American Literature I
English 221
|
Instructor |
Assistant
Professor, Dr. Joel Peckham—Ph.D. in English with a Dissertation on American
Literature from The University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 1999 |
Office Location |
Old
Capitol Building 109 |
Office Hours |
M-F 8:30-9am,
M,T,TH,F 11-1, M-F 2-3, TTH 8-8:30pm |
|
Office Phone Number |
(478)
445-7137 |
Email Address |
|
Homepage |
http://www.geocities.com/joelpeckham |
Prerequisite: Students must have passed English 102 with a “D” or better.
Quarter Hours: 5
Course Description: English 221, American Literature I, is a survey of American Literature from the colonial period to the mid-nineteenth century.
Student Learning Objectives: Students will utilize the analytical and critical thinking skills developed in English 102; students will be required to read representative selections from literary periods and be expected to discuss these readings with insight and a knowledge of literary terminology.
Course
Content:
A. Study of Puritan period and selected writers, such as
John Winthrope, Roger Williams, Samuel Sewell, William Byrd, Anne Bradstreet,
etc.;
Course
Materials:
McMichael,
George Anthology of American Literature: Volume I: Colonial Through
Romantic. 7th Editon (Prentice
Hall, 2000).
Methodologies
of Instruction and Learning/Assessment:
The
primary focus of this course will be to explore America’s literary heritage
from the colonial period to 1865. In
accordance with course objectives, the approach of the course will be literary
and will build on close reading and writing skills learned in introduction to
literature (English 102). Because the
literature of a nation reflects its history and culture as it progresses
through time, however, we will also discuss the works in the context of
American History, Religion, Music, Art, and Philosophy. Because many of our literary documents are
also political tracts, religious sermons and psalms, and histories written by
the men and women who lived during the times, such overlap will be inevitable
and also enriching.
The
study of American literature is the study of the deepening of a nation’s soul,
it’s passage through birth and maturation.
And the story it forms is at times in equal parts heroic and
tragic. As we study the first three
centuries of our literature we will form an understanding of the values,
ideals, beliefs, ambitions, and hopes of peoples in conflict, struggling with
each other and with themselves in an effort establish a “new” world and
gradually, one united people co-existing across a sprawling landscape. Beginning in literature as a dream of
paradise in the imaginations of adventurers who saw the indigenous population
as a commodity to be used or as a blight to be removed and its wild landscape
as a resource to be tamed, the idea of America was formed around a sense of possibility
driven by intense desire—in some cases fueled by fame, power, and fortune, in
others by religious fervor, and in still others the possibility of adventure
and a new beginning. Though it is not
incorrect to say our nation was conceived in liberty, we cannot imagine this
idea in simplistic terms. We must ask,
“freedom from what?” “to do what?” “to
be what?”
The
study of literature gives us the means of looking at our nation as it happened,
from voices experiencing it “in the moment.”
Art reflects, responds to, and shapes the world surrounding its author.
Faulkner once referred to literature as the “story of the human heart
struggling.” And indeed that is chiefly
what we find as our literature as it developed out of Native American creation stories, the journals of Explorers,
through the poetry of Bradstreet, the brimstone sermons of Edwards, and
gradually maturing into a full body of internationally respected literature in
the hands of the great Romantic, Transcendental, and Realist authors of the 19th
century.
In
constructing this syllabus and this course I have tried to offer students
multiple options for engaging with the material and for revealing their
understanding of it. The fact that I
give students options will mean that the syllabus may seem confusing and the
choices overwhelming. But part of the
education process is learning to take possession of one’s education and
learning to make decisions that shape your educational experience. I would expect that students to carefully
read the assignments and consider which options are best for them. Students will be asked to sign a contract
early in the semester, specifically stating what they will accomplish in the
course.
2) What you
will be asked to do
Reading and
Discussion
Purpose: To Improve and Build Upon Reading Skills
Developed in 102, to develop and increased awareness of the context of literary
works, their philosophical underpinnings, and their role in our national
consciousness.
Application and Assessment:
The
student will read and systematically analyze a series of texts from the
American literary canon from its beginnings to the Civil War.
a)
The student will take occasional quizzes designed to reflect their
comprehension of the text. (cumulatively graded out of 25 points)
b)
The student will participate effectively in individual and group discussions.
(25 points)
c)
The student will complete short assignments designed to reflect their
understanding of the main points and ideas present in the reading, these will
be kept in a journal that will be presented to the professor periodically.
