based on the examples of Poe’s "The Cask of Amontillado," Maupassant’s "The Necklace" and Chekhov’s "The Lady with Pet Dog"
- Theme: Identification of Themes (& Authors’ Views of Life) in Maupassant’s "The Necklace" and Chekhov’s "The Lady with Pet Dog"
a. Seminar Participant Preparation (Required of All): (1) Review reading assignments & class presentation/discussion notes through Tues., 10/5/99 (see Eng 104 Course Plan); (2) Consider & write at least brief notes on your responses to the Seminar #1 Discussion Topics assigned to your Seminar group; (3) Bring your course textbook & assigned Seminar #1 Topic response notes to class on Thurs., 10/7/99; (4) Be prepared to turn in your written notes (they may be very informal and brief, but should be thoughtfully done) on assigned Seminar #1 topics at the end of class on Thurs., 10/7/99—that is, for full Preparation/Participation Credits for Seminar #1, everyone is expected to show up for class on Thurs., 10/7/99, prepared to contribute thoughtfully to Seminar discussions.
b. Seminar Leaders:
1. Prepare more extensive written notes on the Seminar #1 topic assigned to you: You will be asked to turn in your notes to Cora at the end of class on Thurs., 10/9/99.
- Your notes can take whatever form seems best to you (e.g. lists, charts, explications, etc.), and should briefly reference sources you are drawing upon (e.g., citations/page numbers from our textbook);
- You are strongly encouraged to support/demonstrate your points by noting/referring to specific examples from the primary texts under discussion, and to apply relevant literary terms/concepts and information about authors’ contexts as introduced in class and/or assigned readings.
2. Come to class on Thurs., 10/7/99, prepared to lead a 10-minute Seminar Discussion on your assigned topic. Seminar discussion may be led in different ways (e.g., you can pose questions for discussion, present prepared interpretations for other students to react to, and/or other means that you believe will elicit seminar discussion.
c. Seminar Summary Report: One student in each Seminar group will be assigned to write a Seminar Summary Report, to be submitted at the end of class on Thurs., 10/7/99. The Seminar Summary Report will lists the names of Seminar Leaders and Participants, and summarize the main points made in the discussion. Seminar Leaders’ & participants’ notes will be attached to the Seminar Summary Report.
[Directions:] You will have 15 min. to respond in writing to one of the following topics (after they are read aloud in class). When you cite (quote, paraphrase, or summarize) a passage from the text, please identify it by page number given in parenthesis. The same grading criteria used to evaluate RW#1 will be applied. See
1. Point of View: Great story tellers are as careful in creating their narrators and narrative points of view, as they are in creating any other aspect of their short fictions.
- Briefly describe the narrative point of view adopted in either "The Story of an Hour" or "The Yellow Wallpaper," using terms/concepts introduced in class/background reading.
- Then speculate on at least one key reason why you think that the author chose to tell the story through this particular narrator or narrative point of view.
2. A Question of Influence. In class, we have been discussing the importance of the theory and/or practice of Poe, Maupassant, and Chekhov in creating the modern form of the short story and in influencing the short story writers who came after them. Identify one such influential element in Poe, Maupassant, and/or Chekhov, that you see continued in Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour" or in Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper." Be sure to illustrate your point(s) with specific example(s) from the authors’ work.
3. Plot Climax in "The Story of an Hour" or "The Yellow Wallpaper." Define climax, and then use your definition to identify and explain where the climax comes in the plot of either Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour" or Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper."
4. Compare or contrast. Identify one similarity or one difference in Chopin’s "The Story of an Hour" and Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper" that seems significant to you. Then explain why that similarity or difference seems significant. (Feel free to choose any aspect of the two stories for comparison or contrast that you wish.)
Joyce & Huston
(with relevant glances back at previously assigned short stories)1. Deadlines: See also Eng 104
- Seminar #2 Groups will be constituted, and Seminar #2 Leaders and their topics will be selected, in class on Tues., 10/19.
- Seminar #2 will take place in class on Thurs., 10/21: Preparatory notes of Seminar Leaders and Participants are due at the beginning of class and will be collected with Seminar #2 Reports at the end of class that day.
Seminar #2 Discussion Topic Choices:
- Literary Realism & Modernism: Identify and illustrate defining characteristics of these literary movements using Joyce’s "The Dead."
