ENG 325 | Literature and Faith
Spring 2026 (First Run! Watch for Glitches and Let Me Know.)
Useful Links: Wiki, Canvas
Week 1 – Week 2 – Week 3 – Week 4 – Week 5 – Week 6 – Week 7 – Week 8 – Week 9 – Week 10 – Week 11 – Week 12 – Week 13 – Week 14 – Week 15 – Finals
Am Lit eTexts and Helpful Sites: Here
Overview of Authors: Here (Not Yet, Really…)
Literature and Faith is an upper-level literature seminar that takes a close literary, theological and historical look at writers of faith (and on faith). In this variation on the course, we’ll spend the majority of our time with writers whose work has appeared since 1900. We’ll read Marilynne Robinson‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead, which is all at once an epic of the Midwest and a very quiet meditation by a small town pastor. We’ll read classic works you might expect by CS Lewis, Madeleine L’Engle, and Corrie ten Boom, and we’ll read works you might not expect, such as a pair of novels by the Nigerian writers Chinua Achebe (Things Fall Apart) and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Purple Hibiscus). Each of those writers has a troubled relationship to Christianity, and each has explored faith and culture in profound and sometimes troubling ways through fiction. We’ll also read works by Flannery O’Connery (Georgia), Carlos Eire (Cuba), and Shusaku Endo (Japan).
Assignments/Scores to Anticipate
- Daily Quizzes (If There’s Reading, There Might Be a Quiz)
- Two Short Close Readings of Literary Texts (2 pages each)
- An Author Inquiry Project (6-12 pages) (Research Project)
- Seminar Paper/Long Critical Analysis (8-12 pages)
- A Reflection on Writing for the Course (2-5 pages)
- That’s between 20 and ~30+ pages of formal writing for the course–a right-sized challenge for an upper division literature seminar.
- Two Exams: Midterm and Final
- A Course Participation Score
You Should Always Have the Readings in Front of You in Class
Right in front of you, even if on a (bigger-than-a-phone!) screen. We’re here to read together. Let the text take its right place in the room.
Frequent Small Deadlines, Rather Than Sudden Huge Deadlines
This course breaks composition projects into small pieces and asks you to hit small, developmental deadlines, rather than just a few big, big, big deadlines. The idea here is to help you think about writing as a process and make small adjustments along the way.
Week 1 (Jan. 7 and 9)
Note: Notice that “due” items and small notes about any given week are listed right under each week’s heading. For example:
- Due NEXT Friday: Sign up for research subject/author (on wiki, link above) before NEXT Friday’s class. (Sign up on the wiki no earlier than NEXT Thursday at 7:00 AM.) Between now and then, take some time to get a sense of the authors we’re reading, so that you can choose someone that truly piques your interest.
- Please Note: Readings are meant to be completed for class time on the day when they’re listed on the schedule.
- Please Print: Remember that you need to either PRINT online texts or have some way (Kindle? iPad? Laptop?) to view your electronic copy in class. Phone screens are unreasonably small for this purpose.
Day 1: No Class Yet. Note that in any given week, “Day 1” is always a Monday, “Day 2” is always a Wednesday, and “Day 3” is always a Friday.
Day 2: Course introduction. We’ll talk about assignments, research philosophy, and literary engagements with faith. We’ll talk about picking research subjects.
Due-ish: Not really due, but note that it wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and sign up for the course wiki (link above), which we’ll use for a few things this semester. (This is in process: I’m figuring out how best to set up a wiki for Union students…)
Day 3: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (CS Lewis) (Chapters 1-7)
Receive: Today in class, I should have assignment packets for the two Close Readings and the Inquiry Project.
↓↓↓ About Passing Quizzes ↓↓↓
I’ll never be trying to truly stump you on a daily reading quiz, if we have one, though there will often be a question designed to reward careful readers.
Advice: As you read carefully, keep track of characters, situations, pivotal moments, and major themes you see in the writing. Put ’em in your notes for quick review before class. That kind of disciplined practice will help you to be ready (and may pay back dividends when you study for exams, too).
For “theory” days, look for major terms and major metaphors, and see if you can summarize, for a friend, 2-3 main takeaways or big ideas from the text. Also write down, for yourself, a few things you understand and a few questions you have. Put them into words.
These practices will make your reading times and class time more profitable.
Week 2 (Jan. 12, 14, and 16)
- Due Monday: Self intro on course wiki (link above) before class.
