Throughout the course, sudents will:

CG1. Be equipped to critically engage with a range of representative short fiction in the English language, from diverse cultural and historical backgrounds.

CG2. Have enhanced their ability to conduct critical literary and cultural analysis, fostering deeper engagement with both primary texts and theoretical frameworks.

CG3. Be able to synthesise theoretical debates with close textual analysis, demonstrating an ability to apply abstract concepts to specific narrative forms.

CG4. Be proficient in identifying and analysing key literary elements, including figurative language, symbolism, and narrative structures within short stories.

CG5. Be capable of constructing and defending a coherent, well-supported intellectual argument, informed by both theoretical perspectives and textual evidence.

CG6. Be able to appreciate and articulate the short story's significance as both a literary form and a reflection of societal values, movements, and individual identities.

CG7. Have gained exposure to a wide variety of short stories, enriching your understanding of the form’s adaptability and scope.

By the end of the semester, students will have:

CE1. Acquired proficiency in applying key literary theories—such as feminist theory, queer theory, and intersectionality—to the analysis of short stories. Students will demonstrate how these theoretical frameworks uncover deeper layers of meaning, allowing for a nuanced understanding of narrative form, structure, and thematic resonance.

CE2. Developed the ability to critically assess how gender, identity, and social constructs are portrayed in short stories, using an intersectional approach that examines the interplay of race, class, sexuality, and gender. This skill will enable students to identify how multiple facets of identity are represented and contested in diverse literary contexts.

CE3. Enhanced their close reading skills, enabling them to detect and interpret significant patterns, symbols, and figurative language within short stories. Students will be able to articulate how these elements contribute to overarching narrative and thematic developments, linking textual details to larger conceptual discussions.

CE4. Achieved a comprehensive understanding of core narratology principles and a critical appreciation of how narrative theory intersects with broader socio-cultural and historical frameworks. This includes recognising the ways in which narrative structures reflect, question, or reinforce dominant ideologies.

CE5. Gained insight into recurring themes such as societal norms, autonomy, and identity negotiation across different authors and historical periods. Students will synthesise these themes, identifying how they evolve and adapt within varying social and cultural settings, and how they shape the experience of marginalised voices.

CE6. Developed the capacity to deconstruct and analyse the narrative architecture of short stories, with a focus on techniques such as framing, pacing, point of view, and temporal manipulation. Students will be able to explain how these narrative strategies shape the reader’s engagement with the text and contribute to its thematic depth.

CE7. Cultivated the ability to compare and contrast short stories from a range of authors and stylistic traditions, discerning both common and divergent approaches to narrative techniques, thematic concerns, and characterisation. This comparative analysis will deepen students' understanding of the genre's versatility.

Additionally, by the end of the course, students will have developed the following transversal skills:

CT1. Strengthened the ability to critically assess complex problems, think independently, and devise well-reasoned solutions—skills that are applicable to a broad range of contexts requiring analysis and decision-making.

CT2. Enhanced their research skills, including the ability to locate, evaluate, and synthesise relevant academic information. These skills are essential for managing information effectively in both academic and professional environments.

CT3. Improved their ability to communicate ideas effectively through writing by constructing clear, well-structured arguments in essays and papers, a skill crucial in academic and professional settings.

CT4. Refined the ability to articulate ideas confidently and persuasively through class discussions, debates, and presentations, which are key competencies for collaboration and leadership in professional work environments.

CT5. Gained cultural awareness and sensitivity by engaging with diverse perspectives on gender, race, and identity. This skill is vital for interacting in multicultural contexts and addressing global challenges.

CT6. Developed collaboration skills through group activities and discussions, learning to offer and receive constructive feedback—a crucial ability for teamwork in both academic and workplace settings.

CT7. Fostered adaptability and openness to new ideas through exposure to varied literary perspectives, themes, and cultural debates, enabling them to navigate dynamic environments and embrace diverse viewpoints.

This course offers an in-depth exploration of the short story as a unique literary genre, focusing particularly on how gender influences both narrative techniques and thematic concerns. Through critical engagement with a diverse selection of texts, students will develop a deeper appreciation of the short story’s capacity to reflect, challenge, and reshape societal perceptions of gender.

In the first half of the course, we will examine works by prominent women writers who use the short story form to explore themes of gender, identity, and the multifaceted roles women inhabit within familial and societal structures. Detailed textual analysis will enable students to evaluate how these narratives either contest or reinforce dominant cultural and historical representations of women, while offering incisive critiques of gender norms and societal expectations.

