ENGL 2130-26H: Survey of American Literature (TR 11-12:15, TLC 2237)
“American Literature, Backwards and Forwards”
Dr. Joshua Masters, TLC 2240
Phone: 678-839-4862
Email: jmasters@westga.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 2-3; Wednesday, 9:30-12:30 & 1-6, and by appt.
Description
This survey of American literature traces the development of such themes as nature, nationhood, law, gender, race, and identity in our national culture, from first contact to the present day. However, rather than marching across the centuries with the mission of conquering our nation’s literary history, we will “light out for the territories” in a somewhat unconventional fashion. The subtitle of the course, “American Literature, Backwards and Forwards,” is meant to suggest both the intertextual and the transhistorical nature of the class. Throughout the semester we will work with pairings of authors who share similar concerns and interests but come from different historical periods (and often have disparate cultural perspectives). Section One of the course, “The Making of the (White) American,” pairs Ben Franklin’s Autobiography (1783) with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925). Section Two, “Puritanism and its Other(s),” will pair the writings of William Bradford (circa 1620) with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter (1850). Section Three, “The American Captive,” pairs Harriet Jacobs’ slave narrative (1861) with Nella Larsen’s Passing (1929). Section Four, “Remaking the American Self,” pairs Mark Twain’s Huck Finn (1885) with Russell Banks’s recent novel Rule of the Bone (1995). And Section Five, “Experimental American Identities,” pairs an excerpt from Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man (1950) with Percival Everett’s postmodern novel Erasure (2001). In reading their texts side by side, we will imagine the writers engaged in a dialogue, exchanging ideas and expressing their concerns through their literary works.
Required Texts (in order of appearance):
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Ben Franklin, The Autobiography of Ben Franklin
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Nella Larsen, Passing
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Russell Banks, Rule of the Bone
Percival Everett, Erasure
Requirements
Students are expected to complete the day’s reading assignment in advance and come to class prepared to participate in discussion. Students must maintain a reading-quiz average of 65% or higher, write one oral presentation, turn in a series of process-based writing assignments, two five-page papers, and a ten-page final project. In addition, students are expected to complete the day’s reading assignment in advance and come to class prepared to participate in discussion. If you cannot keep up with the reading, you will fail the class.
Explanation of Course Requirements
Final Grade: To pass the course, students must turn in all written work, have less than five absences, and earn a passing quiz grade. If you average less than 65% on quizzes, you will not pass the course. Your final grade is comprised of the following: Final Paper (25%); Two Five-Page Essays (25%); Quizzes (20%); Process-Based Writing Assignments (20%); Oral Presentation (5%); and Participation (5%). Note: I am always happy to discuss your progress in the class with you and explain my evaluation of your work. You can expect to receive the grade you earn in this class; please refrain from telling me what grade you “need” in the class (for Hope, for athletics, to fulfill a dying relative’s final request, etc.), or what grade you “really want” (presumably an A).
Essays: Your basic task for each paper is to produce a well-written, coherent essay whose central argument is both interesting and significant. Your essays will be thesis-driven, argumentative papers, and your grade will be determined by the complexity of your central argument, the structure of your paragraphs, the logic of your organization, and the strength of your prose (i.e. your writing). Your research paper will also be evaluated in terms of its use of secondary sources and the originality of your scholarship.
Reading Assignments: The reading assignments can be found on the online syllabus in Dr. Masters’ website (http://www.westga.edu/~jmasters/). All reading will be due on Tuesday, and you can expect to read between 100 and 150 pages each week. Remember, Tuesday’s quizzes are open note, so write down names and descriptions of important characters, significant plot developments, key images and themes, etc.
Quizzes: At the beginning of each Tuesday class, you will take a comprehensive, fact-based quiz on the week’s reading assignment. Once the quiz is distributed, the door to the class will close, and you will have about five minutes to complete the quiz. If you arrive late, you will not be allowed to take the quiz, and you must wait outside until the quiz is completed. If you are absent for whatever reason, you will not be allowed to retake a quiz. Under no circumstances will I give make-up quizzes. If at anytime during the semester it becomes mathematically impossible for a student to earn a passing quiz score (at least a 65%), he or she will be told to stop coming to class. This policy is absolutely and utterly inflexible. Each quiz is worth 10 points, and at the end of the semester, assuming that you've earned the required 65%, I will then drop your lowest quiz score when determining your quiz average and quiz grade. All quizzes are open note (but not open book), and you are encouraged to bring notes based on the reading to class.
