C-ID Descriptor
Introduction to Literature

Successful completion of college-level composition (C-ID ENGL 100) or equivalent

N/A

N/A

Genres: at minimum, poetry, drama, and short fiction.  Other genres may include the novel, creative non-fiction, and essays.

Literary terminology, devices, and critical approaches

Active and critical reading strategies

Writing critically about literature

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Read a variety of diverse texts actively and critically
2. Identify key elements of major genres 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 that demonstrate appropriate academic discourse and the conventions of literary analysis 
5. Research appropriate primary and secondary sources and apply documentation skills without plagiarism

Formal essays

Informal writing  (examples include journals, annotations, reader responses, in-class essays, and responses to questions)

Other evaluation methods such as exams, quizzes, class participation, projects, and portfolios

Sample Textbooks (most recent edition):

Meyer. The Bedford Introduction to Literature:  Reading, Writing, Thinking. Bedford/St. Martins

Barnet, Cain, Burto & Berman. An Introduction to Literature. Longman

DiYanni. Literature, Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. McGraw-Hill

Full-length novels or other separately published works, including Open Educational Resources (OER)

Sample Manuals, Other support Materials: 

Gardner, Janet E. Writing About Literature:  A Portable Guide. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins

Harmon, W., and H.Holman .A Handbook to Literature. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall

Selected handbook or style manual,

including Open Educational Resources (OER) texts and materials