American Literature I ~ Spring 2007

English 245: 006HL & 007HL

Professors Calendar & Alvarez

ENGL 245HL: Intro, Objectives, Requirements

REQUIRED TEXT: The Norton Anthology of American Literature, vol. 1, 6th ed., Vol. A & B.

Introduction

This is an Honors Section of ENGL 245, a course that qualifies as a General Education credit in Humanities
and is a preferred class for Education Majors. The class is team taught by two instructors whose
undergraduate and graduate work are more than three decades apart, a time span that has seen a major shift
in the focus of English Education. While one aspect of this course will try to blend the approach and
scholarship of two different eras, the major focus will be on what constitutes the readings in a survey course
like American Literature I.

The writings of American Authors from the 16th to the 19th centuries haven’t changed in the past 50 years,
but the texts read by students have changed radically. Why? Who makes the decision? Should students
today read what current scholars think is important or what educated readers read at the time it was written?
When does American Literature really begin? What is really “literature” and what is just a written historical
“artifact.”

The point of an Honors Class is for you to study these questions, both alone and with your colleagues and
professors, and to come up with your own answers of what makes the “canon” on American Literature I. In
the middle of the course, the Chief Editor of The Norton Anthology of American Literature will be coming
to the class to talk about how she put together the 7th Edition of the text and to answer your questions about
how such a text evolves.

Good luck, have fun, and stay in touch with your instructors on Web-Ct, on the phone, and in person.

Course Description

This course will place a particular emphasis on contemporary critical approaches to the study of Early
American Literature, focusing on cultural praxis, historical contestations, and the problematics of canon
formation in and of the early American literary “tradition”. Through the performance and application of a
variety of critical approaches and methodologies, the class will work to interrogate and explore the
dynamics, fissures, and competing visions for and of “America” and “American Literature”. Concurrently,
we will explore and consider the relationship between American national and textual identity formations and
consider how the relationship and intersections between them shape and our shaped by our present and past
ideas about, among other concerns, the notion of a national literary tradition and canonicity. What are the
major conflicts in the development of the American Literary canon? What cultural and historical factors
have influenced these shifts? What is our role in the construction and understanding of what “American
Literature” means? These are only some of the guiding questions that will help propel the course through its
inquiry and assessment of the dynamic nature of the American literary tradition(s). Ultimately, our goal is to
weave a collective text of questioning, analyses, and assertions toward a diverse understanding and
articulation of American Literature in relation to our experiences today.

Course Objectives

Students will be directly and explicitly engaged in every aspect of their learning process. As the very
premise of the course is the interrogation of the foundations of the course itself, students will learn to think
critically about key academic and pedagogical concerns, and in turn, work toward building and maintaining
a proactive and invested learning community. By the end of the course, students will have become
aquatinted with and practiced in major representative critical discourses; concurrently, they will be able to
demonstrate fluency in utilizing these approaches in questioning, discussing, and assessing established
literary movements, authors and texts, both occluded and promoted, throughout the history of the ever-
changing American Literary canon. A strong focus on current technologies, specifically hypertexts, online
collections and scholarly projects, and American Literature and/on the World Wide Web will further enhance
and enrich the students’ experiences in the course.

Course Requirements

 Secretary Notes = 15% (of final grade)

 Response Essays = 20%
 Mid & Final Exams = 30%
 Final Project = 25%
 WebCT Discussions = 10%

Course Requirements in Detail

Secretary Notes (15% of Final Grade)

Each week, two or more students will be assigned to be "class secretary" for the duration of the class. As
secretary, you will be the official "note-taker" for the class. Afterwards, you will compile your notes in the
manner you choose (be as creative as you'd like) and present them at the next class meeting. In the past,
students have created songs, performances, artistic renditions, outlines, short stories, web pages, and various
other creative and risk taking endeavors. Take a risk and enjoy your “vision” and compilation of the
experience of the class; however, please be aware that notes cannot exceed 2 pages (this is part of the
challenge, of course). You will be asked to read and/or perform your notes at the start of the next class. You
will need to make enough copies for every class member. Additionally, secretaries must post their notes onto
our WebCT Notes thread no later than 2 days after presenting them to class in order to receive full credit.
Ultimately, we will have created a collective "narrative" we can look back on and read in our notes.
Students who are absent on their secretary notes presentation date without electronically(or physically)
submitting their notes prior to the class will lose half of the credit percentage for the assignment; this will
adversely affect your final grade.
Response Essays (20% of Final Grade)
Approx. every three weeks, you will work on a 2-3 page "micro" essay based on a reading or readings from
the previous weeks, and unless directed otherwise, the topic of your choice. These are analytical "responses"
to what you've been reading and what you are thinking about. You should feel free to take risks and be
creative with these essays; the goal is to question and create meaning. At times, you may wish to take a risk
that finds your working outside of the traditional essay format. This is acceptable; however, your work
should be clear, rigorous, articulate, and insightful. These are not summaries of the readings; they are critical
analyses that stem from questions and ideas you have about a particular text, theme, discussion, or group of
texts. You will be expected to include passages from the text(s) you are examining in order to support your
assertions and provide depth to your analyses. Response essays will be graded on content (depth of analyses,
quotation discussion, assertions and questions, etc.) and form (clarity, cohesion, grammar, etc.)

