E222 American Literature Syllabus, Fall 2014 (MW) – Alfred J. Drake's Academic Site

SYLLABUS FOR E222 AMERICAN LITERATURE
CSU FULLERTON, FALL 2014 (MW)

COURSE INFORMATION. English 222, Course Code 20950, Section 3. M/W 10:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m., McCarthy Hall (MH) 552. Instructor: Alfred J. Drake, Ph.D. Office hours: M/W 9:00 – 9:55 a.m. in University Hall (UH) 329. Email: ajdrake_at_ajdrake.com. Catalog: “Major writers such as Twain, James, Crane, Hemingway, Faulkner, O’Neill, Frost and Eliot. Units: (3).” I will use +/- grading. The English Dept. may be reached at (657) 278-3163. Students who need special accommodations at the main campus should contact the Disability Support Services Office in UH 101 or call (657) 278-3117.

REQUIRED TEXTS AT TITAN BOOKSTORE

Nina Baym, et al. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Eighth Edition. Paperback. Package 2: Vols. C, D, E. ISBN-13: 978-0-393-91310-1.

London, Jack. Tales of the Pacific. New York: Penguin, 1989. ISBN-13: 978-0-140-18358-0.

COURSE RATIONALE AND ACTIVITIES

FOCUS AND OBJECTIVES. This survey course will cover a selection of American authors in roughly chronological order from a brief review of Whitman and Dickinson to the post-bellum author Mark Twain to the contemporary playwright and actor Sam Shepard. The course mainly concerns American literature after the Civil War of 1861-65, and the aim is to offer as broad a perspective as possible on the poetry, drama and fiction of this period, with due attention to relevant historical and social developments as well as key literary movements like realism, naturalism, modernism and the concept of the frontier that has long been a vital American concern. In surveys, my method is never to impose ambitious claims of universal coherence, thematic unity, etc. on the material, but instead to follow a roughly chronological path, noting themes and issues as they arise and connecting them when appropriate.

ACTIVITIES. In class, there will be a mix of lectures, student presentations, whole-class and smaller-group discussion, occasional quizzes, an essay, and a final exam. I encourage questions and comments—class sessions improve when students take an active part. Outside class, do the assigned readings before the relevant discussion dates, complete your journal sets as outlined below, start planning and drafting your essay early, and work on your presentation drafts. In literary studies, the aim is to read and discuss actively and thereby to develop your own voice in response to the texts you read. Insightful interpretation and the ability to make compelling connections are central goals. The essay, discussions, presentations, and journal-keeping should combine to help you work towards these goals.

HOW YOUR PERFORMANCE WILL BE EVALUATED

COURSE POLICIES. Please review early in the semester. Key points easily stated here: missing more than 20% of sessions may affect course grade; academic dishonesty may result in course failure. The four evaluative requirements outlined below must be substantially completed to pass the course. Since most assignments will be due by email, it is students’ responsibility to contact me promptly if they do not get an email verifying receipt of materials.

PRESENTATIONS REQUIREMENT. At the beginning of the course, students will sign up for one or two 5-7 minute in-class presentations—depending on class size—on assigned texts of their choosing (if possible). I will provide presenters with a specific question to address from among those on the questions page, and a few days after sign-up I will post a schedule on the Presentations page. Most sessions will feature one or more presentations. Required: One week in advance of your presentation, email me as full a draft as possible of what you intend to say in class. I will email you back with advice. If I suggest developing the remarks further, email me a revised version at least one day before your in-class presentation. I won’t judge students on their rhetorical skills during the presentation, but rather on evidence of prior preparation and consultation as well as on the written draft. How to do well on this assignment: meet with me or email me as required, and send a final written version; good critics challenge and pose questions, so craft your responses to invite discussion; aim for spontaneity and a personal touch: use the question as a springboard rather than a prescription; speak up, but don’t rush things. Don’t bother with biography, and don’t base what you say mainly on Internet note sites or similar material; if you use any sources, give due credit. (15-20% of course grade.)

JOURNALS REQUIREMENT. Keep a running journal on your thoughts about a selection of the study questions for the assigned readings. Five separate journal sets will be due by email as specified below in the session schedule. Electronic format required. I will not mark journal sets down unless they are late (maximum grade = B), incomplete, or so brief and derivative as to suggest evasion of intellectual labor: they should consist of honest responses, not “yes-or-no” style answers, quotation of the assigned texts without further comment, or secondary material pasted from Internet sources. Plagiarizing such sources may result in an “F” for the journal set or even, in egregious cases, for the course. How to do well on this assignment: read instructions; complete entries as you go through each text; send sets on time, making sure I verify receipt; respond with a thoughtful paragraph on each chosen question — use your own words and refer to the texts’ specific language. (30-35% of course grade.)

