LIT 2020: Introduction to the Short Story

I Dont Want to Know What Love Is, and I Want Fiction to Show Me
Fall 2012
Jose A. Aparicio
Instructor Information
Office: CPR 326
Office Hours:

Monday 4:30-6:00pm
Tuesday 1:30-2:30pm
or by appointment

Email: japaricio@mail.usf.edu

General Course Information

This is a 3 credit hour course. It carries no prerequisites. It is offered through the Department of English
in the School of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences. The course meets Monday 6:20-9:05pm in
CIS 3074
Introduction to Fiction is part of the University of South Floridas Foundation of Knowledge and
Learning Core Curriculum. It is a writing-intensive course that is certified for the Humanities core area
and for the following dimensions: Critical Thinking, Inquiry-Based Learning, Ethical Perspectives,
Creative and Interpretive Processes and Experience.
This is a Gordon-Rule 6A Communications course. Students in this course will engage in writing as a
process, which means employing strategies such as pre-writing, co-authoring, document design, peer
feedback, revising, and editing. Students will learn how to develop ideas and texts that follow
academic/disciplinary conventions for different contexts, audiences, and purposes. An integral part of
writing instruction is the opportunity to revise documents in response to feedback, so students will be
required to revise at least some course writing assignments (including one major assignment) after
receiving feedback from the instructor. At a minimum, students will write 4500 words for this course.
Students must achieve a proficiency level of at least C- in the course in order to receive Gordon Rule
Communication credit.
Students enrolled in this course may be asked to participate in the USF General Education Assessment
effort. This might involve submitting copies of writing assignments for review, responding to surveys, or
participating in other measurements designed to assess the FKL Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes.
Course Description
This course introduces students to the art and pleasure of short fiction and novels. Students will read a
variety of fiction by different authors, representing various historical periods and cultural contexts.
Students will be encouraged to read fictional texts in their full complexity, taking into account multiple
perspectives and identifying the multiple (often ambivalent or contradictory) meanings produced by a
given text. Students will also consider how texts produce such meanings. As they explore the creative
process and develop an understanding of the genre, students will acquire tools for reading and writing
critically about the techniques and significance of fiction. Students will be required to interpret and
engage with fiction and criticism that reflect a range of human emotional, intellectual, and cultural
experience.
Introduction:
Roland Barthes posits that, To try to write love is to confront the muck of language: that region of
hysteria where language is both too much and too little, excessive (by the limitless expansion of the ego,
by emotive submersion) and impoverished (by the codes on which love diminishes and levels it) (A

Lovers Discourse: Fragments, 99). This course will confront this muck by exploring the manner in
which writers have handled love. We will examine romantic love in The Great Gatsby where Jake Gatsby
obsesses over Daisy, as well as in Fight Club, where the unnamed narrator falls in love with Marla (yes, I
argue there is a love story there). We will explore love of community and family in Bodega Dreams and
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and then we will look at broken and alternative images of love in
Rebecca Wests The Return of the Soldier, T.S. Eliots The Waste Land and Margret Atwoods postapocalyptic The Handmaids Tale. Many of these texts work in conjunction exploring similar themes, and
part of our objective will involve making connections when we can.
Course Objectives: Students will
learn the fundamental characteristics of fiction, including plot and structure, theme, point of view,
characterization, setting, narrative time, linguistic registers and style.
interpret and analyze fiction and criticism that reflects a range of human emotional, intellectual
and cultural experiences, from authors of diverse historical periods and cultural contexts with
attention to gender, ethnicity, class and global identities.
evaluate fiction according to critical values such as complexity, significance, originality,
sophistication, relationship to tradition, and according to different schools of critical theory such
as Reader Response, Psychoanalytical Criticism, Feminist Criticism, Cultural Criticism and New
Historicism.
learn to construct oral and written arguments on the meaning and significance of fiction.
read figurative language and distinguish between metaphorical and literal meaning
learn how to research literary works, authors, content, and differing interpretations
learn how to read closely, with attention to texts use of diction, syntax, metaphor, style, and
language
learn how to defend a critical judgment against the informed opinions of others
I follow David Foster Wallaces idea that, ultimately, the goal of any literature course is to give you the
tools to critically appreciate literary art. "Critical Appreciation" means knowing why you like or dislike
something and being able to articulate those reasons, especially in writing.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental characteristics of fiction through
appropriate use of vocabulary in weekly meetings and in formal written assignments. (General
Education Core Objective A3).
Students will identify and compare ethical perspectives and interpret and analyze fiction and
literary criticism reflecting a range of human emotional, intellectual, and cultural experiences,
from authors of diverse historical periods and cultural contexts with attention to gender, ethnicity,
social class and global identities. (General Education Core Objectives A3, B3, C1, D1, D3, D4).
Students will assess fiction using appropriate critical values and will demonstrate an
understanding of the selected schools of literary criticism through their correct application.
(General Education Core Objectives A3, B3, C1, C2, C5).
In written analyses of fiction, students will construct original and persuasive arguments, with
attention to defensible thesis statements. (General Education Core Objectives A1, A2, A3, C2,
C5).
General Course Requirements
This course is designed to be as enjoyable, interesting, and thought-provoking as possible, but the more
you give to the course (as is always the case), the more you will get out of it. This course will require you
to reflect on your readings with weekly short responses, reflect on the context of the text through group
presentations, explore characterization through Facebook posts as a character, and examine how the

