Course Syllabus: Fall Semester 2003
English 343/543: American Literature Since 1945
University of
Wisconsin-Eau Claire
David M. Jones,
Instructor
Instructor email:
jonesm@uwec.edu
Office: 414
Hibbard Hall; 836-4949; Office Hours –
email distribution
to class: 0341.engl.343.001@uwec.edu
Required Texts:
Lauter, Paul, ed. Heath
Anthology of American Literature – Volume II
(4th edition – available for rental).
Forche, Carolyn, ed. Against Forgetting (available for rental).
Metalious, Grace.
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road.
Shakur, Assata. Assata:
An Autobiography.
Coupland, Douglas. Generation X.
Students in this course will read landmark literary texts
published in the
Collectively, the texts celebrate the successes of American
culture in the areas of economic mobility, human rights, natural beauty, and
ethnic diversity, but these texts also probe into
Instructional Goals of the Course:
The activities in this section of English 343 are designed in view of the department’s stated goals for the course: “to acquaint the student...with the body of literature written in the United States from the mid-1940s to the present time; to place that literature not only in its own cultural, intellectual, historical and societal context, but also to relate this recent literature to those traditions, conventions, and concerns from which it has derived.” Thus, historical and cultural context, issues and controversies in recent American history, and attempts to respond to these matters through literary and cultural activism will be investigated and discussed in this course.
Students will read texts representing several genres: novels, short fiction, poetry, and drama. Course assignments and class interaction are designed to fulfill several instructional goals that this university considers to be core components of a liberal arts education. Specifically, this course will help students develop:
· an ability to write, speak, and listen, through required written work,
presentations, and in-class discussion.
· an appreciation of the arts, though exposure to a range of literary and
nonliterary texts, and discussions of artistic craft, methods of critical interpretation, and the cultural changes set in motion by various texts.
· an ability to inquire, think, and analyze. Required reading and writing for the
course asks students to consider and respond to the judgments made by
writers, public figures, and the general public in the context of literary
production and everyday life and culture. To improve their skills in the
areas of inquiry and analysis, students will conduct individual and collaborative research and will consider how knowledge is produced and structured within the discipline of English studies.
· an historical consciousness, through detailed examination of specific texts,
events, and issues
in the
Students are encouraged to include writing assignments completed for this course in their graduation portfolios. The response papers for the course may be suitable for portfolio papers #5 (developing historical awareness) or #9 (understanding values). The literary analysis paper for this course would be especially suitable for portfolio paper #8 (synthesizing information).
Course Expectations:
Students who expect to earn an “A” or “B” grade for the course must demonstrate their interest in high achievement with strong attendance records, consistent preparation, and on-time submission of all course assignments during the semester. Failure to achieve in any of these areas constitutes grounds for a “C” grade or below.
Students enrolled in the course are expected to read the assigned texts promptly and to be prepared to contribute their thoughts within a lecture/discussion format. Bringing the appropriate text(s) to class each day is an important component of preparation and participation. The instructor both expects and values thoughtful participation from all students. Students are also encouraged to consider their own relationships to American public culture as they respond to literary texts and design essay topics. Students should also consider how subjects discussed in class relate to their chosen disciplines.
Graded Assignments:
1) Terms and Methods Quiz/Reading Quizzes (10 points/20 points): On a pre-announced occasion early in the semester, students will take a short answer quiz worth 10 points, based on terms related to literary movements, critical analysis, and key historical and cultural references to be used in the course. Here is a list of key terms:
plot postmodernism
character marginality
theme close
reading
text literature
context national
literature
criticism culture
canon narrative
feminism speaker
identity politics genre
modernism metaphor
On five other occasions, students will take reading quizzes based on specific literary texts; each quiz will be worth 4 points.
2) Annotated Bibliography (5 points): In preparation for the group presentation, students will prepare a list of five sources related to their text. Sources may include articles about the author’s life and intellectual interests and information about cultural and historical contexts. Bibliographies are due on presentation days for each group.
Grading will be based on the following requirements:
·
Students will find five articles on their subject.
·
Students will write a 1-paragraph summary of four articles.
·
Students will use MLA format to cite the sources of these articles.
3) Discussion Respondent (5 points): On one occasion during the term, each student will be designated as a discussion respondent, meaning that the student should be especially prepared to contribute to the class conversation that day. Respondent work will be evaluated based on the following requirements:
· Respondents will prepare
a set of 5 questions suitable for leading
discussion.
·Respondents will give a
brief summary of their general response to the
material before
discussion is opened to the entire class.
· Respondents will field
questions and comments by class members and the
instructor
during the session.
·
Respondents are encouraged to enrich their presentations by referring to
electronic
texts – web sites and databases that the class can access
online if they have a personal interest in the particular topic.
Grades will be awarded based on the specificity and detail of the prepared questions,
the respondent’s level of preparation as demonstrated by his or her responses to student and instructor comments, and the quality of the respondent’s efforts to facilitate discussion.