- Due Friday: Sign up for research subject/author (on wiki) before Friday’s class. (Sign up on the wiki no earlier than this coming Thursday at 7:00 AM.)
- We’ll be taking about research and writing tactics a little bit every day this week, and we’ll be pausing Friday to focus on writing and research.
Day 1: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (CS Lewis) (Chapters 8-12)
Watch: “Wikis in Plain English” (online)
Due: Brief self intro on course wiki (link above) before class.
Highly Recommended: Read the basic 4-page Author Inquiry Project assignment handout. Take some time to look at the basic info online about some of our course authors, as you begin to discern which one you’d like to study extensively this semester.
Day 2: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (CS Lewis) (Chapters 13-16)
Check Out: It’s optional, but the free app Evernote can be an absolutely terrific organizer for your research. I recommend taking 15 minutes to explore it now; it may help you stay on track for the rest of the semester.
Note Taking in Class: Do you have a strategy? It’s *always* the right semester to work on improving your note taking.
Thursday Morning, 7 am: Starting at 7 am on Thursday Morning, you may choose your authors for the Inquiry Project, at the wiki.
The Research-as-a-Process guide is available online: here. Bookmark it!
Day 3: Pause to Focus on Research and Writing
Remember to choose your Inquiry Project author before today’s class meeting.
In Other Words: Due: Claim Author on Wiki
Recommended: Learn about taking screenshots. These may be terrific assets as you tackle your research and writing this semester. (And actually, this is just useful all around, for digital-age life.)
Plan Ahead: If you haven’t yet given a slow and careful read to the Close Readings assignment sheet, now would be a very, very good time to do that. A draft is coming due Two Fridays from Now.
Hey!: You should get to the library this weekend and settle in for an hour or so to do the basic groundwork on your author research, so that you’re on your way to completing the first, small, getting-started step in the Inquiry Project process. That step (some requesting of texts that are NOT available in our library) will be due a week from tomorrow. I cannot overemphasize how clarifying and helpful it will be to work through the Research-as-a-Process guide, which is available online: here.
Week 3 (Jan. 19, 21, and 23)
- Due Saturday at 11:45 pm: Proof/Justification of ILL Requests (Inquiry Project)
- This week, you should be setting / beginning your research agenda for the Inquiry Project. Start by writing down some research goals for yourself for the week, and literally schedule some library time for yourself–some hours just being a literature nerd in that big building full of books. Schedule it! This is your research and writing time, and figuring out how to book it and hold to it is 100% a professional skill you’re working on. You’re working on it right now. (It’s happening!)
Day 1: No Class! MLK Holiday.
Hey, did you try Evernote? if you didn’t like it, you might try Diigo or Zotero. Similar missions, different approaches.
Day 2: Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) (Chapters 1-8)
Day 3: Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) (Chapters 9-19)
Due Saturday at 11:45 pm: Proof/Justification of ILL Requests (Inquiry Project)
↓↓↓ Help for the ILL (Interlibrary Loan) Assignment ↓↓↓
Union, I’m still learning your library. I’ll need your help refining these instructions this spring. We’re all in this together. – fj
(0) Make sure you read the “Pregame: ILL Requests” section on the inquiry Project assignment sheet, so you know what you’re turning in.
(1) Strongly consider doing this work IN the library. Enter that space, then set your mind and heart to “research.” Consider making a library date WITH anyone else who is working on the same writer you’re working on, especially. But, even if no one else is working on the same writer as you, you’d probably benefit from finding a library friend or three and heading in together.
(2) Start your work like an English major. Skip the basic library search bar for now and try out the “Step 1: Focused Overviews” moves here: https://abjohnson.net/teaching/research-process/
–> (2.1) Regarding (2): I can’t overemphasize what a revelation the Gale Literature database may be for this kind of research. In the Gale, look for relevant author bios (find the button that lets you limit the search to bios), and, from those bio articles, use the recommended further readings and citations as wayfinders to more good stuff.
–> (2.2) What do you do when you see a cited journal article that looks good but isn’t “linked”? Note the journal title, hop to the library website, and use the “Journals by Title or Subject” link to do a search for that journal. If we don’t have access, the site will tell you how to request the article.
(3) Another big English major move. Find the MLA database (start at the “Journals by Title or Subject” link at the library site), search for your author in the MLA, and keep an eye out for books released in the last few years that won’t likely be in our library yet. THEN do a search for those books at the main library page. Using the main library search bar, move from the basic search for the book’s title, and then play with the options that pop up. Sometimes it pays to use different searches in the “Held by Library” section. Play around.
