English 341: American Literature to 1865
   --The Individual and the Community--

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COURSE POLICIES

REQUIRED TEXT:
· Paul Lauter, gen. ed. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.

FURTHER REQUIREMENTS:
· Regular class attendance with all required course materials. After six absences, no matter what the reasons may be, your final grade will be lowered one half grade for each additional absence. The class dynamic depends on your presence. Save your absences for illness and emergencies as it is always difficult and often impossible to make exceptions for individuals while remaining fair to the whole class.
· Punctuality. Late arrivals cause class interruptions. For every two late arrivals you will be assessed one absence. I consider you late if you arrive after I have called roll.
· Careful reading and preparation of all assignments. For every two times that you are obviously not fully prepared for class your oral participation grade will be lowered by one half grade. You may make up for your failure to prepare and participate by visibly working harder than average during the following days.
· All assignments must be handed in on time to receive full credit. Under extraordinary circumstances an assignment may be handed in late if you obtain permission beforehand. For every late day grades will be lowered by one letter grade.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
English 341 examines the evolution of the American literary tradition from its beginnings to 1865. Attempting to cover the major literary movements, we shall seek to do justice to a wide variety of writers as they struggle under the ever-present tension between self and community. In compliance with the competencies required by the English undergraduate program, we will seek to acquire knowledge of the various genres. Engaging with a culturally diverse literature, we will learn to analyze and critically evaluate a wide range of ideas, arguments, and points of view. While we will attempt to acquire factual knowledge, we shall also seek to develop creative capacities. Finally, English 341 will provide us with the ability to think and write critically, leading to an oral and written mastery of discourse appropriate to the study of language and literature.

ESSENTIAL OBJECTIVES OF THIS COURSE ARE:
· Gaining a broader understanding and appreciation of intellectual/cultural activity, in this case, literature.
· Learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view.

AN IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE IS:
· Developing skill in oral and written expression.

EVALUATION:

in-class examination:	20%
paper 1:	20%
terminology test:	10%
paper 2:	20%
oral participation:	10%
final examination:	20%

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IN-CLASS EXAMINATION (20%):
This closed-book examination covers all materials discussed by the examination date and might conceivably consist of ids, factual questions, and short responses. Duration: 1 h.

PAPER 1 (20%):
The first assignment consists of a 3-4-page typed essay. Students will be given a choice of questions, and they will be asked to respond with as much detail as possible.

TERMINOLOGY TEST (10%):
Students will be asked to produce detailed definitions of terms discussed or assigned in class.

PAPER: (20%):
Students will write a 4-6-page typed essay. They will be given a choice of questions, and they will be asked to respond with as much detail as possible.

ORAL PARTICIPATION (10%):
Oral participation consists of responding to my and fellow students' comments, asking and answering questions, volunteering information, suggesting new aspects and topics, and generally taking an active part in the discussions we conduct.

FINAL EXAMINATION (20%):
The final examination will cover all materials discussed in class and might conceivably consist of ids, factual questions, and short responses. Duration: 2 hours (from 10:15-12:15 on Thursday, Dec. 16).

STUDENT PARTNERS:
In the first week, I will set up permanent student partnerships for the entire semester. Partners will be responsible for each other in the event of absence (i.e., sharing lecture notes, reminding each other of deadlines, exchanging information about syllabus changes, etc.). Partners may also want to study together and exchange and edit papers before they turn them in. You and your partner are responsible for the success of your learning experience.

ACADEMIC HONESTY:
The Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Philosophy is strongly committed to academic honesty. For your information, here is the definition of plagiarism:

"Using another author's words, sentences, or even ideas without explicit acknowledgment is plagiarism. If you quote directly from a source, put the sentence(s) or portion(s) of the sentence(s) you use in quotation marks. Then indicate your debt with a footnote or a parenthetical annotation."

The consequences of plagiarism range from failing the class to being expelled from the university. Plagiarism will most certainly have serious repercussions on your academic as well as professional future.

AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA):
In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act, all qualified students enrolled in this course are entitled to "reasonable accommodations." It is the student's responsibility to inform me of any special needs before the end of the second week of classes.

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DAILY SCHEDULE

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   |   week 16
week 17

Week 1: Introduction
T 8/24:
Introduction to the course.
R 8/26:
Interviews, organization, first impressions.

