COURSE NUMBER: ENG 201


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ENG 201

I. TITLE: Appreciation of Literature

II. CATALOG DESCRIPTION: A course designed to develop a broad literary appreciation and understanding. This course provides for the study of various genres, including fiction, poetry and drama.

III. PURPOSE: The course is designed to provide students an opportunity to develop an ability to read imaginative literature with skill and comprehension by learning the ways in which fiction, drama, and poetry work. It will allow students to develop their abilities to analyze works critically from a variety of perspectives and to present the results of their analyses to others. The course will also help students gain an appreciation for the values—esthetic, cultural, and moral—embodied in the works they read. To this end, they will encounter literary works representing many different perspectives on life. In addition, ENG 201 will cultivate the following Characteristics of an MSU Graduate:

Characteristic 1: Engage in mature independent thought and express that thought effectively in oral and written communication. ENG 201 will introduce students to the intellectual activity of analyzing literature; it will also help students express their analyses in clear prose.

Characteristic 2: Understand the critical and scientific methodologies academic disciplines employ to discover knowledge and ascertain its validity. ENG 201 focuses on familiarizing students with the methodologies of literary criticism.

Characteristic 3: Apply sound standards of analysis and evaluation to reach logical decisions. ENG 201 helps students develop reasonable standards by which they can gauge the value and understand the complexity of literary works in a variety of genres.

Characteristic 5: Demonstrate a critical understanding of the world~ historical, literary, philosophical and artistic traditions. The literature presented in ENG 201 represents a broad variety of traditions. The course will also help students understand the historical development of literature and its generic characteristics.

Characteristic 6: Understand the dynamics of cultural diversity, of competing economic and political systems, and of complex moral and ethical issues. Because students will be reading a diverse set of texts arranged generically, ENG 201 will help students understand the broad variety of viewpoints and approaches to life literature expresses.

IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completing this course a student should be able

To understand the distinguishing characteristics of the major literary genres;
To comprehend literary techniques and the role they play in creating literature;
To apply this knowledge to the interpretation of literature;
To produce clearly organized, convincingly developed written or oral presentations of either analysis of the works or reflection on the values of the works.

V. CONTENT OUTLINE: The course will be arranged into four sections: (1) short fiction; (2) the
novel; (3) drama; and (4) poetry.

VI. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
A. Active learning methodologies. Methods of instruction will include class discussion small group activities, student oral presentations, literary analysis essays, and examinations.

B. Reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking requirements. Typically
students will write two or three short essays totaling at least 2000 words, take three or
four examinations, and give one or two oral presentations.

C. Computer technology. Students will be encouraged to use the internet to gain information about the literature they read.

VII. FIELD AND CLINICAL EXPERIENCES: Students may be required to attend regional artistic and literary events to broaden their appreciation of the literature they read.

VIII. RESOURCES: Students will take advantage of many MSU resources, including the Waterfield library and the internet.

IX. GRADING PROCEDURE: At least 20% of the course grade will come from examinations; at
least 20% from papers; at least 10% from oral presentations; and at least 10% from participation and quizzes. The evaluation of work will weigh the quality of insights, the kind and quality of evidence, and the clarity of the work as well as the level of correctness of presentation. Student writing will reflect the broad variety of web resources on this subject.

X. ATTENDANCE POLICY: Students are expected to attend each class meeting. Their course grade will be lowered one third of a letter grade for each unexcused absence over 3. If for any reason students miss one fourth or more of the class meetings, they will not receive a passing grade for the course.

XI. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: See the attached college and university policies.

XII. TEXT AND REFERENCES: The basic text will be Literature: Thinking. Writing, and Reading Critically, second edition, by Sylvan Barnet and others. This text, which includes short fiction, drama, and poetry, will be supplemented by from one to three
novels, which might include F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, Virginia Woolf s To the Lighthouse, William Faulkner’s Light in August, Bobbie Ann Mason’s In Country.

XIII. PREREQUISITES: ENG 101 and ENG 102, or ENG 104 (or the equivalent)

Last updated February 14, 2000. Designed and maintained by Kyosung Koo