(4) After those moves, try a basic search for your author, from the library home page. In the left hand column, SORT from newest to oldest, so you can see what’s come out recently. Then limit to books and ebooks. Scroll down through at least the last several years, and note the books that look most interesting.
(5) Especially if you had few results, modify that search using the “Held by Library” option, to see what some other libraries / locations might have. Note the new books that come, and start thinking of which ones you might want to have sent to you.
What you’re looking for: Names of scholars that come up over and over; recent, awesome-looking books; older books that look truly informative; articles (especially recent ones) that we don’t have access to at Union but that you would like to read. For the most promising of those: Have them sent to you by “Interlibrary Loan.”
In many cases, you’ll be looking at a link, on the page for the book/resource, that tells you how to have the thing sent. If that’s not the case, jot down the info (writer, title, publisher, year) and look for the “Interlibrary Loan” link on the homepage for the library (lefthand menu). Find the “request” instructions there and follow them.
Week 4 (Jan. 26, 28, and 30)
- This Week: Probably Individual Research Check Ins (Details TBA).
- Due Friday at 5:00: Close Reading #1 to Eli Review (On Lewis or Achebe)
- Optional/Recommended: This week would be a very good time to meet with some classmates and workshop your first close readings. Or to take an initial draft of your first close reading to the Writing Center for a consultation.
Day 1: Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe) (Chapters 20-25)
Are you feeling stuck getting started on CR#1? Review some possible starting points, here.
Day 2: Meeting in the Library. Details TBA.
There will be some specific work to do related to research.
NOTE that Purple Hibiscus is a little longer, and you may want to get ahead on reading. Make sure you take good notes on characters, plot, etc., and that you being your mind back up to speed before our class meetings. But this is one where reading ahead may pay off for yoru pace-of-life.
Day 3: We’re going to do some individual research check ins.
Due at 5:00: CR#1 to Eli Review, for Review
Week 5 (Feb. 2, 4, and 6)
- Due Wednesday @ Class Time: Feedback to Eli Review for CR#1
- Due Thursday at 11:45 PM: Revision plan at Eli Review for CR#1
- Due Friday at 11:45 PM: CR#1 to Canvas (for me) and Wiki (for all of us)
Day 1: Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) (Pages 1 – 102, Ending with “We went to the later Mass. But first we changed our clothes, even Papa, and washed our faces.”)
Good Advice: At least read your CR#1 each day this week, as you tweak and improve it. Adjust it as you go, make notes, and set aside an hour for focused revision. You want to keep your case in your head and the project on your mind, even if you just barely touch it most days this week. Feedback from your peers should roll in on Eli over the next couple of days.
Day 2: Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) (Pages 103 – 206, Ending with “In some of the nightmares, I was the daughter and the charred remains became Papa’s.”)
Due Wednesday @ Class Time: Feedback to Eli for CR#1
Due *Thursday* at 11:45 PM: Revision plan at Eli for CR#1. For this, you’re using the revision plan tools at Eli, which allow you to rate and work with your feedback from peers.
Day 3: Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie) (Pages 107 – 307, End of Novel)
DueFriday at 11:45 PM: CR#1 to Canvas (for me) and Wiki (for all of us)
Week 6 (Feb. 9, 11, and 13)
- Due Saturday at 11:45 pm: Substantial Research Update Using Screenpal (Inquiry Project). If you’ve not yet dug in on the Inquiry Project, you’re about to have to switch gears from “oh, there’s plenty of time” to “oh, no, where did the time go!” Look back to last week’s notes for the week: Plan time, set it aside, give yourself permission to honor your own research plan.
- Good Advice: There are (or will be) lots of examples of research updates up on the wiki. You should look at a few!
Day 1: A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle) (Chapters 1-4)
We may do a research day this week or next, depending on how things are going. (I’ve got Wrinkle in Time spread over more days than it needs, so we have some space to decide.)
Day 2: A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle) (Chapters 5-8)
Research, man. And write.
Day 3: A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine L’Engle) (Chapters 9-12)
Due Saturday at 11:45 pm: Substantial Research Update using ScreenPal. See “Research as a Process” handout (Inquiry Project) for instructions. Late updates will not receive comments.
Week 7 (Feb. 16, 18, and 20)
- Due Friday at 5:00: CR#2 to Eli Review, for Review (Adichie, L’Engle, or O’Connor)
- Optional/Recommended: This would be a good week to meet with some of your classmates to workshop your close readings. (And don’t forget the Writing Center)
- Notice: Midterm coming up next week!