- Epiphany & Climax in the "Quiet Stories" of Chekhov and Joyce: Compare/contrast your understandings of plot "climax" and Joyce’s concept of "epiphany, " by discussing your theories of the moment of "climax" in Chekhov’s "The Lady with the Pet Dog" and of "epiphany" in Joyce’s "The Dead."
- Character of Gabriel Conroy in Joyce’s "The Dead": Summarize and compare/contrast Begnal’s interpretation of Gabriel’s character to your own interpretation(s). Support your interpretations with specific examples from Joyce’s short story, "The Dead."
- Genre: Short Story and Film: Compare/contrast your experiences of reading Joyce’s "The Dead" and of viewing scenes from Huston’s film adaptation of "The Dead." Use your comparative analysis to speculate on the similarities and differences, advantages and disadvantages, of these two different media for fictional storytelling.
- Setting: Discuss the definition, function(s) , and importance of setting in short fictions, by examining setting in "The Dead," as well as in other short stories that we have read thus far in Eng 104. (You may also wish to consider how setting is captured in Huston’s adaptation of "The Dead.")
2. Seminar #2 Directions: See Seminar #1 Directions
Except for the deadlines, the directions, expectations, roles, and points possible for Seminar #2 leaders and participants are essentially the same as for Seminar #1.
After reading the topic choices aloud in class, you will have 40 min. to respond in writing to one of the following topics. When you cite (quote, paraphrase, or summarize) a passage from the text, please identify it by page number given in parenthesis. The same evaluation criteria used to grade RW#1 & #2 will be applied to Response Writing #3.
1. Hemingway’s "Iceberg" Principle: Hemingway once likened his intensely compressed writing method to " the principle of the iceberg: ‘There is seven-eighths of it under water for every part that shows’" (342). That is, beneath the part that "shows" in his stories, there is much more left "under water"--and thus open for readers to interpret. Identify and analyze one or two specific examples in "Hills Like White Elephants" that illustrate Hemingway’s iceberg principle of writing at work.
2. Film vs. Short Story (a variation on Topic #1 above): Analyze one or two effects of adapting Hemingway’s "iceberg" method of storytelling in "Hills Like White Elephants" to film—a creative medium that must "show" much of the iceberg that Hemingway leaves "under water" in his short story. Illustrate the point(s) of your analysis with specific example(s) of difference(s) between the film and short story versions of "Hills Like White Elephants."
3. Storytelling Method in "A Rose for Emily": In class we discussed the narrative point of view adopted in Faulkner’s "A Rose for Emily"—and the fact that this narrative "voice" does not tell Emily’s story in strict chronological order. Use your Response Writing to speculate on one or two reasons why Faulkner made these choices. Be sure to support your reason(s) with one or two specific example(s) from the short story.
4. Trust the Art, or the Artist? Assigned background readings in our textbook included excerpts from Faulkner’s "The Meaning of ‘A Rose for Emily" (816-817) and O’Connor’s "A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable" (840-843). In these excerpts, the artists offer interpretations of their own short stories—"A Rose for Emily" and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," respectively. Focus your response writing on only one of these two short stories: Identify one or two interpretive statements the author made about the short story in the relevant background reading assignment. Then explain and illustrate why you do, or do not, accept the author’s interpretation of her or his short story.
5. The Grandmother’s Character in "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." What, for you, seems to be one or two important keys to understanding the grandmother—and thus why she acts as she does--in Flannery O’Connor’s short story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"? Be sure to support your interpretation of the grandmother’s character by analyzing one or two specific passages from the story.
Baldwin & Carver1. Deadlines: See also Eng 104
- Tues., 11/9/99: Discuss Seminar #3 directions & preparation, assign Seminar Leaders & Discussion Topics, and constitute Seminar #3 groups
- Tues., 11/16/99: In-Class Seminar #3
Seminar #3 Discussion Topic Choices were discussed in class on 11/9/99:
Seminar Leaders and participants are free to focus their notes and discussion on any aspects of the two stories that seem most significant to understanding the stories.
Seminar Leader #1: Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues"
Seminar Leader #2: Carver's "Cathedral"
Extra Credit Options (for 2 Extra Credits): Compare/Contrast "Sonny's Blues" and "Cathedral," or compare/contrast one of these stories to previous stories that we have studied in Eng 104.
