English 225: the Western: America's Myth Prof
English 225: The Western: America's Myth Prof. Sandra Bennett
Office: 310 Minne Phone: 457-5445 email:
NOTE: This class meets Monday and Wednesday only.
Course description:
It has been said that Americans define themselves by the frontier--we are always looking for a new challenge, for an unexplored idea, for a chance to, as Huck Finn put it, “light out for the Territories.” Throughout American history, the frontier has served as the metaphor for the imagination and energy of the American experience. This course focuses on the American West as historical, social, and imaginative force. The objective of the course is to give students a broad understanding of the significance of the West in the development of American ideas and attitudes. Students will study the West in the context of geography, exploration, history, literature, and art. Subjects of readings will be Native Americans and pioneers, cowboys and trappers.
TEXTS:
Cather, O Pioneers
Clark, The Ox-Bow Incident
Guthrie, The Big Sky
Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks
Wister, The Virginian
CLASS REQUlREMENTS:
Midterm exam: 25%
Final: 25%
Final project: 35%
Class attendance and participation: 15%
Attendance will be taken daily. You are allowed two unexcused absences; further absences without prior instructor approval will result in a lower final grade. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to catch up on classwork.
Exams will be given only at the scheduled times. DO NOT ask for an
exception to this policy.
SCHEDULE:
January 12-14: Introduction: The West in fact and imagination
January 19: Martin Luther King holiday
January 21-February 2: The Fur Trade. Reading: Big Sky
February 4-16: The Native Americans. Reading: Black Elk Speaks
February 11: Assessment Day: no class
February 18-March 1: The West on Film
March 3: Midterm exam
Spring break
March 15-24: The Pioneers. Reading: O Pioneers
March 29-April 19: The Cowboys. Reading: Virginian; Ox Bow Incident
April 21-28: Presentations of student projects; written version of projects will be due on the day of your oral presentation.
Final exam: Wednesday, May 5: 10:30 am
Project assignment: Read a novel about the West, chosen WITH INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL, and report on it to the rest of the class.
Paper: 6-8 pp., double-spaced, using 12-point type
MLA style for Works Cited and in-text citations. Papers not formatted in MLA style will NOT be accepted for credit.
The paper should contain the following:
1. Brief biography of the writer (1-1 1/2 pp.).
2. Brief summary of plot and description of characters (1 1/2-2 pp.).
3. Discussion of the literary techniques used by the writer: tone, style, etc.
4. Evaluation of the novel’s purpose and effectiveness.
Oral report: Summary or your report, using audiovisual aids (photos, handouts, etc.) if appropriate. DO NOT read your paper.