In this eight-week online course, students analyze the use of story in exemplary texts of all genres. Students will learn to develop and structure plot and to master pacing and the interweaving of past and present events. Each week, students will be expected to read (or, in the case of film, watch) an assigned text. Students will post responses to targeted questions, engage in a weekly live-chat session with the instructor and fellow students, and submit a weekly analysis paper on the readings. All activities will focus on observing use of story in the assigned pieces and analyzing how each author uses writing techniques to create effects.