Linn-Benton Community College
Winter 2014
ENG 104 (3 Units)
Literature: Fiction
CRN #37232
MWF 1:00p – 1:50p in NSH-106

Instructor: Kristy Krumsiek			Office Hours: MW 2:00p– 3:30p (NSH-215)
Email: krumsik@linnbenton.edu	Phone: 760-953-2821 (text/voicemail – between 12:00p – 9:00p)

Required Texts/Supplies:
•	Granger, John. Harry Potter’s Bookshelf: The Great Books Behind the Hogwarts Adventures. New York, Berkley Books, 2009.
•	LaPlante, Alice. The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing. New York: Norton, 2007. 
•	Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. New York: Scholastic P., 1997.
•	Writing supplies (paper and writing utensils)
•	Internet access (for Moodle)
•	A flashdrive (to save your work)

Welcome: Welcome to this course! The purpose of this class is to help you enjoy, interpret, and reflect on fiction, particularly short stories. It’s partly a class about literature and partly a class about humanity, psychology, and philosophy. We’ll look at how to read and enjoy stories more, as well as how to interpret them and reflect on them so we can understand ourselves and the world better.

During the course, I’d like to explore some questions with you: Is fiction practical and relevant, or is it just a form of entertainment? How do you interpret a story so that you don’t feel you’re dissecting it but, instead, find greater enjoyment and significance in it? How can seeing our own lives as a story, as a “Hero’s Journey,” give us wisdom and insight on how to live?

Good stories are entertaining - they tell an interesting tale that we love to just hear. But they also concern themselves with the same things we do: love, power, identity, spirituality, ambition, conformity & individuality, fame, money, death, failure, fear. What issues are important to you?

PREREQUISITE: College level writing and reading skills (WR 121) are strongly recommended for success in this course.

ADA Compliance: If you need accommodations for a learning disability or physical limitation, please speak with me immediately and provide appropriate documentation as soon as possible. Also, see the Office of Disability Services (ODS) for assistance.

Course Description: ENG 104 examines fiction through selected literary works, such as the short story and the novel, and increases understanding of the conventions of fiction. This course encourages exploration of the human experience through the reading of significant short stories and novels, with an emphasis on analysis, interpretation, and the fiction-writer's craft.

Course Learning Outcomes: By successfully completing ENG 104, students should be able to:
•	Recognize how literature helps in understanding the human condition.
•	Interpret literary works, short fiction, and the novel, through critical evaluation.
•	Demonstrate how literature enhances personal awareness and creativity.
•	Write and speak confidently about their own and others’ ideas.

Coursework Expectations: Class time will involve short lectures, small group discussion, and conversation involving the whole class. In many ways it is like a seminar – you’ll read stories and discuss/present your ideas, not just listen to me. The following should also be expected:
•	all assigned readings are read before class
•	all assignments and essays are submitted as a hardcopy, unless otherwise noted
•	all assignments and essays are submitted in class on the day they are due
•	all questions about expectations, assignments, or concepts are posed in a timely manner
•	you are engaged and undistracted during class and classroom discussions
•	except in the case of verifiable illness or emergency, assignment deadlines are met
•	in the case of an absence, notes must be obtained from a classmate (so make a friend)

Essay/Assignment Basic Requirements: Important standards are to be met when handing in major and minor assignments in an academic environment. In this class, unless otherwise noted, all essays and assignments should comply with the following:
•	formatted to meet MLA standards including heading, headers, in-text citations, and works cited page when necessary.
•	typed in Times New Roman 12 point font
•	double-spaced and formatted with standard 1” margins
•	printed and submitted as a hardcopy and digitally submitted to Turnitin in Moodle if required (see individual assignment prompts)
•	stapled (not folded, taped, paper-clipped, glued, etc) if multiple pages
•	completed in a way that meets each essay or assignment’s key elements as noted in each prompt

Points Breakdown:
•	Midterm				100 points
•	Final					100 points
•	Short Reading Responses		100 points
•	Long Reading Responses		200 points
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
		Total 				500 points

450-500 points = A
400-449 points = B
350-399 points = C
300-349 points = D
299 points and below = F

Plagiarism: Using the words and/or ideas of others without giving credit is academic theft and has severe consequences including a failing grade. A repeat offense will result in being dropped from the class or a failing grade for the class. This class may require you to submit some or all of your essays to Turnitin through Moodle in order to detect plagiarism. If you ever have questions about plagiarism, do not hesitate to ask me or the tutors in the Writing Center. 

Other Classroom Policies: The classroom is a learning environment and must be treated as such. This means that behavior that is disruptive to this learning environment will not be tolerated. This can include arriving late or leaving early, not turning your cell phone on silent or vibrate, answering texts or phone calls in class (step outside), being disrespectful to me and your fellow classmates, and talking while I or a classmate has the floor. Any of this behavior can result in you being asked to leave the classroom. 

Campus Resources
•	Conferences with your teacher: Please visit with me throughout the term with interests, questions, problems, or concerns.
•	Library
•	Writing Helps: A cooperative writing service including ESOL, Writing Center, Writing and Study Skills Labs and more.
•	Writing Center and OWL (Online Writing Lab): Writing Center assistants and peer tutors will provide assistance (not correct your work or write it for you!) with specific paragraph and essay assignments.

Course Schedule
(This schedule is subject to change)
Week 1: Plot and Conflict
Jan. 6-10	“Helping” - Stone
	LaPlante: 178	
Week 2: Theme
Jan. 13-17	“Sonny’s Blues” – Baldwin
“No Name Woman” – Kingston 	LaPlante: 390, 453	
Week 3: Setting
Jan. 20-24	No Class! – Monday (MLK Day)
“The Swimmer” - Cheever
“The Things They Carried” – O’Brien
	LaPlante: 330, 131	
Week 4: The Cave Allegory
Jan. 27-31	“A Small, Good Thing” – Carver
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” - Oates
Midterm Assigned – Friday
	LaPlante: 597, 72	
Week 5: Point of View
Feb. 3-7	“Hills Like White Elephants” – Hemingway
“Moonrise” - Wolfson
Peer Workshop – Wednesday
	LaPlante: 356, 299	
Week 6: Irony
Feb. 10-14	Midterm Due – Monday 
“The Bath” – Carver
“Cask of Amontillado” - Poe
	LaPlante: 591, Moodle	
Week 7: Symbolism
Feb. 17-21	No Class! – Monday (President’s Day)
“Nebraska” - Hansen
The Power of Myth (in-class)
	LaPlante: 147	
Week 8: The Hero’s Journey in Harry Potter
Feb. 24-28	Harry Potter - Rowling
	Rowling: Chs. 1-6	
Week 9: The Hero’s Journey in Harry Potter Cont.
Mar.3-7	Harry Potter – Rowling
Final Assigned - Friday	Rowling: Chs. 7-12	
Week 10: Finish Harry Potter
Mar. 10-14	Harry Potter - Rowling
Harry Potter’s Bookshelf – Granger
Peer Workshop – Friday
	Rowling:
Chs. 13-17
Granger:
14-20, 141-152, 171-180	
Week 11: Final Due Monday
Mar. 17	Final Due 1:00p NSH-215