Professor Karen Weyler

English 251W-02: American Literature Survey

Tuesday/Thursday 9:30 – 10:45 McIver 139B

Fall 2002

Office: McIver 109

Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:45 a.m. –12:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Telephone: 334-4689 Email: KAWeyler@uncg.edu

Web site: http://www.uncg.edu/~kaweyler

Required Text

Heath Anthology of American Literature, 4^th ed., Vol. 1

Course Description

Our objective in English 251 is to introduce you to representative writings from the geographical area that would become known as the United States, from the time of European exploration through 1865. By reading these texts, we will acquaint ourselves with the difficulties and consequences of European exploration, both intended and unintended, for the native and European populations. The period of English settlement was likewise fraught with difficulties, and the dominant status of English language, culture, and laws emerged slowly over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; this English culture was always a creolized culture, however, inflected by the diverse cultures that populated the New World. Even after the Revolution, the status of the United States remained contingent, fraught by divisive questions about religion, race, slavery, and citizenship. The literature of the Americas explores these issues in a rich and varied fashion, in both prose and poetry.

This is a discussion-oriented class, which means that students will be expected to participate on a daily basis, by engaging in small group and whole class discussions, being attentive to discussions, asking questions, and reading aloud passages from our texts.

Student Learning Goals

In this writing-intensive course, students will write frequently, both formally and informally. We will use writing as a means of exploring important questions about the development of American literature. Students will write multiple drafts of assignments; through conferences with the professor and peer editing sessions, students will receive and incorporate constructive criticism to improve their written work. By the end of the semester, students will understand the historical and cultural contexts in which pre-1865 American literature has been produced by diverse groups of people, as well as the various genres in which Americans have expressed themselves. By the end of the semester, students will be able to write clearly, coherently, and insightfully about pre-1865 American literature.

Course Requirements and Evaluation

You must complete and turn in all assignments on the dates that they are due in order to pass this course. The final grade for this course will be based on the following:

In-class and on-line writing 10%

Class discussion 10%

Oral presentation/Written report 10%

Mid-term examination 15%

Final examination 20%

Two short essays (2-3 pages), each worth 10% 20%

5-6 page essay (an expansion of a short essay) 15%

Writing Center

You may choose to visit the University Writing Center (located in 101 McIver Building) for additional assistance with your writing. For more information, call 334-3125.

Office Hours and Conferences

At the beginning of the semester, I will schedule brief (10 minute) introductory conferences in my office so that we will have a chance to speak individually. You are also welcome to visit my office at any point during the semester or to schedule an appointment outside of my usual office hours in order to discuss reading assignments, papers, etc.

Departmental List-serv

English majors should subscribe to the departmental email list to receive information about the major. From the computer account through which you receive email, send the following message to listproc@uncg.edu: Subscribe English-l yourfirstname yourlastname (note that is a lower case L, not the numeral 1, following English).

Academic Integrity Policy

I expect every student to abide by the principles of the Academic Integrity Policy, which appears in the Student Handbook. Students will need to sign the Academic Integrity Pledge on all major work. In addition, you must properly document any use of another's words, ideas, or research; unacknowledged use of someone else's thoughts is plagiarism. Please use MLA style documentation to document any sources used in written work. Work that is not properly documented will receive a zero; further penalties may be assessed according to the criteria established under the Academic Integrity Policy. If you have questions concerning documentation, please consult me.

Attendance Policy

I expect students to attend class and arrive on time. Since we will frequently use class time for discussion, your presence is important to the success of the class as a whole. Students will be allowed to make up missed work from excused absences only. Grounds for excused absence include such events as illness or death in the family. More than two unexcused absences will lower your final grade; each unexcused absence after two will lower your final grade by one-half of a letter grade. Seven or more absences, regardless of excuse, will result in a failing grade. It is your responsibility to determine what you have missed.

What Can You Expect from Your Professor?

You can expect that I will treat you as an adult, encourage your participation in this class, listen carefully to what you have to say, and challenge your thinking. You can also expect me to evaluate your work fairly, offer constructive criticism and praise of your written work, and return your work in a timely fashion.

Course Calendar

Please complete each day's readings before coming to class. In case of inclement weather, you should be guided by the UNCG adverse weather policy. In case of class cancellation for any reason, please continue with your reading. This course calendar is subject to adjustment as needed.

