English 104 - Cora Agatucci
Introduction to Literature: Fiction

Required Texts for Cora's English 104 (CRN # #40389) in Fall 2001 (Available for purchase from the COCC Bookstore):

		Charters, Ann, ed. The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. Compact 5th ed. Boston: Bedford-St. Martin’s, 1999.
		English 104 Course Pack, ed. Cora Agatucci.

Course Prerequisites

		Students with college entry-level reading, thinking and writing skills are best prepared to succeed in this course.
		No previous coursework in literature is required, although such background is helpful.
		Courses in the Introduction to Literature A-list Humanities sequence--ENG 104, 105, & 106--may be taken in ANY order to satisfy the A-list Associate of Arts transfer degree requirement.

Course Description

English 104 is one of three courses in the Introduction to Literature humanities sequence. (NOTE: Taking all three courses--English 104, 105, and 106--satisfies the “A” list Humanities sequence requirement for the Oregon transfer Associate of Arts degree.) English 104 will introduce the study of imaginative fiction, focusing on the genres of the short story and the novel(la--or short novel).  Survey of storytelling traditions and the Western literary history of fiction will establish contexts for study of significant fiction writers and works from the 19th and 20th centuries. As we sample works representing the rich diversity of fiction, students will be guided in analyzing fiction’s major elements, such as plot, character, theme, point of view, setting, style, and symbol. Comparative analysis of these elements will help students understand their functions and contribution to the impact of the literary works.  Biographies and critical commentaries by and about fiction writers and their literary works will acquaint students further with the contexts which have shaped the creation and reception of fiction. Film adaptations of selected literary works will also be viewed to examine the possibilities and limitations of these different forms of narrative fiction.

Course Competencies (or Learning Objectives)
Introduced to a selection of significant works of narrative fiction, representing a variety of authors from different literary periods, the English 104 student will:

A. Build a Knowledge Base of a Major Literary Genre

1. Situate works of fiction within their contexts (e.g. literary historical periods and influences, cultural and biographical background of authors, authorial intentions and critical reception).

2. Explain and illustrate how works of fiction reflect and shape significant aspects of their contexts.

3. Define and explicate key literary elements of narrative fiction, such as plot, character, theme, point of view, setting, symbol, and style.

B. Develop Skills in Literary Analysis & Evaluation

4. Apply 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).

6. Formulate and apply persuasive criteria to the evaluation of works of fiction-- appropriate to the context and genre of the literary text, and distinguishing between personal responses and literary-critical judgment.

C. Exercise Effective Communication Skills

7. Use effective oral and written communication to express literary interpretations and evaluations--developed both independently and collaboratively.

8. Use well-selected evidence from the literary text(s) to support one’s literary interpretations, analyses, and evaluations.

By the way, one of Cora's own major course goals is to enhance students’ personal, critical, and creative enjoyment of fiction as serious imaginative play. Students will be encouraged to be active learners, close readers, and critical thinkers. Active engagement in course learning experiences will be stimulated through open class discussion, small group seminars, and individual writing. Students will be given ample opportunity to respond to the literary works, consider varied critical perspectives, exchange ideas with other students and Cora, and formulate their own oral and written interpretations and evaluations of fiction. (Diversity of opinion is, to me, one of the most interesting aspects of the course!--Cora)

Course Grading