COURSE DESCRIPTION : One of the most important goals of English 220 is to increase the critical reading skills of each student through discussion of mainstream literary production. Students will gain an understanding of literary principles, use basic terms important to critical reading and writing, and document essays using textual evidence. During the course of the term, participants will consider the basic techniques for handling point of view, tone, description, time, character, and imagery. In addition, they will become familiar with four main literary genres: short story, poetry, plays and novels. Discussion questions and writing assignments help students understand the reading selections and find subjects about which to write. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to read critically in order to write well on any level required for their future coursework. In addition, students will be able to distinguish between summary papers from interpretive or analytical papers and be able to write in both forms.