Universidad de Jaén

The activities designed for this course are the following:

- Careful reading of the information provided in this Guide to find out which readings are compulsory and which supplementary material is available. The aim of this learning activity is to help students organize their studies effectively from the start of the course so that they can take full advantage of their time and, consequently, obtain the best possible results.

- Close reading of material. The goal is for students to become familiar with the material they have to study and to obtain information that will help with the easy development of the course.

- Thorough comprehension of the compulsory material for each unit as well as the different critical perspectives of the texts covered in each topic. Close reading of the four set texts of the module is a core part of the course and will help show students that what is most important is not memorizing the concepts but reflecting on ideas and applying them to the narrative texts.

- Interaction with the course instructor. To ensure a positive and successful experience, students can contact the course instructor on line by using the forums. The course instructor will help them resolve any course-related queries which may require a more in-depth explanation suited to their specific needs.

- Participation in debates and discussions in online forums. The goal here is to encourage students to study and exchange ideas and, in general, to provide a place for students to interact with their peers and teachers. The online forums serve as an open platform where students can freely share their opinions about, interpretations of and information on the literary texts they are studying.

- Writing of Paper. Students will have to submit an academic essay at the end of the course of 4,000 and 6,000 words in length (including footnotes and bibliography) on one aspect of their interest related to the contents of the course. Regarding this particular point of interest, the students must concentrate on one of the set texts, and must produce a close analysis of their initial hypothesis in relation to the chosen work.

            The essay should follow the standard structure: thesis, argument and conclusion. After choosing your central idea or thesis, state it in the first few paragraphs. Then outline your essay into several body sections to develop and support your argument. Finish with a conclusion summarizing the idea chosen as a thesis and the evidence used.

It is advised that footnotes be reduced to a minimum and not be used to add bibliographical references to the corpus of the text. The bibliography must be rigorously selected. Students must follow the MLA style guidelines to write the essay.

            Guidelines about writing  your paper:

1. Start thinking of a possible topic from the beginning of the course. Leaving your decision till the end will not help thinking and will cause stress.
2. Once the topic is chosen formulate a set of questions.
3. Read purposefully: select the readings according to the questions you have posed. The most productive sources of information are often found in articles from specific journals which can be consulted in the database Proquest (see UJA Library webpage)
   
4. Jot down quotations, ideas, and page numbers as you come across them so that you do not forget.
5. Do not plagiarize. When you copy material from sources without acknowledging these sources you are stealing other people's work. This practice is unacceptable and will make you fail the course.

Assessment of the course will be based on the answers to the questions related to Units 1 and 2  (30% of the final mark)  and on the writing of a final paper, based on one of the four set texts which appear in Units  3 and 4 (70% of the final mark).

- Assessment of the answers to the questions posed by the teachers will be based on students' correct explanation of some of the key concepts of the course as well as on their understanding of relevant passages, topics and literary features present in the reading assignments.        

- Assessment of the paper will be based on the following marking criteria:

1. Students are expected to produce a paper whose content is correct, precise, clearly exposed and well structured. They will also be required to show a high command of English grammar and written academic discourse.
2. The paper must be original and innovative.
3. The paper must develop a point of view on the issue effectively and insightfully.
4. The paper must demonstrate critical thinking and solid knowledge of the concepts used.
5. The paper must be well organized and clearly focused, demonstrating clear coherence and smooth progression of ideas. Of special importance is that students do not deviate from the topic they have selected and restrict themselves to one issue. Irrelevance and distraction from the main line of interest will be penalized.
6.  The paper must be free of errors. Students must show good knowledge of English. They must demonstrate their proficiency in English grammar, usage and mechanics.

Students must obtain a minimum mark of 5/10 in the final essay for the marks of Units 1 and 2 to be counted.

In the case of plagiarism and/or use of Artificial Intelligence software (such as ChatGPT) in any of the course activities, students will be awarded a final mark of 0.  

• The new Oxford book of Canadian short stories in English. Edición: -. Autor: -. Editorial: Toronto...[etc.] : Oxford University Press, 1997  (C. Biblioteca)

• The Cambridge companion to Margaret Atwood. Edición: Repr.. Autor: -. Editorial: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2008  (C. Biblioteca)
• Margaret atwood : essays on her works . Edición: -. Autor: -. Editorial: Toronto [etc] : Guernica, 2008  (C. Biblioteca)
• Expansión de un género literario: los relatos breves de Alice Munro. Edición: -. Autor: Hernáez Lerena, María Jesús. Editorial: Logroño: Universidad de La Rioja, 1998  (C. Biblioteca)
• The Cambridge Companion to Alice Munro. Edición: -. Autor: David Staines, ed.. Editorial: Cambridge University Press  (C. Biblioteca)