English 253: Introduction to Fiction
Dr. Robin Barrow
E-mail: [email protected]
Office: 1202 McClung Tower
Hours: MWF 2:30-3:30 and by appt.
Office phone: 974-0382 (no voicemail)
Mailbox: 311 McClung Tower
Section 4, HSS 70
11:15-12:05 MWF
Section 8, HSS 53B
1:25-2:10 MWF
―Oh! It is only a novel!‖ replies the young lady, while she lays down her book with
affected indifference, or momentary shame. ―It is only Cecilia, or Camilla, or Belinda‖;
or, in short, only some work in which the greatest powers of the mind are displayed, in
which the most thorough knowledge of human nature, the happiest delineation of its
varieties, the liveliest effusions of wit and humour, are conveyed to the world in the bestchosen language. —Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey
The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the
accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting. —Henry James
English 253 is a general education course designed to broaden your understanding of literary history and
cultural values. This course aims to help you become a better reader through close attention to textual
patterns and to better your writing skills through emphasis on all stages of the writing process. As befits a
designated Communicating through Writing course, the assignments are intended to get you writing
frequently and comfortably, beginning simply and becoming more complex as the semester progresses. In
your essays, you should identify relevant information, evaluate it, and incorporate it into an argument that
expresses a distinct point of view.
We will begin with a review of the elements of fiction in short stories before moving to longer works.
Throughout the course, we will emphasize character and setting. We will address questions such as:
 What distinguishes one character from another?
 What motivates characters?
 What functions do characters perform in the narrative?
 How do characters interact with various spaces and places?
 How do descriptions of spaces and places contribute to the story’s thematic unity?
Required Texts
40 Short Stories: A Portable Anthology, ed. Beverly Lawn (Bedford 3/e 978-0312477103, $28)
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (Penguin 2003, 978-0141439822, $8)
Jane Austen, Persuasion (Bantam 1984, 978-0553211375, $4.95)
Willa Cather, My Ántonia (Bantam 3/e 1994, 978-0553214185, $4.95)
Toni Morrison, Beloved (Vintage 2004, 978-1400033416, $15)
Optional Text
Hodges Harbrace Handbook (Wadsworth 17/e, 978-0495797562, $107.95)
Prerequisites
To enroll in this course, students must have satisfied the first-year composition requirement by either
completing English 101 and 102 with a C or better, completing 118 (Honors) with a B or better, or receiving
AP credit. Students may not take English 101 or 102 concurrent with this course. Basic computer literacy and
familiarity with argumentation, the library, and standards for citing research are expected.
Course Goals
 To analyze and interpret texts using the tools and vocabulary of literary analysis;
 To gain insight into the human experience. What is it like to grow up, to grow old, to be an outsider,
to be an insider, to love, to mourn, to struggle, to sacrifice?
 To reflect on personal values and beliefs;
 To improve writing skills; and
 To use technology to achieve these goals.
Overview of Requirements
1. Regular, on-time attendance.
2. Thoughtful and enthusiastic participation in class.
3. A university email account. Students who choose not to use their utk.edu address should set their
accounts to forward mail to wherever they read it. When email is sent to the class using Blackboard,
it will first be routed to the utk.edu address.
4. One prepared discussion question to ask the class.
5. Four blog entries (web journal) on Blackboard.
6. Weekly Blackboard quizzes.
7. Three formal essays.
8. A final monologue project, which includes both written and spoken components.
Grade Determination
9%
1%
5%
15%
15%
15%
20%
20%
Participation
Discussion Question
Blackboard Quizzes
Four Blog Entries
Paper 1: Character Analysis
Paper 2: Setting Analysis
Paper 3: Making Connections
Final Creative Monologue
Grading Scale
Grades for the class are assigned on the A-F system with pluses and minuses. Papers will receive numeric
grades, while blogs will be assigned a letter grade:
A = 93.0–100
A– = 90.0–92.9
B+ = 87.0–89.9
B = 83.0–86.9
B– = 80.0–82.9
C+ = 77.0–79.9
C = 73.0–76.9
C– = 70.0–72.9
D+ = 67.0–69.9
D = 63.0–66.9
D– = 60.0–62.9
F = 0–59.9
Attendance
Students have four ―free‖ days for unexcused absences like work conflicts, fatigue, oversleeping, needing to
catch a ride home for the weekend, and taking a test for another class. After the first four missed sessions,
each unexcused absence will lower the overall course grade by 1 point. Excused absences include family
emergencies, major illness, severe weather, religious holidays, and some university events. Excused absences
will not affect the course grade, but students must notify the instructor of the reason for the absence within
one week of return and should make up participation points on Blackboard. In case of health conditions or
other circumstances that may interfere with regular attendance, students should immediately contact the
instructor to discuss options.