PAPER REQUIREMENT. By the Monday of Week 14 or earlier (11/24), email me a one-paragraph description addressing the general topic and specific argument of the projected paper will be due by email. (Full rough drafts are also encouraged.) Not providing this description on time may affect the final draft grade. Please read the term paper instructions carefully since they contain the general prompt, suggested topics, and advance draft comments. I reserve the right to require proof of the final paper’s authenticity, such as notes or an early draft. Final draft (5-7 pages) due as specified towards the bottom of the syllabus page. There is no need to consider this a research paper, though you are free to make it one. CSUF academic integrity policies apply. How to do well on this assignment: send required advance paragraph on time and incorporate advice I send; allow time for revision; proofread and follow MLA formatting and style guidelines; avoid exhaustive coverage and stale generalities: instead, develop a specific, arguable set of claims, demonstrating their strength by showing how they enhance our understanding of specific language, structures, and themes; document your online/print sources.

FINAL EXAM REQUIREMENT. The exam will consist of substantive id passages (33% of exam), mix-and-match questions (match phrase or concept x to speaker/play y; 33% of exam), and key lecture points paired with substantive quotations from the assigned texts (33% of exam). There will be more choices than required responses. Books and notes allowed for all sections, but no laptops. Students may not share books or notes during the exam. Exam date: see below. How to do well on this assignment: read the online prep sheet; take good notes and ask questions/make comments; above all, enjoy the works rather than thinking of them only as test material. If you take pleasure in the assigned texts’ language, attend to the sophistication with which they have been structured, and reflect on the value you derive from them, you are likely to earn a good exam grade. (20% of course grade.)

EMAILING ASSIGNMENTS TO AJDRAKE_AT_AJDRAKE.COM. Email journals, presentations, and term paper as attachments. Don’t send more than one document in the same email. Label subject lines appropriately: “E222 MW Journal 1, Jane Smith” etc. You can paste journal sets into a regular email and/or send them as an attachment. (Journal “sets” include responses to questions about several authors; do not send entries on each author in a given set separately: responses on the relevant authors should be combined into one document.) Contact me if you don’t receive prompt email confirmation.

QUESTIONS FOR JOURNALS AND PRESENTATIONS

SCHEDULE: WORKS DISCUSSED ON DATES INDICATED

WEEK 1

M. 08/25. Course Introduction.

W. 08/27. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Whitman’s “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d” (Vol. C 79-85). Dickinson’s “320” (Vol. C 97); “340” (Vol. C 99); “448” (Vol. C 102); “479” (Vol. C 102-03); “591” (Vol. C 103-04); “598” (Vol. C 104); “620” (Vol. C 104); “764” (Vol. C 107); “1263” (Vol. C 108); “1668” (Vol. C 108).

WEEK 2

M. 09/01. Labor Day Holiday, No Classes.

W. 09/03. Mark Twain. From Letters from the Earth (Vol. C 336-51).

WEEK 3

M. 09/08. Henry James. “Daisy Miller” (Vol. C 421-59).

W. 09/10. Henry James. “Daisy Miller” (Vol. C 421-59). We will also watch part of a film production.

WEEK 4

M. 09/15. Kate Chopin. The Awakening (Vol. C Chapters 1-15, 561-597).

W. 09/17. Kate Chopin. The Awakening (Vol. C Chapters 16-25, 597-622).

WEEK 5

M. 09/22. Kate Chopin. The Awakening (Vol. C Chapters 26-39, 622-52).

W. 09/24. Jack London. From “What Life Means to Me” (Norton Vol. D 917-20). From Tales of the Pacific (Penguin edition): “The House of Mapuhi” (31-53).

JOURNAL SET 1 DUE BY EMAIL MONDAY 09/29. (Whitman through Chopin.)

WEEK 6

M. 09/29. Jack London. From Tales of the Pacific (Penguin edition): “Koolau the Leper” (135-50); “The Bones of Kehekili” (151-73).

W. 10/01. Robert Frost. “The Figure a Poem Makes” (Vol. D 250-52); “Mowing” (Vol. D 231-32); “Mending Wall” (Vol. D 232-33); “The Death of the Hired Man” (Vol. D 233-37); “The Wood-Pile” (Vol. D 241); “The Road Not Taken” (Vol. D 241-42).

WEEK 7

M. 10/06. Robert Frost. “Birches” (Vol. D 242-44); “Out, Out—” (Vol. D 244); “Fire and Ice” (Vol. D 245); “Nothing Gold Can Stay” (Vol. D 245); “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (Vol. D 245); “Desert Places” (Vol. D 246); “Design” (Vol. D 246); “The Gift Outright” (Vol. D 248).

W. 10/08. Carl Sandburg and William Carlos Williams. Sandburg’s “Chicago” (Vol. D 279-80); “Fog” (Vol. D 280); “Cool Tombs” (Vol. D 280-81); “Grass” (Vol. D 281). From Williams’ Spring and All (Vol. D 346-47); Poems: “Queen-Anne’s Lace” (Vol. D 305); “Spring and All” (Vol. D 306-07); “To Elsie” (Vol. D 307-09); “The Red Wheelbarrow” (Vol. D 309); “The Dead Baby” (Vol. D 309-10); “This Is Just to Say” (Vol. D 310); “A Sort of a Song” (Vol. D 310); “Burning the Christmas Greens” (Vol. D 311-13); “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” (Vol. D 313).