Week 2: The Colonial Period to 1700
T 8/31:
Review of MLA-style, part 1. Lecture on the Colonial period to 1700.
R 9/2:
Review of MLA-style, part 2. "Native American Oral Narrative," 24-27. "The Origin of Stories, 56-58. "Iroquois or Confederacy of Five Nations," 59-62. "Raven Makes a Girl Sick and Then Cures Her," 67-69. Be able to summarize the introduction on 24-27, the narratives, and the footnotes to the narratives.
F2 9/3:
Assignment of student partners. "Native American Oral Poetry," 70-73. "Two Songs," 95. "Widow's Song," 98-99. "My Breath," 99-101. "Deer Hunting Song," 102. "Love Song," 102-03. "Song of Repulse to a Vain Lover," "A Dream Song," 103. "Woman's Divorce Dance Song," 104. Be able to summarize the introduction on 70-73 and the footnotes to the poems.

Week 3: The Imperial Frontier and the New World
T 9/7:
Christopher Columbus, 116-17. From Journal of the First Voyage to America, 1492-1493, 117-25. From Narrative of the Third Voyage, 1498-1500, 125-28.
R 9/9:
John Winthrop, 223-25. From "A Modell of Christian Charity," 226-34.

Week 4: New World Puritanism
T 9/14:
Mary White Rowlandson, 340-42. From A Narrative of the Captivity and Restauration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, 343-53.
R 9/16:
A Narrative, 353-66.
F2 9/17:
Edward Taylor, 366-70. "Prologue," 388-90. "Another Meditation at the same time," 390. "8. Meditation," 391-92. "Meditation 26," 393-94. "115 Meditation," 400-02.

Week 5: Enlightenment and the Eighteenth Century
T 9/21:
Lecture on the eighteenth century. "Poems Published Anonymously," 710-13.
R 9/23:
Benjamin Franklin, 717-20. The Autobiography, 762-82.

Week 6: An Eighteenth-Century Writer in Depth: Benjamin Franklin
T 9/28:
The Autobiography, 783-805.
R 9/30:
The Autobiography, 805-19. Review for in-class examination.
F2 10/1:
In-class examination (20%).

Week 7: An Early Slave Narrative
T 10/5:
Olaudah Equiano, 1018-19. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself, 1019-41.
R 10/7:
Equiano, 1042-50.

Week 8: Workshops
T 10/12:
In-class discussion of paper 1. Full-length draft due.
R 10/14:
Conferences.
F2 10/15:
Conferences.

Week 9: The Early Nineteenth Century
T 10/19:
Paper 1 due (20%). Lecture on the early nineteenth century.
R 10/21:
Washington Irving, 1332-33. "Rip Van Winkle," 1342-54.

Week 10: Dark Romanticism & Transcendentalism
T 10/26:
Edgar Allan Poe, 1440-43. "The Raven," 1514-17. "The Philosophy of Composition," 1529-37.
R 10/28:
Little Women (film, version to be announced).
F2 10/29:
Terminology test (10%). Little Women continued.

Week 11: Questions of Race and Woman Meet
T 11/2:
Harriet Ann Jacobs, 1837-39. From Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, 1839-55.
R 11/4:
Incidents, 1855-64. Lydia Maria Child, 1915-17. From Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans, 1917-19. "Letters from New York," 1919-29.

Week 12: The American Renaissance
T 11/9:
Nathaniel Hawthorne, 2190-94. "The Birth-mark," 2225-36.
R 11/11:
Herman Melville, Benito Cereno, 2454-75.
F2 11/12: Benito Cereno, 2475-95.

Week 13: American Renaissance Continued
T 11/16:
Benito Cereno, 2496-511.
R 11/18:
In-class discussion of paper 2. Full-length draft due.

Week 14: Mostly Thanksgiving
T 11/23:
Conferences. Paper 2 due (20%).
R 11/25:
Thanksgiving Break.
F2 11/26:
Thanksgiving Break.

Week 15: An Early American Male Poet in Depth: Walt Whitman
T 11/30:
Walt Whitman, 2725-29. "The Sleepers," 2794-802. "Vigil Strange I Kept One Night," 2821-22. "The Wound Dresser" (handout).
R 12/2:
Whitman, "The Real War Will Never Get in the Books" (handout). "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking," 2809-14.

Week 16: An Early American Woman Poet in Depth: Emily Dickinson
T 12/7:
Emily Dickinson, 2854-61. #49, 2862. #280, 2867-68. #288, 2899. #299, 2870-71. #303, 2872.
R 12/9:
Dickinson, #508, 2885-86. #712, 2901. #754, 2903-04. #1072, 2908. #1129, 2910.
F2 12/10:
Review for final examination.

Week 17: Finishing up
R 12/16:
10:15-12:15, final examination (20%).

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This syllabus provides a general plan and is subject to change.
Check the blackboard regularly for announcements.

COURSE POLICIES | DAILY SCHEDULE | CURRENT COURSES | HOME