Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

New Course OR Existing Course

Author(s): Jill Buettner, Liz Green

Subject Area/Course No.: ENGL-132 Units: 3

Course Title: Literature of Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Discipline(s): English

Pre-Requisite(s): None Co-Requisite(s): None

Advisories: Eligibility for ENGL-100

Catalog Description: Selected listening and reading from the myths, tales, stories and novels of imaginative literature to broaden familiarization and to stimulate interests; some analysis of the art form as a metaphor to describe the human condition with links to sociological, historical and psychological perspectives. Genres explored include classical mythology, fairy tales, fantasy, science fiction, speculative fiction, and Gothic/horror, and other literatures that emphasize the fantastic.

Schedule Description: Take a journey through imaginative literature to learn about the world from a unique perspective. Course readings will be drawn from a variety of authors, such as Edgar Allen Poe, Lewis Carroll, J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen King and Richard Matheson, as well as the myths and tales of classical world mythology. Explore this too often overlooked literature to discover what makes it timeless.

Hrs/Mode of Instruction: Lecture: _54___ Scheduled Lab: ____ HBA Lab: ____ Composition: ____ Activity: ____ Total Hours __54__

Credit Credit Degree Applicable (DA) Grading Pass/No Pass (P/NP) Repeatability 0 Credit Non-Degree (NDA) Letter (LR) 1 Student Choice (SC) 2 3

Last date of Assessment: ___Spring 2015______Cohort #: __3___

Please apply for:

LMC General Education Requirement(s): None

Transfer to: CSU UC IGETC Area ____ CSU GE Area____ C-ID Number ______

Course is Baccalaureate Level: Yes No

Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 1 of 8 Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

Signatures:

Department Chair Date

Librarian Date

Dean (Technical Review) Date

Curriculum Committee Chair Date

President/Designee Date

CCCCD Approval Date (Board or Chancellor's Office) Date

STAND ALONE COURSE: YES NO

Course approved by Curriculum Committee as Baccalaureate Level: YES NO

LMC GE Requirement Approved by the Curriculum Committee: ______

FOR OFFICE OF INSTRUCTION ONLY. DO NOT WRITE IN THE SECTION BELOW. Begin in Semester ______Catalog year 20____/20_____ Class Max: ______Dept. Code/Name:______T.O.P.s Code: ______Crossover course 1/ 2: ______ESL Class: ____Yes / No______DSPS Class: _Yes / No_____ Coop Work Exp: ___Yes / No_____

Class Code A Liberal Arts & Sciences SAM Code A Apprenticeship Remediation Level B Basic Skills B Developmental Preparatory B Advanced Occupational NBS Not Basic Skills C Adult/Secondary Basic Education C Clearly Occupational D Personal Development/Survival D Possibly Occupational E For Substantially Handicapped E* Non-Occupational F Parenting/Family Support G Community/Civic Development *Additional criteria needed H General and Cultural 1 One level below transfer I Career/Technical Education 2 Two levels below transfer J Workforce Preparation Enhanced 3 Three levels below transfer K Other non-credit enhanced Not eligible for enhanced

Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 2 of 8 Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

Institutional Student Learning Outcomes: General Education SLOs: At the completion of the LMC general education program, a student will: 1. read critically and communicate effectively as a writer and speaker. 2. understand connections among disciplines and apply interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. 3. think critically and creatively 4. consider the ethical implications inherent in knowledge, decision-making and action. 5. possess a worldview informed by diverse social, multicultural and global perspectives.

None

Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs):

PSLO 1: Independently read, comprehend, and analyze literature and non-fiction, using critical thinking strategies

PSLO 2: Respond coherently to texts in critical, creative and personal ways.

PSLO 3: Write logical, coherent, well-developed academic essays about literature and non-fiction.

Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs):

At the end of the course students will be able to:

CSLO 1: Read short stories, tales, legends and novels in imaginary literature by analyzing literary elements such as plot, character, theme, setting, metaphor, and mood. (PSLO 1, 2, GE SLO 1)

CSLO 2: Write critically and/or creatively to explore the craft of imaginary literature. (PSLO 2,3, GE SLO 3)

CSLO 3: Use critical thinking skills to connect literary themes to current and historical events, as well as sociological, psychological and political topics that are raised by imaginative literature (PSLO 1, 2, GE SLO 3, 4.5)

Assessment Instruments:

Study Questions Short Essay Essays/Creative Final Exam Responses Writing Essay/Creative Writing CSLO 1 X X CSLO 2 X X CSLO 3 X X X

CSLO 1: Read short stories, tales, legends and novels in imaginary literature by analyzing literary elements such as plot, character, theme, setting, metaphor, and mood.

Study Questions: Throughout the semester, students are assigned a set of study questions for each piece of assigned literature which helps them to analyze literary elements. An example would be one of the Study Questions for Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” which asks students to study descriptive passages to establish mood. Students must answer the question “By looking at specific details that Jackson gives in pages 23-27, determine what literary device Jackson uses to establish the mood of the town of Hillsdale?”

Rationale: By asking students to analyze particular passages in the assigned literature, Study Questions evoke responses that require students to analyze the use of literary devices such as plot, character, theme, setting, metaphor, allusion and mood.

Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 3 of 8 Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

Short Essay Responses: Throughout the semester students are assigned a minimum of 5 short essay assignments. One example might be asking students to identify themes that are in Stephen King’s novella “Carrie” and to write about how their chosen theme is developed by the author. For example, students often identify the following themes:

1. teenage cruelty to those who are different 2. sexual repression 3. the power of the unconscious 4. a mother's responsibility to her daughter 5. extreme religious behavior

Focusing on one theme, students then explore how King develops that theme throughout the book by giving specific examples of character description, settings, action and/or dialogue.

Rationale: This assessment allows students to highlight specific literary devices in order to analyze the structure and effectiveness of a literary work.

CSLO 2: Write critically and/or creatively to explore the craft of literature of the imagination

Essays/Creative Writing: Throughout the semester, students are assigned a minimum of 3 full length critical essays and one creative writing assignment. An essay example could be examining the stylistic devices Richard Matheson uses in his novella, I Am Legend. For example, students are asked to reread Chapters 5, 13, and 18. As they read the chapters, they make note of the language (verbs, phrases, adjectives, adverbs) that the writer uses to create suspense. They also pay particular attention to the use of pacing noting where Matheson slows down and speeds up the pacing and possible reasons why. In a 3-5 page essay, they then both analyze how the author achieves tension through language and pacing as well as how such tension contributes to the deeper themes of alienation and loss that the main character goes through.

Rationale: This assessment allows students to identify how an author who writes imaginative literature employs his/her craft in specific ways to create a desired effect.

Final Essay Exam/Creative Writing: At the end of the semester students may choose a creative writing assignment, such as writing a 10 page short story in a chosen genre (Gothic/horror, mythological and/or fantasy) that has a clear theme and uses language in an original way to highlight and embellish that theme

Rationale: This assessment allows students to creatively synthesize the art and craft of imaginative literature to create their own unique work of fiction.

CSLO 3: Use critical thinking skills to connect literary themes to current and historical events, as well as sociological, psychological and political topics that are raised by imaginative literature.

Study Questions: Throughout the semester students are assigned sets of Study Questions that pertain to the works of literature they are reading. An example might be for the novel, The House of the Spirits. A specific question that addresses psychological and sociological aspects of the novel is “Magical realism mixes subtle elements of the fantastic with harsh realities, and it often provides political critique. How does the violence against women in the novel perpetuate rape culture, and how do the fantastical elements of Allende’s writing either underscore or ameliorate the violence?”

Rationale: This assessment allows students to connect a destructive sociological phenomenon in the book to the larger sociological and psychological effects on society.

Short Essay Responses: Throughout the semester students are asked to write short essay responses to discussion questions. An example might be in response to Octavia Butler’s Afro-Futurist, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic novel Parable of the Sower: “How does Lauren’s Earthseed religion with its belief that ‘God is change’ reflect their changing society? Is it a message of hope, despair, both or neither?” Rationale: This assessment encourages students to connect the literature they are studying to real world events that have related themes and issues.

Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 4 of 8 Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

Essays/Creative Writing: Throughout the semester students are assigned a minimum of 3 full length critical essays. One example might be in a 4 - 6 page typed essay examine the way Eleanor's mental health slowly deteriorates due to the setting of “Hill House,” her relationships with her family and her sexual repression. Trace this development by selecting key passages in the text from the beginning through the end of the novel. Use at least 2 references to articles we have read in class exploring schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness. Rationale: This assessment asks students to synthesize ideas and factual information in previously read articles with specific themes and ideas in the literature they are reading.

Method of Evaluation/Grading:

A level student work is characterized by:

Responses to study questions which show a thoughtful consideration of the questions, remain on topic and have a clear focus; have minimal grammatical and spelling errors and are correct in the specific evidence used to support their response;

Responses to short essays which are focused, accurate in the specific evidence used to support their response, integrate original ideas and opinions, demonstrate a depth of intellectual engagement with the material and have minimal grammatical, sentence and spelling errors;

Essays/Creative Writing assignments show substantive intellectual engagement; are carefully proofread with minimal grammatical, sentence and spelling errors; synthesize ideas from a variety of readings; show creativity in use of language; have original ideas and clearly demonstrate that the student has read the material closely and thought deeply about the material; uses imaginative literature as a template for writing their own short stories or creative materials

Final Exam Essay/Creative Writing shows an ability to write a coherent, fluid, essay or story with a clearly defined thesis or carefully crafted theme that gives a substantial amount of references to the imaginative literature that is the subject of the essay; or in the case of a creative piece of writing carefully follows the structure and aspects of a particular genre; uses quotations and examples correctly; has minimal grammatical and spelling errors and is correct in the specific evidence used to support the ideas in the essay; shows a unique and authentic voice

C level student work is characterized by:

Responses to study questions which show some consideration of the questions; occasionally strays from the topic and lacks a clear focus; have several grammatical and spelling errors and sometimes gives incorrect evidence to support responses

Responses to short essays are not always focused or accurate in the specific evidence to support the response but generally accurate at least 70% of the time. Ideas do not show originality but are relevant to some degree to the essay subject; shows some intellectual engagement with the material and has several grammatical, sentence and spelling errors

Essays/Creative Writing assignments show some intellectual engagement but nothing very distinguishing; show mistakes in proofreading and have several grammatical, sentence and spelling errors; synthesize ideas from a variety of readings in a somewhat superficial manner; attempts to use imaginative literature as a template for writing their own stories or creative materials but does not stay focused or shows a lack of understanding of the genre to some extent

Final Exam Essay/Creative Writing shows some ability to write a relatively coherent and fluid essay or story with a theme that is not carefully thought out; does not show a unique or authentic voice, has frequent grammatical and spelling errors; in the case of a creative piece of writing does not carefully follow the structure or aspects of a particular genre

Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 5 of 8 Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

Grading:

Grading: 500 points for essay assignments: 150 points for study questions: 200 points for Final Essay/Creative Writing: 150 points for Short Essay responses

Total: 1000-900 points = A 899-800 points = B 799-700 points = C 699-600 points = D 600< points = F

Course Content:

I. Introduction

A. Overview and brief history with emphasis on sub-genre 1. What is genre? 2. Development of tales, myths, short stories, and novellas/novels in imaginary literature B. Origins of Gothic/horror, mythological and fantasy genres C. Biography and background of foundational writers in the imaginative literary genre

II. Elements of literature: defining, spotting and creating

A. Definition and Application of Literary Elements in short stories, tales, legends, and novels 1. plot 2. character 3. theme 4. setting 5. metaphor 6. mood through a series of student-centered exercises using the works of any of diverse selection of authors:

B. Creation of Literary Elements 1. imitate style of writing 1. original plot 2. characters 3. setting 2. Finding your own voice (style) 1. plot 2. characters 3. setting