Day 1: Wise Blood (Flannery O’Connor) (Chapters 1-5)
Somebody ask me about the exam, if we haven’t already talked through it…
Day 2: Wise Blood (Flannery O’Connor) (Chapters 6-10)
Are you feeling stuck getting started on CR#2? Review some possible starting points, here.
Day 3: Wise Blood (Flannery O’Connor) (Chapters 11-14)
Due at 5:00: CR#2 to Eli Review, for Review
Week 8 (Feb. 23, 25, and 27)
- Midterm Exam Week!
- Optional/Recommended: This would be a very good week to meet with some of your classmates and study together for the exam. There’s no better review move than talking over the texts, characters, and themes with smart peers.
- Due Wednesday @ 11:45 PM: Feedback to Eli Review for CR#2
- Due Thursday at 11:45 PM: Revision plan at Eli Review for CR#2
- Due SATURDAY at 11:45 PM: CR#2 to Canvas (for me) and Wiki (for all of us)
- Due SATURDAY at 11:45 PM: Draft of Library Assessment to Eli Review. (This is probably one big paragraph…)
Exam #1 of 2 (Midterm)
Day 1: Part 1 of Midterm: In-Class Essay
Day 2: Part 2 of Midterm: Identification Essays &c.
Due Wednesday at 11:45 PM: Feedback to Eli for CR#2
Due *Thursday* at 11:45 PM: Revision plan at Eli for CR#2
Day 3: Talking Research in Class… Time to Write…
Due SATURDAY at 11:45 PM: CR#2 to Canvas (for me) and Wiki (for all of us)
Due SATURDAY at 11:45 PM: Draft of Library Assessment to Eli Review
In Class: Receive “Parts of the Seminar Paper” booklet…These Saturday due dates are a stealth extension. The “real” due date would be Friday, but I want to leave you a little space/time, if you need it, in a way where you don’t have to ask for it.
After this is Spring Break. Don’t come to class during Spring Break.
Week 9 (Mar. 9, 11, and 13)
- Due Monday @11:45 PM: Feedback on Library Assessment to Eli Review
- Due Friday @11:45 PM: Opening of Author Snapshot to Eli Review
- Advice: During this week, do some new research work to locate high-value articles specifically on the text you’ll be writing about for the Seminar Paper.
Day 1: Perelandra (CS Lewis) (Chapters 1-6)
Due @11:45 PM: Library Assessment Feedback (Eli Review) (Inquiry Project)
Day 2: Perelandra (CS Lewis) (Chapters 7-11)
Day 3: Perelandra (CS Lewis) (Chapters 12-17)
Due @11:45 PM: Opening of Author Snapshot to Eli Review
A quick reminder that you have the option of revising your two close readings, if you want. Those revisions come due for sure in Week 15, but you can do them at any time that makes sense for you in the world of your semester.
Week 10 (Mar. 16, 18, and 20)
- Due Monday @11:45 PM: Feedback on Author Snapshot Opening to Eli Review
- Due Friday @11:45 pm: Inquiry Project, to Canvas
Day 1: The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom) (Chapters 1-5)
Due Monday @11:45 PM: Feedback on Snapshot Opening, to Eli
Day 2: The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom) (Chapters 6-10)
Day 3: The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom) (Chapters 11-15)
Due Friday at 11:45 PM: Inquiry Project, to Canvas
Week 11 (Mar. 23, 25, and 27)
- Due Wednesday, 11:45 PM: Initial Claim to Eli (Seminar Paper)
- Due Friday, 11:45 PM: Peer Feedback for Initial Claims
- Plan writing time for that AND your Middle Paragraphs. This is the time to experiment with making gradual progress on your writing for this big analysis, even if you’ve never written that way before. Plan a basic shape. Write it bit by bit. This is much closer to professional writing practices (and much farther from the last-minute undergrad rush-to-write).
Day 1: Silence: (Shusaku Endo) (Prologue – Chapter 3)
Day 2: Silence: (Shusaku Endo) (Chapters 4-7)
Due Wednesdsay, 11:45 pm: Initial Claim/Project Idea to Eli Review (Seminar Paper).
