History
of American Literature I 42.294.201 Fall 2009
Questioning
and Expanding the Canon
Dr. Bridget M. Marshall,
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Our survey will explore
texts from the beginnings of American literary history to the Civil War. Throughout the course, weÕll be
thinking about why certain texts make it into the canon of American literature,
and into this survey and other survey courses. WeÕll read a variety of kinds of texts, including private
diaries, poetry, sermons, oral tales, short stories, letters, and other
genres. Why should we read these
texts? What insights do they
provide? What stories are we missing? Why and how do editors of anthologies
choose which authors and texts to include and exclude? No one-semester survey of this
literature could be complete; however, I have attempted to give you a breadth
of authors, including both canonical works and voices from the margins that are
equally interesting and informative.
By the end of the semester, you should have a firm grasp of the history
of major themes and currents in Early American literature. And hopefully along the way, youÕll
discover a few new writers that you will enjoy.
Class
Meetings:
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 to 12:15
Office
Hours & Location:
Tues/Thurs 12:30 – 1:45 and by appointment in OÕLeary 415 Phone: 978-934-4179
E-mail: bridget_marshall@uml.edu Web
site:
http://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/
Required
Texts: (available
at the South Campus Bookstore)
þ
American
Literature Volume I ed.
by William E. Cain, published by Penguin Academics (Pearson-Longman) ISBN-10:
0321116232 ISBN-13: 978-0321116239
þ
Journey
into Mohawk Country
by George OÕConnor, published by First Second. ISBN-10: 1596431067 ISBN-13:
978-1596431065
þ
To
gain a working knowledge of major figures, texts, and movements in American
Literary History
þ
To
gain an understanding of canon formation – how and why works are included
(or not) in our history
þ
To
develop skills of close and careful reading
þ
To
practice writing, both formally and informally, in response to texts
þ
To
enhance discussion skills by participating in classroom discussion
þ
To
discover and research a primary source document in an online archive
Instructional
Resources and Disability Accommodations:
The
Centers for Learning and Academic Support Services provide many resources,
including tutoring in writing: http://class.uml.edu/. In accordance with University policy and the ADA, I will
provide accommodation for students with documented disabilities. If you have a disability, please
contact the Office of Disability Services: McGauvran 363, phone: (978) 934-4338
as soon as possible. This documentation is confidential.
A
note on classroom conduct:
In this
class, and in all classes at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, students
are expected to exhibit professional and respectful behavior that is conducive
to a mutually beneficial learning environment in the classroom. Examples of inappropriate behavior
include: text messaging, listening to music, cell phone use (other than the
campus alert system), late arrivals, early departures, use of laptops for other
than class purposes, disrespectful comments or behavior, intentional
disruptions, failure to follow faculty directives. Students in violation
of these standards may be asked to leave class and/or be referred to the Dean
of Students for disciplinary action.
You are
responsible for all the readings and assignments listed on this syllabus.
Attendance
is required. You have two Òfreebies,Ó no questions asked. For every class beyond those two that
you miss, your final grade for the class will be lowered one level (A to A-, A-
to B+, and so on).
Good
classroom citizenship is required. Good classroom citizenship begins with being
prepared for class and goes beyond just ÒparticipationÓ in the sense of raising
your hand a lot. It includes sharing your thoughts and actively listening to
the comments of your peers. Please
be considerate of your classmates and make the classroom a space where everyone
can speak their mind. As a courtesy to everyone in the room, please turn off
your cell phone before class begins.
To make
sure that everyone keeps up with the required readings, and to encourage class
participation in discussions, during every class session a group of students
(approximately 1/4th of the class most days) will be responsible for
writing up one page of thoughts and questions about the reading. IÕll provide more details on the
specifics on this assignment. The
Òone pagersÓ are due at the beginning of class. You will be responsible for
writing four one-pagers.
There is
one midterm paper due during the semester. This is a focused essay of about 4 to 5 pages, illustrating
your knowledge of and interest in a particular text that we have read in the
class so far. I will provide more
details on the paper requirements in a separate handout. You must have a paper in class on the
day it is due in order to participate in the dayÕs classroom activities.
There is
one in-class essay exam towards the end of the semester. You will have choices about which
questions to answer, and we will have some practice in class on how to write
these kinds of essays.
