1
American Literature: 1870 to Present
Memory & Migration in Modern American Literature
ENGL 3840.1, MWF 11:00 - 11:50
Language Building, Room 318
Instructor: Dr. Stephanie Hawkins Office: Language 409 FOffice Hours: MW 12 -1 & by appointment Phone: (940) 369-7082E-mail:
Required Texts & Editions
Nina Baym, Editor. Norton Anthology of American Literature:1914-1945. Volume D.
Henry James, Daisy Miller (Penguin)
Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth (Norton)
Gertrude Stein, The Selected Writings of Gertrude Stein (Vintage)
William Faulkner, Light in August (Vintage)
Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (Vintage)
Class Format:
Although I will frequently provide brief cultural and historical background, together with relevant literary terms, in the form of “mini-lectures” for the works we read, it is your thoughtful analysis and interpretation of each reading that will sustain class discussion.
Requirements:bring your books to class;class participation, quizzes, an in-class midterm exam, and a final take-home exam, each of which is described in greater detail, below.
Participation (15%):
This is not the same as attendance. It means not only arriving knowledgeable and prepared to pass a reading quiz and discuss the assigned reading, it also means that you ask compelling questions in class and contribute overall to a positive classroom environment.
If you sit quietly in the back of the room sleeping or doing homework for another class, you will receive an F for your participation grade. If, on the other hand, you dominate class discussion or talk while the instructor or other students are talking, this too will result in a low participation grade. If you demonstrate good leadership in class by being attentive to other students’ comments, asking questions of the instructor and each other, and participating when appropriate (i.e. asking good questions, making insightful comments, and encouraging others to speak as well), you will receive an A in participation. Additionally, participation includesbringing your books to class, answering assigned questions the instructor may give you to answer in advance of next week’s discussion, performing group activities either in class or before the next week’s discussion, and presenting research as assigned by the instructor to the class, groups, or to individual students.
Quizzes (20%):
You can expect to be quizzed on everything we read for class. Read carefully, and come to class prepared. Quizzes cover character, plot, definitions of words, passages, and any other textual elements that a good close reading will not fail to discern. Keep your quizzes because some of the questions may appear in a midterm. If you miss a quiz because you are absent or because you are late to class, it cannot be made up.
Midterm Exam (30%):
The midterm exam will take place in class (Mon., Oct. 10). You are responsible for supplying your own blue book for the exam. The exam may be comprised of any of the following: multiple choice questions that test your knowledge of specific literary terms and concepts covered in class; short answer questions, which ask you to apply these terms to a specific literary problem or passage; essay questions designed to test your ability to perform a close reading of one or more literary texts (see “what I am looking for in an essay-question answer” below*). You may use the assigned literary texts for the exam, but you may not use: reading notes, in-class notes, secondary materials distributed by the instructor, Cliff’s Notes, Spark Notes, any on-line sources, another student’s notes or another student’s written work, or any secondary materials available at the library or on the internet. If you are caught cheating on an exam, you will fail not just the exam, but the entire course. If you and another student or students collaborate to cheat on an exam, all participating parties fail the exam (see “Policies” Academic Dishonesty, below).
Final Exam (35%):
The final exam will be take-home and must be submitted electronically in two forms: one copy to and one copy to turnitin.com. (Due: Dec 5 by 12 noon). This exam will be cumulative, covering anything from the first or second half of the semester. While it may have short-answer and multiple choice components, it will be mainly essay-question in format. For this exam you are allowed to use the novels and in-class notes. Do not use: Cliff’s Notes, Spark Notes, any on-line reading guides or sources, another student’s notes or another student’s written work, or any secondary materials available at the library or on the internet. If you are caught cheating on an exam, you will fail not just the exam, but the entire course. If you and another student or students collaborate to cheat on an exam, all participating parties fail the exam (see “Policies” Academic Dishonesty, below).
*What I look for in an essay-question answer: I am looking for depth of analysis (attention to detail), strength of reasoning, an ability to explain the significance of a passage or passages based on textual cues, and elegant prose free of unnecessary wordiness and jargon. See my “Grading Criteria” handout. You’ll be expected to write about a literary text “on its own terms” – looking primarily at language, metaphor, thematic tensions, and dilemmas – and develop an argument about why one or more of these concepts or problems helps shape the meaning(s) readers might discover. Unless otherwise authorized by me, do not consult outside sources as you write your essay answer. Your exams will be returned to you via e-mail. If you cannot submit your exam electronically, you need to make the appropriate arrangements well in advance of the due date.
Class Schedule & Assignments*
*Subject to change.