Participation
A portion of the final grade is based on class participation. Good participation means coming to class ready
to work; students should begin each class by turning to their copy of the reading assignment and preparing
their tools for note-taking. Good participation also means completing the assigned reading, vocalizing ideas
in class, demonstrating a professional, engaged attitude, and showing proper respect to classmates’ ideas and
opinions. The participation grade is based primarily on attendance and how frequently students talk in class;
those who prefer not to contribute in class may post to the online discussion board to fulfill this requirement.
Negative or distracting behavior such as tardiness, falling asleep, texting, working on another class’s
homework, reading the newspaper, or being unprepared for class will lower the participation grade.
Late work policy
Because timely progress is essential in this course, work is due at the time specified and no later. Unless the
instructor has authorized an extension at least 36 hours before the deadline, late work is accepted with a 5
point penalty per 24-hour period. In case of emergencies or unusual situations, it is the student’s
responsibility to contact the instructor as soon as possible and make arrangements to turn in work.
Paper Revisions
Students may revise one paper. To revise, students must meet either with the instructor or with a tutor in the
Writing Center and must also write a cover letter explaining the changes. The final grade for the assignment
will be an average of the revision and the paper’s original grade. Be warned that revision involves reenvisioning the paper, not fixing by formula. So-called revisions that merely correct surface errors will not
be graded. Papers scoring a 93 or above cannot be revised. Revisions are due at the final exam.
Writing Center
The Writing Center isn’t just for remediation: All writers, even those whose writing is already advanced,
benefit from talking over their work with tutors. Students who use the Writing Center’s services can pick up
a ―Proof of Attendance‖ form for extra participation credit. The main center is located in HSS 212 and a
branch is in The Commons, Hodges Library. For more information, call 974–2611 or see their website at
http://web.utk.edu/~english/writing/writing.php.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
(Latin, plagiarius, ―kidnapper‖)
Plagiarism is a type of cheating and includes a wide range of behavior. Loosely defined, it means
representing others’ words, thoughts, or deeds as one’s own. It includes copying all or part of a paper
someone else wrote; downloading ready-made papers from the web; and quoting or paraphrasing without
appropriate citations. While the following may not be familiar to you as plagiarizing, they are clearly
examples of academic fraud: writing a paper based on someone else’s paper because the student hasn’t read
the text or is short on time; stringing together arguments from secondary sources without making one’s own
argument; and turning in work originally completed for a different class. Such behavior suffers the same
penalties as overt plagiarism.
Any time a writer uses at least three of someone else’s words in a row, s/he must use quote marks and a
parenthetical citation. If a writer uses someone else’s ideas but not their words, s/he should leave out the
quotation marks but provide a parenthetical citation. If you are unsure how to credit someone else for their
ideas, ask me. Remember, however, that the majority of the work should be one’s own. Citing sources is a
way we include things we’ve read or people we’ve talked to, not a loophole.
The bottom line is to be honest and do your own work. If you feel tempted to plagiarize due to time
constraints, confusion about the assignment, or worries about your writing skills, please come talk to me
before the due date. If you are confused about a text that you are writing on, I can often help you with
comprehension by email. Students who plagiarize or cheat in this class will receive a zero for the assignment,
a report to the Dean of Students, and a 20-point penalty to the participation grade. If there is a second
instance of plagiarism, the additional penalty will be ―NC‖ for the course. These penalties apply no matter
how large or small the assignment. For the University’s policy statements on plagiarism, see Hilltopics (12).
Special needs
Students who need course adaptations or accommodations because of a documented disability or who have
emergency information to share should contact the Office of Disability Services, located in 2227 Dunford
Hall, at 974-6087. This will ensure proper registration for services.
