Short Stories, a course based on Indiana’s Academic Standards for English/Language Arts, is a study of the distinct features of the short story, such as tightly focused narrative fiction. The course may be organized by historical periods, themes, or authors. Students examine short stories with modernist and contemporary themes by a variety of authors from the perspective of audience, purpose, and historical development. Students analyze what distinguishes the short story genre from other literary genres, such as the novel, epic, romance, biography, and others.