4) Group Presentation (10 points total): On one occasion during the term, each student will participate in a group that gives the initial reaction and background for one of the course texts. Students will be responsible for presenting on the assigned topic for one hour. Any combination of class handouts, selections from documentary or feature film (5-10 minute maximum for the film selection), visual aids or computer-assisted material, small group discussion, or traditional literary explication would be suitable for this assignment. Students will be evaluated on based on the following requirements:
· Each group must consult
briefly with the instructor before the
presentation.
· Each group will
distribute a set of discussion questions, outlines of the
material, or
other handouts as the presentation begins.
· Each group will
distribute an electronic copy of sources consulted in the
preparation of the presentations. Sources can include film and video,
web sites, databases, and printed texts consulted in the process of
preparation. Sources will be listed in MLA format.
· Group members are required to respond to the electronic
texts that are listed in the syllabus as resources for the group.
· On the due date, each group member will hand in a 1-page statement
explaining the preparation process and their contribution to the final
presentation.
5) Response Papers (15 points): On 2 occasions during the term, students will write informal papers (2
pages typed or handwritten) independently on assigned topics and spontaneously
in-class at the request of the instructor.
The informal papers will describe the student’s reactions to assigned
readings, class discussions, and background related to critics, authors,
literary and critical texts. The
instructor will mention specific goals for these writing assignments, and all
of the goals must be met fully for the student to receive full credit for the
assignment. The first assigned response
paper will be worth 5 points, while the second will be worth 10 points, and
will have a research component.
6) Literary Analysis Proposal and Paper (20 points): On one occasion during the term, students will submit a 4-page paper on a topic related to required course texts. This paper may approach its subject in any of the following ways:
· close reading
· reflection on a text’s
relationship to a cultural or historical moment in time
· the critical and general
audience reception for a course text
· the student’s personal
reaction to the text
Four secondary sources are required as background for this paper. On this occasion, graduate students will submit 7-page papers.
Students will be required to submit a proposal worth 5 points that includes sources and a 250-word summary of the paper’s thesis. The paper will be worth a maximum of 15 additional points.
7) Final Exam (15 points): The final exam for the course will be given in a take-home format. Students will receive the questions at the end of class on the Wednesday before the final class day. The exam will be due during the final exam time. There will be a total of 3 questions, each referring to a full-length text read for the course. Grading will be based on the following requirements:
· Students will write on two
exam questions.
· Each
response to the question will have a maximum length of typed 2
pages, double or single spaced: four pages total;
·
Whenever possible and necessary, the responses will refer to texts of poetry
and
short fiction read during the course;
· The
responses will be edited and organized well;
· The
responses will demonstrate the student’s informed point of view as
a result of the work done previously for the course.
Critical Survey (graduate students only): As an additional requirement, graduate students will prepare a 1-page bibliography listing articles about the critical response, author, and historical period related to one of the course texts. Graduate students will also give a class presentation describing the results of the research, including a summary and analysis of 3 critical articles. The bibliography will be distributed to the class, and the presenter will comment on which resources are available in the McIntyre Library. (25 points; 125 points are possible for grad students).
Late/Make-Up/Attendance Policies:
To insure fairness to all
students and validity of grading, assigned work must be submitted during
class on the due date for full credit.
If there are any extenuating circumstances that would prevent submission
of work at this time, students must inform the instructor before the due
date. In the majority of cases, late
work will receive half credit, but only at the instructor’s discretion. There is no guarantee of any credit for
late work submitted without the prior permission of the instructor. In case of medical and family emergencies
that prevent on-time submission of any assignment, students must provide
documentation on the day that they return to class to be assigned make-up work.
The instructor encourages
students to establish strong attendance records as a way of meeting course
objectives. Please note that more than
four absences constitutes grounds for a loss of course credit unless there are
extenuating circumstances that can be documented, such as illness.
Students who are participating in extracurricular activities must establish an authorized absence through the Dean of Students’ Office and inform the instructor before the activity takes place. The instructor also encourages students that are having difficulty with any assignment to speak with the instructor two or more days before the assignment is due, so that assistance can be provided.
The instructor will follow the university policy on academic dishonesty, and will not tolerate any instance of plagiarism or other forms of cheating. Please see the student handbook for the full text of this policy.
