English 440.001/640.001: SOUTHERN
LITERATURE
Spring 2005 . T/H
Dr.
Humanities 130J
(mailbox is in HU 131) . 881-7299 .
jmiller@utm.edu
Spring 2005 Office
Hours: MW noon-1:00pm, T
Course Description:
The American South has always
engendered conflict. Certainly, the
“peculiar institution” of slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and its
aftermath—what historian C. Vann Woodward has termed the “burden of southern
history”—have been the catalysts for much of this conflict, but other
conflicts—between capital and labor, male and female, civilization and
wilderness, tradition and progress—have galvanized generations of southerners
to fight for their causes, real and imagined.
In this class, we will explore the culture of conflict (both external
and internal) in the South by reading a variety of historical and cultural
documents in combination with the following books.
Required Texts:
William Andrews and Henry
Louis Gates, eds.
Slave Narratives
Rebecca Harding Davis, Life in the Iron Mills
Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead
Zora Neale Hurston,
Mules and Men
William Faulkner, Go Down, Moses
Katherine Anne Porter, Collected Stories
Richard Wright, Native Son
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man
Ishmael Reed, Mumbo Jumbo
Feel free to use any edition
of these books, although the Slave
Narratives text might be helpful as a reference tool.
Course Objectives:
Students completing English 440
should gain the following knowledge and skills (as defined by the Tennessee
Teacher Licensure Standards):
·
a knowledge and appreciation for the social,
philosophical, aesthetic, and historical dimensions of literature.
·
a greater understanding of the regional, colloquial,
cultural, and national diversity in literature.
·
a knowledge of a wide range of literature from many
periods and various genres and relate that knowledge to class reading and class
writing.
·
a better ability to make connections among various
literary selections and between literature and other arts.
·
a better ability to relate a wide range of print and
visual texts, both classical and contemporary, to their lives.
·
a better ability to communicate persuasively orally and
in writing.
·
a better ability
to incorporate questioning techniques that emphasize critical thinking, such as
inference, evaluation, comparison, contrast, analysis, synthesis, criticism,
and appreciation.
Course Requirements:
1)
By our fifth
class meeting (Tuesday, February 1), printing out, reading, signing, and
submitting the “syllabus acknowledgement” page (available under “Course
Documents” in Blackboard or through this direct link:
http://www.utm.edu/~jmiller/sylack.htm).
I will not accept any other work until this document has been submitted.
2)
Attending class
every day on time, keeping up with the assigned readings (including
response posts on Blackboard), and contributing thoughtfully and regularly to
class discussions. In addition, you must
bring something to the table at each class meeting (see “Bringing Something to
the Table” below). Furthermore, your
participation in class will be part of your final grade (see “Class Participation”
below). any more than FOUR absenceS WILL ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR GRADE.
3)
Writing 2
response papers and posting them on Blackboard 24 hours before appropriate
class meeting.
4)
Writing and
submitting a take-home midterm examination.
5)
Writing a final
examination.
6)
Writing and
submitting a short close reading paper (paper 1).
7)
Writing and
submitting a research paper (paper 2).
8)
Making regular
(at least 7) and thoughtful contributions to the class Blackboard bulletin
board.
9)
Graduate students
will be required to write a more comprehensive research paper (see me for
details).
Class Participation:
The class participation grade covers attendance, preparedness, and the
degree and quality of the participation.
It will be evaluated as follows:
A: The
student comes to class on time (misses no more than
four classes) and is always prepared, having done the reading and brought the
appropriate materials. The student
participates frequently and insightfully in discussions (both oral and
electronic), making the kinds of comments and asking the kinds of questions
that lead to deeper understanding or open new avenues of thought. The student has handed in all work and met
all deadlines.
B: The
student comes to class on time (misses no more than
four classes) and is usually prepared, having done the reading and brought the
appropriate materials. The student
participates frequently (or less frequently but insightfully) in discussions
(both oral and electronic). The student
has handed in all work and met all deadlines.
C: The
student comes to class, usually on time, (misses no
more than four classes) and is usually prepared, having done the reading and
brought the appropriate materials. The
student may be fairly passive in oral discussions, but the student is attentive
and follows the discussion of others.
The student has handed in all work and met most deadlines.
