ENGL 211C Major American Authors (Fall 2007)
TR 2:00-3:15 Kinard 205
Dr. John Bird
Office: 260 Bancroft
Phone: 323-3679
e-mail: birdj@winthrop.edu
birdj1@peoplepc.com
Web Page: http://faculty.winthrop.edu/birdj
Office Hours:
MW 2:00-3:30 pm
or by appointment
DESCRIPTION:
A study of major American authors and literary historical periods, from Native American oral narratives to the present.
GOALS: (See also English Department goals at http://www.winthrop.edu/english/goals/index/htm.)
A. Content Knowledge: The student will demonstrate knowledge of . . .
C various forms of written texts
C major periods in the history of American literature in terms of cultural contexts, style, dominant genres, language, and subject matter
C the standard terminology of literary analysis
C various critical approaches
C writers from different cultural, ethnic, and minority backgrounds
B. Analytical and Interpretive Skills: The student will critically analyze and interpret texts in terms of . . .
C historical period, national origin and characteristics, content, and cultural, ethnic, or minority background of the writer
C style, tone, implied meaning, humor, and structure
C language, themes, genre, and rhetorical strategies
C critical approaches
C. Communication Skills: The student will . . .
C write thoughtful, well-organized, and stylistically mature essays conforming to standards of grammar, mechanics, and usage generally accepted in the academic community
C write research papers on appropriate literature topics, demonstrating correct use of standard reference tools and methods of primary and secondary sources and providing proper documentation of sources
C present information in clear standard English
C construct persuasive arguments based on careful analysis and deliberation and using a voice and format suitable for the intended audience
REQUIREMENTS:
< keep up with all reading
< attendance and participation
< midterm (15%)
< final exam (15%)
< three 4-6 pp. papers (20% each)
< response papers (5%)
< online discussion group (5%)
ATTENDANCE: I will follow the Winthrop attendance policy, which means that seven or more absences for any reason will result in an automatic grade of A F@ for the course. Except for emergencies, you should never miss any classes, but if you find that you must miss, please let me know, beforehand if possible. Each missed class above two will result in a one-point grade average penalty for each day; e.g., three absences=one point penalty; four absences=two point penalty, and so on. I will take attendance very day.
GRADING SCALE:
|
A |
94-100 |
|
A- |
91-93 |
|
B+ |
88-90 |
|
B |
84-87 |
|
B- |
81-83 |
|
C+ |
78-80 |
|
C |
74-77 |
|
C- |
71-73 |
|
D+ |
68-70 |
|
D |
64-67 |
|
D- |
61-63 |
|
F |
0-60 |
ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: I trust you and expect that you will follow all rules of academic honesty. I will also make sure you understand proper MLA documentation. However, if you plagiarize or break other rules of academic honesty, you will receive a zero for the assignment. I will also report the breach of academic honesty to the university, and further penalties may result, including failure of the course and even expulsion from college.
TEXTS:
Nina Baym et al., The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Shorter 6th ed.)
James S. Brown and Scott D. Yarbrough, A Practical Introduction to Literary Study
SYLLABUS (students are responsible for any changes):
|
AUGUST |
|
|
21 T |
Introduction; Brown/Yarbrough: Ernest Hemingway, A Hills Like White Elephants@ (296) |
|
23 R |
Literature to 1700B Introduction (1); Stories of the Beginning of the World (17); Christopher Columbus, Letters (25); John Smith, The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (42); Native American Trickster Tales (59); Winnebago Trickster Cycle (65); Brown/Yarbrough: Ch. 3B Why Read Literature? (14); Ch. 4B The Act of Reading (19); Ch. 8B Analytical Reading (49) |
|
28 T |
William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation (75); Anne Bradstreet, A The Prologue@ (115), A The Author to Her Book@ (124), A Before the Birth of One of Her Children@ (124), A To My Dear and Loving Husband@ (125), A A Letter to Her Husband, Absent Upon Public Employment@ (125), A In Memory of My Dear Grandchild Elizabeth Bradstreet@ (126); A Here Follows Some Verses Upon the Burning of Our House@ (127); Brown/Yarbrough: Ch. 6B Engaging With Poetry (34); Ch. 10B Figurative Language (69) |
