Introduction to Literature-Spring, 2000

Doris' Section

Instructor: Doris L. W. Chang

engl1012@mails.fju.edu.tw

Room: Room B, LB309

Time: Tue. 13:40--15:30; Thur. 10:10--12:00

Course Objectives

This course is designed to introduce you the basics for your future study of English and American literature. Together, we shall experience, analyze, and respond to the human cultural heritage in words. As a member of the international community, we shall look and reflect upon issues, opinions about human situations as presented in the three major literary genres: Fiction,Drama, and Poetry.

To prepare you for the future literature courses, we shall do close reading of one novel, one tragedy, and a wide range of poetry. In this semester, we will focus on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a 19th C novel, Checkhov's The Cherry Orchard, a play to be staged for the department annual play, and various poems in the English poetic tradition. You shall be encouraged to apply what you learned last semester and do close reading of narrative, dramatic, and poetic texts listed above.

In addition to the training of critical thinking, this course, above all, aims to HELP YOU ENJOY READING LITERATURE. Therefore, try to respond to the reading and share with the teacher and class both your difficulties and enjoyment reading the assignment so that we shall have more fun while learning together.

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Course Requirements:

1. Finish all the reading assignments, and access to our course on-line and the English literature databank to get further information about the texts you are studying before you come for class discussions. You may be asked to respond to the leading questions in our in-class writing exercises or comment on students' journals on line in our webclass. Occasional quizzes may be given if you fail to meet this requirement.

2. THREE oral group reports: in small groups of five people, you will apply the skills you have learned from the weekly focus on literary analysis and conduct oral reports of the poems/novel sections/play sections your group choose. Written group reports shall be handed in on the day of the reports.

3. Take the mid-term and final examinations.

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Grading Policy: Criteria-ideas, ability to analyze and discuss literary texts.

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Required Texts

Beaty, Jerome and Paul Hunter. The Norton Introduction to

Literature. New York: Norton, 1998.

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998.

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Oral Report Instructions

For group reports on poetry,

1. Read the poem out loud in class and prepare a list of vocabulary for the poem. You may even want to make sentences with the vocabulary for your classmates to better your and their command of English.

2. Present the poem in whatever way that can help your classmates enjoy and understand the poem. Paraphrase the poem first before you do further analysis of the poem, be sure you understand the surface meaning of the poem.

3. Discuss what the poem is about, analyzing its structure, syntax, diction, speaker/listener/situation, figures of language (imagery, simile, metaphor, symbol, irony, etc.).

4. Try to picture the poem if there is any visual image.

5. Go to the library and look for information about the poet/author and poem. You may also find information on our introduction to western literature site (http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/iacd_2000S/intro_lit/doris/syllabus.htm). See if the information you find helps you to understand the poem better. Be sure to develop your own analysis without copying others' opinions/sentences, remember to cite the source when you borrow ideas/sentences.

6. Discuss different elements, feelings or associations you have toward the poem with your group members.

7. Prepare your oral report. Divide your jobs well and prepare both a written and oral report. Give the written report (typed) to the instructor on the day of presentation. If you need to use the computer, please let the instructor know in advance. You may want to print your texts with a PowerPoint layout and project them on the transparency.

8. If you have more questions, be sure to talk to the teacher ONE WEEK before your report. Make an appointment first before the whole group goes to the teacher.

9. For one of the report to be turned into a homepage, see on- line instructions.

10. Have fun

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