There is
a two-part Digital Document Assignment.
It includes a brief oral presentation at an assigned point in the
semester and a final paper of about 6 pages in length. The paper is due during the exam
period; there is no final exam.
Grading
is my least favorite aspect of the course; however, grades are necessary, not
only to the University, but also in many cases in order to motivate
students. I note each dayÕs
attendance with a ÒcheckÓ in my grade book. You will get credit for all quizzes and short writing that
you complete and turn in to me.
Particularly active class participation or strong short writing
assignments will earn a Òcheck plus.Ó
Following is the value of the major graded assignments for the course:
If you
have a concern about a grade or a question about your standing in the class, I
am happy to talk with you. This
type of conversation is best suited to an individual conference. You can see me during my office hours,
or schedule an appointment.
A
final note on grades: If you are determined to do only the minimal amount of
work and get the minimum passing grade, this much is nonnegotiable: you are
not eligible for a passing grade of D unless you have attended at least 11 of
14 weeks worth of classes, and completed 90% of the assignments.
All
University policies on academic dishonesty apply to all assignments in this
course. As explained in the UniversityÕs official policy, academic dishonesty
includes:
Cheating - use, or attempted use, of
trickery, artifice, deception, breach of confidence, fraud, or
misrepresentation of one's academic work.
Fabrication - falsification or invention of
any information or citation in any academic exercise.
Plagiarism - representing the words or ideas
of another as one's own work in any academic exercise.
Facilitating
dishonesty -
helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty,
including substituting for another in an examination, misrepresenting oneself,
or allowing others to represent as their own one's papers, reports, or academic
works.
If you
plagiarize or cheat on an assignment, you will receive an ÒFÓ for this course, and you are subject to other
discipline (including expulsion from the University) at the discretion of the
instructor and the University. Please keep in mind that even if you write some
part or even ÒmostÓ of the paper, if some portion of the paper is copied from
another source without proper attribution, (i.e., if you Òonly plagiarize a
littleÓ) you will still get an ÒFÓ for the course. DonÕt plagiarize at all.
Unintentional
plagiarism is still plagiarism.
You must cite all sources that you use, including online sources. Also, remember that ÒusingÓ a source
includes DIRECTLY QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, AND USING IDEAS from any source. There is nothing wrong with Ògetting
helpÓ from other writers, just be sure to acknowledge it by using quotation
marks or author/page citation appropriately. Please take the time to give proper credit to the work of
other authors. It is a matter of respect
– for yourself, for other authors, for your classmates, and for me.
I know
that it is easy to find information and indeed whole papers on the
internet. You should know that it
is also easy for me to find these sources. If I suspect youÕve done this, I will take the time to find
the source, and there is every likelihood you will be caught. Please donÕt waste your time or mine by
plagiarizing a paper. If youÕre
having difficulty with a writing assignment, please talk to me before the day
it is due.
Semester
Schedule: If you miss a class, you are still
responsible for what was due on the day(s) you missed and on the day you
return. If the University closes,
upon return to class, the items for both the missed class and the day of return
class are due. In the case of an
exam or paper due on a day the University closes, the exam or paper is due on
the day we return to class. Please
e-mail me if you have questions about assignments due for missed classes.