T Aug. 20 Course Introduction

Th Aug. 22 Exploration and Settlement of the New World: "Colonial Period to 1700," 1-17; Columbus 107-08; Journal 108-16; de Vaca, 119-20; Relation 120-31

T Aug. 27 Bradford, 311-21; from Of Plymouth Plantation 313-34

Th Aug. 29 Winthrop, 294-96; from "A Model of Christian Charity" 296-304; Williams, 335-36; skim Key 337-53; read "To the Town of Providence" 353-54

T Sept. 3 Rowlandson, 425-27; Narrative 428-56

Th Sept. 5 Rowlandson continued and catch-up day

T Sept. 10 Bradstreet, 282-83; "The Prologue" 384-85; "The Author to Her Book" 390; "The Flesh and the Spirit" 391-93; "Before the Birth of One of her Children" 394; "To My Dear and Loving Husband" 394-95; "Upon the Burning of Our House" 397-98

Th Sept. 12 Mather, 495-97; from Wonders 497-502: Reports: Karlsen, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman 1-45; Reis, "Gender and the Meaning of Confession," in Spellbound 53-71; and Reis, Damned Women, "Popular and Ministerial Visions of Satan" 55-92

T Sept. 17 "Eighteenth Century," 553-71; The Great Awakening: Edwards, 620-22; "Personal Narrative" 631-41; Sinners 641-52; Report: The Great Awakening: when, where, and what was it?

Th Sept. 19 The American Revolution: "The Age of Revolution," 777-79; Franklin, 782-84; Autobiography 805-67

T Sept. 24 Paine, 934-36; The Crisis 942-47; Report: Paine's Common Sense; Draft Workshop for Paper 1: Bring a typed draft to class

Th Sept. 26 Jefferson, 968-70; Autobiography 970-74; Notes 975-93; Abigail and John Adams, correspondence 957-61; John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, correspondence 965-68; Report: "The Anti-Republican Implications of Coverture," from Linda Kerber's Women of the Republic

T Oct. 1 Freneau, 1175-76; "To Sir Toby" 1181-83; Wheatley, 1203-05; "On Being Brought" 1212; "On the Death of the Rev. Mr. George Whitefield 1770" 1210-11; "To the Right Honorable" 1208-09; letter to Samson Occom 1220-21; Paper 1 due in class

Th Oct. 3 Crevecoeur, 898-99; Letters, 899-918

T Oct. 8 Native American Voices: Handsome Lake, 780-81; Occom, 1078-79; "Narrative" 1079-84; Apess, 1397-98; An Indian's Looking Glass 1398-1403; Report: Cherokee Memorials

Th Oct. 10 Midterm Examination

T Oct. 15 Fall Break – No Class Meeting

Th Oct. 17 Early Romantic Writers: Irving 2071-72; "Rip Van Winkle" 2081-92; "Legend" 2093-2112; Report: Irving's The Sketchbook

T Oct. 22 The Culture of Reform: "Race, Slavery, and the Invention of the 'South,'" 1774-75; David Walker, 1775-76; Appeal 1777-86; Douglass, 1814-16; Narrative 1817-43; Report: Slavery laws

Th Oct. 24 Douglass, Narrative 1843-80; Report: Douglass, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?"

T Oct. 29 Stowe, 2475-78; from Uncle Tom's Cabin 2478-2490; Report: Critical reception of Uncle Tom's Cabin

Th Oct. 31 Stowe, from Uncle Tom's Cabin 2490-2517; Report: Uncle Tom's Cabin and popular culture, including adaptations

T Nov. 5 Emerson, 1512-15; "Self-Reliance" 1555-72; Fuller, 1626-28; from Woman in the Nineteenth Century 1631-53; Reports: The self-culture movement; Emerson's Nature; Elizabeth Cady Stanton and "The Declaration of Sentiments"

Th Nov. 7 Thoreau, 1669-72; "Resistance to Civil Government" 1672-86; Report: "Economy," from Thoreau's Walden

T Nov. 12 Romantic Poetry: Bryant, 2811-13; "Thanatopsis" 2813-15; "The Yellow Violet" 2815-26; "The Waterfowl" 2816-17; Longfellow, 2822-23; "Chaucer" 2828; Draft Workshop for Paper 2: Bring a typed draft to class

Th Nov. 14 Osgood, 2829-31; "The Maiden's Mistake" 2833; "Little Children" 2840-41; Sigourney, 1497-99; "The Indian's Welcome to the Pilgrim Fathers" 1507-08; "Indian Names" 1508-09; "To a Shred of Linen" 1510-12; Three Romantic poets respond to science: Poe, "Sonnet—To Science" 2457; Dickinson #185 "Faith is a Fine Invention" (handout); Whitman, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" 2934; Report: "Sentimental nationalism," in Mary Louise Kete's Sentimental Collaborations; Report: Emerson's "The Poet"

T Nov. 19 Whitman, 2846-49; "Preface" 2849-63; "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" 2941-48; "So Long!" 2953-55; "Prayer of Columbus" 2949-51; Reports: free verse; Whitman's Song of Myself ; Paper 2 due in class

