Assignments:

E n g l i s h 2 5 4 – 0 1 A m e r i c a n L i t e r a t u r e

Spring 2010 195037 RR209 MWF 12:45-1:50 P.M. 4 Cr.

Ryan Davis, Clackamas Community College, English Department
Office: Rook 233

Office Hours: MWF 9-10 A.M. / T 10 A.M.-12 P.M. / Th 10-11:20 A.M.

Writing Center: Th 11:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.

Phone: 503.594.3258

Email: ryand@clackamas.edu

Class Website: http://www.portlandwt.com/schoolhome.htm

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will focus on selected authors and works of mid-nineteenth to twenty-first century America, and survey the development of American fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama through the study of the works of both major and lesser-known writers. The course will introduce various cultural, philosophical, religious, social, historical, and economic factors that contribute to the development of literature that we identify as “American.” In our exploration, we will ask a variety of questions, including, but not limited to: What is Literature? What makes Literature American? How is America reflected in her Literature? Who are these writers of American Literature? and Why read Literature? We will approach the readings not only as individual works of art to be read creatively and enjoyed imaginatively and intellectually, but also as examples of the response of the writers to the unique experience of being American. Recommended: Pass RD-090 or placement in RD-115; pass WR-095 or placement in WR-121.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

To pass ENG 254, students should be able to:

develop a set of literary criticism based on certain standard criteria
express and explain their interpretations and judgments on various literary works orally and in writing
examine and discuss the cultural, historical, and social significance of a given work
demonstrate an understanding of basic literary terms and forms

REQUIRED TEXTS AND TOOLS

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. ISBN: 9780743273565
Morrison, Toni. Jazz. New York: Vintage, 2004. ISBN: 9781400076215
Perkins, George, and Barbara Perkins, eds. The American Tradition in Literature, Vol. 2. 12^th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2009. ISBN: 9780077239053
You will also need four tools to pass this class, all of which can be found and used in the Streeter Hall Academic Computer Lab:
- a working computer to write your papers
- the Internet to view the course webpage and readings and conduct research (please check the course webpage regularly)
- a printer to print your papers
- an active email account with an appropriate user ID to communicate with me and receive announcements and supplemental information (please check your email regularly)

CLASS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Attendance

Any student with seven or more absences will automatically fail the course.
If absent, please obtain missed information from another student or the course website. I cannot summarize an entire class, so do not ask me to.
If you are absent when work is due, you are still responsible for turning it in on time.
If you stop attending class and do not officially drop or withdraw, you will receive an "F" for the course. It is your responsibility to take care of your GPA and college record.

Work Submitted

All assignments must be completed to pass the class.
All assignments written outside of class must be word processed, following all MLA guidelines.
Please save your assignments in Rich Text Format in Microsoft Word, so they can be recognized by most computers.
Please keep all assignments on your hard drive, a portable storage device, a CD-ROM, and in your email account. Printer issues and lost work are not excuses.
Please only turn in assignments on their due dates, after we have completely covered their content and guidelines in class.

Assignment Timeliness, Length, and Delivery

Late assignments will, at best, earn a “D” (after class is dismissed on the due date, your work is late). There are no excuses for late work.
Any assignment shorter than the required length will, at best, earn a “C” (for example, if I ask for 2 pages and you turn in 1.95 pages, you will receive a "C" at best).
Late and short assignments automatically earn an "F."
No emailed assignments will be accepted unless I previously approve them.

Effective Learning

Creating and maintaining a safe and civil environment depends on all of us, so please respect your classmates in class. If you do not, you will leave class.
Please be on time so that you do not disrupt class.
You may eat and drink in class, but please, nothing noisy or smelly.
All cell phones must be turned off. If you are texting during class, you will leave.
No visitors in class.
While literary discussion is mandatory, if you disagree with any aspect of the course, consult with me before or after class or during my office hours. I have structured the course this way based on years of experience. I will not use class time for disagreements.