production of text influences the context of text through creating your own work and reflecting on it. The
class will be mostly discussion based and rely on a good amount of group work. In the classroom, we will
try to foster the major themes of our texts by building a community, so we will engage in many
community (group) exercises and sharing of ideas, opinions, and readings.
Required Texts
(I suggest getting these texts used from Amazon or other inexpensive sites rather than buying new ones.)
Be warned that some of these texts have graphic depictions of sex and violence and drug usein
other words, some of these texts ARE offensive. If there are certain issues that really bother you
(violence, subversive sexual acts, abortion, death, etc), you should come talk to me so that we can
figure out how best to move forward.
-F. Scott Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby, ISBN 0684801523
-Ernesto Quinonez- Bodega Dreams, ISBN 0375705899
-Chuck Palahniuk- Fight Club, ISBN 0393327345
-Rebecca West- The Return of the Soldier ISBN 1609421108
-Jonathan Safran Foer- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ISBN 0547735022
-Margaret Atwood- The Handmaids Tale ISBN 038549081X
Additional Materials and Resources:
Additional materials WILL be placed on Electronic or Course Reserve at the Library or on Blackboard.
Students will be informed of reading selections that they will need to access and print out to complete the
assignments.
Students with Disabilities
Students in need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the office of Students
with Disabilities Services to arrange appropriate accommodations. Students are required to give
reasonable notice prior to requesting an accommodation. Contact SDS at 974-4309 or www.sds.usf.edu.
For more information about student responsibilities related to disability accommodations, see
http://www.asasd.usf.edu/Students.htm http://www.asasd.usf.edu/faculty.htm
Academic Grievance Procedures
If a serious issue or conflict arises, the student should first make an attempt to reach a satisfactory
resolution with the course instructor. It the instructor and student are unable to resolve the situation to
their mutual satisfaction, the student may, within three weeks of the incident, file a letter of notification
with Dr. Joyce Karpay, the Assistant to the Chair of the English Department.
Academic Integrity
Students attending USF are awarded degrees in recognition of successful completion of coursework in
their chosen fields of study. Each individual is expected to earn his/her degree on the basis of personal
effort. Consequently, any form of cheating on examinations or plagiarism on assigned papers constitutes
unacceptable deceit and dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as literary theft and consists of the
unattributed quotation of the exact words of a published text, or the unattributed borrowing of original
ideas by paraphrase from a published text. On written papers for which the student employs information
gathered from books, articles, web sites, or oral sources, each direct quotation, as well as ideas and facts
that are not generally known to the public at large, or the form, structure, or style of a secondary source
must be attributed to its author by means of the appropriate citation procedure. Only widely known facts
and first-hand thoughts and observations original to the student do not require citations. Citations may be
made in footnotes or within the body of the text. Plagiarism also consists of passing off as ones own
another persons work in part or in total.

