LIT 3024 Summer 2024 - Omni

Story is the foundation of our lives. We all have at least one. More than likely, we have many: how we were born; where we are from; why we study engineering, protest injustice, or teach American Sign Language; what moves us to enroll in a short-story class. A passion? A requirement? Something in between? Story lives in each of these answers. It also lives on the pages of the texts we will read this semester. The breadth of writers we will read, is wide: Octavia Butler, Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, Margaret Atwood, Sandra Ciscernos, Chinua Achebe, Joy Harjo, Jonathan Escoffery, Dionne Irving, Sherman Alexie, and many more. Citing textual evidence, we will examine how each writer deploys craft (tone, pacing, character development, and plot) to move a story forward. We will also discuss the social, political, and cultural backdrop against which these writers create art. In addition to reading, we will deliver presentations, facilitate class discussions, write response papers, complete quizzes, and submit a final project. Through this process, we will sharpen our ability to read and analyze stories that live on the pages of our textbook — and the ones embedded in the fiber of our everyday lives.