D: A “D”
grade indicates at least one, perhaps a few of the following:
F:
Several, rather than a few of the “D” criteria apply or are of such degree that
warrant an “F”
Attendance:
After 4
absences a student’s final grade (not just the participation grade) will
decrease on the following schedule: 5 absences—1 letter grade, 6 absences—2
letter grades, 7 absences—3 letter grades.
(In other words, if a student has otherwise earned a B, but has missed 6
classes, he or she would receive a D in the course). 8 or more absences will result in failure of
the class no matter what grades a student has earned on other work. I will pass around an attendance sheet for
your signature each day. It is your
responsibility to see that you sign your name so that you can be counted. If you come in late, be sure to find the
sheet and sign it. IF YOU DO NOT SIGN THE ATTENDANCE SHEET FOR A PARTICULAR
DAY, YOU WILL BE COUNTED ABSENT, EVEN IF YOU ATTENDED CLASS. Please note that I do not distinguish
between excused and unexcused absences.
If you miss class, and you want to let me know why, that’s fine, but the
absence will still count against your total. If you participate in a
university-sanctioned activity (athletic or otherwise), hold a job, or have
other responsibilities, and you think this commitment will keep you out of this
class more than 4 times, I suggest you look for another section that better
fits your schedule.
Bringing Something to the Table:
Every class meeting, write
one question or comment about the assigned reading. Try to make your question/comment as specific
as possible (e.g., write “I was confused about the relationship between Ike McCaslin and Lucas Beauchamp—why does Faulkner focus so
much on inheritance?,” rather than “the book confused me”). Write this question/comment in a legible
fashion on a separate sheet of paper in order to facilitate the free exchange
of ideas when we meet. Sometimes I will
collect your questions/comments, sometimes I will ask for “oral reports” on
them, sometimes we will exchange them with other students, and sometimes we
won’t do anything with them. While the
questions/comments themselves will not be graded, your compliance with this
requirement will feed into your class participation grade.
Response Papers:
Two times this semester, you
need to read one day ahead and write a 300-word response to the reading. You will post this response on the
Blackboard “Discussion Board” 24 hours
before the class meeting. Start
a new thread with “[author name] RESPONSE” as the subject line. (For example, if you sign up for a response
for our February 22 class meeting, you should post a response to the assigned
reading by
Blackboard Bulletin Board:
Each student is required to
make regular and thoughtful (i.e., avoid “I liked it” without further
elaboration about WHY) contributions to the class electronic bulletin board on
http://blackboard.utm.edu. At a
minimum, post seven comments/responses over the course of the semester. (This means seven posts in addition to your
two required responses). Each post can
either be an original thought or a reply to someone else’s post. The length of your posts may vary, but should
average in the neighborhood of at least 100-150 words (about one full
paragraph). Those of you who do not feel
comfortable participating in oral discussions may make additional electronic
postings (beyond the required seven) in order to supplement your class
participation grade. You are also
responsible for reading the posts submitted by your classmates (this means
checking the board regularly for new posts).
Paper 1:
Paper 1 will be a 3-4 page
(MLA format, 750-1000 words) close reading of two texts (probably a literary
text and a primary historical text, but possibly two literary texts). You may begin with a text on the syllabus,
and you should choose another text outside of our readings. This might be another slave narrative in the
Andrews & Gates text, or it might be one of a collection of documents I’ve
placed on e-reserve. I’ll give you more
information about this assignment in the second week of class.
Exams:
The midterm examination will cover
all readings, lecture, and discussion up to and including March 3. The exam will be written outside of class and
should be typed and double-spaced. The
final examination will be of a similar format as the midterm and will be
comprehensive (i.e., it will cover the entire course, not just material since
the midterm), although most of the questions will focus on material scheduled
after the midterm. The entire final will
be written during the examination period, but I will give you the essay
questions ahead of time. You will need
to provide your own blue books for the final examination (several sheets of
paper stapled together will also be fine).
Paper 2:
Each student is required to
write a 1750-2500 word (about 7-10 pages in a 12 pt. font) research paper (MLA
format) based on a southern text. Please
clear your choice with me before you begin reading. It is OK to use one of our course texts, but
try not to rehash our class discussion—your paper should be an argument of your
own ideas, and it should also be supported by at least 5 historical or critical
sources in addition to the novel itself.
A prospectus for this paper is due April 7. Your prospectus should explain what text
you’ve selected, propose a tentative thesis, and outline a brief summary of
what you expect this paper to accomplish.