A student who submits a plagiarized assignment will receive an F with a numerical value of zero on the
assignment, and the F shall be used to determine the final course grade. The instructor has the right to
assign the student a grade of F or FF (the latter indicating dishonesty) in the course. An FF grade
assigned to indicate academic dishonesty is reflected only on internal records and prevents the student
from repeating the course using the Grade Forgiveness Policy. If a student who has been accused of
academic dishonesty drops the course, the students registration in the course may be reinstated until the
issue is resolved. A student who is suspected of cheating may not drop a course to avoid a penalty.
See http://www.usg.usf.edu/catalogs/0809/adadap.htm for USFs definitions of plagiarism and its policy
on academic honesty. Consult with me if you have any questions about these issues.
Student Conduct Policy:
Please observe common classroom courtesies, which basically means: be nice to one another. Turn off
cell phones and put them away. No one looks at his/her lap that much. Pay attention in class to me and to
each other and to building our community. Laptops are fine if used for note taking and as a quick
reference; please refrain from social media use during class.
SafeAssign:
The University of South Florida has an account with an automated plagiarism detection service that
compares assignments automatically with a huge database of journal articles, web articles, and previously
submitted papers. I ask that the major essays for this class be submitted through safeassign so that there is
a record of your work. By submitting the paper to safeassign, if for any reason you cannot make it to
class, I will see that you did the work and give you full credit for the essay. I will still require a hard copy
of the essay in class.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is mandatory. This is not a lecture class. Furthermore, you are required to be present a
minimum of 80% of the time, which in a class that meets once a week such as this one, means you are
only allowed 3 absences before you will be unable to pass the class. I cannot stress this enough: YOU
WILL FAIL THE COURSE IF YOU MISS 4 (four) DAYS.
Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major
religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the secondclass meeting. Should an examination or the due date for an assignment fall on one of these dates, I will
make arrangements with you for a make-up exam or an alternate date for submission of written work.
Aside from these extenuating circumstances, I do not make a distinction between excused and unexcused
absences. You are allowed to miss three days for whatever reason you want without having to explain it
to me, but if you are not here, then you are not learning.
Grading Policy
You will be able to access your grades on Blackboard throughout the semester. I will grade you on a 1 to
100% basis. The Blackboard grading scale will be used for the mathematical breakdown on a 100-point
scale to a letter-grade scale. Letter grades, including plus and minus grades, will be assigned for your final
grade in the class. To determine final grades, the individual grades will be converted to points according
to the Grade Point Average grading system, as follows:
A+ (97100) 4.00
A (9496.9) 4.00
A (9093.9) 3.67

B+ (8789.9) 3.33
B (8486.9) 3.00
B (8083.9) 2.67

C+ (7779.9) 2.33
C (7476.9) 2.00
C (7073.9) 1.67

D+ (6769.9) 1.33
D (6466.9) 1.00
D (6063.9) 0.67

Participation
Reflections (blogs)
Facebook Character page
Group work/presentation
Mid-term essay
Final paper
Total

10%
15%
15%
20%
20%
20%
100%

Incomplete Grade Policy:

You are required to do every last iota of the reading and writing assigned, exactly in the format
requested, and it needs to be totally done by the time class starts. There is no falling behind in this
course. A grade of I will be awarded only in the case of a medical or family emergency and, in
conjunction with University policy, only when a small portion of the students work is incomplete and
only when the student is otherwise earning a passing grade.
Students may not take this course S/U.
Participation (10%):
Love grows out of connections with others, so to examine love, you have to participate in loving the
community you are a part of by participating, actively in that community. If everyone is prepared for
class, then we can have a classroom environment in which all students feel totally free to say what they
think, ask questions, object, criticize, request clarification, return to previous subject matter, respond to
someone else's response, etc. Students who are clinically shy, or those whose best, most pressing
questions and comments occur to them only in private or outside of class, should do their discussing with
me outside of class during office hours or set up an appointment. Your ideas are goodtrust me. Dont
be afraid to voice them or to use class discussion to think out ideas.
Discussing texts will help you love them better, and will help your classmates and me to understand them better, and
will help you in general become more skilled at articulating yourself verbally and constructing verbal arguments.

