Course Syllabus

LIT2000 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE SYLLABUS

Spring 2026

(032F-032D-032E)

I. Course Information

Instructor

Rose Lugano PhD. 361 Pugh Hall

Email: rslugano@ufl.edu

Phone: 352-846-2433


Office hours:

Tuesdays 1:00-2:00PM (Zoom Link Links to an external site.)

Thursday 10:00-11:00 (Zoom Link Links to an external site.)

 

Course description

The aim of the introductory course is to discover the important role and function literature can play in individuals’ lives and in society by examining a selection of key representative works from diverse continents and historical periods. The course is centered on three simple questions: What is literature? Why do we write literature? And why do we read literature? The course introduces students to a range of literary genres, modes of reading and interpreting texts. We will identify their relevance by examining their narrative structure and techniques and see how they engage with crucial contemporary issues. The course is organized into modules, each mainly defined by genres (epic, novel, short story, memoirs) and “topics, ideas and skills” (Hayot) with methods designed to read and understand these texts effectively. Throughout the semester, we will have presentations and discussions with “outside speakers”. Please note that the course is entirely asynchronous and allows students to learn and work at their own pace. All links, reading materials, videos and rubrics are available on Canvas.

 

 

Learning Objectives

  • Contextualize, knowing and understanding narratives
  • Develop methods, and use concepts that can be used to interpret texts in different

disciplines

  • Practice important skills (writing, interpretation, analyze, comment)
  • Connect: relevance of these narratives for your own education and career
  • Explore new sets of questions and issues

Required Course Materials (to purchase/rent/e-format)

  • Franz Kafka In the Penal Colony
  • Alexander Solzhenitsyn One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich
  • Emily Wilson  The Odyssey
  • Additional material including excerpts, poems, essays, book chapters and articles are available on Canvas.
  • Suggested writing material : https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/index.html

II.  Grading, Coursework & Schedule and Grading Scale

For information on how UF assigns grade points, visit: https://catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-

regulations/grades-grading-policies/

 

A

94 – 100% of

possible points

 

C

74 – 76%

A-

90 – 93%

 

C-

70 – 73%

B+

87 – 89%

 

D+

67 – 69%

B

84 – 86%

 

D

64 – 66%

B-

80 – 83%

 

D-

60 – 63%

C+

77 – 79%

 

E

<60

 

Assignments (all rubrics will be available on canvas)

 

Modules Quizzes

To be completed at the end of each module and which include close reading, characters’ development, historical context, vocabulary

quizzes).

20%

Synthesis

Multiple formats (including

diagrams, sentences, ideas, images)

15%

Short-responses

To be completed at the end of each module

15%

Mid-term exam

Covers previous modules

20%

Final Exam

Covers Modules 5-7

30%

 

Total

 

100%

 

 

 

 

Weekly Course schedule

(The instructor reserves the right to modify the schedule as needed)

 

 

Module 1

Week 1 and 2: January 12-23. “What is literature”? Definitions and genres.

Watch videos: “Welcome to Lit 2000” and “Getting started”

Reading: “Introduction: What is literature?” Terry Eagleton (see Canvas) Watch Chimamanda Adichie: “The Danger of a Single Story” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg)

Weekly assignments

 

Module 2

Week 3 and 4: January 26-February 6. Heroism, heroes, nation and memory.

Watch video: “Epics and their meanings”

Reading:

  • Homer’s The Odyssey (excerpts Books 1-9)
  • Naomi Blumberg, “Odyssey an epic by Homer”:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Odyssey-epic-by-Homer

Weekly assignments

 

 

Module 3

Week 5: February 9-20. Social critique, optimism and resilience

Watch video: “A lesson in optimism”

Reading:

 

Weekly assignments

 

Module 4

Week 6: February 23-March 6. Punishment, alienation, and responsibility

Watch video: “novel, short stories and testimony”

Reading

  • Franz Kafka, The Penal Colony
  • Joshua Cohen: “The pleasures and punishments of reading Kafka”

Weekly assignments

 

Mid-term exam (due Friday March 13)

 

Module 5

Week 7-8: March 9-27. Writing the past (autobiography and memoirs)

Watch video: “Writing the past and motivations of writing”

Reading: read the openings of

  • Anne Frank’s The diary of a young girl (12 June 1942 - Saturday 29 June 1942)
  • Jean Jacques Rousseau’s The Confessions (first 14 paragraphs)

Weekly assignments

 

Spring Break (March 14-21)

 

 

Module 6

Week 9 March 30--April 10 Testimony and history

Watch video “Writing violence”

 

Reading

  • Alexander Solzhenitsyn, One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich
  • Wanda Urbanska “Solzhenitsyn in my inbox”

https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2018/05/solzhenitsyn-40-years-on

Weekly assignments

 

 

Module 7

Week 10:  April  13-22: Individuality and experiments

Watch video: “What is the purpose of poetry?”

Reading

 

Weekly assignments: Conclusions and final Exam

 

 

 

III.  Required Policies

Class Recordings

Weekly recordings are available to students on canvas with clearly defined purposes.

The only allowable purposes for video recordings are (1) for personal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.

A “class lecture” is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.

Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To “publish” means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student.

Students Requiring Accommodation

Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the Disability Resource Center by visiting https://disability.ufl.edu/students/get-started/. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with their instructor and discuss their access needs, as early as possible in the semester.

UF Evaluations Process

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of

instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on

 

how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/.

University Honesty Policy

UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” The Honor Code (https://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class.

Counseling and Wellness Center

Contact information for the Counseling and Wellness Center: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/Default.aspx, 392-1575; and the University Police Department: 392-1111 or 9-1-1 for emergencies.

The Writing Studio

The writing studio is committed to helping University of Florida students meet their academic and professional goals by becoming better writers. Visit the writing studio online at http://writing.ufl.edu/writing-studio/ or in 2215 Turlington Hall for one-on-one consultations and workshops.