III. Reading and Writing about Imaginative Literature critically and/or creatively

A. Critical Analysis of: 1. European Fairy Tales and Myths 2. Homer’s The Odyssey 3. Native American, Asian, African tales and myths

B. Critical Analysis of (example texts below): 1. Early 20th Century Writers: Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and/or Herman Hesse’s Demian and/or Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and/or J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and/or D.H. Lawrence’s The Plumed Serpent 2. Mid 20th Century Writers: Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, Stephen King’s Carrie, Dean Koontz’ Watchers, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 6 of 8 Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

3. Later 20th Century and Early 21st Century Writers: Clive Barker’s Books of Blood, Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, Stephen King’s Hearts in Atlantis, Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust

IV. Connecting literary themes and intellectual ideas to the sociological, psychological and political (example texts below): A. Early 20th century writers: Carroll, Hesse, Jackson, Tolkien and/or D.H. Lawrence and the sociological, psychological and political implications in their works. B. Mid 20th century writers: Matheson, King, Koontz, Pullman and Carter and the sociological, psychological and political implications in their works. C. Later 20th Century and Early 21st Century Writers, Barker, Sebold, King, and/or Pullman and the sociological, psychological and political implications in their works

Instructional Methods: Lecture Lab Activity Problem-based Learning/Case Studies Collaborative Learning/Peer Review Demonstration/Modeling Role-Playing Discussion Computer Assisted Instruction Other (explain) ______

Textbooks: Required: Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. New York: McGraw-Hill , 2001 (foundational text)

The following list represents additional books that can be incorporated into the course: Homer. The Odyssey. New York: Penguin Classics, October 31, 2006. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With A Thousand Faces Campbell, Joseph. The Power of Myth Poe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Works Matheson, Richard. I Am Legend Barker, Clive. Books of Blood Gaiman, Neil. American Gods Gaiman, Neil. The Ocean at the End of the Lane Jackson, Shirley. The Haunting of Hill House Jackson, Shirley. The Lottery King, Stephen. Carrie Koontz, Dean. Watchers Le Guin, Ursula. The Left Hand of Darkness Le Guin, Ursula. The Lathe of Heaven Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Carter, Angela. The Bloody Chamber (1979). New York: Penguin, 1993. Hesse, Hermann. Demian (1925). New York: Harper, 1989. Lawrence, D. H. The Plumed Serpent (1926). London: Wordsworth Editions, 1995. Leeming, David. From Olympus to Camelot: The World of European Mythology. New York: Oxford, 2003. Lovecraft, H. P. The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories. New York: Penguin, 1999. Pullman, Philip. His Dark Materials. New York: Knopf, 2007.

Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 7 of 8 Course Outline of Record Los Medanos College 2700 East Leland Road Pittsburg CA 94565

Course Title: Literature of the Imagination: Myths, Tales, The Short Story and The Novel Subject Area/Course Number: ENGL-132

Pullman, Philip. The Book of Dust. New York: Knopf, 2009. Tatar, Maria, ed. The Classic Fairy Tales. New York: Norton, 1999. Leeming, David. From Olympus to Camelot: The World of European Mythology. New York: Oxford, 2003. King, Stephen, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Pocket Books; New Ed edition, January 1, 2001 Butler, Octavia. Fledgling Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower Griffith, Nicola. Slow River Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale Atwood, Margaret. The Year of the Flood Moore, Alan. Watchmen Moore, Alan. V for Vendetta Bender, Aimee. Willful Creatures Bender, Aimee. The Color Master Allende, Isabel. House of the Spirits Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. Love in the Time of Cholera Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood Murakami, Haruki. After the Quake Link, Kelly. Magic for Beginners Lethem, Jonathan. Fortress of Solitude Chabon, Michael. Yiddish Policemen’s Union Chabon, Michael. The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay Hopkinson, Nalo. The Brown Girl in the Ring Russ, Joanna. The Female Man MacDonald, George. Fantastes Winterson, Jeanette. Sexing the Cherry Winterson, Jeanette. The Passion

Form Revised 5-18-2016 Page 8 of 8