Assignments and Grading

Assignments (guidelines for all assignments will be announced in class and posted online):
- Email Address: By Friday of the first week, in the "Subject" line of an email, send me your full name, class, and section number. I will place your email address in a BCC mailing list for class announcements and communication.
- "You Teach" Session: You will join small groups, and each group will present one lesson on a reading (groups will be chosen Week 2). This lesson is the presentation of an analysis—it is neither summary nor biography.
- Quizzes: There will be five quizzes over readings.
- Analysis 1: You will write a two-page analysis, exploring a particular writer and work by that author that we discussed in class or comparing two writers' works with common themes (again, that we discussed in class), up to that chronological point in the course. This is an analysis, first and foremost—it does not focus on biography or summary.
- Analysis 2: You will write a two-page analysis, exploring a particular writer from our texts, but a work by that author that we did not discuss in class, comparing two writers' works with common themes (again, that we did not discuss in class), or focusing on some other instructor-approved topic that interests you, up to that chronological point in the course. This is an analysis, first and foremost—it does not focus on biography. The type of work you explore in Analysis 2 must be different than the type of work you explored in Analysis 1 (i.e. if you explored poetry in 1, you may explore a short story in 2).
- 4-Page Paper and 4-Minute Presentation: You will choose an American topic from the mid-nineteenth to twenty-first century. Because so many ways of thinking and experiences shaped American Lit., you may choose one of these to explore. You do not have to focus solely on literature, though you must clearly explore your topic’s influence on literature. For example, you may write about an artistic movement (style, artists, art), politics (campaigns, politicians, eras), technology (advances, inventors, products), philosophy (branches, philosophers, movements), or writing (styles, writers, works), but you must illustrate its/their influence on literature by providing specific examples from literature. You may focus on an author/subject that we covered in class, so long as you do not write about the specific work we covered in class (or in one of your analyses). Your presentation and paper must be on the same topic. This two-part assignment is an analysis as well—it does not focus on biography.
  - Presentation: You will deliver a four-minute (minimum) presentation on your topic, using appropriate supplementary material. The supplementary material may be in any form you like (e.g. PowerPoint, visuals, poster board, song, short video, etc.), so long as you provide an overview of the information in your Four-Page Paper. Please be prepared for questions.
  - Four-Page Paper: You will write a four-page (minimum) paper (an in-depth analysis) on your topic.
Grading
- All assignments and final grades will be scored on the following scale: A 100-90 / B 89.99-80 / C 79.99-70 / D 69.99-60 / F 59.99 or below. I do not round grades up.
- The grade breakdown is as follows:
  - 1% Email Address
  - 10% "You Teach" Session
  - 20% Five Online Quizzes
  - 12% Analysis 1
  - 12% Analysis 2
  - 15% Presentation
  - 30% Four-Page Paper

SCHEDULE (all dates subject to change with sufficient notice)

(Red = administrative dates / Green = due dates / Orange = "You Teach" sessions / Blue = linked readings)

WEEK 1

3/29

Course Introduction

3/31

WALT WHITMAN Song of Myself, When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer

4/2

EMILY DICKINSON 214, 241, 249, 258, 280, 285, 288, 320, 324, 401, 435, 449, 465, 632, 712, 986, 1129, 1263, 1760

4/4

Last day to add classes without instructor signature (Sunday, 5 p.m.)

WEEK 2

4/5

WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS Editha, HENRY JAMES The Beast in the Jungle

4/7

BRET HARTE The Outcasts of Poker Flat, AMBROSE BIERCE Chickamauga

4/9

OEL CHANDLER HARRIS The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story, SARAH ORNE JEWETT A White Heron

Quiz 1

Last day to add without $50 late registration fee for 11-week classes

1/3 payment plan amount due. $25 assessed if not paid

Last day to drop full-term classes and receive a full refund

WEEK 3

4/12

Quiz 1 due

KATE CHOPIN The Story of an Hour, ANDREW CARNEGIE From Wealth, CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN The Yellow Wallpaper

4/14

STEPHEN CRANE The Open Boat, PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR We Wear the Mask, A Death Song, Life's Tragedy, At the Tavern, Sympathy

4/16

EDITH WHARTON Roman Fever, JACK LONDON To Build a Fire

WEEK 4

4/19

ROBERT FROST Mending Wall, After Apple-Picking, Birches, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, The Road Not Taken, CARL SANDBURG Gone, Southern Pacific

4/21

T. S. ELIOT The Waste Land

4/23

You Teach-Jason K & ______________

WALLACE STEVENS Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock, Anecdote of the Jar, The Snow Man, A High-Toned Old Christian Woman, The Emperor of Ice-Cream, The Idea of Order at Key West, WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS The Young Housewife, The Great Figure, The Red Wheelbarrow, This Is Just to Say, MARIANNE MOORE Poetry

Quiz 2

1/3 payment plan amount due. $25 assessed if not paid

WEEK 5

4/26

You Teach-Sarah F & Brandon S

CLAUDE MCKAY The Harlem Dancer, Harlem Shadows, America, Outcast, EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, and Where, and Why, E. E. CUMMINGS My Father Moved through Dooms of Love

4/28

Analysis 1 due

You Teach-Onel S & Austin W

LANGSTON HUGHES The Weary Blues, Dream Boogie, Harlem, Green Memory, Motto, WILLIAM FAULKNER Barn Burning

4/30

Quiz 2 due

You Teach-Michael H & Imer M

ERNEST HEMINGWAY Big Two-Hearted River: Part I, Big Two-Hearted River: Part II

WEEK 6

5/3

You Teach

FITZGERALD The Great Gatsby (pp. 1-96)

5/5

You Teach-Nevin

FITZGERALD The Great Gatsby (pp. 97-end)

5/7

No Class!