2. Seminar #3 Directions: See Seminar #1 Directions
Except for the deadlines and the open-ended topic directions (see above), expectations, roles, and points possible for Seminar #3 leaders and participants are generally the same as for previous Seminars.
Evaluating FictionDeadlines: See also Eng 104
- Tues., 11/23/99: Discuss Seminar #4 & Response Writing #4 directions & preparation. Distribute Handout: "Evaluating Fiction." The handout is derived from the following ONLINE source: ENGL 2F55 Modern Fiction (Prof. John Lye, Dept. of English, Brock Univ.) http://www.brocku.ca/english/courses/2F55/ -
(1) Evaluating Fiction (suggested criteria) &
(2) On the Uses of Studying Literature (which can yield criteria for evaluating fiction)- Tues., 11/30/99 - In-Class Seminar #4 (first 40 min. of class) & Response Writing #4 (last 30 min.of class). You will be asked to attach your Seminar #4 preparation notes on Evaluating Fiction, to your Response Writing #4, to be turned in at the end of the class period on Tues., 11/30.
Seminar #4 PREPARATION DUE on Tues., 11/30/99:
1. Read the Handout "Evaluating Fiction" (or read the online sources referenced above)
2. Prepare a written list of criteria for evaluating fiction, using the handout "Evaluating Fiction" as well as your own ideas. Then prioritize the top 3-to-5 evaluation criteria on your list that seem most important. NOTE WELL: Your criteria must go beyond personal expressions of taste that begin with statements such as "I like it," "It is interesting to me," or "I don't like it,""I cannot relate to it." TIP: Try to analyze more deeply why you have reacted in these ways, and see whether you can turn your reason(s) into evaluation criteria that others--even readers with very different tastes than your own--could accept as valid.
3. Apply your evaluation criteria, especially the top 3-to-5 criteria, to at least one short story assigned this term in Eng 104. Write notes demonstrating how/why the selected story (or stories) does (or does not) meet the evaluation criteria, and be prepared to discuss your evaluation with your Seminar #4 group in class on Tues., 11/30.
Response Writing #4 will be written in class on Tues., 11/30/99, during the last half of the class period. The topic: Identify two or three of your most important evaluation criteria, and then apply them to an evaluation of one or two short stories in our textbook of your choice. You will need to make clear whether you do or do not recommend to others the short story/stories under discussion as "good"/"great" short fiction. You will also need to support your evaluation by illustrating how the short story/ies does or does not meet your evaluation criteria.
Student Learning Outcomes & Course Reflections
Deadline: Turn in with Final Project
Part I: Survey: Review each of the following Learning Outcome statements, based on course objectives published in the ENG 104 Syllabus that you received the first week of class. Then evaluate your ENG 104 performance and learning experience in each category, and circle your numbered response using the scale of 1 to 5.
After being introduced to literary study of a selection of significant works of narrative fiction (i.e. short stories), representing a variety of authors from different literary periods, in English 104 this term . . .
A. I have built
a strong knowledge base of a Major Literary Genre –
i.e., of Narrative Fiction: the Short Story.
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 1: I can situate works of fiction within their contexts (for example, literary historical periods and influences, cultural and biographical background of authors, authorial intentions and/or the works’ critical reception).:
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 2: I can explain and illustrate how works of fiction may reflect and shape significant aspects of their contexts (see "context" examples given in Outcome #1 above).
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 3: I can identify and explain key literary elements of narrative fiction, such as plot, character, theme, point of view, setting, symbol, and style.
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
B. I have developed my skills in literary analysis and evaluation of fiction.
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 4: I can apply close reading, contextual background information, literary concepts and approaches, and multiple perspectives to the analysis and interpretation of works of fiction.
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 5: I can use comparative analysis to demonstrate significant differences and similarities among works of narrative fiction (for example, between short stories by the same or different authors; between short story and film; and/or between works of fiction from different literary-historical periods).
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 6: I can formulate and apply persuasive criteria to the evaluation of selected short stories—evaluation criteria that . . .
- are based on more than only my unexamined personal preferences;
- are recognized as having merit by other critical readers; and
- are relevant to the selected short story and its context.
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
C. I have developed and improved my skills in effective communication.
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 7: I can express my literary interpretations and evaluations effectively . . .
- in oral communication working collaboratively with others (e.g. in class discussion and seminar groups), and
- in written communication working independently (e.g., in response writings, midterm discussion paper, final project).