Modernism Before Modernism
Week OneF 8/26 Introduction; Henry James, "The Art of Fiction" (handout)
Discussion: Realism, Naturalism, & Modernism
Week Two M 8/29James, Daisy Miller
W8/31James, Daisy Miller
F9/2James, Daisy Miller
Week ThreeM9/5Labor Day - No class
W9/7Wharton, House of Mirth
F9/9Wharton, House of Mirth
Week FourM9/12Wharton, House of Mirth
W9/14Wharton, House of Mirth
F9/16Wharton, House of Mirth
The Manifestoes of Modernism: Poetry & Its Discontents
Week FiveM9/19Norton pp. 1177-1192; Frost, pp. 1409 - 1410; Pound pp. 1506 - 1507;
Hughes, pp. 1512-1513 [his poetry is on pp. 2026-2037]; Cather, pp 1508-1509; Marinetti, pp. 1501; Loy, 1502-1505
W9/21Wallace Stevens, pp. 1439-1456
F9/23Stevens, continued
Week SixM9/26Marianne Moore, pp. 1532-1539
W9/28William Carlos Williams, pp. 1462-1477
F9/30Jean Toomer, pp. 1816-1817
Week SevenM10/3Edna St. Vincent Millay, pp. 1803-1807
W10/5Your turn: pick your favorite poem or poet (from the Norton Anthology)
F10/6No Class (Midterm prep)
Retrospective Modernisms: Responses to Local & Global Trauma
Week EightM10/10Midterm Exam (bring Bluebook to class)
W10/12Stein, Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas (Selected Writings of GS)
F10/14Stein, Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
Week NineM10/17Stein, Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
W10/19Stein, Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas
F10/21Stein, Tender Buttons (Selected Writings of GS)
Week TenM10/24Hurston, pp. 1700 - 1721
W10/26Hurston
F10/28Hurston
Week ElevenM10/31Faulkner, Light in August
W11/2Faulkner, Light in August
F11/4Faulkner, Light in August
Week TwelveM11/7Faulkner, Light in August
W11/9Faulkner, Light in August
F11/11Faulkner, Light in August
Week 13M11/14O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night
W11/16O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night
F11/18O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night
Week 14M11/ 21O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night
W11/23O'Neill, Long Day's Journey into Night
FNo Class - Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 15M11/28Cisneros, TheHouse on Mango Street
W11/30Cisneros, TheHouse on Mango Street
F12/2 - Last Class Review for Final
Final Take-Home Exam Due: Dec 5, 12:00 noon.
Policies
Contacting Me: E-mail () is my preferred method for you to contact me with questions, concerns, or to set up an appointment. I teach more than one course, so when you e-mail me, please provide your full name and the course in which you are enrolled. There are times when changes to the syllabus may be necessary. In those cases, I typically make an announcement in class, followed by an e-mail to the class as a whole, via Blackboard. Therefore, it is wise to check your Blackboard e-mail frequently. I do not provide final grades for the course via e-mail.
Attendance: Consistent and prompt class attendance is expected. At the beginning of each class an attendance sheet will be circulated. It is your responsibility to sign the sheet at the beginning of class and when you return to class after the short break. It is your responsibility to make sure you sign the attendance sheet; it is also your responsibility to keep track of your absences. Regardless of your reasons for missing class, you are allowed three (3) unpenalized absences. Subsequent additional absences will result in a “D” for participation. Four (4) or more absences will result in an “F” for participation. With 5 absences, I will drop you from the class with a “WF.”
Latenesses: Arriving ten (10) or more minutes late to class counts as a lateness. Three latenesses will be counted the equivalent of one (1) absence. Arriving to class without the assigned reading will count as one absence.
Late papers & Incompletes: Late assignments drop by one letter grade for each day they are past due and do not receive written comments. Incompletes will only be granted to students in emergency situations and who have successfully completed a majority of the requirements.
Academic Dishonesty: Familiarize yourself with the University’s Academic Dishonesty Policy outlined in the Student Handbook. You are expected to abide by these policies in this course. In addition to the expectations outlined in the Student Handbook, you are responsible for fulfilling the following requirements: submitting your own intellectual work for all in-class quizzes, the midterm exam, the final exam. While much of the course involves collaborative discussion on the assigned fiction, with occasional group-assigned activities, the following is forbidden: cheating on a mid-term or final exam by providing answers to other students, taking copies of a final exam and putting them in a cheat-file for future courses, submitting a “group” exam as your own individual work, or reproducing another student’s written answers to an exam and submitting them if they were your own individual writing or ideas (falls under the “plagiarism” policy below). If you cheat on a quiz, you will fail the quiz. If you cheat on a midterm or final exam, you will fail the course.
If questions or concerns arise regarding any of the course requirements or my expectations, it is your responsibility to consult with me before proceeding to complete those requirements.
Plagiarism: “The term ‘plagiarism’ includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement. It also includes the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials” (UNT Undergraduate Catalogue 2006-2007). For the purposes of this course, plagiarism also involves the reuse of your own written work from another course or the written work of another student. Regardless of your intent, plagiarism will result in failure of the course and written documentation in your academic record.
Students with Disabilities: Anyone with a disability requiring accommodation under the terms of federal regulations must present a written accommodation request to the instructor within eleven days after the first class session. Copies of the school’s ADA Compliance Policy, ADA Policy on Auxiliary Aids and Reasonable Accommodation, and the ADA Grievance Procedures are available through the main office of the School of Library and Information Sciences (ISB 205, telephone 940-565-2445). It is also recommended that you register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (University Union 318A, telephone 940-565-4323).