1/3 payment plan amount due. $25 assessed if not paid

Last day to drop classes without responsibility for grade

Spring Term Petitions for Graduation due in the Registrar’s Office

Last day to make schedule changes for eleven week classes

WEEK 7

5/10

Quiz 3 Cancelled

You Teach-Billy G & Mitchell G

MORRISON Jazz (pp. 1-"And when spring comes to the city…")

5/12

You Teach-Jacob K & Andrew B

MORRISON Jazz (pp. "And when spring comes to the city…"-end)

5/14

Quiz 3 due Cancelled

You Teach-Andrew S & Elijah S

JOHN STEINBECK The Chrysanthemums, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR I Have a Dream, DENISE LEVERTOV The Third Dimension, ALLEN GINSBERG Howl

WEEK 8

5/17

You Teach-Josh M & Ben M

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS The Glass Menagerie

5/19

You Teach-Isiac O & Darin D

FRANK O'HARA Why I Am Not a Painter, SYLVIA PLATH Morning Song, Daddy, AMIRI BARAKA In Memory of Radio, JOHN CHEEVER The Swimmer

5/21

New Due Date! Analysis 2 due

You Teach-Jon V & Bailey N

JAMES BALDWIN Sonny's Blues, FLANNERY O'CONNOR Good Country People

Quiz 4

WEEK 9

5/24

You Teach-Devon S & Kristine L

ADRIENNE RICH Diving into the Wreck, For the Dead, MARY OLIVER Yes! No!, LORNA DEE CERVANTES Poem for the Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an Intelligent, Well-Read Person, Could Believe in a War Between the Races

5/26

New Due Date! Quiz 4 due

You Teach-Kayla H & Rick T

JOYCE CAROL OATES Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, RAYMOND CARVER A Small, Good Thing

5/28

You Teach-Jake & Kendra M

ALICE WALKER Everyday Use, LOUISE ERDRICH The Red Convertible

WEEK 10

5/31

No Class--Memorial Day!

6/2

You Teach-Troy & Taken

SHERMAN ALEXIE What You Pawn I Will Redeem, Jesus Christ’s Half-Brother is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation

6/4

Quiz 5

4-Minute Presentations

The 4-Minute Presentations will be delivered in class, according to the following schedule:

Sarah F
Jonathan V
Brandon S
Michael H
Jason K
Mitchell G
Darin D

WEEK 11

6/7 at Noon

Quiz 5 due

4-Page Paper due

4-Minute Presentations

The 4-Minute Presentations will be delivered in class, according to the following schedule:

Onel S
Austin W
Ben M
Josh M
Kristine L
Andrew S
Devon S
Kayla H
Billy G
Troy S
Matthew M
Andrew B
Imer M
Nevin H
Isiac O
Rick T
Jacob K
Bailey N
Kendra M
Tyler S
Elijah S

PLAGIARISM

According to the CCC Instructional Standards and Procedures, “A student who submits the work of another as her/his own or deliberately fails to properly credit words or ideas borrowed from another source is guilty of plagiarism.” You must adhere to the following guidelines, borrowed from Clark College, regarding plagiarism:

What you need not acknowledge:

1. Common knowledge. If most readers like yourself would likely know something, you need not cite it.

2. Facts available from a wide variety of sources. If a number of textbooks, encyclopedias, or almanacs include the information, you need not cite it.

3. Your own ideas and discoveries.

What you must acknowledge:

1. Any direct quotation. You must place the exact words quoted in quotation marks.

2. Paraphrases and summaries that provide background information, present facts not commonly known, and explain various positions on your topic.

3. Arguable assertions. If an author presents an assertion that may or may not be true, you must cite the source.

4. Statistics, charts, tables, and graphs from any source. You must credit all graphic material, even if you yourself create the graph.

Purchasing papers and submitting them is plagiarism. Asking another party to write a paper for you is cheating, and, in this case, will be considered plagiarism. Resubmitting or rewriting a paper from another course for a new grade without alerting me is plagiarism. If you are guilty of plagiarism, you will automatically fail the course.

Remember—if you have any questions regarding plagiarism—ask me.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Writing Center: McLoughlin 112, writing@clackamas.edu, 503.657.6958 ext. 5310
Advising and Counseling Department: Bill Brod Community Center, 503.657.6958 x2213
Disability Resource Center: Bill Brod Community Center 109, 503.657.6958 x2794
Dana Library: M-Th 7:30 A.M.-7 P.M. / F 7:30 A.M.-5 P.M., 503.657.6958 x 2288
- Your last name and either your CCC ID or library barcode number will act as your password for the following databases:
  - EBSCOHOST (Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, CINAHL, MEDLINE and many more indexes)
  - NewsBank (The Oregonian and The New York Times [2000-present])
  - ProQuest (The New York Times [Historical 1851-2002])
  - First Search (Article First and Worldcat databases)
  - CQ Researcher
  - Access Science
  - NetLibrary
  - Gale Virtual Reference Library

Updated: 6 June 2010