WEEK 8

M. 10/13. T. S. Eliot. “The Waste Land” (Vol. D 378-91).

W. 10/15. Wallace Stevens. “The Snow Man” (Vol. D 283-84); “Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock” (Vol. D 285); “Sunday Morning” (Vol. D 285-88); “Anecdote of the Jar” (Vol. D 288-89); “Peter Quince at the Clavier” (Vol. D 289-90); “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” (Vol. D 291-92); “The Idea of Order at Key West” (Vol. D 293-94); “Of Modern Poetry” (Vol. D 294); The Plain Sense of Things” (Vol. D 295).

JOURNAL SET 2 DUE BY EMAIL MONDAY 10/20. (London through Stevens.)

WEEK 9

M. 10/20. E.E. Cummings. “Thy fingers make early flowers of” (Vol. D 638); “in Just-” (Vol. D 638-39); “O sweet spontaneous” (Vol. D 639-40); “Buffalo Bill’s” (Vol. D 640); “the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls” (Vol. D 640); “next to of course god america i” (Vol. D 641); “i sing of Olaf glad and big” (Vol. D 641-42); “somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond” (Vol. D 642-43); “anyone lived in a pretty how town” (Vol. D 643-44); “my father moved through dooms of love” (Vol. D 644-45); “pity this busy monster,manunkind” (Vol. D 646).

W. 10/22. Ernest Hemingway. “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (Vol. D 826-42).

JOURNAL SET 3 DUE BY EMAIL MONDAY 03/24. (Reminder: this set includes Frost through Hemingway. I will verify receipt by email within a few days.)

WEEK 10

M. 10/27. Langston Hughes. From “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” (Vol. D 348-50); All Poems (Vol. D 871-80): “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” (Vol. D 871); “Mother to Son” (Vol. D 871-72); “I, Too” (Vol. D 872); “The Weary Blues” (Vol. D 872-73); “Mulatto” (Vol. D 873-74); “Song for a Dark Girl” (Vol. D 874-75); “Genius Child” (Vol. D 875); “Visitors to the Black Belt” (Vol. D 875-76); “Note on Commercial Theatre” (Vol. D 876); “Vagabonds” (Vol. D 876-77); “Words Like Freedom” (Vol. D 877); “Madam and Her Madam” (Vol. D 877-78); “Freedom {1}” (Vol. D 878); “Madam’s Calling Cards” (Vol. D 878-79); “Silhouette” (Vol. D 879); “Theme for English B” (Vol. D 880).

W. 10/29. William Faulkner. As I Lay Dying (Vol. D 698-730, i.e. first 1/3).

WEEK 11

M. 11/03. William Faulkner. As I Lay Dying (Vol. D 731-62, i.e. second 1/3).

W. 11/05. William Faulkner. As I Lay Dying (Vol. D 762-793, last 1/3).

WEEK 12

M. 11/10. Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire (Film production: Marlon Brando/Vivien Leigh/Kim Hunter, 1951, first 65 of 122 minutes).

W. 11/12. Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire (Film production: Marlon Brando/Vivien Leigh/Kim Hunter, 1951, remaining 57 of 122 minutes).

WEEK 13

M. 11/17. Tennessee Williams. A Streetcar Named Desire (Vol. E 93-55, Scenes 1-11).

W. 11/19. John Cheever. “The Swimmer” (Vol. E 157-65).

JOURNAL SET 3 DUE BY EMAIL MONDAY 11/24. (Cummings through Tenn. Williams.)

PARAGRAPH DESCRIBING PAPER TOPIC AND ARGUMENT DUE BY EMAIL MONDAY 11/24.

WEEK 14

M. 11/24. Thanksgiving Holiday, No Classes.

W. 11/26. Thanksgiving Holiday, No Classes.

WEEK 15

M. 12/01. Flannery O’Connor. “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” (Vol. E 437-44); “Good Country People” (Vol. E 445-58).

W. 12/03. Allen Ginsberg. “Howl” (Vol. E 492-500); “Footnote to Howl” (Vol. E 500).; “A Supermarket in California” (Vol. E 500); “Sunflower Sutra” (Vol. E 501).

WEEK 16

M. 12/08. Frederick Jackson Turner. From “The Significance of the Frontier in American History” (Vol. C 1133-37). Sam Shepard. True West (Vol. E Act 1, 870-887).

W. 12/10. Sam Shepard. True West (Vol. E Act 2, 887-909).

JOURNAL SET 4 DUE BY PAPER DUE DATE. (Cheever through Shepard.)

FINALS WEEK

Final Exam Date Monday, December 15 from 12:00 – 1:50 p.m. Due by email Monday, December 22 or earlier: PAPER. (I must turn in grades by January 02, 2015.)

SYLLABUS FOR E222 AMERICAN LITERATURECSU FULLERTON, FALL 2014 (MW)