Web Site
References for Group Presentations
Introductory section:
Research methods
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/
Cold War: mainstream and
authoritative source
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/
http://www.hanford.gov/hanford.cfm
Group I: Cultural trends and shifts of the 1950s
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/home.html
http://www.freezone.org/timetrack/1950ies.htm
Group II (
Language of the land
(information on
http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/land/
http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/AmeLit-G.html
Group III (On the Road):
Responses
to “Howl,” Background on Beats
http://colinp1.home.mindspring.com/beats.htm
Group IV: 1960s activist movements
History
Matters (resources for controversial issues in
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
The
Psychedelic 60s
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/speccol/exhibits/sixties/index.html
Group V: 1970s/1980s politics and culture, including
conflicts
http://www.imdb.com/Charts/Votes/1970
http://www.scn.org/~jonny/genx.html
http://users.metro2000.net/~stabbott/genx.htm
Group VI (Generation X):
Presidential
Rhetoric (speeches and issues of textuality)
http://www.tamu.edu/comm/pres/
http://www.wfu.edu/~zulick/454/presbib.html
Group VII:
Atrocities and accomplishments (Against Forgetting):
http://www.occupationwatch.org
Group Members for Presentation:
Group 1:
Group 2: Collins, Currier, Feier,
Fish,
Group 3: Gavriel, Gauster, Grimm,
Hanson, Hoversten
Group 4: Johns, Johnson, Johnson,
Klees, Kosanke
Group 5:
Group 6: Rock, Sarfehjoo, Sauerwein,
Stariha, Thompson
Group 7: Volland, Wankel, Watton,
Welch
Weekly Schedule
(subject to occasional change):
Unit 1: American Literatures from
Margin to Center
Week 1: (September 2-5)
Day 1: Definition of literature/national
literature. A word on criticism and
methods of literary
study. Distinctions: literary studies/cultural studies,
modernism/postmodernism.
Day 2:
Marginality in post-war literature
Respondents:
Welch, Watton
Week 2 (September 8-12)
Day 1:
Electronic sources and the study of culture; controversial issues of the era.
Research methods
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/
Cold War: mainstream and authoritative source
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/
http://www.hanford.gov/hanford.cfm
Day 2:
Documentary film: Rosie the Riveter.
Day 3:
Documentary film:
Week 3 (September 15-19)
Day 1: Group
1 Presentation: Cultural Trends and Shifts of the 1950s
Day 2:
Respondents:
Wankel, Volland
Day 3:
Quiz
#1
Week 4 (September 22-26)
Day 1: Group
2 Presentation: Language of the Land/ Literary evaluation of
Day 2:
Theodore Roethke (2251-2255); Elizabeth Bishop (2263-2267; 2270-
2271);
Terms and Methods Quiz
Day 3: James
Wright (2364-2367) and Beat background
Respondents: Thompson,
Stariha
Week 5 (September 29-October 3)
Day 1: Video: Pull
My Daisy
Response Paper #1 due
Day 2: Ginsberg, “Howl” - recording (Lauter
2293-2307)
Day 3: Group
3 Responses to “Howl” and Beat Background
On the Road, Part
1 (1-108)
Week 6 (October 6-10)
Day 1: On
the Road, Part II (109-178)
Respondents:
Sauerwein, Sarfehjoo
Day 2: On
the Road, Part III (179-248)
Respondents:
Rock, Pfeifer
Day 3: On The Road, conclusion (249-307)
Quiz #2
Week 7 (October 13-17)
Day 1:
Video: Women and the Beats
Day 2: Group
4 Presentation: 1960s activist movements
Day 3: Sylvia Plath (2370-2377)
Respondents: Oelschlager, O’Melia
Week 8 (October 20-24)
Respondents: Molitor,
Day 2: Eyes on the Prize (“Ain’t Gonna
Shuffle No More”)
Day 3: No
class
Week 9 (October 27-31)
Day 1: African-American Protest Movements; Assata:
An Autobiography (3-159)
Respondents:
Kosanke, Klees
Day 2: Assata: An Autobiography (160-274);
Video selections: Hands Off Assata
Quiz #3
Day 3: James
Baldwin (2169-2191)
Respondents: Johnson, Johnson
Week 10 (November 3-7)
Respondents: Johns, Hoversten
Day 2: Group
5 Presentation: 1970s/1980s cultural contexts
Day 3:
Dorothy Allison (2916-2926); Response
paper #2.
Week 11 (November 10-14)
Day 1: Generation
X (1-77) Respondents: Hanson, Grimm
Day 2: Generation X conclusion (78-179); Quiz
#4
Day 3: Group
6 presentation on presidential rhetoric and
Postwar history
Unit
7: Multiculturalism, Atrocity, and the
Millennium
Day 1: Multiculturalism
(Lauter 2821-2823); Bharati Mukherjee (3061-3071)
Respondents:
Gauster, Gabriel
Day 2: Leslie
Marmon Silko (3154-3161); Joy Harjo
(3078-3080; 3085-3087)
Respondents:
Day 3: Video: Ballot Measure 9; Paper
Proposal due
Week 13 (November 24-28)
Day 1: Conclusion,
Ballad Measure 9; Tim O’Brien
(2739-2748)
Day 2:
Group 7 presentation: atrocities and accomplishments
Introduction to Against Forgetting
Week 14 (December 1-5)
Day 1:
Poetry on
Day 2:
Poetry on
Day 3: Poetry
on Civil Rights (selections: 621-676); Respondents:
Bisbee, Bast
Week 15 (December 8-12)
Day 1:
Poetry on
Respondents: Barrie,
Anderson
Day 2: Poetry on repression in
Day 3: Course conclusions: holiday poems and
evaluations; Analysis Paper Due