(graded out of 100 points)
Oral
Presentation
Purpose: To reflect and improve a students ability to
communicate their ideas to other class members, to better understand and take
ownership of the concepts explored by the authors, and to participate in the
teaching process.
Application and Assessment:
a) The student
will give a 10 minute introduction to a period, an author or movement, using
graphs, charts, audio, etc. Powerpoint
is encouraged.
Sample topics
could include: What is separatism? What is deism? Emerson and the Oversoul etc.
Primarily what I will be looking for are inventive, engaging attempts to
involve the class in discussion about the work. Though the correct presentation
of information is important, I expect students to attempt to get their peers to
make connections. I strongly encourage
any attempts to make connections between works discussed and contemporary art,
literature, music, history, philosophy and culture. (50 points)
Writing:
Essay Assignments
Purpose: To encourage students to participate in
higher thinking by asking them to make connections between literature,
philosophy history, etc., to build upon writing and analytical skills developed
in 102, to reveal their understanding of the formal elements of literature, and
to apply that understanding to an analysis of at least 2 literary works. Students will be allowed to hand in a rough
copy of the first essay for feedback from the instructor if they wish. Students will also have the option to
complete a third essay, worth 300 points in place of taking the final
examination.
Application and Assessment:
a) The student
will write two 3-5 page essays, each worth 200 points. A series of possible topics will be given
at least one week in advance. In the
essay the student must
1)
compare the ideas of two authors writing on a similar subject, supporting any
statements about the author’s ideas based on evidence they find in the
texts.
2)
show how these ideas are revealed using powerful and convincing symbolism,
imagery, characterization, argumentation, narration, etc.
3)
suggest how and why the authors might have believed differently or similarly to
each other, focusing on the times and or places in which they lived, the
experiences they had, and the literary/philosophical movements of which they
were a part.
4)
make a case for/against their ideas and their value to contemporary American
life.
5)
try to answer the questions, do these ideas, values, and beliefs still matter
to us? Should they?
Note: no research other than class handouts,
discussion, oral presentations, and reading assignment are required for these
writing assignments, but I will allow outside research if a student wishes to
include it. The format of the paper
should adhere to MLA formatting and any quoted material must be cited in
adherence to MLA formatting practiced.
The papers should be double-spaced and written in 12 point Times or
Courier.
b) The papers will be graded in accordance with
the following scale
100
points—Content: Completion of the 5 essay requirements listed above, with
appropriate supporting evidence from the text.
Students are expected to support all statements made using textual
evidence and appropriate quotation. The
absence of supporting evidence from the text could result in a 0 for this
portion the assignment.
50
points—Quality of Writing, Paragraph Level: evidence of well-formed, coherent,
unified paragraphs, with clear and elegant sentences, transitions, appropriate
tone and clean grammar and punctuation.
Though quality of writing is worth 50 points, if the quality is low
enough, it can affect the content grade.
If I can’t understand your position, I can’t give you credit for your
ideas.
50
points—Quality of Organization and
Formatting: evidence that the ideas are
put together in a logical order with transition sentences connecting them to a
central thesis.
The
papers together will form 400 pts of a student’s total grade.
Examinations
Purpose: To give students the opportunity to reveal
what they know about the material covered in class, to ensure that students
keep up with and understand the texts covered for class, to encourage higher
thinking through the answering of essay questions provided in advance.
Application
and Assessment: Students will be given
2 exams: a mid-term examination and final examination (unless they choose the
third essay option). The Mid-term
examination will be worth 100 points and the Final Examination 300 points for a
total of 400 points of the final grade.
Each exam will contain short answer and five paragraph essay
questions on the material covered. We
will have overviews in the form of literary jeopardy to cover possible short
answer questions and students will be given a list of possible essay questions
from which the essay questions on the exam will be selected. Students may come to the exam with
note-cards containing information necessary to answering each possible essay
question
Powerpoint/Web-Page
option:
Purpose: To give students an option in place of one
of the essay assignments (not the final exam) should they feel more confident
in their ability to create a powerpoint presentation or web-page on an author
of their choice, to encourage students to make connections between art, music,
literature, and history during a period, to encourage students to learn how to
use multimedia to present information and ideas. This cannot be a replication of the presentation.
Application and Assessment: On
the date for the deadline of either the first or second essay, students may
turn in the URL for a Web-Page or a power-point presentation saved on disc or
cd.
