I have taught literature and it is pretty easy to asses using either multiple choice or free response exams about the content you've asked them to read. You can also assign essays/papers which analyze (in a basic way I'd assume, since these are non-majors) the works they've read. Usually my students get a mixture of multiple choice questions about facts and analysis questions where they get a passage and have to apply what they've learned either in essay/short answer form or also with multiple choice questions.
One thing I'm doing with my students this year is making them keep a reading journal. I require them to select "adult" literature/articles (so no The Little Prince or Harry Potter) and write three reflections a week on what they've read. They're supposed to read for at least 20 minutes in each sitting. I check the journal weekly and I don't care what they choose as long as it is age/level appropriate, in English, and not a textbook. I haven't had to do this with previous classes because I was teaching really high performing students who read on their own without prompting, but I moved to a different city and a different school and the kids are just not reading at a level they need to be. With the reading journals I have kids trying Walden, A Tale of Two Cities, and Jane Eyre. Walden might not be what I'd have chosen for my first foray into reading serious literature in English but at least they're trying and sticking with the books.
In the first class I'd highly suggest doing a general lecture just about developing reading skills and becoming a habitual reader. I give my kids the rundown on how much they should be reading a day, what is appropriate reading material (they are used to FTs patting them on the back for picking up Harry Potter or Twilight but my kids are headed abroad, they need to be reading literary fiction, not YA stuff), how to improve reading speed, how to be an active reader, etc. Again, this is important for my kids because they are going to university in the States. Your mileage may vary with kids who are not English majors but if they have a strong enough interest to take a literature elective then it should be relevant still.
Also be sure to include literary terms/concepts and test them on them. imagery, sound devices, plot structure, characterization, archetypes, etc. All of that is, imo, more important than the works that you choose or memorizing facts from the lives of authors. You can structure your course around these themes and choose works that fit the theme. Think back to when you took 9th grade literature and try for something along those lines.