2018 English 241 syllabus Essays - Writers, American Writers

English 241: Survey of American Literature I Fall 2018 MWF 10-10:50, Rm. 827 Instructor: Dr. Justin R. Wert E-mail: [emailprotected] Office Phone: 961-6559 Office Location: 214 Dickinson Office Hours: M 11-2; TuTh 12:30-2; W 11-12, 1-2; F 11-12 Required Materials: 1) The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 9th Edition. Vols. A (ISBN# 978-0-393-93571-4) and B (ISBN# 978-0-393-26447-0) 2) The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Norton Critical Edition, 2006 (ISBN # 0-393-92476-9) 3) A novel of your choice-see American Novels list (last pg. of this syllabus) 4) two flat folders with pockets ? This course is a Writing Intensive Course, English 111 and 112 are pre- requisites for this course. You must have completed both of those courses to be eligible to take this class. This course has extensive reading and writing requirements, including the following items: . You will read 5 book-length works (novels and non-fiction), 28 essays and stories, and more than 50 poems. . You will write a 7-8 page term paper and 31 reading responses. ? Course Description/Objectives: English 241 provides an introduction to American literature from the colonial period to the Civil War. The course will focus on major authors & their works as windows upon human experience: Description: . Each literary work provides a window upon human experience. In other words, the work reflects the author's perceptions of American history/culture, psychology, social mores, gender, philosophy, music/art and/or other elements of the American experience. . Students will identify major authors and their works as well as major themes & concepts of the three different time periods in American Literature: from the colonial period to the Civil War. Students will analyze these themes/concepts and assess how and why they are essential to the development of American Literature. Objectives: . Students will identify major authors and their works. . Students will identify major themes & concepts. . Students will analyze and apply these themes/concepts and assess how and why they are essential to the development of American Literature and how and why American literature has influenced American culture overall. . Upon completion of this writing-intensive course, students should be able to: Use the writing process, including pre-writing and revision strategies, to complete essays; Support their ideas in writing with specific details and evidence; Structure their ideas in an organized format; Edit their writing according to the rules of standard academic English; Evaluate their sources for credibility and academic appropriateness; Employ techniques for integrating information, such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting; Exhibit the ability to think critically; Demonstrate, through their writing, familiarity with the College's standard, evaluative writing rubric; and Cite sources using an appropriate documentation style. CENTRAL QUESTIONS/MAJOR THEMES: for class discussion/tests/exam COLONIAL: 1500's to Revolutionary War . What was the relationship between American colonizers (Columbus & de las Casas) and the native populations? What was the relationship between the American colonists and England/Europe (Bradford/Morton/Bradstreet/Crevecouer/Franklin) . What were the roles of women/minorities in colonial America & American Renaissance? (Bradstreet/Wheatley) NATIONAL: 1780's-1830's/Transcendentalism . Why/how did American literature begin/grow from colonial period to 1820? . What is Transcendentalism? How is it practiced by Emerson/Thoreau? Who are the predecessors to Transcendentalism? Who was influenced by Emerson/Thoreau and why? Who was outside/skeptical of Transcendentalist movement? Why? (Poe, Hawthorne, Melville) AMERICAN RENAISSANCE: 1830's-Civil War . What was the American Renaissance? Which authors were included/excluded from F.O. Matthiessen's 1940 book, American Renaissance? Why? . Major themes/directions of writing (religion, philosophy, natural phenomena, individualism vs. industrialism, individualism vs. communal, abolitionism) . Why/how did American literature begin/grow from colonial period to 1820? And from 1820 to 1865 (American Renaissance period) . What were the roles of women/minorities in colonial America & American Renaissance? (Douglass/Dickinson) . Poetry: What are old poetic traditions continued in American lit. And what are the new directions? (Fireside poets, Poe, Dickinson, Whitman) ? The Four Components of the Course: 1) Tests (40%) 2) Responses to Readings/In-Class Writing (20%) 3) Final Exam (20%) 4) Term Paper (20%) 1) Tests (40% of final grade): . We will have 2 Tests (20% each). Each test will be TBA. However, the 2 tests will be given at the end of the first 2 reading lists. So when we finish a reading list expect a test at the next class. 2) Responses to Readings/In-Class Writing (20% of final grade) . You will respond in writing to numerous essays, letters, poems, stories, and