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Outcome 8: I can use well-selected evidence from the literary texts to support (explain and illustrate) my literary interpretations, analyses, and evaluations.
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| Strongly Agree | Agree |
Not sure |
Disagree |
Strongly Disagree |
Part II: Star ** the Learning Outcomes above that represent skills you have developed or improved the most this term.
Part III: Identify one or two aspects of the course that you found most valuable, and briefly explain why.
Part IV: Identify one or two aspects of the course that you found least valuable, and briefly explain why.
Deadline for the Midterm has been changed to Tues., November 2, 1999.
Suggested Length: 4 typewritten/wordprocessed, double-spaced pages.
A separate handout detailing directions & advice for the Midterm will be distributed in class on Tuesday, October 26.
Choose one of the following topics for your Midterm Discussion Paper:
[Intro to Topics #1 – 5 below:] Understanding the Literary Elements of the Short Story. Thus far, the literary elements of plot, character, theme, point of view, and setting have been introduced through course readings and/or class presentations, and you may have worked further with these literary elements in Response Writings and/or Seminars. Focus your Midterm Discussion Paper on explaining and illustrating your understanding of one of the following literary elements, drawing upon specific examples from one or two of the short stories we have studied thus far in English 104, as directed.
Topic #1: Plot. Define and illustrate your understanding of plot structure: (1) exposition, (2) conflict/complication, (3) rising action, (4) crisis/climax, and (5) falling action/resolution. Use one or two of the short stories to demonstrate your understanding of these 5 basic parts of plot structure.
Topic #2: Character. Define and illustrate your understanding of protagonist and antagonist, whose struggle constitutes the major conflict, in two short stories that we have studied. Then define static and dynamic character, and explain and illustrate why you would classify the protagonists in these stories as static or dynamic.
Topic #3: Theme. Define theme, and present your interpretation of one major theme in one or two short stories we have read. Then analyze in some detail how that theme is developed in the short story/ies.
Topic #4: Narrator & Point of View. Use terminology learned from class/readings to identify and illustrate key characteristics of two different types of narrators and points of view adopted in two different short stories that we have read. Then speculate on why the authors chose these narrators/points of view as the best way to tell the stories in question.
Topic #5: Setting. Define setting, illustrating your understanding by describing setting in two different short stories. If we assume that every detail counts (as Poe says such detail in short stories should), then the details of setting must be made to "count" as well. Select and examine two or three specific passages that illustrate how/why details of setting make a significant contribution to the short stories.
Topic #6: Understanding Character and Methods of Characterization. One key to understanding a short story is to analyze its characters, their actions (internal and external), and the motivations and situations that drive them to act as they do. Present a character analysis of one or two characters, from one or two short stories that we have read thus far. Focus on explaining one or two keys to understanding the character(s). In so doing, also identify the methods that the author/s use/s to create the characterization(s)—such as dialogue, interior views or monologues, external action and gesture, interactions with other characters, responses to external situations, etc.
Topic #7: Understanding Literary Realism, as Practiced by Maupassant and Chekhov. Identify two or three defining features of literary realism, and illustrate these features with relevant examples from the realist works "The Necklace" and "The Lady with the Pet Dog." Then to show the variations that can exist within Realist fiction, identify and illustrate one or two differences between these two short stories.
[Intro to Topics #8 & #9 below] Understanding the Theory and Practice of Poe OR Maupassant. Thus far in Eng 104, we have read examples from both the practice and the theory of short story writing by Edgar Allan Poe and Guy de Maupassant. Understanding an author’s theory of short story writing can help us better understand what he tries to accomplish in the short stories themselves.
Topic #8: Poe's Theory & Practice. Identify two or three of Poe’s principles of short story writing made in his "The Importance of the Single Effect in Prose Tale." You may also wish to consider how these identified principles reflect the larger literary trends—i.e. Dark Romanticism—of his times. Then apply these principles to an interpretation of Poe’s "The Cask of Amontillado." Demonstrate how the identified principles seem to be carried out in the short story.
Topic #9: Maupassant's Theory & Practice. Identify two or three of Maupassant’s principles of short story writing as presented in his "The Writer’s Goal." You may also wish to consider how these identified principles reflect larger literary trends—i.e. Literary Realism—of his times. Then apply these principles to an interpretation of "The Necklace." Demonstrate how the identified principles seem to be carried out in the short story.
