Catalog Description

Formerly known as ENGL 0001B
Prerequisite: Successful completion of college-level composition (ENGL C1000/C-ID ENGL 100) or equivalent
Hours: 54 lecture
Description: In this course, students are introduced to works by diverse authors and major literary genres, developing close reading and analytical writing skills. Students also develop appreciation for and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of literature. (C-ID ENGL 120) (CSU, UC)

Course Student Learning Outcomes

  • CSLO #1: Analyze and evaluate literature.
  • CSLO #2: Evaluate and apply research sources, including literary criticism.
  • CSLO #3: Construct formal and informal college-level compositions about literature.

Effective Term

Fall 2026

Course Type

Credit - Degree-applicable

Contact Hours

54

Outside of Class Hours

108

Total Student Learning Hours

162

Course Objectives

1. Interpret and analyze a variety of diverse texts.

2. Identify key elements of major literary genres (including poetry, drama, fiction) in order to analyze and interpret texts.

3. Define common literary terms and apply them to the analysis of specific texts.

4. Compose formal written analyses of texts by diverse authors that demonstrate appropriate academic discourse and the conventions of literary analysis.

5. Integrate research, including primary and secondary sources, applying documentation skills responsibly and effectively. 

General Education Information

  • Approved College Associate Degree GE Applicability
    • AA/AS - Critical Thinking
    • AA/AS - Arts and Humanities
    • AA/AS - Comm & Analyt Thinking
    • AA/AS - Literature & Language
    • AA/AS - Reading Skills
  • CSU GE Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU approval)
    • CSUGE - A3 Critical Thinking
    • CSUGE - C2 Humanities
  • Cal-GETC Applicability (Recommended - Requires External Approval)
    • Cal-GETC 1B - Critical Thinking
  • IGETC Applicability (Recommended-requires CSU/UC approval)
    • IGETC - 1B Crit Think Eng Comp

Articulation Information

  • CSU Transferable
  • UC Transferable

Methods of Evaluation

  • Classroom Discussions
    • Example: In groups of four, students will discuss and explain the rhyme scheme in an assigned poem.
  • Essay Examinations
    • Example: Students will write an in-class essay analyzing one literary element in a short story (setting, point of view, tone or style, characterization) and explaining how it works in elucidating the story's theme. Instructor will grade using departmental rubric to communicate strengths and weaknesses of the essay's argument, use of evidence, style/tone, organization, and awareness of audience.
  • Objective Examinations
    • Example: In an objective exam, students will identify and differentiate between denotative and connotative language in a poem.

Repeatable

No

Methods of Instruction

  • Lecture/Discussion
  • Distance Learning

Lecture:

  1. Instructor presents a lecture and organizes small group discussion on the elements of literature, explaining the ways that characterization, setting, point of view, style, and tone affect meaning. Students identify elements in assigned reading and explain how they influence interpretation.
  2. Instructor presents an overview of literary theory such as feminism and its basic tenets; Instructor then explains to students how to use feminist theory in analyzing a literary text. In groups, students produce a feminist analysis of the story.

Distance Learning

  1. On discussion board, instructor poses question about the significance of the cultural perspectives on the Vietnam war as it relates to setting in "The Things They Carried." In online discussion, students will explain the connections between the social/cultural environment of the Vietnam war era, and the ways in which this environment is utilized via settings to create mood, contribute to theme, provide conflict, etc. in the novel.

Typical Out of Class Assignments

Reading Assignments

1. Read the play, "Ruined" by Lynn Nottage and annotate. 2. Read Tim O'Brien's story, "The Things They Carried" and prepare to discuss study questions. 3. Read Langston Hughes's poem, "Mother to Son" and note the use of imagery. Prepare to discuss.

Writing, Problem Solving or Performance

1. In groups of four, analyze the use of imagery and symbolism as they pertain to your interpretations in "The Things They Carried" and prepare to share with the class. 2. In a 1,500 word essay, compare and contrast the characters of Mama Nadi and Christian in the play "Ruined", explaining how their similarities and differences illustrate the play's conflicts and themes.

Other (Term projects, research papers, portfolios, etc.)

Required Materials

  • Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama
    • Author: Kennedy, X. J.
    • Publisher: Pearson Longman
    • Publication Date: 2015
    • Text Edition: 13th
    • Classic Textbook?:
    • OER Link:
    • OER:
  • The Norton Introduction to Literature
    • Author: Mays, Kelly J
    • Publisher: W. W. Norton
    • Publication Date: 2024
    • Text Edition: 15th
    • Classic Textbook?:
    • OER Link:
    • OER:
  • The Bedford Introduction to Literature
    • Author: Meyer, Michael
    • Publisher: Bedford/St.Martins
    • Publication Date: 2013
    • Text Edition: 10th
    • Classic Textbook?:
    • OER Link:
    • OER:
  • Literature and Its Authors
    • Author: Charters and Charters
    • Publisher: Bedford/St. Martins
    • Publication Date: 2012
    • Text Edition: 6th
    • Classic Textbook?:
    • OER Link:
    • OER:
  • Writing About Literature: A Portable Guide.
    • Author: Gardner, Janet E.
    • Publisher: Boston: Bedford/St. Martins
    • Publication Date: 2025
    • Text Edition: 6th
    • Classic Textbook?:
    • OER Link:
    • OER:

Other materials and-or supplies required of students that contribute to the cost of the course.