|
30 R |
Mary Rowlandson, A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (135); Edward Taylor, A Meditation 8 (First Series)@ (154), A Huswifery@ (160) |
|
SEPTEMBER |
|
|
4 T |
American Literature 1700-1820 (171); Benjamin Franklin (219), from The Autobiography (281-292); Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Alaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African, Written by Himself (350); Phillis Wheately, A On Being Brought from Africa to America@ (367); A To the University of Cambridge, in New England@ (367) |
|
6 R |
American Literature 1820-1865 (425); Washington Irving, A Rip Van Winkle@ (446); William Apess, A An Indian= s Looking-Glass for the White Man@ (476); Brown/Yarbrough: Ch. 14B From Reading to Writing (100); Ch. 15B Formulating an Argument (112) |
| 11 T |
Ralph Waldo Emerson (482), A Self-Reliance@ (539); Henry David Thoreau, A Resistance to Civil Government@ (834) |
|
13 R |
Frederick Douglass, from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (939); Harriet Jacobs, from Incidents in the Life of a Slave-Girl (812) |
|
18 T |
Nathaniel Hawthorne (579), A My Kinsman, Major Molineux@ (584), A Young Goodman Brown@ (610), A The Birth-Mark@ (635) |
|
19 W |
Paper due by 4:00 p.m. in my office |
|
20 R |
Edgar Allan Poe, A SonnetB To Science@ (700), A To Helen@ (697); A Annabel Lee@ (707), A The Fall of the House of Usher@ (717); A The Tell-Tale Heart@ (727) |
|
25 T |
Herman Melville (1081), A Bartleby, the Scrivener@ (1086) |
|
27 R |
Walt Whitman (985), A When I Heard the Learned Astronomer@ (1070), A A Noiseless Patient Spider@ (1080) A Song of Myself@ (1003) |
|
OCTOBER |
|
|
2 T |
Emily Dickinson (1167) |
|
4 R |
American Literature 1865-1914 (1223); Mark Twain, A The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County@ (1240); Charles W. Chesnutt, A The Goophered Grapevine@ (1632) |
| 9 T |
Sarah Orne Jewett, A A White Heron@ (1586); Kate Chopin (1594), A At the > Cadian Ball@ (1596); A The Storm@ (1603) |
|
11 R |
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, A The Yellow Wall-paper@ (1658); Stephen Crane, A The Blue Hotel@ (1738) |
|
16 T |
Fall BreakB No class |
|
18 R |
Midterm Exam |
|
23 T |
American Literature Between the Wars, 1914-1945 (1807); Robert Frost (1878) |
|
25 R |
Wallace Stevens, A The Snow Man@ (1920), A The Emperor of Ice-Cream@ (1922), A Anecdote of the Jar@ (1926), A Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird@ (1928), A The Idea of Order at Key West@ (1930); William Carlos Williams, A The Young Housewife@ (1935), A @ Queen Anne= s-Lace@ (1936), A The Widow= s Lament in Springtime@ (1936), A The Red Wheelbarrow@ (1940), A This Is Just to Say@ (1940), A The Dance (A In Breughel= s great picture, The Kermess@ ) (1941), A Landscape With the Fall of Icarus@ (1944); Ezra Pound, A A Pact@ (1949), A In a Station of the Metro@ (1949) |
|
26 F |
Paper due by 4:00 p.m. in my office |
|
30 T |
Marianne Moore, A Poetry@ (1968); Claude McKay, A The Harlem Dancer@ (2084), A America@ (2085); Edna St. Vincent Millay, A Recuerdo@ (2109), A I Think I Should Have Loved You Presently@ (2110), A I Too Beneath Your Moon, Almighty Sex@ (2111); e.e.cummings, A in Just--@ (2113), A Buffalo Bill= s@ (2115), A next to of course god america i@ (2115), A i sing of olaf glad and big@ (2116), A anyone lived in a pretty how town@ (2117); Langston Hughes, A The Negro Speaks of Rivers@ (2227), A Mother to Son@ (2228). A I, Too@ (2228), A Song For a Dark Girl@ (2229), A Silhouette@ (2230), A Democracy@ (2231); Countee Cullen, A Yet Do I Marvel@ (2245), A Incident@ (2246) |
|
NOVEMBER |
|
|
1 R |
William Faulkner, A A Rose for Emily@ (2157); Richard Wright, A The Man Who Was Almost a Man@ (2255) |
| 6 T |
American Prose Since 1945 (2275); Eudora Welty, A Petrified Man@ (2288); Flannery O= Connor, A Good Country People@ (2427) |
|
8 R |
John Cheever, A The Swimmer@ (2363); John Updike, A Separating@ (2470) |
|
13 T |
Raymond Carver, A Cathedral@ (2532); Alice Walker, A Everyday Use@ (2580) |
|
15 R |
American Poetry Since 1945 (2609); poems TBA |
|
20 T |
poems TBA |
|
22 R |
ThanksgivingB No class |
|
29 R |
Conclusions |
|
30 F |
Paper due by 4:00 p.m. in my office |
|
DECEMBER |
|
|
4 T |
Study Day |
| 10 M |
Final ExamB 3:00 p.m. |