Topic #10: A Gendered Theory of Short Story Writing? Some of you have theorized that males and females write differently, expressing different perspectives, themes and experiences, and perhaps even using different techniques in their short stories. Others of you may think that factors other than gender are more significant in accounting for differences in the ways authors write. Test the hypothesis that an author’s gender is a significant factor in shaping how authors write and what they write about through comparing and/or contrasting at least one short story by a woman and one short story by a man that we have read thus far in Eng 104. Focus on analyzing a limited number of differences and/or similarities that seem especially significant to this hypothesis. Then present your conclusions.
Topic #11: Short Story into Film. Both short story and feature film are types of narrative fiction—that is, they both tell fictional stories. And one can productively apply the "literary" elements of fictional storytelling--such as plot, character, theme, setting, etc.--to the interpretation of such feature films. Yet there are also significant differences in the ways these two genres can tell stories, and "adaptations" must be made when translating a written story made of words, into the visual-aural medium of film. Identify and illustrate two or three significant adaptations that Huston had to make in translating Joyce’s short story "The Dead" into film—in order to better understand some of the advantages and/or limitations of these two forms of storytelling.
Topic #12: The Cultural Function(s) of Storytelling Today. Storytelling is an ancient art, it seems to be practiced in every human culture, and it has taken many oral and written forms over time. The modern short story can be viewed as only one of the most recent and Western forms of human narrative arts. Theorists — as well as practicing story-makers like Silko and Atwood – hypothesize that stories serve important cultural functions. Some examples: stories help people make sense of human experience, express and confirm a people’s worldview and values, educate us in how to (or how not to) live or survive in the world, as well as provide us with entertainment and exercise for our imaginations. One could argue that modern short stories continue to be written and read (and adapted into other storytelling forms like film) because they are serving some important cultural functions for us, today.
- Focus on one or two short stories that made a strong impact on you (e.g. that touched you, provoked thought, engaged your sympathies, seemed particularly relevant to contemporary life, stimulated special imaginative enjoyment, etc.). Try to isolate and analyze what in the story/stories created the impact, as the basis for presenting and supporting your own theory about one or two important cultural function(s) that the modern short story may be satisfying for readers today.
Topic #13: Interview with the Author(s). Adapt any one of the above topics as the focus of an imaginary interview with, or debate among, one or two of the short story authors that we have read thus far. You may cast yourself as interviewer, participant, and/or moderator. Try to make your re-creation of the author(s) believable and consistent with what we know of the author(s), and integrate into your imaginary dialogue elements of the author’s work, as well as relevant references to author’s biography, associations with relevant literary movement and/or historical period. Use the interview/debate to explore questions raised by the author’s literary work(s) and propose possible interpretative answers.
Topic #14: An Imaginative Experiment. Another way to understand a story and its characters is from the inside out, so to speak. Choose one of the characters presented from a third person point of view in the original story, which offered limited (or no) inner views into that character’s thoughts and feelings--especially at key moments in the story. Then "become" that character and re-write, from that character’s point of view or "center of intelligence," one or two key dramatic scenes in the story—or perhaps add a plausible scene that was left out of the original story. Your goals are to more fully reveal what is going on inside that character during the scene(s), as well as to help you and your readers better understand the story. Though this topic gives you much imaginative license, try to make your characterization internally consistent with other relevant "evidence" given in the story. Use at least two or three different methods to create your characterization—such as dialogue and interactions with other characters; interior views or first-person monologues; significant detailing of external action and gesture; description of setting as an extension of dramatic mood, character’s state of mind, or story’s theme, etc.
Alternative Topic Proposals will be considered if you don’t like any of the above, but you must discuss with Cora and get her approval in advance: i.e. no later than Thursday, Oct. 28.
Midterm Discussion
Paper Directions & Advice
[MLA STYLE HEADING:]
John Student [Your Name]
English 104, Dr. Agatucci [Identify course
& instructor]
Midterm Discussion Paper – Topic #4 [Identify
assignment & Topic choice]
2 November 1999 [Type Date assignment is
DUE, or"
*If Late, give Date assignment
is SUBMITTED]
English 104 Midterm Discussion Paper Directions & Advice
1. As stated in the Eng 104Syllabus, the Midterm
Discussion Paper is worth 30% of Course Grade. Review Eng 104
Syllabus course
policies on late graded assignments and plagiarism. Late
Midterm Discussion Papers will be penalized one letter grade and
no revision option will be extended.