Th Nov. 21 Dickinson 2969-74; letters 3015-19; N.B.: Dickinson did not title her poems; I'm giving you first lines merely for ease of identification. "Success is counted sweetest" 2975-76; "These are the days when Birds come back" 2976; "I like a look of Agony" 2977; "I'm Nobody! Who are you?" 2979; "The Soul selects her own Society" 2981; "Some keep the Sabbath going to Church" 2984; "A Bird came down the Walk" 2984-85; "After great pain, a formal feeling comes" 2985; "Much Madness is divinest Sense" 2987; "This is my letter to the World" 2987; "This was a Poet—It is That" 2988-89; "I heard a Fly Buzz—when I died—" 2989; "The Brain—is wider than the Sky—" 2994; "I dwell in Possibility—" 2996; "One need not be a Chamber—to be Haunted—" 2997; "Publication—is the Auction" 2998; "Because I could not stop for Death—" 2998-99; "The Bustle in a House" 3003; "Volcanoes be in Sicily" 3007; "To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee" 3008; Report: Dickinson's fascicles: what are they?

T Nov. 26 Fiction of the American Renaissance: Poe, 2387-89; "The Tell-Tale Heart" 2420-23; "The Black Cat" 2423-29; "The Fall of the House of Usher" 2400-2413

Th Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Holiday – No Class

T Dec. 3 Hawthorne, 2170-73; "Young Goodman Brown" 2186-2195; "The Minister's Black Veil" 2195-2203; and, "Rappaccini's Daughter" 2215-2234

Th Dec. 5 Melville, 2550-54; "Benito Cereno" 2598-2655

Final Paper due in my office: Monday, December 9, 3:00 p.m.

Final Examination: Thursday, December 12, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

Students:

Welcome to English 251W. I'm sorry that I cannot be with you in person these first few days of class. I'm expecting my second child (another girl) in September, and I am under doctor's orders to rest at home for the next week or so to prevent pre-term labor. I should be back in the classroom within a few days and after that I will be with you for the remainder of the semester. In the meantime, Professor Romine will fill in for me for these first few days.

Even though I cannot be with you in person these first few days, I have our class well planned. You need to review the syllabus very carefully, as it lists not only the reading assignments but also policy statements and the due dates for various writing assignments and exams, all of which we can discuss as soon as I am able to be with you in class.

Before the next class meeting, I want everyone to post an introduction to him- or herself on Blackboard (instructions are on the back of this sheet). Tell us your name, your year in school, and your major. Then, tell us something interesting and unusual about yourself.

We're also going to be continuing your class discussions here on Blackboard. You will see if you click on the Discussion Forum button that I have several discussion questions ready for you.

If you have questions about the class, policies, assignments, and the like, you are welcome to email me at any time at KAWeyler@uncg.edu, and I will try to respond within 24 hours (or sooner). For any complicated issues that may arise while I am on bed rest, you may also call me at home at 273-7156 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you all soon.

--Karen Weyler

Using Blackboard for On-line Discussions in English 251W

On-line and in-class writings comprise 10% of your grade. You will post your on-line discussions on Blackboard. Entries posted on Blackboard will remain available for the entire semester for everyone in the class to read and respond to. Every student needs to post to Blackboard at least 10 times over the course of the semester.

Posts to Blackboard should be substantive. In other words, you should have something to contribute to our class discussion about a particular text or author. You might ask a question, pose a problem, compare two texts, etc. You might continue with a line of argumentation begun in class. You might respond in either agreement or disagreement to another's post. Please avoid simply saying "me too"—if you agree with another poster, explain why.

How to Access Blackboard
1. Blackboard works best with Internet Explorer. Using Internet Explorer, go to http://bb.uncg.edu/

Click on the button that says "Login."

2. Your Blackboard Username is the name that comes before the @ in the UNCG email address.

Example: jqdoe@uncg.edu, BB username = jqdoe

Note: You must have activated your UNCG account in order to use Blackboard. To do so, you can go to the Superlab in Jackson Library for help.

3. Everyone's initial Blackboard password is password. To change your password:

Click on Personal Information on the left side of the My Institution page under Tools
Select change password
Type in the new password
Click "Submit"

4. We can send each other email from within Blackboard. Check to make sure your preferred email is listed. From the My Institution page select:

Personal Information
Edit Personal Information
Type in your preferred email address if it is not already listed
Click submit

5. Go to the following Internet address for an online student orientation to Blackboard.
http://www.uncg.edu/aas/itc/bborient/

6. When you are ready to post for the first time, click on the name of our class. Then, click on the Communication button. Next, click on the Discussion Board button. When you get there, you will see Forums titled Introductions and Discussion. Click on the appropriate Forum, and there you will find instructions for posting your discussions.

The Blackboard administrators do batch enrollments every few days during the first weeks of school; be aware that if you are newly added to the class, it may take a day or two for you to be enrolled in our Blackboard environment. However, if you have trouble logging on, email me, and I will troubleshoot for you.