Butler Community College	English Department
Humanities/Fine Arts Department	Fall 1997

  Introduction to Short Story
Course Outline

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
LT205. Introduction to Short Story. 3 hours credit. A study of short story. Emphasis is on lectures, discussions, and written reports of assigned library readings.

TEXTBOOKS:
Gwynn. Fiction: Pocket Anthonlogy (4th ed.). Allyn and Bacon.

COURSE OBJECTIVE:
Through reading assignments, listening to lectures, viewing and listening to lectures, viewing and listening to audio-visual materials, through participating in class discussions, and writing responses, the course will familiarize the students with selected examples of short prose with accepted critical approaches to literature, and with the basic structures and formal aspects of genres within the form.

At completion of Introduction to Short Story, the student will be able to:

1. identify the elements of fiction: theme, plot, character, setting, point of view, and style.
2. evidence through discussion and composition perception of these elements in the study of representative fiction.
3. construct through reading, reflective thinking, discussion, and composition the imaginative truth in fiction.
4. understand literature as a cultural phenomenon through the reading of ethnic and culturally-based fiction.
5. develop skills for reading as a pleasurable activity.
6. relate the truths of fiction to the realities of life.

TOPICAL OUTLINE OF UNITS:
History and Development of the Short Story

1. Oral tradition
2. Middle ages
3. Gothic
4. Modern
5. Post-modern (reflexive)

Elements

1. Plot
2. Character
3. Setting
4. Theme
5. Style

Devices

1. Symbolism
2. Irony
3. Allegory
4. Diction

METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
Methods of instruction may include lecture; class discussion; daily exercises; tests, including daily quizzes and essay exams; audio-visual aides; reports; and writing assignments.

Telecourses: Independent study of audio/video materials augmented by text and study guides; collaboration and participation with class members and faculty via available means. Faculty role is facilitator of learning experiences.

METHODS OF EVALUATION:
Four open-book, open-note essay exams will constitute 60% of the course grade, a comprehensive final exam will constitute 10% of the course grade, daily quizzes will constitute 10% of the class grade, and a written report over outside reading will constitute 20% of the course grade. The individual instructor may determine other methods of evaluation.

Miscellaneous:
Students with impaired sensory, manual or speaking skills are encouraged and have the responsibility to contact their instructor, in a timely fashion, regarding reasonable accommodation needs.