I expect to hear from all of you about what text you would like to write
about before the midterm exam (I’d prefer a written communication, if
possible).
** important ** Be familiar with the
section on “Academic Integrity” in the UTM Student Handbook, particularly its
comments about plagiarism. It says, in
part, that “presenting as one’s own, for academic evaluation, the ideas,
representations or works of another person or persons without customary and
proper acknowledgement of sources” is a violation of university policy. Please
note that such a violation will earn a student an ‘F’ in this course, and that
I will report the violation to the Office of Student Affairs for further disciplinary
action, which may result in suspension or expulsion from the university. The English Department has a statement on
plagiarism on file in the English office if you desire more information.
Grading:
midterm & final exams - 20% each
paper 1 – 15%
paper 2 – 25%
response papers - 10% (5% each)
participation - 10%
Academic Accommodations:
Any student
eligible for and requesting academic accommodations due to a
disability is requested to provide a letter of accommodation from
P.A.C.E. or the
Schedule:
This is our tentative reading
schedule. Occasionally, I will require
additional readings on reserve at the library or posted on the Blackboard site,
so bring this schedule to every class in order to keep track of any
changes. Obviously, if you’ve missed
class you should check with me or another student to see if the schedule has
changed. You can access electronic
reserve materials via the Paul Meek Library home page (go to Catalog>Course
Reserves. The easiest way to find this
class will be to look for me under the “Select an instructor” drop down list,
then click the “Go” button. Then click
on the English 440 link and accept the “fair use” user agreement. When you select a reserve reading, you will
need a password, and this password will be the same for all of our reserve
readings (7299—the last 4 digits of my office phone #).
1.18 Course introduction
1.20 Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life, preface [Garrison], letter [Phillips], Narrative (Andrews & Gates 267-368);
e-reserve, “Slavery Images”
1.25 Linda Brent [Harriet Jacobs], Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl,
preface [Brent], introduction [Child], chapters I-XX (Andrews
& Gates 743-859)
1.27 Jacobs, chapters XXI-XLI, appendix (Andrews &
Gates 859-947)
2.1 Rebecca Harding Davis, Life in the Iron Mills; e-reserve,
“The Manufacture of Iron”
2.3 Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson, “whisper” & chapters 1-12 (53-143); e-reserve, “Plessy”
2.8 Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson,
chapters 13-conclusion (144-226)
2.10 Zora Neale Hurston, Mules and Men, introduction, part I
one-five (1-90); e-reserve, from Conversation with the Blues
2.15 Hurston, Mules and Men, part I six-ten (91-179)
2.17 Hurston, Mules and Men, part II one-seven (183-246),
glossary (247-49), appendix (251-85); e-reserve,
Ma Rainey
2.18 Paper 1 due in my mailbox by
2.22 William Faulkner, Go Down, Moses (1-127) [“Was” & “The Fire and the Hearth”]
2.24 Faulkner, Go
Down, Moses (129-180) [“Pantaloon in Black” & “The Old People”]
3.1 Faulkner, Go
Down, Moses (181-315) [“The Bear”]
3.3 Faulkner, Go
Down, Moses (317-65) [“Delta Autumn” & “Go Down, Moses”]
3.4 Midterm Exam due in my mailbox by
3.8 Katherine Anne Porter, Collected Stories, “Old Mortality” & “
3.10 Porter, Collected
Stories, “Pale Horse, Pale Rider” (269-317)
3.22 Richard Wright, Native Son, Book One: Fear (1-93)
3.24 Wright, Native
Son, Book Two: Flight (95-190)
3.29 Wright, Native
Son, Book Two: Flight (190-270)
3.31 Wright, Native
Son, Book Three: Fate (273-363)
4.5 Wright, Native
Son, Book Three: Fate (363-430)
4.7 Ralph Ellison, Invisible
Man, prologue & chapters 1-4 (3-108)
4.12 Ellison, Invisible
Man, chapters 5-10 (109-230)
4.14 Ellison, Invisible
Man, chapters 11-15 (231-332)
4.19 Ellison, Invisible
Man, chapters 16-21 (333-461)
4.21 Ellison, Invisible
Man, chapters 22-25 & epilogue (462-581)
4.26 Ishmael Reed, Mumbo
Jumbo, chapters 1-29 (1-107)
4.28 Reed, chapter 30-epilogue (107-218)
5.2 Paper 2 due in my mailbox by
Monday, May 9,