American Literary Traditions

Spring 2012

Dr. Bridget M. Marshall

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

This is a sweeping survey that covers texts from the “beginnings” of American literature (which may seem not very “American” at all) through to the very recent past (the year 2000 or so). To be clear, this is pretty insane. We’ll do the best we can. Throughout the course, we’ll be thinking about why certain texts make it into the canon of American literature, and into this survey and other survey courses. We’ll 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 major themes and currents in American literary history. And hopefully along the way, you’ll discover a few new writers that you will enjoy.

Class Meetings: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 – 12:15

Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:15 – 1:15 and by appointment in O’Leary Library 461

E-mail: bridget_marshall@uml.edu Web site: http://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/

Required Text: The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter Seventh Edition. ISBN: 978-0-393-93057-3

Course Goals:

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

Instructional Resources and Disability Accommodations:

The Centers for Learning and Academic Support Services provide many resources, including tutoring in writing; for more information, see: 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 as soon as possible. The office is on North campus, Cumnock Hall C6, phone: 978-934-4574, e-mail: Disability@uml.edu. 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.

University Cancellation Information: 978-934-2121, or check uml.edu. 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.

Course Requirements:

You are responsible for all the readings and assignments listed on this syllabus.

Attendance is required. You have two “freebies,” 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 “participation” 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.

Course Assignments:

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 1/4^th of the class most days) will be responsible for writing up one page of thoughts and questions about the reading. I’ll provide more details on the specifics on this assignment. The “one pagers” are due at the beginning of class. You will be responsible for writing four one-pagers.

There are two longer papers (4 to 5 pages each) due during the semester. I will provide more details on the paper requirements in separate handouts.

There is one in-class essay exam during class. I will provide more information about the exam format closer to the exam date.

There is a final exam, which will be administered during the final exam period, as scheduled by the registrar.

Evaluation and Grading:

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 day’s attendance with a “check” 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 “check plus.” Following is the value of the major graded assignments for the course:

• Classroom Citizenship (attendance, participation, quizzes, in-class writing): 20%
• One-pagers (all four combined): 10%
• First Paper: 15%
• Second Paper: 20%
• Mid-Term Exam: 15%
• Final Exam: 20%

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.

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.

About Academic Honesty:

All University policies on academic dishonesty apply to all assignments in this course. The information below comes from the University’s official policy, which can be found online: http://www.uml.edu/catalog/undergraduate/policies/academic_dishonesty.htm

Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to:

1. Cheating - use, or attempted use, of trickery, artifice, deception, breach of confidence, fraud, or misrepresentation of one's academic work.

2. Fabrication - falsification or invention of any information or citation in any academic exercise.

3. Plagiarism - representing the words or ideas of another as one's own work in any academic exercise.

4. 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 in this course, you will receive an “F” 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 “most” of the paper, if some portion of the paper is copied from another source without proper attribution, (i.e., if you “only plagiarize a little”) you will still get an “F” for the course. Don’t plagiarize at all.

Unintentional plagiarism is still plagiarism. You must cite all sources that you use, including online sources. Also, remember that “using” a source includes DIRECTLY QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, AND USING IDEAS from any source. There is nothing wrong with “getting help” 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 you’ve done this, I will take the time to find the source, and there is every likelihood you will be caught. Please don’t waste your time or mine by plagiarizing a paper. If you’re 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. Please e-mail me if you have questions about assignments due for missed classes.

Date	Due in class (reading completed)
Tuesday 24 January	First day Introductions; hand-outs
Thursday 26 January	Iroquois Creation Story: 17 - 21 Christopher Columbus: 24 – 28 Cabeza de Vaca: 28 - 36
Tuesday 31 January	John Smith: 43 – 45; “A Description of New England”:54 - 57 William Bradford: 57 - 65 John Winthrop: 75 – 76; “A Model of Christian Charity,” 76-87 (FOCUS ON: first five paragraphs and Section II) GROUP 1 RESPONSE
Thursday 2 February	Mary Rowlandson: 117 - 134 (plus poem Holladay -- handout) Anne Bradstreet: 97; “Author to her book,” “Before the Birth.” “Dear and Loving Husband,” “Upon the Burning of our House”: 106 - 110 GROUP 2 RESPONSE
Tuesday 7 February	Cotton Mather: 143 - 149 Jonathan Edwards: 168 - 170; “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” 194-206 (FOCUS ON: first five paragraphs, and “Application,” 98-205). “American Literature 1700 – 1820,” 151 - 161 GROUP 3 RESPONSE
Thursday 9 February	Benjamin Franklin: 218 – 230 plus handouts J Hector St. John de Crevecoeur: 309 – 323 GROUP 4 RESPONSE
Tuesday 14 February	Phillis Wheatley: 419 – 420; “On Being Brought” “To the University of Cambridge, in New England,” 420 - 421 Olaudah Equiano: 355 – 356; from Olaudah Equiano 357-368 GROUP 1 RESPONSE

