Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Introduction to Literary Studies (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 2400-01

Course: ENGL 2400-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ENGL
CRN: 12123

Course Description

An introduction to the study of literature for the English major, which emphasizes the analysis of literature in all genres (poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction), understanding literary terminology as it applies to the textual studies, the development of analytical and interpretive skills through close reading and writing, and an introduction to the principles of documentation and research. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 2010

Required Texts

  • Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature (Portable 15th Edition). W.W. Norton, 2026.
  • Ward, Jesmyn. Sing, Unburied, Sing. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.

Learning Outcomes

  • Critical Thinking: Students demonstrate the ability to identify, clarify, and engage with the assumptions, contexts, and details surrounding texts and critical arguments.
  • Communication: Students demonstrate the ability to articulate interpretations and critical positions through presentations and academic essays.
  • Information Literacy: Students demonstrate the ability to conduct scholarly research.

Course Requirements

Informal Writing. You will complete 6 short writing assignments, which will be graded based on content rather than technical aspects of your writing—although I will provide ungraded feedback on writing matters as needed. These assignments will directly connect to our readings, writing assignments, research, and the writing process. 20%

Essays. You will write two argument-based essays in class to interpret and contribute to the broader conversation about a literary work: Essay 1, a 3–4-page essay on a single, short lyric poem (10% + 5% for Draft), and Essay 2, a 5-6-page essay on either a work of fiction (a short story or Ward’s novel) or a play (25% + 5% for Intro. & Outline). 45%

Examinations. You will complete two formal examinations in this class: an in-class analysis of a sonnet (10%); and a Final Exam with a short answer section and a comparative essay component (15%). 25%

Classroom Engagement. Your classroom engagement grade includes Discussion (5%) and Activities (5%). For a detailed overview of ways to participate effectively in this class, see the Classroom Discussion & Activity Guidelines handout in the General Resources Module. 10%

Grading. Final grades will be determined by the percentage of the 100 possible points earned: 94-100% A, 90-93% A-, 87-89% B+, 84-86% B, 80-83% B-, 77-79% C+, 74-76% C, 70-73% C, 67-69% D+, 64-66% D, 60-63% D-, and 59% and below F. If your grade lands at a .5, I will round it up (I.e., 89.5 = 90).

Course Outline

All reading assignments come from The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays unless otherwise noted. Assigned pages numbers are noted parenthetically.

