SYLLABUS AND CALENDAR

 ENGLISH 2392 SPRING 08
C.W. Smith

 

 

JAN 15 TU – Introduction. Reading: Policies and Requirements, SMU Honor Code, and The Reason I Missed Class from website.

JAN 17 TH – “Showing and Telling” from website. Discussion of “Yogurt,” “Blackberries,” other short-shorts. (Student model on website: "Muster")

 

JAN 22 TU - University decrees that this day is a Monday.

JAN 24 TH – Writing Assignment #1 due: the short-short. Presentations. Reading quiz: “A Brief History of the Short Story” and “Why Do We Read Short Stories,” pp. xiii-xviii in The Contemporary American Short Story.

 

JAN 29 TU – Reading quiz: “Janus” (CASS, 96). Presentations

JAN 31 TH – Reading quiz: “The Things They Carried” (CASS, 422) Presentations

 

FEB 05 TU –  Writing Assignment #2 due: the character sketch. (Models on the website: “Tracey” and “End of the Rainbow”) Presentations.

FEB 07 TH –  Reading quiz: “The Rich Brother” (CASS, 546) Presentations.

 

FEB 12 TU – Reading quiz: “The Elements of Fiction” (CASS, xiv) Presentations

FEB 14 TH -  Reading quiz: “The Fat Girl” (CASS, 163) Presentations

 

FEB 19 TU – Writing Assignment #3: story made from the sketch. Presentations

FEB 21 TH -  Presentations

 

FEB 26 TU – Presentations

FEB 28 TH – Writing Assignment #4: Notes and outline for story based on the Billie Sicard newspaper article.

 

MAR 04 TU – Reading quiz: “Gravity” (CASS, 302) Presentations

MAR 06 TH – Writing Assignment #5: revision of assignment #3 for grade.

 

MAR 11 TU - SPRING BREAK

MAR 13 TH - SPRING BREAK

 

MAR 18 TU – Reading quiz: stories from childhood 1: “The Lesson” (CASS, 21) Presentations

MAR 20 TH – presentations

 

MAR 25 TU – Writing Assignment #6 due: the monologue (Models on website: “Sweet Talk” “Sir Scoops a Lot” )

MAR 27 TH – Reading quiz: stories from childhood 2: “Fiesta, 1980” (CASS, 151)

 

APR 01 TU – Reading quiz: stories from childhood 3: “The Gryphon” (CASS, 81) Presentations

APR 03 TH – Writing Assignment #7: A Tale From Childhood: short story in first-person.

 

APR 08 TU – Reading quiz: "The Plantation Club" (handout) Presentations

APR 10 TH – Reading quiz: stories from childhood 4: “The Monkey Garden” (CASS, 133)

 

APR 15 TU – Presentations

APR 17 TH – Presentations

 

APR 22 TU – Reading Quiz: "The Third and Final Continent" (CASS, 283)

APR 24 TH – Presentations

 

APR 29 TU - LAST CLASS DAY Presentations

 

MAY 02 FRI – Writing Assignment #8: (Revision of #7)

 

 

Quizzes:

Except where noted, all readings are from the textbook. See above for dates and page numbers.

 

1. “A Brief History of the Short Story” + “Why Do We Read Stories?”

2. “The Elements of Fiction”

3. “Janus”

4. “The Things They Things they Carried”

5. “The Rich Brother”

6. “The Fat Girl”

7. “Landfill” (handout)

8. “The Lesson”

9. "Fiesta, 1980"

10. "The Gryphon"

11. “The Plantation Club" (handout)

12. “The Monkey Garden”

13. "The Third and Final Continent"