Course Syllabus

Summer 2026 | ENG-1310-VO02 - Introduction to Literature

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Dave Amsden
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Collin Lee

General Education Requirements

Arts and Aesthetics
Research and Writing Intensive

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

In this course, students read a culturally diverse selection of fiction, poetry, and drama with an emphasis on how to study literature: understanding plot and character, identifying themes and the author's point of view, and analyzing techniques in prose and verse. This course fulfills the research and writing intensive requirement. Students must complete a final research paper with a grade of C- or better in order to pass this course. Prerequisite: English Composition.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the formal elements of the novel, short fiction, poetry, non-fiction, and drama.
2. Define literary elements such as theme, character, plot, imagery, setting, point of view, and symbolism.
3. Analyze how writers use formal and literary elements to express ideas, emotions, and cultural values.
4. Identify figurative uses of language such as irony, metaphor, and personification from a wide range of literary works.
5. Describe the cultural and historical context of selected works of literature and explain the impact of global and/or cultural diversity on the development of these works.
6. Discuss the contributions of selected works of literature to social change, thought, and/or well-being on an individual or collective level.
7. Write short reaction papers and analyses of a wide range of selected literary works, critically editing drafts for precision and clarity as well as correct mechanics.
8. Demonstrate information literacy skills: distinguish between and utilize both primary and secondary sources; perform library and web-based literature searches; and evaluate data and resources for credibility, reliability, and validity.
9. Demonstrate the ability to apply APA citation style in academic writing by parenthetically citing sources in the text and correctly compiling them in the relevant end sources page.
10. Compose, revise, and edit a final paper that includes a thesis, integrates five or more scholarly and professional sources, including primary and secondary evidence as needed, to address an academic research question and demonstrate writing proficiency by achieving a grade of C- or better.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class.
This class may require purchase of supplies or materials that are not available through the CCV bookstore. ***

ENG-1310-VO02 Link to Textbooks/Resources Information for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

Required Texts

These are the full texts you'll need and options for access:

1-The Old Man & the Sea, Ernest Hemingway

2-Binti, Nnedi Okorafor

3-Water by the Spoonful, Quiara Alegría Hudes* (available in e-format from the VSCS libraries)

These titles are all available to purchase through the CCV bookstore. Total cost is between $30-$50. The bookstore offers new, used, and rental options.

There are also limited hard copies of these titles available for loan from the VSCS libraries. If you attempt to request library copies, please be sure you're requesting the actual text and not a review or article written about the text.

*In addition,Water by the Spoonful is available in e-format from the VSCS libraries, which means you all have digital access to that play whenever you want it.

The selected poems, short stories and non-fiction narratives will all be available digitally through the VSCS libraries and/or Open Educational Resources posted to our Canvas course site. All library materials and Open Educational Resources are available at no extra cost for students.

How to access these materials is up to you. Some like to have their own personal copies, some like to use the library. It's your choice, as long as you have access to full copies of the three required texts. Students cannot participate successfully and pass this class without access to the three required texts. If you have any questions about accessing the required course materials, please be in touch.

How Class Works

Each class week has an associated “module” listed on the “Modules” page. A link to the Modules page is on the left side of our course site. The first item each week is “Notes From Dave.” Reading and reviewing these notes each week is essential for keeping up with work and understanding basic expectations. Please begin each week with "Notes From Dave." Then, check out the expectations for the weekly discussion forum and any assignments that are due. Email me anytime with questions.

Teaching & Learning Methods

-Analyzing traditional and contemporary texts

-Exploring foundational literary elements and devices

-Weekly online discussion forums

-Facilitated interactions with librarians and library materials

-Scaffolded research assignments

Evaluation Criteria

-Attendance, 30 points

-Respectful Participation, 20 points

-Three short papers, 7 points each

-Three Quizzes, 3 points each

-Research Paper, 20 points

Attendance

Attendance is determined through participation in the weekly discussion forums. A total of 3 attendance points are available to earn each week. Students must post and reply to classmates as instructed and meet weekly expectations on the discussion forum to be marked present for class and earn all 3 points. Weekly discussion forums have specific guidelines. Students need to follow those guidelines to be marked present. Students cannot pass this class with more than three absences.

Respectful Participation

-support classmates' growth rather than "winning" the discussion

-demonstrate respect for all classmates

-actively and intentionally read classmates' work

-be curious about your classmates and avoid judgement

-discussion forums are for learning, not argument or debate

Short Papers

On three occasions, you will be asked to write a 300-400 word reflection on the assigned course materials and literary terms. These papers should demonstrate a mix of text analysis, critical inquiry, and personal reflection. I will provide a “writing prompt” meant to guide that week’s short paper.

Quizzes

There will be three take home/open book quizzes during the first eight weeks of class.

Research Paper

Your major assignment is a 5 page college-level research paper exploring a specific work or author. Individual assignment modules will be posted for each stage of the assignment, which include submitting a research question, annotated bibliography, and multiple drafts.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.