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Course Objectives:
Readings for this term date from the pre-Colonial period to the early 19th century. Our approach to the literature of this period will be inclusive rather than exclusive; that is, rather than focusing only on the “major authors”--a disputed designation--we will study writings from the diverse cultures which have inhabited and responded to this country. Our aim is to come to an appreciation of “American literature” as a competition among voices, a competition for the right to define American identity and the American dream.
Our reading of these diverse materials (and genres, including tales, essays, speeches, poems, short stories and plays--and historical/cultural background to provide context) will be unified by exploration of certain common themes:
 | the relationship of a human being to the supernatural, to nature, to community, and to self | |
| efforts to define or to dominate the Other | |
| and the importance of writing (or of oral literature) in expressing--or even forming--these relationships |
The course aims to develop the skills needed to
As a WIC (Writing in Context) course, both formal and informal writing will be a major component.
Texts: The Heath Anthology of American Literature, 3rd ed. Volume I
Course Grading:
50% Weekly At-Home Reader Responses and In class quizzes Each Monday, at the beginning of class (10am 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. No more than one late response will be accepted.
Each response should include the following (see handout for more detail):
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
[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 may be neatly handwritten (but typed is preferred), though please leave 1 inch margins on all sides, and do not write on the back of the page.
In addition to the weekly reader responses, each week we will have in-class individual or group responses/quizzes to more specific questions about the text(s) under discussion, so please keep up with the reading assignments. These in-class responses/quizzes cannot be made up--although you may miss one without penalty. Additionally, extra credit may be earned, however. See the Extra Credit option handout.
20% Midterm Exam. A take home essay which must be 4+ typed, double spaced pages. Topics will be distributed 2 weeks before the due date. Late papers will be penalized one letter grade per day late. (Following a conference with me about your essay, you may rewrite the midterm essay for a new grade by or before Nov. 25th.)
30% Final Exam: In two parts: (1) a take home essay (worth 15%) which must be 4+ typed, double spaced pages. Topics will be distributed 2 weeks before the due date; and (2) an in class short answer exam (worth 15%) that covers all the readings and class discussions.
Grading Criteria for take home essays:
1. Following directions (form and format, plus addressing the assigned topic)
2. Providing insight, especially in your analysis of detail from the texts
3. Organizing (coherence and effectiveness in the order of points and details).
4. Supporting and explaining (through explicit reference to the text)
5. Expressing your ideas clearly. Sentence construction, spelling, and punctuation
will affect your grade only in so far as errors interfere with the clarity of
your presentation.
Form for quotations in essays:
1. Make them brief.
2. Attach them to your sentence by explaining their significance. Do not make
the quote explain your point for you.
3. Give the page number in parentheses. Note punctuation in this example:
T.S. Eliot's Prufrock bemoans the lost years when he repeats “I grow
old...I grow old” (1140).
4. If you use outside sources, you must include a Works Cited page.
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. (See handout on extra credit options).