2. Revision option will be extended to Midterm Discussion
Papers turned in on time. That is, after graded Midterms are
returned, students wishing to try to strengthen their papers and
grades may opt to revise the original graded Midterm. Note
Well: the original graded Discussion Paper must be resubmitted
with the optional revision or it will not be
accepted for re-grading. I recommend that you start working
on your Midterm immediately so that you’ll have time to seek
help with your writing if you need it. See Eng 104Syllabus for resources,
including COCC Writing Lab tutoring.
3. Suggested length: 4-to-5 typewritten/wordprocessed double-spaced pages.
4. Midterm Discussion Papers must be typed or wordprocessed or they will not be accepted.
5. Please use standard manuscript format—e.g., leave 1 inch margins at top-bottom-sides; type/print on standard sized 8 ½" x 11"white paper, using only one side of each page; use readable fonts in standard point sizes (10 point for larger fonts, 12 point for smaller fonts), etc. Please label your assignment completely, using MLA-style heading (illustrated above) in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, and running page headers (illustrated below) in the top right-hand corner of second and subsequent pages of your Midterm Discussion Papers.
[Running Page Header:]
Yourlastname 2
6. Please edit and proofread your papers before submission: neat handwritten corrections in black or blue ink on the typed/wordprocessed pages of the final draft are acceptable. NOTE: Grammatical errors will not be considered in the grading unless they hurt the clarity, coherence, and/or effectiveness of your written expression.
7. Please include the number of your topic choice in the MLA-style heading (as modeled above). If you propose and Cora approves in advance an alternative topic, please write out that topic and attach it to your Midterm. One goal of the Midterm Discussion Paper is to give you a valuable learning experience through writing on a focused topic choice of interest to you, re-examining one or more literary work(s) and their literary elements in more depth, and formulating a sustained interpretation which stimulates you to apply what you have been learning in Eng 104.
8. Most topics are designed for treatment in short essay form, developing a central thesis in response to the chosen topic. Our textbook offers some guidance in Appendix 3: "Writing about Short Stories" (especially pp. 952-970), discussing three common types of essays of literary interpretation—explication, analysis, and comparison/contrast—with sample student papers to illustrate. One or more of the topics may also lend themselves to a "creative-writing" approach, wherein you might be asked to rewrite a scene from a different point of view, or conduct an imaginary interview with the author on his/her short story.
9. Plagiarism must be avoided and citations properly documented when you quote, paraphrase and/or summarize the literary work(s), related readings from our textbook or course handouts, and/or any outside sources. When you quote or paraphrase from the Eng 104 class textbook, use parenthetical documentation to cite page numbers in the body of your Discussion Paper immediately following the quotation or paraphrase. For example:
After hearing his wife’s story of Michael Furey, Gabriel realizes "how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her life" (436).
If you cite an Eng 104 course handout, please give the author (if indicated), the handout title and page number. For example:
Charlotte Perkins Gilman explains that she wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" not to drive people crazy, but to save them from madness ("Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’" 1).
If you are citing Eng 104 course text and/or materials that everyone has had access to, you need not include a bibliography at the end. Eng 104 Midterm Discussion Paper topics are not intended to require outside research; however, if you do use any outside sources, you will be expected to cite them in the text of your paper and list them in full bibliographical entries at the end of your Discussion Paper. Models for documenting sources are given in our textbook, pp. 971-976. See Cora if you need more guidance.
ADVICE ON USING QUOTATIONS EFFECTIVELY: It is important to support and illustrate your general points with specific quotations and paraphrases from the literary work(s) to demonstrate how and why you arrived at your interpretation. The weightiest kind of "evidence" in literary interpretation is citations from the literary work itself. You will also want to incorporate any relevant information gained from course resources, and you may want to quote others’ critical opinions from course or outside perhaps sources. But in so doing, keep the following advice in mind:
In developing your literary interpretation, another primary goal is to help you and other Eng 104 readers better understand and appreciate the literary work(s). Write to communicate clearly and effectively with other English 104 readers—not just Cora—and offer your interpretation as only one among many possible interpretations. Even though everyone in English 104 has been studying the same works and materials over the past weeks, no two readers are likely to read, understand, and interpret a given literary work in exactly the same ways, and what seems "obvious" to you may very well not be "obvious" to other Eng 104 readers. Diversity of opinion and interpretation is inevitable, thought-provoking, and valuable in the study of literature: it helps us all understand the literary work(s) from multiple perspectives and in new/different ways. There is no single "right" answer to the topic choices given, nor a single "correct" interpretation of a given literary work. Formulate your interpretation seriously and thoughtfully in response to the selected topic, to show your readers how and why you arrived at this interpretation. Some interpretations may be more coherently explained and persuasively supported than others; this effect often results from keeping in mind a strong sense of diverse audience responses. You want your readers to learn something of value from your interpretation, but you need not set out to convince everyone else that they must adopt only your interpretation. Rather, help your readers understand how and why you arrived at your interpretation.
