Welcome to English 255 (WIC): Survey of American Literature
(WWI to the present)
Spring 2003

Course Info

Texts:

•  The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol 2, 5th edition

•  Goodbye Columbus: And Five Short Stories by Philip Roth, Vintage, 1959 (1987)

Course Objectives:

This course will cover selected works of American literature written during the 20th century. We will begin by examining the transition into Modernism in American literature, a movement with profound implications in terms of literary form and content, and which reflects widespread cultural change in the early 20th century. Next, we will look at writers who have been, for better or worse, grouped by their cultural or thematic contexts: the Jazz Age, the Harlem Renaissance, the Southern Renaissance and the Confessional Poets. We will also explore 20th century literary themes such as alienation, the possibilities of love and ethnic identity.

The course aims to develop the skills needed to

• situate a work with respect to its historical context
• analyze the form and structure of a work
• engage in a creative experience
• make meaningful comparisons among works of literature

As a WIC (Writing in Context) course, both formal and informal writing will be a major component.

Course Learning Competencies:

Given a selection of significant literary works representing a variety of forms of discourse from 20^th century American writers, the student will

1.  Explain the features of twentieth century American literary-historical periods (early modern, modern, Harlem Renaissance, postmodern) and analyze individual texts from these periods in relation to their historical, social, and cultural contexts.

2.  Explain how the values, beliefs, and traditions of particular regions, cultures, and ideologies (such as, African-American, Jewish, feminist) are represented in these texts.

3.  Apply specific and defensible criteria, appropriate to the cultural context, to analyze, interpret, and evaluate these texts.

4.  Define key period and genre terms, such as beat poets, confessional poetry.

5.  Analyze the effects of gender expectations, marginalization, publication practices and  political ideologies on the development and reputation of authors in this period of American literature.

6.  Explain the relationships, within these selections, among purpose, audience, organization, form, voice, diction, style, and use of conventions.

7.  Use formal and informal writing to develop and express interpretations and analysis, distinguishing between personal and critical responses.

8.  Use evidence from the texts to support the student’s interpretations, evaluations, and comparative analysis.

9.  Explain how the literary treatment of an event, issue, or idea differs from the approach of another academic discipline.

Course Assignments:

     40%  Weekly At-Home Reader Responses 

    Beginning the second week, each Wednesday at the beginning of class  (11am sharp) you will hand in a typed

    2+ page analysis of any chapter, story, poem or play that we are about to discuss in class.  If you choose to write

    about a work we have already discussed in class, your response must be significantly more in depth than class         

     discussion.  You may hand in ONE late response.  Future late responses will be penalized. There are 9 reader

    responses due this term (the one with the lowest score will be dropped), which means the last one will be turned

    in Wednesday of Week 10).

                        Each response should include the following:

                        a. a very brief summary (a few sentences)    
                        b. a personal response: What do you find particularly important or striking
                            in this reading selection?
                        c. comparisons/connections to other readings
                        d. any analysis of the theme of the work as it reflects a social, historical or  cultural context
                               
                                          NOTE: Make sure you support your analyses by referring to specific
                                          references to the text, quoting significant lines or words

Responses will be graded based on clear and thoughtful analysis.  They must be typed (see me about this if it will cause you some for of legitimate hardship).

NOTE: You may be called on to read or extemporaneously discuss your Reader-Response in class.

    10%    Quizzes and In-class Group Work

    15%    Midterm Essay (written outside of class and turned in by the end of Week 6): Questions will be available at the
               end of Week 3 [Sample essays 1 and 2 ]. Topic Questions.
  
    20%    Final Group Project (prepared outside of class and conducted in class during Week 10): Instructions will be available
               by the end of Week 7.

    15%    Final Exam: Comprehensive exam covering the readings for the entire term: both short answer and short
               essay questions will be given.

NOTE: The reading load for this class is heavier some weeks than others, but all require close, careful, thoughtful reading.  Please don’t get
discouraged if some readings seem too intimidating to conquer. Consider skimming the selection first for a general overview of the essay, poem,
or story, then go back and read it more carefully. Our class discussion will elaborate and expand on the meaning and significance of each item on
the reading list.

Weekly Course Plan

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10
 

WEEK 1: April 1st thru 5th

WEEK 2: April 8th thru 12th

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10
 

WEEK 3: April 15th thru 19th

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10

WEEK 4: 22nd thru 26th

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10

WEEK 5: April 29th thru May 3rd

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10

WEEK 6: May 6th thru 10th

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10

WEEK 7: May 13th thru 17th

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10

WEEK 8: May 20th thru 24th

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10

WEEK 9: May 27th thru 31st

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10

WEEK 10: June 3rd thru 7th

Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Week 4  Week 5 

Week 6  Week 7  Week 8  Week 9  Week 10