Process-Based Writing Assignments: At the beginning of each week, I will post Thursday’s writing assignment at the bottom of the online syllabus. All writing in this class submitted for credit must be typed. Your papers for this class will be written over a period of weeks rather than in one, long sleepless night. Expect Thursday assignments to be fairly involved affairs that take you through the process of writing a thesis-driven, critical essay. These assignments will be graded on a ten-point scale based on their level of completeness and the degree to which they follow my directions. Late assignments will penalized two points for each weekday that they are late.
Late Essays: I will accept late essays, but always with a penalty. For each weekday that a paper is late, 1/3 of a letter grade will be deducted from the final grade. For instance, if the paper is due on Tuesday and you turn it in on Wednesday, you will lose 1/3 of a grade (i.e. a C+ becomes a C). If you turn it in on Thursday, 2/3 of a grade is deducted (a C+ becomes a C-). Emailed papers will not be accepted. All papers must be handed to me and entered into the record book as received.
Discussion and Attendance: Students are expected to attend every class and arrive on time, prepared, and eager to discuss the day’s reading. Your participation grade is based upon your performance in the class in terms of group work, discussion, and attendance habits. You are expected to demonstrate genuine engagement with the material, actively contribute to discussion topics, show adequate preparation for each class, and respect the ideas of your classmates. You must bring the text under discussion to every class.
Cellphones and Sleeping: Don’t ever, ever fall asleep in this class, and I never want to see a cellphone. As soon as you see me, get the thing out of sight. If you fall asleep or use your cellphone in class (such as text-messaging and/or message checking), you will be asked to leave class and considered absent for that day.
Email: All email correspondence must take place through UWG accounts. I cannot read or respond to emails from students coming from other sources. Your emails should address me (“Dear Dr. Masters,” rather than “yo”), and they must be signed. Please proofread them and write in full sentences.
Tardiness: Each tardy will count as ½ of an absence. On Tuesdays, after quizzes are collected, the doors will be opened and late arrivals will be allowed to find a seat. If you are more than three minutes late, you will be marked as tardy.
Absences: I understand that illnesses and emergencies are a part of life, and therefore you are allowed to miss one Tuesday class and one Thursday class without penalty. However, if you miss five classes, you will automatically fail the class, no exceptions. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences unless the absence is due to participation in an official University activity (such as band, sports, debate, etc.). If you add the class after Tuesday, you will not be counted as absent. However, you are responsible for contacting me and being prepared by Thursday.
My Plagiarism Policy: If a student is caught plagiarizing (and this includes short writing assignments) or cheating on a quiz, he or she will automatically fail the course. No exceptions. Also, I consider Cliffnotes, Sparknotes, and other similar “resources” out of bounds. You must complete the reading on your own and do your own thinking in the class. Quizzes will be designed in such a way that these “sources” will be of no use to you.
Departmental Plagiarism Policy: The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources. The Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments. An equally dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth. Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course.
Reporting Procedures for
Plagiarism:
Each incidence of plagiarism is subject to review and consideration by the
instructor, and is subject to a range of penalties including but not limited to
failing the assignment, failing the course, and referral to the
disciplinary review board (which may
ultimately result in the expulsion, suspension, or disciplinary removal of the
student from the university). In order to facilitate the prevention and
detection of plagiarism the Department of English and the University of West
Georgia will maintain records of plagiarized assignments and those who prepare
and/or submit them.
Course Goals
Students will demonstrate their ability to understand, analyze, and critique selections of twentieth-century American literature.
Students will recognize distinct aesthetic movements in the twentieth century in order to gain familiarity with the content and defining qualities of the literary period.
Students will develop an understanding of different critical approaches to the interpretation of works of twentieth-century American literature.
Students will demonstrate in both oral and written work a discipline-specific critical facility through convincing and well-supported analysis of related material.
Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and the tenets of sound composition by means of thesis-driven analytical prose.
Students will learn to use discipline-specific computer technologies related to the study of language such as listservs, word processing, and internet research.
Program Goals
This course fulfills one of the departmental requirements for the completion of the English major.
Students will develop the analytical, oral and written skills to pursue graduate study or careers in teaching, writing, business and a variety of other fields.
Students will be able to define and pursue independent research agendas.
This course contributes to the program goal of equipping students with a foundation in literary history and the issues surrounding literary study in contemporary culture.
This course broadens students' desire and ability to take pleasure in their encounter with literature.
Students with disabilities should meet with me at the beginning of the semester, and we will make any necessary arrangements.
The reading schedule and assignment due dates are posted on the online syllabus. Slight changes and modifications are always a part of the semester, so plan to consult the syllabus regularly (before each class). All changes will be announced in class well in advance.
For Thursday, January 11th, write a one paragraph response to Raymond Carver’s story “Viewfinder” based on the question posted on the syllabus. Also for January 11th, read Chapters 1 and 2 of The Great Gatsby. For Tuesday, January 16th, read Chapters 3-7 of Gatsby.
