ENGL A140H: Introduction to Literature Honors

Course Outline of Record
Item	Value
Eff Term	Fall 2026
Curriculum Committee Approval Date	11/12/2025
Top Code	150300 - Comparative Literature
Units	3 Total Units (Lecture Units 3)
Hours	54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours	108
Total Student Learning Hours	162
Course Credit Status	Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee	No
Basic Skills	Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable	No
Open Entry/Open Exit	No
Grading Policy	Standard Letter (S), Pass/No Pass (B)
Associate Arts Local General Education (GE)	Area 3 Arts and Humanities 3A Theory (OC1)
Associate Science Local General Education (GE)	Area 3B Humanities (OSC2)
California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC)	Cal-GETC 3B Humanities (3B)
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)	IGETC 3B Humanities (3B)

Course Description

Formerly: ENGL A140H. Part 1: 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. This is an honors course. Part 2: This course introduces representative works from major genres (fiction, novel, poetry and drama), develops students’ close reading and analytical writing skills, and promotes appreciation and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of literature. Enrollment Limitation: ENGL C1002; students who complete ENGL C1002H may not enroll in or receive credit for ENGL C1002. PREREQUISITE: Successful completion of college-level composition (ENGL C1000/ENGL C1000H/ENGL C1000E/C-ID ENGL 100) or equivalent. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

Students will be able to identify the defining elements of the various literary genres--Short Stories, Novels, Drama, Poetry, and Creative non-Fiction.

Course Objectives

Part 1 - At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:
Interpret and analyze a variety of diverse texts
Identify key elements of major literary genres (including poetry, drama, fiction) in order to analyze and interpret texts.
Define common literary terms and apply them to the analysis of specific texts.
Compose formal written analyses of texts by diverse authors that demonstrate appropriate academic discourse and the conventions of literary analysis.
Integrate research, including primary and secondary sources, applying documentation skills responsibly and effectively.
Part 2
Critically read fiction, poetry, and drama, recognizing the defining elements of each of the major genres.
Draw appropriate and supportable inferences from the specific defining elements of several literary genres.
Recognize and compare common themes among a variety of genres.
Recognize and compare the ways diverse writers from different time-periods, different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities present universal themes.
Recognize the influence of historical and aesthetic movements within each of the particular genres.
Apply critical approaches (to include but not limited to Reader Response, Sociological-Marxist, Psychological, Formalist and Feminist-Gender Approaches) to several genres.
Define, comprehend, and utilize key common literary terms and concepts in composing critical analyses of literary texts demonstrating appropriate academic discourse and literary conventions.
Use secondary sources for support and refutation in literary analysis.
Apply MLA documentation skills while avoiding plagiarism.

Lecture Content

Part 1

A minimum of 3 literary genres, including poetry, drama, and short fiction from diverse authors representing a wide range of cultures, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Other genres may include but are not limited to the novel, creative nonfiction, and essays.
Literary terminology, devices, and critical approaches.
Active and critical reading strategies.
Writing and thinking critically about literature, including literary analysis.
Minimum 5,000 words of writing which may include a combination of drafts, written peer response, and other forms of writing.

Part 2

Applying active and critical reading skills to several different literary genres.
Identifying key elements of major genres such as poetry, drama, scripted stories and novels.
Examining varying elements within a particular genre (such as different kinds of poems—sonnets, free verse, lyric, narrative)
Examining how a specific genre can be viewed from various theoretical perspectives.
Comparing and evaluating common themes between two or more genres.
Recognizing how writers from different historical, cultural or social backgrounds develop and expand each of the genres.
Developing an appreciation for the aesthetic qualities of literature.
Understanding literary terminology devices conventions and different critical methodologies applicable to the analysis of specific texts and/or genres
Developing and supporting a thesis with details and evidence drawn from primary texts

Method(s) of Instruction

Lecture (02)
DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
DE Online Lecture (02X)

Instructional Techniques

Instructional techniques involve some or all of the following: lecture/discussion, in-class writing prompts, peer feedback, close reading, group work, panel discussions, debates, response papers, quizzes, collaborative research presentations, demonstrations, conferencing (individual and small group), multiple draft assignments, and instruction in revision and editing.

Reading Assignments

Part 1 (Identical and Required): Note: Multiple texts may be necessary to fulfill the purposes of this course. Any individual text listed below may not stand alone as sufficient. Text selection should include a diverse set of authorial voices that may include a range of cultures, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Open Educational Resources (OER) may be used in place of any type of text. Representative Literature Textbooks (most recent edition): • Mays, Kelly. The Norton Introduction to Literature. W.W. Norton. 15th, 2024. • Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Writing, Thinking. Bedford/St. Martins. • Barnet, Sylvan, et al. An Introduction to Literature. Longman. • DiYanni, Robert. Literature, Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. McGraw-Hill. Full-length novels or other separately published works. Representative Writing Handbooks and/or Other Support Materials: • Gardner, Janet E. Writing About Literature: A Portable Guide. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins (also available with MLA insert), 6th, 2025. • Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. Prentice Hall. Textbooks older than 7 years must be clearly labeled as classic or legacy. Texts used by individual institutions and even individual sections will vary. Part 2: A minimum of two hours per week reading, analyzing, and annotating representative works from poetry, short fiction, novel, drama, or creative non-fiction.

Writing Assignments

Students will spend a minimum of 4 to 6 hours a week writing the following: response papers, essays, take-home exams, close-readings, and annotations. Write a minimum of 3000 words (15pages, 12 pt. double spaced typed) about introductory literature: (a) a minimum of 2000 words (10 pages) of the writing must be in the form of analytical essays, (b) the other writings may be in the form of tests requiring primarily short and/or long essay responses, journal writings, creative modeling of the literature, written notes outlining oral presentations, or other types of writings that demonstrate an understanding of the literature.

Out-of-class Assignments

A minimum of between 4-6 hours each week on writing assignments--including (but not limited to) essays, summaries, reading responses, research essays using secondary sources and take-home exams.

Study Non-Contact Hours Recommended

108

Methods of Student Evaluation

Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Short Quizzes
Written Assignments

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Part 1 Methods of evaluation used to observe or measure students’ achievement of course outcomes are at the discretion of local faculty. - Formal writing, including essays. - Informal writing (examples include journals, discussions, annotations, reader responses, in-class writing, and responses to questions). - Minimum 5,000 words of writing which may include a combination of drafts, written peer response, and other forms of writing. - Other evaluation methods may include assignments such as quizzes, projects, presentations, and portfolios. Part 2 - Evaluation of student writing will use multiple methods to verify authenticity of student writing, adherence to academic integrity, and student ability to demonstrate course outcome skills. - Tests, analytical essays, journals or class presentations

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Resources Subscreen

Textbook: Mays, Kelly. The Norton Introduction to Literature. W.W. Norton (2024).
Textbook: Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Writing, Thinking. Bedford/St. Martins (2024).
Textbook: Barnet, Sylvan, et al.. An Introduction to Literature. Longman (2010 (Classic)).
Textbook: DiYanni, Robert. Literature, Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. McGraw-Hill (2007 (Classic)).
Textbook: Gardner, Janet E. Boston:. Writing About Literature: A Portable Guide. Bedford/St. Martins (2025).
Textbook: Harmon, William, and C. Hugh Holman. A Handbook to Literature. Prentice Hall (2003 (Classic)).

Eligible Discipline(s)

English: Master’s degree in English, literature, comparative literature, or composition OR bachelor’s degree in any of the above AND master’s degree in linguistics, TESL, speech, education with a specialization in reading, creative writing, or journalism OR the equivalent. Master's degree required.

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