Day 3: Silence: (Shusaku Endo) (Chapters 8-10)
Due: Initial Claim Feedback (Due @11:45 PM) (Seminar Paper)
Week 12 (Mar. 30 and April 1 + Easter Break)
- Due Monday, 11:45 PM: Initial Claims to Canvas for FJ
- Due Wednesday, Class Time: Middle Paragraph to Eli (Seminar Paper)
- Due Thursday @11:45 PM: Middle Paragraph Feedback to Eli (Seminar Paper)
Day 1: Gilead (Marilynne Robinson) (To Approx. p. 53: “”I have wondered about that for many years. Well, this old seed is about to drop into the ground. Then I’ll know.”)
Day 2: Gilead (Marilynne Robinson) (To Approx. p. 148: “I always felt it was best not to inquire.”)
Due Wednesday: Middle Paragraph (Eli Review) (Class time, to Give Peers More Time to Work) (Seminar Paper)
Due Before Break: Middle Paragraph Feedback (Due @11:45 PM Thursday) (Seminar Paper)
Day 3: No Class (Easter Break)
Week 13 (Easter Break + April 8 and 10)
- Seminar Paper: This is the week to get serious about drafting the whole Seminar Paper. It can be very worthwhile to draft it *poorly* this week. Slipshod and messy. Then fix it next week.
- Due Wednesday @Class Time: Draft of Seminar Paper OPENING PARAGRAPHS to Eli
- Due Friday @11:45 PM: Peer Feedback on Opening Paragraphs
Day 1: No Class (Easter Break)
Day 2: Gilead (Marilynne Robinson) (To End)
Due: Opening Paragraphs (Eli Review) (Classtime, to Give Peers More Time to Work) (Seminar Paper)
Day 3: Waiting for Snow in Havana (Carlos Eire) (Chapters 1-10)
Due: Opening Paragraph Feedback (Eli Review) (Due @11:45 PM) (Seminar Paper)
Not due, but a really good idea: Nail down a messy draft of your Seminar Paper by the end of the day today.
Week 14 (April 13, 15, and 17)
- Due Friday @11:45 PM: Seminar Paper to Canvas
- Due NEXT MONDAY @11:45 PM: Any (Optional!) Revised Close Readings (See Revision Guidelines)
Day 1: Waiting for Snow in Havana (Carlos Eire) (Chapters 11-20)
Day 2: Waiting for Snow in Havana (Carlos Eire) (Chapters 21-30)
Day 3: Waiting for Snow in Havana (Carlos Eire) (Chapters 31-End)
Due Friday @5:00: Seminar Paper to Canvas
Week 15 (April 20, 22, and 24 + “Week 16” / Final Exam)
- Due Monday @11:45 PM: Any (Optional!) Revised Close Readings (See Revision Guidelines)
- Consider connecting with some classmates to talk over the upcoming reflective essay! Also, this is a good time to plan final exam study groups.
- Due Friday @11:45: Reflective “Meditation” Essay
- Final Exam: See Date Below
Day 1: From Reading for the Love of God by Jessica Hooten Wilson
Due Monday @11:45 PM: Any (Optional!) Revised Close Readings
Day 2: From Walking on Water by Madeleine L’Engle
Day 3: TBA
Due: Reflective “Meditation” Essay. I’ll set a place to post these to Canvas, but it would be great to have them on your page at the wiki, too, if you’d like. Sometimes these come out feeling too personal to share, so I won’t require wiki posting, but if you don’t mind posting there, please do. (And listen, I’ll take these, with no penalty, up until Wednesday of finals week, but DO THEM. They’re a great chance to do a self check about what you’ve learned and also a great chance to counterbalance any low quiz scores you’ve gotten this semester.)
EXAM 2/Final: 11:00 – 1:00, Monday, April 27
Final Exam (#2 of 2): Monday, April 26, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Find Free e-Texts Online
- Project Gutenberg (Start Here!)
- Open Library (The Internet Archive)
- Standard E-Books (*Nicely * Done)
- Fadedpage
- “Read Print” Online Texts
- U VA American Hypertexts
- ManyBooks.net
- Open Culture (eBooks)
- Libby App (if you have a local library card)
Audio Options
- Be sure to *read* alongside any listening! The visual experience of the text matters, too. It teaches you things about writing that listening cannot.
- Librivox
- Lit2Go
- Open Culture (Audio)
- Spotify has Some Stuff, Too
- Scribd is a Subscription Service with Stuff
General Am Lit Resources
The Writers We’re Reading, an Overview
(In Order of Appearance in the Course)
Composed and Maintained by Fred Johnson.