Description:

Students will read, discuss and analyze works from three literary genres: the short story, the poem and the play. Students will learn and apply the technical vocabulary used in the criticism of these literary forms. Students will be introduced to representative works from various literary traditions and cultures, including numerous works from contemporary writers. 3 hrs./wk. This course may be offered as a Learning Communities (LCOM) section, see current credit schedule for LCOM details.

Supplies: Refer to the instructor's course syllabus for details about any supplies that may be required.

Textbook(s): For information see - http://bookstore.jccc.net

Course Fees: NONE

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. Identify the major components specific to a short story, poem or play, such as their settings, narrative patterns, metaphors and themes.
2. Identify the components shared by these genres which make them "literary."
3. Apply the technical vocabulary specific to works in each genre.
4. Recognize how imaginative writing is itself a mode of inquiry.
5. Explore the ways in which each student interacts uniquely with a literary text.
6. Construct meaning based on the language of literary works, the student's own experience, the student's encounters with other works, and knowledge gleaned from discussions with other students.
7. Write essays which explore and analyze issues identified by the student as significant.
8. Explain the contributions of some of the major authors of the Western literary tradition.
9. Identify common or universal literary themes expressed in ethnic literature.

Content Outline & Competencies:

I. Analysis of Reader's Personal Tastes in Imaginative Literature
   A. Review literary tastes.
   B. Speculate on the sources and background of those tastes.
   C. Identify what is most valued or devalued (privileged or
marginalized) in the reading experience.
   D. Document changes in reading style and taste over the course of the
semester.
   E. Reflect on what personal experiences are most brought to bear on the
reading experience.
   F. Recognize the literary elements presently being studied (motifs,
themes, symbols, characters, moods, etc.) in works the student has
previously encountered in film, television or print media.

II. Readers in a Community
   A. Describe the reading experience of imaginative texts to other
students in discussion groups.
   B. Review the reading experiences of other students in group discussion
or with the full class.
   C. Locate major areas of personal and community interests and values,
describing similarities and differences between them.
   D. Identify those aspects of an imaginative text that may generate
multiple meanings.
   E. Identify those aspects of an imaginative text which may not allow
for meaningful paraphrase, summary, simplification or reduction.
   F. In groups, construct a negotiated statement about the value,
significance and possible meaning of a given text.

III. Textual Analysis of Short Fiction
   A. Recall and summarize the  facts" of a specific text.
   B. Review the technical vocabulary used in the criticism of short
fiction.
   C. The plot
      1. Differentiate between those details in a narrative that are
significant to the plot and those that are not.
      2. Construct alternative plot lines at potentially significant
textual moments.
      3. Identify each character's major goals.
      4. After outlining the sequence of events in a story, reconstruct
the  fabula" of the story.
      5. Identify disruptive elements in a character's drive toward his or
her goal.
   D. The characters
      1. Identify patterns based on a character's speech, appearance,
actions, interaction with other characters, values, material possessions,
and physical space.
      2. Differentiate between  flat"and  round" characters.
      3. Revise a  flat" character's profile to create a more fully
dimensional personality.
      4. Speculate about the value systems which govern the behavior,
thoughts, and feelings of a given character. 
   E. The story world
      1. Identify and characterize two competing value systems dominating
each short story read.
      2. Describe the dynamics of each value system and identify points of
tension between them.
      3. Discuss those characters who seem to have an unstable
relationship with either or both realms of value. 
   F. Story and meaning
      1. Differentiate between traditional and constructed symbols
employed in a text.
      2. Identify and articulate a short story's themes.
   G. Story and value
      1. Assess the value of a short story as an artistic achievement.
      2. Articulate the thematic bearing a story may have on marginalized
populations.

IV. Textual Analysis of Poetry
   A. Construct a preliminary definition of poetry.
   B. List a number of major poems and specific works in the Western
literary tradition.
   C. A poem's content
      1. Distinguish between the author and speaker of a poem.
      2. Describe the dramatic situation of a poem, including the
speaker's predicament and vulnerability.
      3. Read poems out loud, responding meaningfully to the cues given in
the text which indicate sense, rhythm, emphasis and closure.
      4. Paraphrase poems.
   D. A poem's form
      1. Review the technical vocabulary used in the criticism of poetry,
including stanza forms, metrics, tropes, and traditional themes.
      2. Employ technical vocabulary in discussions of  counted verse."
      3. Draw distinctions between  counted" and  free" verse.
   E. The poem's artistry
      1. Locate and characterize the predominant images in a poem.
      2. Identify and explain the use of metaphors in a poem.
      3. Identify and describe various  voices" found in poems,
specifically characterizing those belonging to the  innocent" and 
experienced" perspectives.
   F. Exploration of a poem's meaning
      1. Identify specific moments of  ambiguity" in a poem.
      2. Construct multiple meaning statements for a given poem.

V. Textual Analysis of Drama
   A. Summarize the major actions in a play.
   B. Review the technical vocabulary used in the criticism of written
(not performed) dramatic texts.
   C. Dramatic structure
      1. Review the elements of traditional plot structures in Greek,
Shakespearean and Modern drama.
      2. Identify the major characters' fundamental goals.
      3. Characterize the conflicts created by the differing goals of
characters in the same play.
      4. Identify significant choices made by characters in the play for
which the consequences cannot be foreseen or controlled.
   D. The stage
      1. Describe the various kinds of stages on which plays have been and
are performed.
      2. Discuss the impact of the construction of the stage on the
structure of the play itself.
   E. Theatrical language
      1. Distinguish between theatrical dialogue and everyday
conversation.
      2. Examine the contradiction between what characters say and what
they actually think and feel.
      3. Identify moments in the dialogue where the  subtext" breaks
through into the dramatic discourse.
   F. Performance
      1. Contrast  stage" acting with  method" acting.
      2. List criteria used to evaluate a play's performance and apply
those to a specific production.
   G. Identify the major themes in a dramatic work.

Methods of Evaluation of Competencies:

Evaluation of student mastery of course competencies will be accomplished using the following methods:

10%:  Students will respond to literature in daily journal entries
which will require them to write about literary works in detail and
connect them to their daily lives.
10%:  Students will be asked to write plot summaries of the dramas.
10%:  Students will respond to literature through reports submitted by
in-class discussion groups.
30%:  Students will be given three examinations on the three literary
genres in which they will be asked to discuss and analyze literary works
in detail, define literary terms and apply those terms to specific works.
Students will also be asked to write in-class essays that create thematic
unity among various texts.
30%:  Students will be asked to write three essays which will analyze and
comment on individual literary works.
10%:  Students will be given credit for attending class and participating
in group discussion.

All work is graded on a point system and computed into percentages.
The final grade is based on the percentage of total points earned at
semester's end.

      90%-100% = A
      80%- 89% = B
      70%- 79% = C
      60%- 69% = D
      59% and below = F

Caveats: NONE

Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Access Services. Access Services will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your professor and his/her director. The professor and director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.

JCCC provides a range of services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational programs and activities. If you desire support services, contact the office of Access Services for Students With Disabilities (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.