SPRING BREAK
DateReading AssignmentsWriting/Exam Deadlines
W 1/7Introduction to Course; Introductions
F 1/9“Introduction” (1-9)
Activity: Reading a Poem (Handout)
Discuss Diagnostic Letter Requirements
IW 1: Diagnostic Letter
M 1/12Unit 1: Poetry
Chapter 10, “Whose Voice do We Hear” (455-461)
W 1/14Chapter 12, “Theme and Tone” (495-501)
Discuss IW 2
F 1/16Chapter 13, “Language: Word Choice and Order (508-515—stop after Blake poem)IW 2: Poetry Analysis (w in-text citations)
M 1/19No Class: MLK Day
W 1/21“Key Figures of Speech” (154), Chapter 14, “Visual Imagery and Figures of Speech” (521-534), and Elaine Magarrell, “The Joy of Cooking” (in Poetry Module)
Discuss IW 4
F 1/23Chapter 16, “The Sounds of Poetry” (552-555 & 558-559)
In-Class Activity: Practice Scansion
IW 3: Poetry Argument w/ Work Cited entry
M 1/26Chapter 22, “The Literature Essay” (1078-90)
Discuss Essay 1 Requirements
W 1/28Chapter 18, “External Form” (587-90 + 596-98)
F 1/30The Sonnet: An Album (Poems TBA) + Exam Prep
M 2/2Exam 1: Sonnet Analysis
W 2/4“Free Verse or Open Form Poetry” (handout and poem packet in Poetry Module)
F 2/6In-Class Activity: Choose poem for Essay, Identity Focus (the Idea or Theme you will write about), and Develop Tentative Thesis
M 2/9Unit 2: Fiction
“Questions about Elements of Fiction” (19), “Key Concepts” (25-27), and Isabelle Allende, “And of Clay We Are Created” (28-35)
W 2/11Chapter 2, “Plot” (46-53), and Ralph Ellison, “King of the Bingo Game” (54-61)
F 2/13Chapter 3, “Narration and Point of View” (71-74, and the short stories by George Saunders (pp. 82-88) and Jamil Jan Kochai (89-95)Essay 1 Draft
M 2/16No Class: President’s Day
W 2/18Chapter 4, “Character” (96-103) and Junot Diaz, “Wildwood” (113-128)
F 2/20Essay 1 Draft Debrief: If you have individual questions about my feedback on your draft, please make an appointment with me ASAP!IW 4: Fiction Analysis
M 2/23Chapter 5, “Setting” (130-33), Zadie Smith, “meet the President!” (141-50)
W 2/25Chapter 7, “Theme” (200-202), and Sandra Cisneros, “Mericans” (209-212)
F 2/27No Class: Work on Essay 1
I will be in my office during our class period if you have questions.
Essay 1 Due
M 3/2Read Jesmyn Ward, Sing, Unburied, Sing (Chapters 1-2)
Discuss Essay 2 Requirements
W 3/4Sing, Unburied, Sing (Chapters 3-4)
F 3/6Sing, Unburied, Sing (Chapters 5-8)
M 3/16Sing, Unburied, Sing (Chapter 9-12)
W 3/18Sing, Unburied, Sing (Chapters 13-15);
Discuss Essay 2 Research Guide
F 3/20Read Dr. Nicole Dibb’s scholarly essay, “Haunted Roadscapes in Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing”IW 5: Fiction Argument
M 3/23Unit 3: Drama
Chapter 19, “Reading Drama” (684-98) and Chapter 20, Elements of Drama (711-721)
W 3/25August Wilson, Fences, Act 1 (722-752)
M 3/27Fences, Act 2 (752-774)IW 6: Drama Argument
M 3/30In-Class Activity: Choose text for Essay 2, Identify Focus (the Idea or Theme you will write about), and Develop Tentative Thesis
W 4/1Revisit Essay 2 Research Guide before you come to class today: we’ll locate suitable sources and discuss the
F 4/3No Class: Work on IW 8Introduction and Topic Sentence Outline
M 4/6In-Class Activity: Have located, evaluated, and read your scholarly essay—and be prepared to do further analytical work on the essay in class
W 4/8In-Class Activity: Work on Essay 2 and incorporating secondary sources
F 4/10In-Class Activity: Peer Review Essay 2.
M 4/13Discuss Exam 2 Requirements & Part 2 Prompts
Chapter 22, “The Literature Essay” (pp. 1090-97), which covers comparative essays and essays tests—and will prepare you for Part 2 of your Exam 2
W 4/15Final Exam Review (for Part 1)
F 4/17Last Day of Class!Essay 2 Due
W 4/22Exam 2: I regret we are scheduled at such an early hour; however, I will bring some breakfast drinks and snacks so all you really need to do is show up with your textbook!

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Canvas Usage. All assignments must be submitted via Canvas for a grade. Under no circumstances will I grade essays that are emailed to me. Instructions for all writing assignments will be provided in Canvas.

Classroom Etiquette. I expect all students to come to class having done the reading and prepared to participate in class discussions and activities. I have a strict “no cell phone/no computer policy” in my class, although I will make exceptions when we are doing activities that require you to research online. Please get into the habit of leaving your devices in your backpacks unless we have a designated technology day.

Generative AI Policy. This course expects all work submitted by students will be generated by the students, working individually or in groups as directed by class assignment instructions.  Students are not allowed to use generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude AI, etc.) to produce content for their essays in this class. Presenting AI-generated work as your own constitutes a violation of SUU Policy 6.33: Academic Misconduct and opens the violator up to a series of potential sanctions.

Late Assignments. All work is due as indicated in the syllabus. In Canvas, there is a final turn-in date of 24 hours after the original due date, during which I will accept work with a point penalty calculated hourly by the system. Thereafter, all assignments will receive a score of 0 unless you have arranged for an extension at least 24 hours before the deadline. Please note that extensions are not guaranteed, and I will expect you to meet with me in person to discuss your needs before I approve any extension request. Obviously, cases involving extreme emergencies, as verified by university officials, will be excused.

Attendance Policy

While I will take attendance daily, you will not get a grade for simply showing up. Please see my attendance policy below.

Attendance. Attendance is required to earn a successful grade in this class. If you don’t attend class, you won’t be able to participate in classroom discussion and in-class activities, which count toward 10% of your final grade.

Students with more than 2 weeks/4 class meetings worth of unexcused absences will receive a course reduction of 1 full letter grade, with each subsequent missed week/2 class meetings further reducing your grade by 1 full letter grade:

5 = B
7 = C
9 = D
11 = F

Excused absences = University-sanctioned excuses such as travel for athletes, academic-related travel, and Disability Resource Center accommodations.

Please note that if you are more than 10 minutes late to class, I will count you as late, and 4 lates will equal an absence.

Course Fees

Content for this section will be provided by the instructor.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.