SOME KEYS TO SUCCESS:
I look forward to
reading and learning from your Discussion Papers!! CoraNeed extra help
Discussion Paper Specifications are Met (see directions handout):
_____#4. It is typed or word processed, or it will not be accepted for grading.
_____#5. A good faith effort is made to adhere to standard manuscript format.
_____#7. Identifies & responds to one of the given "Midterm Discussion Paper Topics" (handout)—or an alternative topic proposed & approved by Cora in advance.
_____#9. Plagiarism is successfully avoided (if not, grounds for "F": see also Eng 104 Syllabus): Author tags and/or parenthetical documentation accompany citations of Eng 104 textbook and course materials; & any outside (non-Eng104 regular course) sources are properly cited in-text and full bibliographical entries for any such sources are listed at end of the Discussion Paper.
Evaluation
Guide:_+_ = Excellent (A); _check +_= Very Good (B)
;
_check_= Satisfactory/Adequate (C),
but could be strengthened; check - = Poor (D)
Evaluation Criteria
____A. Followed directions, Addressed (all parts of the) assigned topic, & Focused the topic/intepretation well enough to develop key points raised successfully in a Discussion Paper of the suggested length (4-to-5 typed/ wordproc’d, double-spaced pages – see also item #3 & "Some Keys to Success" in directions handout).
____B. Overall, thoughtful & serious reading of the literary work(s) under discussion, diligent class preparation & active class participation is clearly, convincingly demonstrated (measured, for example, by your ability to achieve Criteria #D, E, & F described below. See also "Some Keys to Success" in directions handout).
____C. Written communication is clear, coherent, and effective: student author is demonstrably writing to be read & understood by diverse Eng 104 readers; ideas are communicated clearly, effectively, and specifically; grammatical errors which interfere with clarity and coherence are avoided. (See also item #10 in directions handout)
____D. Main points of the interpretation are supported with persuasive reasoning & clear explanation; and with well-selected specific examples/citations from the literary text(s) under discussion. (See also "Advice on Using Quotations Effectively" in directions handout.)
____E. A strong understanding of key literary terms and concepts is demonstrated in relevant definitions and their applications to student author’s interpretation of literary text(s).
____F. Student author’s interpretation is strengthened by synthesis and application of relevant "context" information (e.g., cultural/historical/literary background information and critical viewpoints).
____G. Other – e.g., Insightful, thought-provoking creative and/or critical thinking is evidenced in points made and/or approaches taken in developing the student-author’s interpretation.
Final Project
Directions
[MLA STYLE HEADING:]
Juanita Student [Your Name]
English 104, Dr. Agatucci [Identify course
& instructor]
Final Project [Identify assignment]
7 December 1999 [Type Date assignment is
DUE]]
English 104 Final Project Directions
[As explained in class on Thurs.,
Nov. 18, the Final Project is very like the Midterm Discussion
Paper in many respects. Similar types of topics that focus on
interpreting one or two short stories may be adopted, and similar
evaluation criteria will be applied in grading the Final
Project. Note well, however, the following requirements:]
The Final Project for this course has these minimum requirements:
Syllabus.1. Choose one or more short stories by author(s) of interest to you as the focused topic of your Final Project . You may choose to model your interpretative Final Project on one (or a combination) of the Midterm Discussion Paper Topics (perhaps applied to a different short story).
2. To extend your learning experience, you may choose to focus on, OR to incorporate into, your Final Project:
LinksAuthorlinksGenre. 3. *To deepen your competency in achieving
key course learning objectives,
target one or more of the following (quoted from the Eng 104Syllabus handout):
A. Build Knowledge of a Major Literary Genre
B. Develop Skills in Literary Analysis & Evaluation
4. Apply [as relevant to the topic] close reading, contextual background information, literary concepts and approaches, and multiple perspectives to the analysis and interpretation of works of fiction.