Thursday 16 February	William Cullen Bryant: 475 – 476; “Thanatopsis” 477 – 478 Ralph Waldo Emerson: 488 – 491; “The American Scholar 520 - 531 Henry David Thoreau: 825 – 828; “Walden: Where I lived” 886 - 896 GROUP 2 RESPONSE
Tuesday 21 February	“American Literature 1820 – 1865”: 431 - 452 Washington Irving: 453 – 466 GROUP 3 RESPONSE
Thursday 23 February	Nathaniel Hawthorne: 589 – 592; “Minister’s Black Veil” 622 – 631; “Birth-Mark” 631 – 643 GROUP 4 RESPONSE
Tuesday 28 February	Edgar Allan Poe: 671 – 674; “Raven” 675 - 678; “Tell-Tale Heart” 702 - 705; “The Black Cat” 705 – 710 GROUP 1 RESPONSE
Thursday 1 March	Sojourner Truth: 761 - 762 Harriet Beecher Stowe: (excerpt) 764 - 776 GROUP 2 RESPONSE
Tuesday 6 March	Harriet Jacobs: 804 – 805; from Incidents: “Childhood” and “The Lover,” 805 – 812 Frederick Douglass: (excerpt) 920 - 937 GROUP 3 RESPONSE
Thursday 8 March	FIRST PAPER DUE TODAY
March 10 – 18th	SPRING BREAK (no class)
Tuesday 20 March	Emily Dickinson: 1197 – 1201 & selected poems as assigned (see assignment handout) GROUP 4 RESPONSE
Thursday 22 March	In-class exam today
Tuesday 27 March	Rebecca Harding Davis: 1225 - 1254 GROUP 1 RESPONSE
Thursday 29 March	“American Literature 1865 – 1914”:1255 – 1269 W.D. Howells: 1463 - 1474 Kate Chopin: 1602 – 1603; “Desiree’s Baby” 1615 – 1618 GROUP 2 RESPONSE
Tuesday 3 April	Abraham Cahan: 1660 - 1669 Charlotte Perkins-Gilman: 1682 – 1694 GROUP 3 RESPONSE
Thursday 5 April	“American Literature 1914 – 1945” 1881 - 1896 Willa Cather: 1901 – 1903; “Neighbor Rosicky” 1903 - 1922 GROUP 4 RESPONSE
Tuesday 10 April	Robert Frost: 1951 – 1952; “The Pasture” 1952; “Mowing” 1953; “Out Out” 1962. Susan Glaspell: 1967 – 1977
Thursday 12 April	William Faulkner: 2216 – 2217; “A Rose for Emily,” 2218 – 2223
Tuesday 17 April	Countee Cullen: 2283 – 2287 Carlos Bulosan: 2297 – 2303
Thursday 19 April	“American Literature since 1945” 2305 – 2318 Allen Ginsberg: 2590 – 2591;“A Supermarket in California” 2601 - 2602
Tuesday 24 April	SECOND PAPER DUE TODAY

Thursday 26 April	Robert Lowell: 2526 – 2528; “Mr. Edwards and the Spider,” “For the Union Dead” 2533 - 2538 Gwendolyn Brooks: 2537 – 2538; “the mother,” “The White Troops,” “We Real Cool” 2539 - 2540 Billy Collins: 2753 – 2754; “Forgetfulness,” “I Chop some Parsley” 2754 - 2756 Li-Young Lee: 2846; “Persimmons” 2846 - 2847
Tuesday 1 May	Alice Walker: “Everyday Use” 2771 – 2777
Thursday 3 May	Jhumpa Lahiri: 2857 – 28
FINAL EXAM	As scheduled by the registrar

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 shouldn’t 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 don’t notice, I do, and so do your classmates. It’s distracting for you, but also for those around you.

When you don’t 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, that’s great. If you can’t, you should definitely come speak with me before class, after class, or in my office hours. In any case, don’t try to avoid me, hoping that I didn’t 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.