Students will be evaluated over the course of the semester. At the end of the semester, the evaluations
and the overall performance are considered in terms of improvement or change.
Here is a very general idea of a range of performance evaluations:
C-/C: Student contributes (rarely), but comments show weak or no preparation or understanding of topic
C+/B-/B: Comments show satisfactory or adequate preparation and understanding
B+/A-: Comments show above-average ability to prepare, comprehend; comments are critical or
informative; comments are pertinent to the topic or advance the topic
A/A+: Comments significantly enhance or advance the topic of discussion
Don't hold back if you have something to offer or ask; active participation is desirable.
Good or excellent contributions are clear, pertinent, coherent, well-phrased, interesting, informative, or
connect or advance ideas expressed by others, or pose thoughtful or insightful questions.
Good contributions usually reveal that the student is engaged in the subject (beyond basically reading
the assignment) and has devoted some reflection or even investigation prior to the class discussion.
Showing appreciation and respect for peers is part of participating well and contributing to a supportive
academic setting.
Improvement: students showing marked change in performance will see that reflected in the final grade.
Thus, careful preparation, regular attendance, and participation are essential to success in this course.
Attendance/participation not only counts for 15% of your final grade, but also enhances all other grade
components.

Reflection papers (15% of grade):

To prepare for class each week, you are to write a 300 to 500 word (one to two page) reflection on any
aspect of the literature that we will be discussing that day. These essays are, yes, to make sure you are
reading and keeping up, but more importantly, to get you thinking about the literature. These papers can
be used as springboards for your major essays and are due as you walk in the day of class. The papers
should focus on a specific topic, such as gender, race, class, or a specific literary convention, such as
metaphor, foreshadowing, personification, etc.. The reflection should have a main focus (not necessarily a
thesis, which is also fine, but with only 500 words, the papers should really narrow what they discuss). If
you have trouble coming up with something to write, I suggest you pick what you find to be the most
important line from the text and write about it. I will grade these papers and hand them back to you, but
you are welcomed to be creative and take interpretive risk here. I will grade these papers in terms of
quality of thought and creativity and less on grammar, and they will help me get to know you as a writer,
and for you to get to know me as a reader/grader.
Aside from the grade for the essay (15%), these reflections should be used by you to participate in class
discussion. If you dont know what to say during class discussion, tell us what you wrote about and why.
Facebook Character page and Interpretive Analysis (15%):
By the second week of the semester, all students will choose a character (a list of approved characters will
be provided) and begin setting up a Facebook page for that character. Each student should plan, design, and
create a profile page with all of their characters pertinent information, such as relationship status, political
views, religious views, and likes that reflect the character. The page should also include at least four to
five status updates that reflect the characters personality, thoughts, concerns, and/or conflicts. Be creative
here and have fun. The posts and other design elements should cohere as a whole, however, so that they
collectively represent the character. Each student will present (aim for no more than five minutes) his/her
Facebook character page on a day that we discuss those characters.
Students will be advised to create an account just for this project, however, and will not use their personal
Facebook pages for this work. Students should also indicate that their page is work for a course and
maintain academic standards on the page. Students should not use their real name to sign up for the account
necessary to complete this project; nor should students post their real name anywhere on their page. Use a
pseudonym.
All students will also write a 750-word interpretive analysis paper for their chosen character. The paper
should have a well thought out and developed thesis. The paper should describe and interpret the
effectiveness of characterizationas relevant to your characterin the short story. For example, in your
view, how does Fitzgeralds characterization of Jay Gatsby contribute to the narratives meaning or theme?
Does the characterization help us to identity or sympathize with Gatsby? Where and how do we see
evidence of Gatsbys characterization within the story: through his stories he tells Nick, through his
dialogue with other characters, through dialogue that other characters have about him? Your interpretation
of how this part (characterization) contributes to the whole (the short story) will form the basis of your
thesis statement.
For Evidence, the interpretive analysis paper should reference both the story and your Facebook page. For
example, you might consider how Fitzgeralds characterization of Gatsby functions within the narrative.
How did you take that information into account when you designed your characters Facebook Page? Why
did you choose particular images, and how did you determine what to write for your characters status
updates? In most instances, the characters choices move the story according their emotions, feelings,
beliefs, and reveal character motivation, so the Facebook page and interpretive analysis will help you think

