Engl 371 Introduction to American Literature

ENGL 371

Introduction to American Literature

Fall 2012; Wed 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. Room # 114.  

Instructor: Hanaa A. Jan

Office:  102
E-mail: [e-mail] 
Office Hours: Monday, (08:00 –12:00 pm), Wednesday 8:00 – 10:00 am, and by appointment.

Course Description:

This course offers a brief introductory survey concentrating on major writers, works, and trends of American Literature. In this course You will encounter many of the multiethnic voices of early America (European, Latin, and African), a number of religious groups (Puritan, Quaker), and a wide variety of genres (sermons, spiritual autobiographies, slave and captivity narratives, poems, short stories) from the colonial period up to the 21st century is discussed. In addition, a representative novel by a 19th century eminent writer is studied closely.

Required Texts:

-          Selection from: The Norton Anthology of American Literature 7^th shorter ed. vols. 1,2.

-          The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

-          A course pack 

Course Objectives:

 Students will be able:

v  To develop and apply critical skills for reading, thinking, and writing about literature.

v   Analyze and discuss the social, economic, and political circumstances and experiences which influenced the thought and traditions of the prominent writers of America and the literary movements that evolved accordingly.

v   Explain and identify the characteristics of American literature and the elements needed to analyze different works.

v  Write research papers in which they offer an analysis representative of a particular period and its characteristics.

v  To use relevant cultural and historical information when interpreting literature.

v  To recognize and compare the individual literary texts, those who wrote them, the context in which they were produced, their place in American literature and culture, and analyze, in writing, the perspectives and assumptions that they and other readers and critics bring to texts and interpretation.

v  To build together a viable and supportive classroom community. Students will be able to work collaboratively and interactively within a group and formulate stimulating and creative ways of discussing literary texts.

Attendance:

Although at times I will lecture in order to present background information, I do expect class participation in discussion and in other in-class activities. I expect you to keep up with the reading and to prepare for class. Class attendance in a literature class is essential for a good grade; therefore, I expect you to attend class regularly, to be prepared for class, and to participate when you are here. Your grade in this class will begin to drop after three absences. Excessive absences (six or more) may result in failure of the course

 Assignments: 

Quizzes: Expect 3-4 quizzes during the semester at the start of the class session. Quizzes are designed to test your knowledge of the reading assigned for that class session and the critical skills we develop and practice during our discussions. The quizzes will consist of identifications, multiple choices and short answer questions which will help you improve your close reading skills and will allow me to evaluate those skills and your comprehension of the material.

A collaborative oral presentation: Each student will team up with several classmates to present a research report on a topic related to our class discussions. You will sign up for a group during the second week of the semester; at that time I will also distribute more specific guidelines for the report. Presentations should be about 15 minutes long and should be shared by all of the students in the group.

Discussion Board: A short reflective paragraph focusing on your own interpretation of a critical problem, a crucial passage, a poem, or a short story. You are required to post on-line responses at least five times during the semester. More posts will give you extra credits.

Exams: There will be a mid-term exam and a final examination.

Grading:

Quizzes 15%

Group Presentation 10%

Blogging and Discussion Board on LMS 5%:

Midterm 30%

Final Exam 40%

Class Policy:

To maintain a harmonious learning environment please respect the following requests:

• Participate in class in a balanced way. Listen while others talk and respond to their comments. Work toward equity in the classroom: building a class in which everyone has equal access to the floor. Encourage your fellow students to participate if you know that they have a great answer.
• Turn cell phones off and avoid using cell phones within class.
• Be aware of the class's start time and arrive promptly before class begins. Two late attendances, arriving 10 minutes after class starts, will count for an absence.
• All assigned readings must be read before the date listed on the syllabus. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of class. If an emergency arises and prevents you from turning in your assignment on time, always contact me, send an email or call in a convenient time. In the absence of any previous consultation with me, work handed in late will be graded down, normally one letter grade for each day that it is late.
• Don’t be absent for the in-term exams because there will not be any make up exam. If you have an extreme medical reason for being absent, you will need to present official verification from a government hospital of your medical situation, and then each individual case will be dealt with accordingly.

Academic Integrity:

Academic honesty is expected of students enrolled in this course. Cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification of research data, plagiarism, and undocumented use of materials from any source constitute academic dishonesty and may be grounds for a grade of ‘F’ in the course and/or disciplinary actions. 

Assigned Readings:

  Colonial Literature: (Puritanism)

1. William Bradford Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God
2. Anne Bradstreet ““To My Dear and Loving Husband” , “To My Dear Children”
3. John Winthrop “ A Model of Christian Charity”

The Era of Expansion (The Formation of American Self)

 4.  Benjamin Franklin Selection from “The Autobiography”

 5. Thomas Jefferson “The Declaration of Independence”

 6. Phillis Wheatley "On Being Brought From Africa to America"

Revolutionary Period (Transcendentalism)

 7. Ralph Waldo Emerson “Self Reliance”

8. Nathaniel Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown”

9.  Edgar Allan Poe “The Tell Tale Heart”, “The Raven”

10.   Walt Whitman Song of Myself

11.   Emily Dickinson   “Selected Poems”

The Age of Realism:

12.  Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

13.  Kate Chopin “Story of an Hour”

Harlem Renascence:

14.   Zora Neale Hurston “How It Feels to Be Colored Me”

15.  Langston Hughes “I, Too, Sing America”, “THEME FOR ENGLISH B”

The World Wars and Depression:

 16.   Elizabeth Bishop “One Art”

17.  Alice Walker “Everyday Use”

Course Schedule:

The following is tentative course schedule. Depending on the actual pace at which we proceed during the semester, we may have to make adjustments to the syllabus as we go.

Syllabus
Week	Hejri 1434-1433	Gregorian 2012-2013	Topic
1	18/10/1433	5/9/2012	Introduction
2	25/10/1433	12/9/2012	Colonial Literature: Puritanism John Winthrop “ A Model of Christian Charity Anne Bradstreet ““To My Dear and Loving Husband”
3	3/10/1433	19/9/2012	Great Awakening           Jonathan Edwards Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God
4	10/11/1433	26/9/2012	The Era of Expansion ( The Formation of American Self)   Benjamin Franklin Selection from “The Autobiography”
5	17/11/1433	3/9/2012	Thomas Jefferson “The Declaration of Independence”   Phillis Wheatley "On Being Brought From Africa to America"
6	24/11/1433	10/10/2012	Revolutionary Period (Transcendentalism)  Ralph Waldo Emerson “Self Reliance”
7	1/12/1433	17/10/2012	Nathaniel Hawthorne “Young Goodman Brown”
8+9	4→17/12/1433 20/10→2/11/2012		Eid Al Adhha Break
10	22/12/1433	7/11/2012	Walt Whitman Song of Myself Emily Dickinson   “Selected Poems”
11	29/12/1433	14/11/2012	Edgar Allan Poe “The Raven” MID-TERM
12	7/1/1434	21/11/2012	The Age of Realism Kate Chopin Story of an Hour Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
13	14/1/1434	28/11/2012	Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
14	21/1/1434	5/12/2012	Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
15	28/1/1434	12/12/2012	The Harlem Renascence Zora Neale Hurston “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Langston Hughes “I, Too, Sing America”, “THEME FOR ENGLISH B”
16	6/2/1434	19/12/2012	The World Wars and Depression: Elizabeth Bishop “One Art”     Alice Walker Everyday Use
17	13/2/1434	26/12/2012	Oral and make-up exams
18	16/2/1434	29/12/2012	General exams
19+20	23/2→4/3/1434	5→16/1/2013	Final Exams