5. Use comparative analysis to demonstrate significant differences and similarities among works of narrative fiction (e.g., between short stories by the same or different authors; between short story and novel or film; between works of fiction from different literary-historical periods).
Final Project Specifications
1. As stated in the Eng 104Syllabus, the Final
Project is worth 30% of your Course Grade. Please
review Eng 104Syllabus course
policies on late graded assignments and plagiarism.
2. Deadlines:
a. Tues., 11/23: (Brief,Tentative) Final Project Description: Include in your description:
- Identify the Short Story or Stories and Author(s) that you will interpret in your Final Project; and…
- Identify how your Final Project will extend your course learning experience; and…
- Identify which course learning objectives (from those listed above) that you believe you will develop through your Final Project (or since the Midterm Discussion Paper Topics were all designed to develop one or more of these learning objectives, you may state a similar topic).
NOTE WELL: Final Project Deadlines were amended in class:
b. Tues., 12/7, 10:15 a.m.: The Final Project is due* (if possible) at the scheduled final exam meeting for this class: Tuesday, December 7, 1999, 10:15 a.m., Deschutes 1. If you don't have your Final Project ready to turn in, you will still be expected to attend the final meeting and . . .
Be prepared to discuss your Final Project at the Eng 104 Final Exam Meeting.
*If you do need more time to complete the final draft of your Final Project, Note that Deadline for Final Project can be extended to noon on Fri., Dec. 10 - with no grade penalty.
Because Cora has to meet a deadline for submitting Final Course Grades to the College, Final Projects cannot be accepted after noon on Friday, Dec. 10. If you anticipate a problem meeting this deadline, please discuss with Cora as soon as possible.
3. Since the deadline has been extended to Friday, Dec. 10, no late Final Projects can be accepted. No revision option will be offered on Final Projects. I recommend that you start working on your Final Project as soon as possible so that you’ll have time to seek help with your writing if you need it. See Eng104 Syllabus for resources, including COCC Writing Lab tutoring. Note that the COCC Writing Lab is not open during Finals Week.
4. Suggested length: 4-to-5 typewritten/wordprocessed double-spaced pages.
5. Final Projects must be typed or wordprocessed or they will not be accepted.
6. Please use standard manuscript format—e.g., leave 1 inch margins at top-bottom-sides; type/print on standard sized 8 ½" x 11"white paper, using only one side of each page; use readable fonts in standard point sizes (10 point for larger fonts, 12 point for smaller fonts), etc. Please label your assignment completely, using MLA-style heading (illustrated above) in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, and running page headers in the top right-hand corner of second and subsequent pages of your Final Project paper.
7. Please edit and proofread your papers before submission: neat handwritten corrections in black or blue ink on the typed/wordprocessed pages of the final draft are acceptable. NOTE: Grammatical errors will not be considered in the grading unless they hurt the clarity, coherence, and/or effectiveness of your written expression.
8. Plagiarism must be avoided and citations properly documented when you quote, paraphrase and/or summarize the literary work(s), related readings from our textbook or course handouts, and/or any outside sources. When you quote or paraphrase from the Eng 104 class textbook, use parenthetical documentation to cite page numbers in the body of your Discussion Paper immediately following the quotation or paraphrase. For example:
After hearing his wife’s story of Michael Furey, Gabriel realizes "how poor a part he, her husband, had played in her life" (436).
If you cite an Eng 104 course handout, please give the author (if indicated), the handout title and page number. For example:
Charlotte Perkins Gilman explains that she wrote "The Yellow Wallpaper" not to drive people crazy, but to save them from madness ("Why I Wrote ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’" 1).
If you are citing Eng 104 course text and/or materials that everyone has had access to, you need not include a bibliography at the end.
Citing Outside Sources: If you use outside sources in your Final Project, you will be expected to cite them in the text of your paper and list them in full bibliographical entries at the end of your Final Project. Models for documenting outside sources are given in our textbook, pp. 971-976. Try to follow them for any outside sources that you cite in your Final Project. See Cora or a Writing Lab tutor if you need more guidance, or try
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ENG 104 Fall
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