The second half of the course will turn its attention to male-authored and male-centred short stories. Here, we will explore how male writers use this form to reflect on their gendered experiences, shaped by societal pressures and personal identity. We will critically assess how constructs of masculinity intersect with other aspects of identity, including race, class, sexual orientation, and age. In addition, we will consider how male authors utilise the short story to address broader issues such as power, vulnerability, and self-perception.

Throughout the course, students will engage with a range of theoretical frameworks, including feminist, queer, and intersectional perspectives, to deepen their understanding of the interplay between gender and narrative form. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with analytical tools to interrogate how gender not only informs the content of short stories but also shapes their form, structure, and reception.

Areas of focus:

1. The Short Story as a Reflection of Social and Cultural Movements.
2. The Short Story as a Vehicle for Personal Expression and Identity.
3. Voice and Agency in Women's Writing.
4. Female Subjectivity and the Subaltern Experience.
5. Masculinity as a Constructed Gender Identity.
6. The Vulnerability of Masculinity: Exploring how male authors portray the fragility and complexity of masculine identity, often shaped by societal expectations, emotional repression, and the pressure to conform to traditional gender roles.

• Copies of the class syllabus, course handouts, and additional readings will be provided in PDF format through the course website (Studium).
• The primary anthology for the course is Ann Charters’ The Short Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short Fiction. We will use the 9th edition (2015); however, the 10th edition (2019) is also acceptable.
• Supplementary stories and readings, including scholarly articles, will be available on the course site as PDFs.
• Multimedia Resources: Where relevant, video presentations or adaptations of selected short stories will be used to support and enhance the course material.

Library and Online Resources:

A collection of short fiction criticism and anthologies will be placed on reserve at the English Department Library. Students are encouraged to consult these for extended research and analysis.

Recommended Text:

March-Russell, Paul. The Short Story: An Introduction. Edinburgh University Press, 2009.

Indicative Secondary Reading

Baldwin, Dean R. Art and Commerce in the British Short Story, 1880-1950. Routledge, 2014.

Bendixen, Alfred, and James Nagel, editors. A Companion to the American Short Story. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

Boddy, Kasia. The American Short Story since 1950. Edinburgh University Press, 2010.

Cox, Ailsa. Writing Short Stories. Routledge, 2005

Head, Dominic. The Cambridge History of the English Short Story. Cambridge University Press, 2016.

Hunter, Adrian. The Cambridge Introduction to the Short Story in English. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

Lohafer, Susan. Reading for Storyness: Preclosure Theory, Empirical Poetics, and Culture in the Short Story. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003.

Malcolm, Cheryl Alexander, and David Malcolm, editors. A Companion to the British and Irish Short Story. Blackwell, 2008.

May, Charles. The Short Story: The Reality of Artifice. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2002.

Nagel, James. The American Short Story Handbook. Wiley Blackwell, 2015.

Redling, Erik, and Oliver Scheiding, editors. Handbook of the American Short Story. De Gruyter, 2022.

Scofield, Martin. The Cambridge Introduction to the American Short Story. Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Winther, Per, et al., editors. The Art of Brevity: Excursions in Short Fiction Theory and Analysis. University of South Carolina Press, 2004.

Web Resources

• The Voice of the Shuttle (http://vos.ucsb.edu/) – This site, hosted by the University of California, Santa Barbara, is a long-standing academic resource offering links to scholarly materials in the humanities.
• The Online Books Page (http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/) – The site, run by the University of Pennsylvania, offers an extensive catalog of freely accessible digital books.
• The Short Story Project (https://www.shortstoryproject.com/) – This platform offers a curated collection of short stories from around the world, translated into multiple languages.
• The Short Story Guide (https://www.shortstoryguide.com/feminist-short-stories/ and https://www.shortstoryguide.com/short-stories-about-women/) – This site is dedicated to categorizing short stories by theme, genre, and subject, offering easy access to feminist short stories and stories focusing on women.
• Literary Hub (LitHub) (https://lithub.com/) – A comprehensive site featuring articles on contemporary literature, author interviews, and essays on various literary forms, including the short story.

Assessment Instruments

• Active participation and a demonstrated commitment to independent research are critical for success in this course. Your grade will be derived from a combination of in-class group presentations, seminar participation, reading assignments, and the final exam. Each task is designed to assess not only your knowledge of the material but also your analytical skills, originality, and ability to engage critically with the course content.
• A teacher-generated rubric will be used to assess oral presentations, written analytical essays, and contributions during tutorials. Each assessment task will be graded using a points system, which corresponds to specific criteria outlined in the rubric. This includes clarity of argument, depth of analysis, use of theoretical frameworks, and engagement with the assigned texts. Your final grade will reflect the overall percentage based on the cumulative score of all assessments.

In essence, successful completion of the course requires active participation, strong analytical work, and consistent engagement with both in-class and independent research tasks.