Fall 2003 ENG 261-02; MWF 2:00-2:50; HU 314
Instructor: Alison Caldwell
Office: HU 133
Phone: 587-7285
Email: alisonc@utm.edu
Office Hours: HU 133: MWF 11-12 and by appointment
Writing Center (HU 209): T 3-6 and TH 12:15-3:15
Course Title: American Literary Tradition
Catalog Description: American literature from the Realistic period to the present.
Prerequisites: English 111 & 112
Required Text:
· The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 6th ed. (package 2)
Course Objectives: The course goals include teaching students to
· Refine writing and analytical skills developed in English 111 & 112;
· Connect literature with history and culture;
· Appreciate a wide range of literary periods and the genres and styles within those periods.
Papers: Students will write two out-of-class essays, approximately 5 pages in length, addressing one or more texts read and discussed in class. The use of secondary sources is not required. Students may base their essays on a given prompt or on an original idea approved by the instructor.
Exams: Students will take a mid-term and a final examination consisting of short-answer and essay questions. Exams will be taken in class only and cannot be made up without prior consent of the instructor.
Presentation: Each student will prepare and give one brief presentation (about 5 minutes) about an author's biography and how that biography affects or does not affect the work(s) read for class. This presentation should be given at the beginning of class on the scheduled day. (I will provide a sign-up sheet later in the semester.)
Daily Reading Journals: In preparation for each class meeting, students are asked to read the assignment and write about a page in response to the work. Do not merely summarize what you have read. Instead, ask questions, provide commentary, make connections to other courses. I will read your journals, provide feedback, and file them in a folder. I will return the folder to you before exams for review.
Special Accommodations Due to a Disability: Any student eligible for and requesting academic accommodations due to a disability is requested to provide a letter of accommodations from P.A.C.E. or the Student Academic Support Center within the first two weeks of the semester.
Academic Integrity: I adhere to the University's policy on plagiarism (See pages 39-40 of the 2003-2004 UTM Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog). Any work suspected of not being original will need support from the student to verify its authenticity. Plagiarism is grounds for automatic failure of the course and possible University disciplinary action.
Non-Discrimination Policy: Since the University of Tennessee at Martin is committed to appreciating and understanding cultural diversity, the members of the UTM English Department wish to confirm our conviction that a university campus must be a safe place for the discussion of ideas. As such, the English department expects all of our colleagues and students to treat with tolerance ideas discussed from a variety of perspectives. The English Department respects the dignity of every person, and will not allow discrimination against anyone based on religion, age, disability, ethnic origin, race, gender, marital status, or sexual orientation.
Attendance: Regular class attendance and participation is vital for success in this course. You are granted three “free” absences; save these for illness and true emergencies. After you have used your “free” absences, your grade will be lowered one letter grade per absence. Three instances of tardiness = one absence. No exceptions.(NOTE: It is the student's responsibility to present proper documentation for an excused absence to the instructor in a timely manner.)
Assignment Requirements: Papers should be submitted according to MLA style (see English 111 handbook), including student name, instructor name, course name, and date in top left. Individual papers should be stapled. No cover sheet is required. Rough drafts may be submitted to the instructor for commentary at least one week prior to the paper's due date.
Grading Procedures: Student papers and examinations will be evaluated on completion of assignment, content, effectiveness, and style. Late papers will be reduced by one letter grade per calendar day.
Assignments and Grading Percentages:
Paper #1 (5 pages) 20%
Paper #2 (5 pages) 20%
Mid-term Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%
Daily Reading Journals 10%
Presentation (5 minutes) 10%
Grading Scale:
A=90-100, B=80-89, C=70-79, D=60-69, F=0-59
TENTATIVE LIST OF ASSIGNMENTS
UT Martin - Fall 2003
English 261-02
August
18 Introduction to course
20 Introduction, pgs. 3-14
22 Whitman, Preface to Leaves of Grass , pgs. 17-35
25 Whitman, Leaves of Grass , pgs. 36-49 (lns. 1-400)
27 Whitman, pgs. 102-108
29 Dickinson, pgs. 166-170, poems 67, 199, 214, 241, 249, 280, 328, 435, & 441
September
1 LABOR DAY - no class
3 Dickinson, poems 449, 510, 520, 632, 712, 732, & 1545
5 Twain, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," pgs. 212-219
8 Chesnutt, "The Goophered Grapevine" and "The Wife of His Youth," pgs. 780-797
10 Jewett, "A White Heron," pgs. 595-604
12 Chopin, "At the 'Cadian Ball" and "The Storm," pgs. 620-633
15 Gilman, "The Yellow Wall-paper," pgs. 831-845
17 Crane, "The Open Boat," pgs. 901-919
19 Frost, pgs. 1174-1175, poems "Mending Wall," "The Road Not Taken," Fire and Ice," "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," "Design," & (e-reserve) "For Once, Then, Something"
22 Eliot, "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," pgs. 1417-1423
24 Eliot, "The Waste Land," pgs. 1430-1443
26 Stevens, pgs. 1234-1235, poems "Sunday Morning," "The Death of a Soldier," & "Of Modern Poetry"
29 Faulkner, As I Lay Dying , pgs. 1693-1710
October
1 Faulkner, As I Lay Dying , pgs. 1711-1744
3 Faulkner, As I Lay Dying , pgs. 1744-1770
6 Faulkner, As I Lay Dying , pgs. 1770-1790
8 PAPER #1 DUE - Review for mid-term examination
10 MID-TERM EXAMINATION
13 Hurston, pgs. 1506-1507, "How It Feels to Be Colored Me" and "The Gilded Six- Bits," pgs. 1516-1527
15 Hughes, pgs. 1891-1892, poems "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," "The Weary Blues," "I, Too," & (e-reserve) "Theme for English B"
17 FALL BREAK - no class
20 Ellison, pgs. 2064-2065, From Invisible Man , pgs. 2077-2083
22 Ellison, From Invisible Man , pgs. 2083-2093
24 Williams, pgs. 1976-1979, A Streetcar Named Desire , Scenes 1 & 2
27 Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire , Scenes 3, 4, & 5
29 Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire , Scenes 6, 7, & 8
31 Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, Scenes 9, 10, & 11
November
3 O'Connor, pgs. 2203-2204, "Good Country People," pgs. 2211-2225
5 Barthelme, "The Balloon," pgs. 2247-2251
7 Morrison, "Recitatif," pgs. 2252-2266
10 Updike, "Separating," pgs. 2267-2276
12 Pynchon, "Entropy," pgs. 2355-2367
14 Jarrell, pgs. 2742-2749
17 Lowell, pgs. 2761-2763, poems "The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket," "My Last Afternoon with Uncle Devereux Winslow," & "For the Union Dead"
19 Brooks, pgs. 2778-2789
21 Ginsberg, pgs. 2863-2873, poems "Howl" & "A Supermarket in California"
24 Rich, pgs. 2941-2951
26 PAPER #2 DUE
28 THANKSGIVING - no class
December
1 Plath, pgs. 2967-2979
3 Review for final examination
5 STUDY DAY - no class
FINAL EXAMINATION : TUESDAY, DEC. 9 @ 12:45 until 2:45 p.m.