English 320:  The Short Story (Spring 2005) 

Using the Course Schedule:  some tips & cautions

Here are some important things to keep in mind in using the course schedule.

• Reading assignments should be completed before you come to class on the day the assignment is listed.  

It will be impossible to understand what goes on in class if you haven't already read the assignment before you come to the discussion.   Equally important is the fact that we will almost always do some close reading and small-group discussion during class.  You will not be able to participate effectively in these discussion if you have not done the reading before you come to class.  This means you will end up disadvantaging whoever ends up being your discussion partner.  And since these class discussions will often involve close attention to the particular details of a story, you should always bring your text with you to class.  Yes, it is heavy!  But it's also essential.  If you can't bring yourself to lug it along, consider that you don't have enough interest in the course to remain enrolled in it without risk to your GPA.  (No kidding!)

• Take seriously the promptings -- generally once a week (but occasionally more or less frequently) -- to participate in message board discussion.

These reminders will be highlighted in yellow.

• What's required, and what's only recommended.  In the course schedule, you will find two kinds of assignments -- required and recommended.  Assignments that are recommended only show up only from time to time, and are clearly indicated as such.  Unless an assignment is specifically indicated as recommended, it is required.  Almost all the assignments you will encounter in the schedule are required.

• All page references in the assignments are to the Gioia/Gwynn text.  The other kind of reference you will find in the assignments is to something to be found on the Web.  Just click on the link provided.  If the assignment linked to is short and simple, you can just read it on-line.  But for stories, and for longer and more complicated discussions of critical concepts, you'll do better to make yourself a copy (by printing it out), so that you can work through it slowly, make notes in the margin, and review it at leisure.

In order to make sure everyone is able to acquire the text in time to keep up with the assignments in it, I will arrange the schedule so that the assignments in the first week of the course are also available on the web.  Just click on the link.  In some cases you will find more than one link to the same story.

• An important caution:  you'll find it useful to print out a copy of this Course Schedule.  But when you look over your copy, keep in mind that anything that appears as underlined is a web link that you can only follow up by getting on-line and clicking on the word or phrase that's underlined!  

I never use underlining on a web page for emphasis.  (Instead I use bold, italics, colored font, or large font, or some combination of these.  If you don't keep this in mind, you'll be hopelessly confused in trying to make use of pages you have printed out!)

• This schedule is tentative. I may make adjustments in reading or writing assignments if I think doing so best serves the interests of the course as it develops. I will notify you of these through an e-mail message or through the Message of the Day. 

The examination dates, however, you may take as firmly set. About a week before the date cited, you will receive special information (a "prep sheet") designed to help you to review in a focused way for each exam.

    Return to the Course Home Page (English 320:  The Short Story).

    Go to Course Schedule 1, for remaining assignments up to the Mid-Term Exam.

    Go to Course Schedule 2, for assignments between the Mid-Term and Final Exam.

  Suggestions are welcome.  Please send your comments to lyman@ksu.edu .

   Contents copyright © 2005 by Lyman A. Baker.

Permission is granted for non-commercial educational use; all other rights reserved.