Studies of American Literary History
ENGL 343 [4 credits]
Dr. Sean Meehan
[Back to American Literary History Home]
American Literary history: Inventing American Literature
Robert Cornelius, self-portrait (1839), the first photograph taken in America
One must be an inventor to read well.
--Emerson, “The American Scholar”
Course Overview and Objectives:
Our focus in this exploration of American literary history is the invention of American literature. Invention may seem a strange word to apply to a literary tradition, more suitable for a technological device. But literary texts are a technology (the medium of print and in some cases images) and invention implies development, making something new out of something previously in existence. American literature, in this sense, is a cultural invention—arguably the most important invention in American culture and history. As we explore that invention, looking at the key authors and texts of this development from the late 1700s through the 1860s, we will consider the roles that religion, autobiography, nature, slavery, images—among other issues and cultural artifacts—play in American literature.
Important Learning Objectives in the course:
[1]Students will demonstrate an understanding of significant authors and issues in the development of American literature (1765-1865) and leave the course with the confidence and curiosity needed to apply this understanding to future studies in school and to lifelong reading and learning. As a result, I will encourage your learning to apply course material to develop your thinking and encourage your gaining a broader understanding and appreciation of American literature and culture of this period.
[2]Students will demonstrate their ability to respond to the literature and the issues discussed in class in active and engaged participation and thoughtful discussions. Students will become more inventive and creative readers. As a result, I will encourage your learning to analyze and critically evaluate ideas and points of view and encourage your acquiring an interest in learning more by asking your own questions and seeking answers.
[3]Students will demonstrate their evolving understanding of the literature and the issues of the course in writing assignments and literary scholarship that will range from the informal to the experimental to the formal. Students will explore the role that critical and cultural resources, both print and electronic, play in American literary scholarship and will demonstrate their ability to use these resources thoughtfully and effectively in their work. As a result, I will encourage your developing specific skills, competencies, and points of view needed by professionals and scholars in this field.
Important English department objectives for majors/minors in this course include #4 and #5:
4]Understands that literacy comes in many forms and demonstrates a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, and appreciate texts drawn from the diversity of literary periods, genres, cultures, and media that have contributed to the tradition of literature in English.
5]Understands the importance of historical and cultural context in interpreting and appreciating texts and in illuminating his/her own cultural and spiritual beliefs and practices as well as those of others.
Additional Objectives for the American Experience Distribution requirement:
At a foundational level, students will: describe the American experience from the viewpoint of at least one minority segment of the American population; and
analyze the relationship of diverse population groups to the broader American society.
Course Texts:
Can be purchased at the Campus book store.
The House of the Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne (Norton edition)
You will also need a notebook of some sort to keep a journal (can be electronic if you prefer). You will also need your laptop for most classes.
Additional material will be linked to the Assignments page on the web: all the rest of the reading will be electronic versions of texts available on the web.
Course Expectations and Policies:
Some crucial things you can expect from me as an educator and the leader of your experiences in the course.
Response: One of my roles is to assess your learning in the course so that I can help in that process. That means more than giving you a grade. It means giving you the response (employing a variety of methods of assessment, some with numbers, some without) that you will need to understand your own learning and thus perform in this course (and beyond it) more effectively and thoughtfully—the main objective of this and any course I teach. I understand that you may be more used to “grades” alone rather than this broader emphasis on response and qualitative assessment; feel free to talk with me whenever you feel you need a response that is more oriented toward a number.
Curiosity: I am a learner and love the process of learning; that is why I teach. This means that my curiosity for the subjects in this course and my desire to learn more about them will be part of the course and should encourage you, I would hope, to be equally curious and passionate about your learning. I will be a leader of the course but be prepared to have me follow your lead as well.
Flexibility: Since I am a learner and the course is therefore a work in progress, you should expect the course to evolve. We will follow a general syllabus with assignments given in advance; but be prepared for some changes to be made based on where we are going at a given time. You should always consult the course web page for updates. Regarding disabilities: If you have an identified disability which may impact your performance in this class, schedule an appointment with me as soon as possible to discuss adaptations or accommodations which may be necessary to provide you with an equal opportunity for success in this course.
Some crucial things I will expect from you as a student (and fellow learner) in this course.
Participation: If you are going to participate more effectively and thoughtfully in your own learning (an objective of the course) you will need to participate on a daily basis. Class participation is a key component of the course and will be part of your overall grade. It involves keeping up in your journal writing, speaking and listening actively in class, being prepared for discussions. Since you can’t participate if you are absent, unexcused absences will affect your grade. An excused absence is one where you have spoken with me in advance about your need to miss class. Here is my attendance policy:
--After two absences (your free pass), each absence will count -10 from your final participation grade.
--A student who misses 50% of the classes by midterm (this includes classes missed before signed into the course) will automatically fail the course.
--Any quizzes or other in-class assignments given on a day a student is absent will result in a 0, unless the absence has been arranged previously with me.
--Students may have the opportunity to add extra credit points to their participation grade. See me if interested or concerned about your absences.
Communication: Keep in touch with me about how things are going for you, difficulties you are having with your work, confusion, curiosity, excitement. Communicating how things are going is also a key part of participating thoughtfully in your own learning. My late work policy: As a rule, if you have not communicated with me in advance about turning in an assignment later than the due date, you will loose credit for that assignment. An assignment more than one week late will receive a 0.
Integrity: You can’t participate thoughtfully if you aren’t being fully honest with me, with your colleagues, and with yourself. Plagiarism is one form of dishonesty. In general, using the ideas and language of another without giving proper credit is plagiarism. Any student guilty of such plagiarism is subject to serious penalty for the assignment (failing) and for the course overall. We will talk about how to credit properly the use of another’s work as well as how to distinguish between collaboration and sharing (both of which are important in education) and plagiarism. For more on plagiarism and the policies of the College, consult the College Catalog and Student Handbook.
Progress: Throughout the course I will be looking for and assessing your progress as a way to help you make that progress. I will expect you to be striving for progress in all aspects of the course, willing and eager to do the work that progress requires.
Assessment:
I will use a variety of evaluation methods to assess your performance and determine your grade. These methods will be discussed in advance. The general scale I will use for determining final grades should be familiar to you (+ and – at each level may also be applied):
A/Excellent/90-100
B/Good/80-89
C/Average/70-79
D/Poor/60-69
F/Failing/below 60
What follows is a guideline for how your progress and work in the course will count toward your final grade:
Participation: approximately 10%
Attendance and in-class work will inform your participation grade.
Reading: approximately 35%
Includes reading logs, quizzes, midterm
Writing: approximately 45%
Includes autobiographical link (10%), formal link (15%), final research link (20%)
Final project: approximately 10%