Reading and Assignment Schedule
1/9: Introduction to Class. Syllabus and Carver story "Viewfinder" handed out.
1/11: First short writing assignment due (see below). Read Chapters 1 and 2 in The Great Gatsby (to 38).
1/16: Gatsby, Chapters 3-7 (to 145).
1/18: Paragraph Writing Assignment.
1/23: Finish Gatsby, Ben Franklin Books I and II (to 72).
1/25: First single-spaced page of your "Mountain of Notes" for Essay #1 due.
1/30: Scarlet Letter, "The Custom House" and Chapters 1-7 (to 73) and Bradford excerpt.
2/1: Complete Mountain of Notes and Thorough Outline of Essay #1 due.
2/6: Scarlet Letter, Chapters 8-19 (to 146)
2/8: Rough Draft of Essay #1 due (at least three pages formatted according to the MLA Template).
2/13: Finish Scarlet Letter (to 180), begin Harriet Jacobs, Chapters 1-9 (to 47). Hawthorne Presentations.
2/15: Final Draft of Essay #1 due.
2/20: Finish Jacobs (to 164). Jacobs Presentations.
2/22: (Very) Short Writing Assignment.
2/27: Read all of Nella Larsen's Passing (to 114). Larsen Presentations.
3/1: Short Writing Assignment. Last Day to Withdraw with a "W."
3/6: Huck Finn, Chapters 1-20 (to 101).
3/8: Stage 1 (see assignment sheet) of Essay #2 is due.
3/13: Finish Huck Finn, Chapters 35-38 are optional. Huck Finn Presentations.
3/15: Complete Mountain of Notes of Essay #2 due.
3/20: Spring Break
3/22: Spring Break
3/27: Rule of the Bone, Chapters 1-13 (to 239).
3/29: Detailed outline of Essay #2 due.
4/3: Finish Rule of the Bone (to 390). Banks Presentations.
4/5: Final Draft of Essay #2 due.
4/10: First 131 pages of Erasure.
4/12: Prologue and Chapter 1 of Invisible Man.
4/17: Finish Erasure (to 265). Everett Presentations.
4/19: Final Project Prospectus Due.
4/24: Writing Workshop and Conferences.
4/26: Writing Workshop and Conferences.
5/2: Final Papers due in my office by 5 p.m.
Thursday Writing Assignments
Thursday, January 11th: For class, please bring in a typed (double-spaced) paragraph that examines the meaning of Raymond Carver's story "Viewfinder." Before you begin drafting the paragraph, make some notes on the story and your thoughts on it. Also, pick one sentence or statement in the story that you feel is essential to understanding it. You will be citing and analyzing this passage in your paragraph.
Once you're ready to write, open your paragraph with an argument about the story's meaning in which you try to forge some sort of connection or suggest some form of relationship between thematic elements. And, if you're really good, you'll attempt to frame that connection within a larger cultural context: What does the story show us about class, gender, language, identity, etc. in America? Within the body of the paragraph, cite a specific passage as evidence for your argument (using a parenthetical citation with the page number), and attempt to analyze and interpret the passage. Keep your response to a single, cohesive paragraph of about 1/2 to 3/4 of a page. See you in class!
(And don't forget to read your Gatsby.)
Thursday, January 18th
This assignment is very similar to last week's. You will be producing one paragraph, using the MLA Template we discussed in class (found on my website's homepage), about The Great Gatsby. The choice of topics is entirely up to you, but hopefully it relates to an issue or idea that we've looked at in class. Your topic/focus should be fairly narrow, since you should imagine that you're writing a body paragraph rather than an introduction.
The paragraph will need to include one short internal quotation (it might even be just a phrase or a word) and one block quotation. Be sure that your quotations are absolutely accurate, and be sure to cite and punctuate them properly. Once you've collected your evidence and thought about your topic, spend a few minutes formulating your opening argument, and be prepared to revise and strengthen it throughout the writing process. Please keep your paragraph to less than one page. Feel free to email me if you have questions.
Thursday, January 25th (revised)
For Thursday, you'll be bringing in a page (or more) of single-spaced notes relevant to a paper on Gatsby and Franklin that you can imagine yourself submitting for a grade in three weeks. After reading over the assignment, begin working on Stage One, which is the creation of a mountain of notes that will later help you formulate both your outline and final paper. Eventually, you'll have at least two single-spaced pages of notes (aim for three or four, however), but for Thursday, you just need the first page. Many of your entries/notes (which you should continue to work on throughout the coming week) will be based on quotations that you're pretty sure you want to work with in your paper. Some entries will be questions you have for yourself. Some entries will be your "Big Ideas" that you know you want to develop further. Each entry should be numbered, and they don't need to be in any particular order. In Stage Two, you will create a detailed, meaningful outline that creates order from chaos. For now, you need only create chaos.