Blackboard
This course has a companion site on UT’s Blackboard server, http://online.utk.edu/, which includes
additional clarification of policies, links to reserve materials and background information, and all assignment
prompts. Students will submit written coursework via Blackboard. Any announcements or amendments
posted to Blackboard constitute an extension of this syllabus.
Spring 2012 Schedule
All readings should be completed by the date listed. Schedule may change; check Blackboard for updates.
1
1
W 1/11
F 1/13
2
2
M 1/16
W 1/18
2
F 1/20
3
3
M 1/23
W 1/25
3
4
F 1/27
M 1/30
4
W 2/1
4
F 2/3
5
5
M 2/6
W 2/8
5
6
6
6
7
7
7
8
8
8
9
9
9
10
10
10
F 2/10
M 2/13
W 2/15
F 2/17
M 2/20
W 2/22
F 2/24
M 2/27
W 2/29
F 3/2
M 3/5
W 3/7
F 3/9
M 3/12
W 3/14
F 3/16
Introduction to the course
Review of the elements of fiction. Kate Chopin, ―The Story of an Hour‖ (72-74);
―Glossary of Literary Terms‖ (550-59)
No class; Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Alice Walker, ―Everyday Use‖ (417-425); ―Writing about Short Stories‖ (519-29);
―Character Sketch‖ (Blackboard> Course Materials)
Edgar Allan Poe, ―The Cask of Amontillado‖ (14-20); Flannery O’Connor, ―A Good Man
Is Hard to Find‖ (311-25). First Blog due by 10 p.m.
Guy de Maupassant, ―The Necklace‖ (64-71); John Updike, ―A & P‖ (338-44)
Jamaica Kincaid, ―Girl‖ (457-458); Amy Tan, ―Two Kinds‖ (459-469). Bring one copy of
the first paragraph of your paper to workshop.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, ―The Yellow Wallpaper‖ (77-92). Paper 1 due by 10 p.m.
Ernest Hemingway, ―Hills Like White Elephants‖ (223-27); Cynthia Ozick, ―The Shawl‖
(326-30)
Shirley Jackson, ―The Lottery‖ (272-280); Gabriel García Márquez, ―A Very Old Man
with Enormous Wings‖ (331-37)
Katherine Anne Porter, ―The Jilting of Granny Weatherall‖ (176-84); Eudora Welty, ―A
Worn Path‖ (239-46); Sandra Cisneros, ―The House on Mango Street‖ (470-71). Blog
due by 10 p.m.
Ralph Ellison, ―Battle Royal‖ (Lawn 258-271)
Nathaniel Hawthorne, ―Young Goodman Brown‖ (1-13). Bring one copy of the first
paragraph of your paper to workshop.
Margaret Atwood, ―Death by Landscape‖ (376-92). Paper 2 due by 10 p.m.
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe
Robinson Crusoe. Blog due by 10 p.m.
Robinson Crusoe
Jane Austen, Persuasion
Persuasion
Persuasion
Persuasion
Persuasion. Blog due by 10 p.m.
Persuasion
Workshop for Paper 3. Bring one copy of your complete paper.
Paper 3 due by 10 p.m.
11
12
12
12
13
13
13
14
14
14
15
15
15
16
3/19-3/23
M 3/26
W 3/28
F 3/30
M 4/2
W 4/4
F 4/6
M 4/9
W 4/11
F 4/13
M 4/16
W 4/18
F 4/20
M 4/23
16 W 4/25
16 F 4/27
Spring break; no class
Willa Cather, My Antonía
My Antonía
My Antonía
My Antonía
My Antonía
Spring Recess; no class
Toni Morrison, Beloved
Beloved
Beloved
Beloved
Beloved
Beloved. Final Blog due by 10 p.m.
Character analysis for final project due. Bring one copy of your monologue to
workshop.
Final Presentations: Creative Monologues
Final Presentations: Creative Monologues
Final Exam times and locations:
10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Monday, May 7, HSS 70
12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 2, HSS 53B
Students may sign up for either time. Students must attend a final exam session even if they have already
performed their monologues. Paper revisions are due at the exam.