English 252.02 G. McDonald

Fall 2001

MAJOR AMERICAN AUTHORS: REALIST TO MODERN

Aug. 20 Introduction to the course
22 Clemens (Mark Twain) Huckleberry Finn
27 Huckleberry Finn
29 Huckleberry Finn
Sept. 3 LABOR DAY
5 James Daisy Miller
10 Daisy Miller
12 Chopin The Awakening
17 The Awakening
19 The Awakening and Gilman "The Yellow Wallpaper"
24 Crane "The Blue Hotel" and "The Open Boat"
26 Slide-lecture on modernism and the arts
Eliot "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
Oct. 1 Eliot The Waste Land
3 The Waste Land

8 FALL BREAK

10 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
15 No class (instructor at conference)
17-31 Unit on modern poetry: assignments given weekly
Nov. 5 Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby
7 The Great Gatsby
12 The Great Gatsby
14 ONeill Long Days Journey Into Night
19 Long Days Journey Into Night
21 Faulkner The Sound and the Fury
26 The Sound and the Fury

28 THANKSGIVING BREAK

Dec. 3 The Sound and the Fury
5 The Sound and the Fury
10 REVIEW: FINAL CLASS (final examination scheduled for Dec. 17, 12-3 p.m.)

TEXTS: Norton Anthology of American Literature, vol. 2, 5th edition.

The Great Gatsby

Long Days Journey Into Night

The Sound and the Fury

Specific editions of each of these books were ordered from the University bookstore and should be available for this section. Please let me know right away if you encounter any problems.

OFFICE HOURS: My office is McIver 124, phone 334-5650. My e-mail address is g_mcdona@uncg.edu
I will keep regular office hours from 1-2 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. I am also happy to see you by appointment.

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS:

  1. Identify and understand varied characteristics of literature
  2. Apply techniques of literary analysis to texts
  3. Use literary study to develop skills in careful reading and clear writing
  4. Demonstrate understanding of the diverse social and historical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: This is a writing-intensive course. Students will keep a reading journal, making entries on a biweekly basis at minimum. I will provide "prompts" to get you started. Out of this more informal writing will grow one formal essay of five pages. After receiving commentary on the essay, you will revise it. In addition, there will be midterm and final examinations, at least part of which will be in essay-form. I expect and value regular attendance and participation and therefore reserve the right to drop a student from class if he or she is frequently absent.

BASIS FOR GRADES: Reading journal 30%. Formal essay 20%. Midterm examination 20%. Final examination 20%. Attendance and participation 10%.

POLICIES: Late work is strongly discouraged. See me in advance if you have a serious problem meeting a deadline. My normal procedure is to mark an assignment down 1/3 grade when it is late and even more if it is outrageously late. Violations of the Honor Code are of course not tolerated. If you do not know what plagiarism is, read about it today in the Student Handbook. I will treat any form of cheating seriously, at minimum assigning a grade of "F" for the work, and reserving the right to refer the case to the Honor Board for disciplinary action.