As an example, here are two entries I wrote in class last Thursday while you responded to one another's block quotations (I didn't have a paper topic, so I jumped around a bit). One of your entries might be a description, however tentative, of your topic; one should be based on a Franklin quotation; and at least two should be based on Gatsby passages. For entries based on a quotation, type out the quotation (some of these can be short, of course). One of your notes should provide the context of the passage (when does it happen; who is speaking to whom; what's the dramatic tension; etc.).
1. But she didn’t say another word. We gave her spirits of ammonia an put ice on her forehead and hooked her back into her dress, and half an hour later, when we walked out of the room, the pearls were around her neck and the incident was over. Next day at five o'clock she married Tom Buchanan without so much as a shiver, and started off on a three months’ trip to the South Seas. (76)
2. An idea to play around with. How are Jordan and Nick parallel figures? Sexual ambiguity (both are masculine and feminine). Detachment. Witnesses to the lives of others. In between classes. This is something to raise in the next discussion.
Thursday, February 1st
Your notes (at least two single spaced pages) and a detailed outline are due. Please consult your assignment sheet, especially the paragraph that begins "Stage two," for instructions and suggestions. Below is a link to the sample outline I showed you in class today.
You will be doing some work on your outline in class, and I want you to be able to take it home for the weekend. Therefore, please print two copies to bring with you to class, one for me to collect, and one that you can write on and then take home.
Thursday, February 8th
At least three pages of your paper (not two and three-quarters), formatted correctly, is due. Make sure to have a hard-copy in class.
Thursday, February 15th
Papers are due in class.
Please remember to format it according to the MLA Template (and it can't hurt to read through the Template text). Also, create a title page that follows the Title Page Template, which is on the main page and also below:
As I clarified today in class, you don't need to repeat your title (or title page info) on page one of your paper. If you any questions, I'll be available all day on Wednesday.
Thursday, February 22nd
For class, type out a specific passage from Jacobs' slave narrative that directly deals with the politics of skin color ("whiteness," "blackness," "lightness," "darkness," etc.). Keep in mind the directions our discussions have taken, and read at least 369-78 of Mary Mitchell's article "Rosebloom and Pure White" before you select a passage. Write down some thoughts and ideas, in note form, on the passage you've chosen and what it means and/or reveals.
To get to Mitchell's article, remember to go to Ingram Library's website, click "databases," then click "Literature and Languages," then scroll down to "MLA International Bibliography," and then type "Rosebloom Mitchell" into the box marked "find." Then click "Link to Full Text," and then select "Read as PDF." Thursday's reading quiz will mostly be on the second two-thirds of Jacobs, but there will also be two questions from Mitchell's essay.
Thursday, March 1
Choose two passages from Passing that you think are connected in an important thematic way. One should be fairly short (a sentence or two), and one should be longer. Type out both passages, but with the longer one, use an ellipsis (three dots) to remove at least one full sentence, and also a phrase or part of another sentence. Your goal is to maintain the grammar and the flow of the passage while removing at least one full sentence and also the part of another. Your don't need to block quote it, but part of your grade will depend on properly using ellipses in two places in the quotation. An example is provided on the MLA Template, p.3.
Beneath the the two quotations, type out a couple of thoughts on the connection you have in mind between the two passages.
Thursday, March 8
Stage one of your second paper is due. See assignment.
Thursday, March 15
I'll be holding individual conferences with any and all interested students throughout the day on Thursday instead of class. Please email your completed notes to me before the end of the day.
Thursday, March 29
At least two pages of notes, quotes, and ideas are due tomorrow, as well as a detailed outline. Please see the assignment for outline suggestions. For each body paragraph, write a short narrative that clearly defines the connection between the paragraph and the one it follows. What's the logic behind your organization? How are you building on and drawing from a key argument or idea in the previous paragraph? Or, if it's your first body paragraph, why is it first? This should really help you to establish strong bridge statements at the opening of each paragraph of your final draft. If you're using a Roman Numeral system, I. will be your introduction, but for II., III., IV., etc., you might create a mini-title that defines the topic of each. A. will then be your transition-narrative, with B. (and 1, 2, 3, etc.), C, D, etc., being drawn from your mountain of notes, quotes, and ideas.
Please email your outline to me by 10 a.m. tomorrow morning. Bring a hardcopy of both your notes and your outline to class.
Thursday, April 12
Your primary task for Thursday is to read the excerpt from Invisible Man, thinking about how Erasure responds to and draws upon Ralph Ellison's novel. There will be a quiz on the excerpt. I'd also like you to bookmark a passage from My Pafology that you think is particularly telling and/or revealing.