The focus should be on the
author in his or her times and should attempt to use visual imagery/ audio
samples / text / and analysis to help us understand how his or her life,
geographical location, moment in history, philosophical and religious beliefs,
and presence in a literary/ artistic movement help us understand his or her
work.
Caution: Don’t just give me an author’s biography!! I’m looking for the evidence of higher
thinking and the ability of the student to make connections. Also, be wary of plagiarism. The fact that
many web-sites replicate information without citing sources for it, does not
give you license to do so as well.
Quotations should be cited in accordance with MLA methodology.
3) Grade Breakdown Summary:
Reading and Discussion Grade: 150 points ( 100pts
for journal, 25 points participation, 25 points for quizzes.
Essays: 400 points--200 points
each essay (300 pts for the 3rd
essay option)
Exams: 400 points--100 points
for the mid-term, 300 points for the final
Oral Presentation: 50 points
Web Page / Power Point Option:
200 points in place one essay (not the final exam)
TOTAL: 1000pts
A: 90-100 B: 80-89 C: 70-79 D: 65-69 F: 64 and below
(900-1000) (800-899) (700-799) (650-699) (649 and below)
Any grade review must be initiated with the faculty member, division chair, or assistant dean within thirty days of the end of the grading period in which the grade was reported.
Students with disabilities for which accommodations may be required must notify the instructor during the first week of class if they wish to benefit from any accommodations. Arrangements for accommodations are made through the Disabilities Officer in Student Personal Services.
Administrative Procedures:
A.
Completion of the drop/add process and the withdrawal process is the
responsibility of the student.
B.
Absence Policy: Maximum number of absences allowed before withdrawal
for non-attendance: 5. Missed appts.
Count toward your absence total.
C.
Tardiness. If you are late at all, you are counted tardy. Three tardies equal an absence. I expect all members of the class to be on
time with their books, pens, and notepaper on their desks at the exact
beginning of class.
D.
Policy for make-up
work. Students are responsible to
complete any work they miss during an absence.
Missed work can only be made up if the student has a legitimate excuse
for missing the class and provides supporting documentation. Legitimate excuses include illness, serious
family obligations, and sanctioned college activities for which absence is
required.
E.
Harassment Policy: I see sexual and racial harassment as a direct
attack not only on the victim, but on the entire community. Harassment is any behavior that would either
threaten a reasonable person or inhibit that person’s ability to learn or work
by creating an uncomfortable environment.
Don’t say or do anything to a fellow student that you wouldn’t say or do
to your own mother, father, sister, or brother. Sexual or racial comments made in the classroom, even if not
directed at anyone in particular and even if made in jest, will be considered
harassment. The presence of materials
that demean others –inappropriate or offensive
t-shirts or magazines for example—will also be considered
harassment. Such behavior will directly
affect the offending student’s grade for class participation and may result in
dismissal from the class for the day or even for the quarter.
F.
Dress Code: All hats must be removed before entering the
classroom. I would also expect students to dress as
professionally as possible. How you
dress not only gives signals to your classmates and to your professor, it
affects your self-image. If you take
yourself seriously, other people will as well.
G.
Late Assignments: I do not accept late assignments. Assignments should be ready for submission
at the beginning of class on the day that they are due. Because I understand that events may happen
that are beyond a student’s control, I allow for one 24 hour pass a semester.
That means that one time during the semester, for whatever reason you
might have, or for no reason at all, you may hand in an assignment 24 hours
late. If an assignment is due on a
Friday, I expect you to send it to me over the e-mail by attachment or as text
by Saturday, 11am. If electronic
submission is not possible, contact me and I will arrange another method for
you to hand in the assignment on time.
I urge students to use this option only when and if they desperately
need it. If a student must miss a class on the day an assignment is to be
turned in, the student must find another student to turn it in for them or must
send the assignment to me via e-mail by the beginning of class on the day the
assignment is due. I will make rare
exceptions if I have ample reasons. The 24 hour pass cannot be used for an
exam, a pop-quiz, or a term-paper. A
late term paper or a missed final will assure failure in the course.
H.
Cadet Behavior: Cadet behavioral problems
like disrespectful or inappropriate behavior and non-attendance will be
reported immediately to the commandant’s office.
Ethics:
GMC emphasizes character and ethical behavior in all aspects of the curriculum. During the quarter, ethical issues/dilemmas will be discussed as they pertain to (insert appropriate course). Teachers will include some type of activity in this area.
Since the primary goal of education is to increase one’s own knowledge, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated at GMC. Students and faculty are expected to abide by the GMC Honor Code: I will neither lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do.