about the centrality of characterization in narrative. Papers should be turned in as a hard copy after your
presentation.
Group Presentations (20% of grade):
Each student will participate in a 20-minute group presentation that will look at historical and artistic
context for each text. Groups should look at how different artistic movements, philosophic thought, literary
movement, and historical context influences and affects the text and are encouraged to address any other
aspect of the text the group feels important.
Presentations should be well thought out, thorough, and related to our context and literature. Presentations
should be engaging power-point (or prezi) presentations that include outside knowledge. Each group
will turn in a 700-900 word (hard copy) summary describing the project, the rationale for the information
presented and each members contribution to the project. The presentation should not give a character
analysis or a plot synopsis or merely present author biography (a short mention, if important, of the
elements is fine, but I dont want 20 minutes of some writers life presented or of all the themes we are
going to discuss as a class anyway), but rather should engage the class with issues outside the actual text
that are nonetheless informing the text. Think of your presentation in the following manner: What do you
want to know about a text that is interesting? Would you enjoy sitting through your 20-minute presentation?
Your peers, who have to sit through it, will grade this assignment. While I have final say for the final grade
of the presentation (taking into account the written portion), your peers will each turn in a filled out rubric
evaluating the effectiveness of the presentation. We will discuss these criteria as a class before the first
group has to present.
Each group is STRONGLY encouraged to come talk to me before their presentation and show me rough
draft material. I promise I have suggestions to make your presentations better and to help you fill in the 20
minute time period with relevant information.
Analysis (Mid-Term and Final 20% each, for a total of 40% of grade) Paper (Learning Outcomes
Assignment)
Each student will be required to write two 1,500-1,750 word count papers, which analyze and compare
any two works of literature presented over the course of the semester. The paper should use the secondary
readings we have covered in class for support.
Students will write an essay exploring a social issue or cultural theme in two works of fiction, showing an
awareness of a possible range of interpretations. The paper must make appropriate use of relevant critical
perspectives and formal literary terms. Students will receive my comments on a rough draft of at least
1,000 words. Using those comments, students will revise the paper and submit a final draft of at least
1,500 words. You will use MLA-style documentation and formatting in your papers. It is students'
responsibility to take the necessary time to acquire use of this style; I am happy to help you inside and
outside of class and will dedicate a class to go over this style.
Five percent of your long paper assignments will be self-evaluations/reflections on your writing. The selfreflection will be posted to blackboard the day before the essay is due.
Papers are due at the beginning of class on the due date; they are to be submitted both as a hard copy to
me and as an electronic text to SafeAssign on Blackboard.
Late submissions of assignments will suffer a ten-point deduction (out of 100) for every class period they
are late, so in this once a week course, if the paper is due Monday, and you dont turn it in until the next
Monday, then you grade will drop by ten points. Assignments submitted more than two week late will
generally not be accepted.