Thursday
3 September |
First
day Introductions; hand-outs |
Tuesday
8 September |
ÒWelcome:
Suggestions for StudentsÓ xii – xiv; ÒLetter to the Reader – Contexts for
Early American LiteratureÓ: 3 -33, and handouts Bring a
one-page response (explained in class) |
Thursday
10 September |
Christopher
Columbus: 34 -
40 Bartolome
de la Casas::
41 -43 Iroquois
Creation Story:
44 -48 |
Tuesday
15 September |
John
Smith: 49 -52 William
Bradford: 53
– 66 John
Winthrop: 67 -
83 GROUP 1
RESPONSE |
Thursday
17 September |
Mary
Rowlandson: 92
- 137 GROUP 2
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
22 September |
Journey
into Mohawk Country Everyone:
bring responses to assigned questions |
Thursday
24 September |
Anne
Bradstreet:
ÒThe Author to her BookÓ 87 -88; ÒBefore the Birth of One of Her ChildrenÓ 88
-89; ÒTo My Dear and Loving HusbandÓ 89 Edward
Taylor: ÒMeditation 22Ó 139 – 140;
ÒMeditation 38Ó 140 – 142; ÒHuswiferyÓ 142 GROUP 3
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
29 September |
Cotton
Mather: 143 – 159 plus handouts Michael
Wigglesworth:
see handouts GROUP 4
RESPONSE |
Thursday
1 October |
Jonathan
Edwards: 160
-161; ÒSinners in the Hands of an Angry GodÓ 175 - 190 GROUP 1
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
6 October |
Benjamin
Franklin: 191 -
205 J
Hector St. John de Crevecoeur: 304 - 311 GROUP 2
RESPONSE |
Thursday
8 October |
John
Adams and Abigail Adams: 312 – 315 & handouts Thomas
Paine 316 - 332 GROUP 3
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
13 October |
Phillis
Wheatley: 381 -
389 Philip
Freneau: 377
– 380 Lydia
Huntley Sigourney:
456 - 458 William
Cullen Bryant:
459 - 466 GROUP 4
RESPONSE |
Thursday
15 October |
Mid-Semester
Paper Due |
Tuesday
20 October |
Nathaniel
Hawthorne: 557
-592 GROUP 1
RESPONSE |
Thursday
22 October |
Washington
Irving: 424 -
442 GROUP 2
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
27 October |
Edgar
Allan Poe: 786
- 813 GROUP 3
RESPONSE |
Wednesday
28 October |
Digital
Document Selection – E-mail for approval due today! (this
is not a class meeting!) |
Thursday
29 October |
Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow: 779 – 785 plus handouts GROUP 4
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
3 November |
Henry
David Thoreau:
953 – 957 AND 977 -990 GROUP 1
RESPONSE |
Thursday
5 November |
Ralph
Waldo Emerson:
515 - 554 plus handouts GROUP 2
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
10 November |
Emily
Dickinson: 1304
– 1305 and selected poems as assigned GROUP 3
RESPONSE |
Thursday
12 November |
Rebecca
Harding Davis:
1323 - 1357 GROUP 4
RESPONSE |
Tuesday
17 November |
Abraham
Lincoln: 858
-862 Margaret
Fuller: 863
-869 |
Thursday
19 November |
Exam
In-Class today |
Tuesday
24 November |
Harriet
Beecher Stowe:
870 -884 NO
CLASS MEETING: ONLINE ASSIGNMENT FOR TODAY |
Thursday
27 November |
NO
CLASS: THANKGIVING HOLIDAY |
Tuesday
1 December |
Harriet
Ann Jacobs: 885
-952 |
Thursday
3 December |
Herman
Melville: 1103
-1106; 1114 -1147 |
Tuesday
8 December |
Individual
Presentations on Digital Documents |
Thursday
10 December |
Individual
Presentations on Digital Documents Continued |
Thursday
17 December |
Final
paper due – Digital Document Assignment |
General
Advice to Students:
Come to
class prepared to work. This means
several things:
1) You
should have completed the assigned readings, and any associated writing. You might even have notes in your book,
underlined passages, or page markers for interesting spots in the reading.
2) You
should be prepared to listen and talk in discussion. This means you shouldnÕt come to our class and take a nap,
or sit sullenly, or complete your calculus homework.
3) You
should avoid distractions during class.
Distractions include things like small pets, cell phones and text messaging
devices, notes to classmates, i-pods, or any other gadget that will engage your
brain in something other than the academic discussion in the classroom. While you may think I donÕt notice, I
do, and so do your classmates.
ItÕs distracting for you, but also for those around you.
When you
donÕt come to class (for whatever reason) it is your responsibility to find out
the work that was missed, including any handouts, in-class activities, or
changes to the syllabus. If you
can do this via e-mail before the next class meeting, thatÕs great. If you canÕt, you should definitely
come speak with me before class, after class, or in my office hours. In any case, donÕt try to
avoid me, hoping that I didnÕt notice you were absent.
If you
need extra time for an assignment, for whatever reason, it is better to ask
early. I do not automatically give
extensions; however, I am a reasonable person, and you should ask for help or
time if you need it.
Late
papers are subject to a grade reduction.
I do not provide comments on late papers.