Mid-Term & Final Exams (Mid = 15% + Final=15% Total= 30% of Final Grade)
Mid and final exams will be both in class short essay and take home.

Final Project (25% of Final Grade)

The final project will include the major research component of the course. Here, you will articulate your
own conclusions on a particular theme of the course related to the question of the American literary canon.
The shape, scope and focus of the final project will be developed by you in conference with your professors
and will be discussed in depth throughout the semester. The final project must include:

 Formal Proposal
 Annotated Bibliography
 WebCT “Presentation”/discussion post

Options and possibilities for the final project will be discussed in class and on WebCT; however, some
possibilities may include:

 Student created electronic “anthology”

 Research paper on an excluded author
 Hypertext essay and/or web page devoted to the canon debate in American literature

WebCT Discussions (10% of Final Grade)

Without your input, like Melville's "dead letters," this would be a "dead" class. 10% of your grade depends
on you actively participating both on our WebCT discussion threads and in class. In order to fulfill your
WebCT participation, you must post at least 10 times to a minimum of 8 different threads and reply to a
minimum of 5 posts throughout the semester. In order to receive credit for a post, you must have posted
your discussion while the thread was ACTIVE (threads will be locked after two weeks). “Fun" posts (like
movie reviews, music reviews, etc.) only count for TWO of the 10 required posts. Posts should reflect
engagement with the subject matter, question at hand, etc. “Me Too!” replies are not acceptable for credit.

Attendance, Grading and Other Class Policies

Attendance

Attendance is MANDATORY. Because most of what matters happens in our classroom, it is imperative that
you try to attend each class. If, however, you anticipate an absence, please notify us in advance via WebCT
mail or voicemail. Overall, students are allowed THREE excused OR unexcused absences. Students who
miss more than two class meetings will be at risk of failing the course. IMPORTANT: STUDENTS WHO
MISS FOUR OR MORE CLASSES (EXCUSED OR UNEXCUSED) WILL NOT PASS THE COURSE
AND SHOULD WITHDRAW IMMEDIATELY. Finally, keep in mind that skipping the second half of class
(without advance notice w/ reason) will incur an absence for that day.

The morning! The traffic! The parking! Yes, it is an 8:00 in-the-AM class. But, remember, you signed up for
it. So, be on time. Simple; easy, and expected. Class will begin promptly at 8:00AM, and all are expected to
be prepared to begin class at that hour (bring your breakfast if need be!) The attendance sheet will begin to
circulate at 7:50AM. Students who are frequently late will lose class participation credit which can greatly
alter your final grade. Speak to us in advance if you should have any work, transportation or ability related
issues that may impede you from being on time.

Assignments

All work is due on time. You will not receive credit for an assignment if it is not presented on the due date.
If you anticipate an absence on an assignment due date, you should email the work in advance or before the
next class meeting for full credit. STUDENTS WHO REGULARLY MISS OR HAND IN LATE
ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT PASS THE COURSE.

Conduct

Cell Phone/PDA/Pager Policy/Gizmos and Gadets-- Please turn cell phones and/or pagers off BEFORE you
enter our classroom. Taking or placing calls or text messages during class is unacceptable. Those who are in
class but are expecting an urgent call or message should notify us in advance.

Plagiarism Policy-- Presenting another person's words or ideas without proper citation is plagiarism. Any
student who presents plagiarized work will automatically fail the course.

General Conduct Policy-- If you learn anything about us, you will learn that we deeply care about our
students and the environment in which we work together; therefore, we reserve the right to remove students
from the classroom who disrupt our learning process and/or create a distracting or hostile work
environment. We are here to learn, question, share, and work together; let's make it work.