Take the time to proofread your papers, and feel free to come and show me rough drafts.
Writing Center:
USF's Writing Center (http://guides.lib.usf.edu/writing) offers assistance to any student who wants to
improve his or her writing skills. Rather than offering editing assistance, during a session in the Writing
Center consultants and students work together to enhance the organization, development, grammar, and
style of any type of writing across the disciplines. Students are encouraged to visit the Writing Center at
any stage during the writing process, from brainstorming and pre-writing to final polishing.
The USF Writing Center is conveniently located in the Library Learning Commons. Walk-ins are
welcome dependent on availability, but students are encouraged to make an appointment by visiting the
Writing Center during office hours or setting up an appointment online. The phone number is 813-9748293
Communication:
If you are not clear about an assignment or have any concerns about the class, please feel free to contact
me. The best way to do so is through e-mail or during office hours. You dont need to make an
appointment, but it will guarantee that I am in my office and available if you do, so you dont have to
wait. Come see me and I will help you in any way I can or direct you to someone who can help. Also, you
dont have to have a problem to drop by. We can discuss the stuff we are reading, your paper, or
anything else you feel will be helpful. My door is always opened (when Im there).
Also, remember that if you would like some extra help, not only am I available but you can also go to the
Writing Center located in the library.
Tentative Schedule:
I reserve the right to change the schedule to reflect the needs of the class as the semester progresses.
Keep in mind that you have a reflection note due on the days we go over the literature, which is not
explicitly on this schedule.
Week 1
Monday, 27 August: Syllabus and Introduction;
Discussion on love, supplemented with videos.
Discuss: Modernism/ Postmodernism and identity- group activity.
Assign groups to texts.
Watch: Un Chien Andalou; discuss interpretation
Homework:
Read PDF uploaded to Blackboard: Peter Childs Modernism and introduction to postmodernism: during
your reading, pay particular attention to how Modernism is conceptualized, defined, and characterized
and to how each individual covered in-depth in Chapter 1 (Marx, Darwin, Freud, Nietzsche, Saussure, and
Einstein) influenced Modernism. Then think about these ideas in conjunction with Postmodernism: what
stayed the same, what changed, how did these thinkers influence postmodernism? Mondays class session
will require you to be able to identify key passages from the text that highlight your understanding of
Modernism and its development into postmodernism. Think about the videos and our discussion from
class and think about how the major figures in Modernism and Postmodernism influence our conception
of identity and love.
Read: The Great Gatsby

Week 2
Monday, 3 September, Holiday no class Labour Day
Homework: Read: The Great Gatsby
Group one: prepare presentation.
Week 3
Monday, 10 September:
Group Work discuss Childs Modernism and the introduction to Postmodernism
Discuss Essay one
Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby presentation
Discuss The Great Gatsby
Homework: Read Bodega Dreams
Group two: prepare presentation
Week 4
Monday, 17 September:
Group two: Ernesto Quinonez- Bodega Dreams
Discuss Bodega Dreams
Homework: Read Fight Club
Group three: prepare presentation
Week 5
Monday 24 September:
Discuss Palahniuk
Discuss Palahniuk and American Dream in three novels
Homework:
Write paper (rough draft, at least 1,000 words)
Week 6:
Monday 1 October:
Discuss MLA and paper topics
Discuss paper progress and writing strategies.
Peer Review
Conference (sign up for conferences)
Homework: complete rough draft of paper
Week 7:
Monday, 8 October:
No classconference with me on your papers
Homework: Read Rebecca West Return of the Soldier
Group four presentation prepare
Paper One due next class, Oct. 15

Week 8
Monday, 15 October:
Turn in papers
West presentation
Discuss West
Homework:
Read: W. H. Auden September 1, 1939 (Posted on BB)
Safran Foer Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Week 9:
Monday, 22 October:
Discuss Auden
Presentation on Foer
Discuss Foer
Homework:
Read The Waste Land Create your own Waste Land Poem.
Using fragments from pop culture, write your own poem and annotate it the way Eliot does The Waste
Land. Your reflection paper for next class should focus on your poetic choices: why did you allude to
what you alluded to?
Week 10:
Monday, 29 October:
Discuss your poems.
Eliot presentation.
Discuss: Eliot
Homework: read The Handmaids Tale
Week 11:
Monday, 5 November:
Atwood presentation
Discuss Atwood
Homework: Bring final paper ideas
Week 12:
Monday, 12 November: Watch Fight Club and discuss, comparing the movie to the novel
Homework: Finalize thesis for paper twowrite rough draft (1,000 words)
Week 13:
Monday, 19 November:
Peer review
Homework:
Work on papers

10

Week 14:
Monday, 26 November:
No classLibrary day. Work on papers, do research, and come talk to me about your final paper.
Week 15:
Monday, 3 December:
Turn in papers/ Conclusion

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