English 251-03 Major American Authors: Colonial to Romantic

Spring 2003

 

Jim Clark - Office: 123 McIver / 134 McIver (334-5459)                                                               Hours: (M-Th) 10-11, 2-3

jlclark@uncg.edu                                                                                                                                             and by appointment

 

Text: Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. A&B, 6th ed.

 

Attendance: You are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the assigned material. After your third unexcused absence, you will be placed on probation; after your fourth, you will receive a grade of WF.

 

Grades:  There will be three essay exams, each counting 30% of course grade. Class participation counts 10%.

 

Honor Code: Exams are governed by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy. Be sure to acquaint yourself with the provisions of the Policy in the Student Handbook. Each exam must have a signed statement of the Policy.

 

Jan. 14 (T)              Introduction

Jan. 16 (Th)            “Literature to 1700,” pp. 3-18; Creation Stories, pp. 19-33; Castillo, pp. 42-43, 50-58; Cabeza de Vaca, pp. 58-63

Jan. 21 (T)              Bradford, pp. 156-183, 190-191          

Jan. 23 (Th)           Morton, pp. 196-205

Jan. 28 (T)              Bradstreet, pp. 238-240, 251-275

Jan. 30 (Th)           Rowlandson, pp. 308-340

Feb. 4  (T)              Taylor, pp. 341-362

Feb. 6  (Th)            Mather, pp. 390-397; Edwards, pp. 464-469, 476-477, 498-509, 511-514

Feb. 11 (T)             Essay Exam #1

Feb. 13 (Th)           “American Literature 1700-1820,” pp. 425-435; Franklin, pp. 515-522, 591-599

Feb. 18 (T)             Murray, pp. 782-791; Wheatley, pp. 808-810; Irving, pp. 978-992

Feb. 20 (Th)           Irving, pp. 992-1013; “American Literature 1820-1865,” pp. 957-977

Feb. 25  (T)            Cooper, pp. 1013-1029; Bryant, pp. 1071-1078

Feb. 27  (Th)          Sedgwick, pp. 1039-1050; Kirkland, pp. 1085-1090

Mar. 4  (T)             Emerson, pp. 1103-1109, 1135-1147, 1148-1159

Mar. 6 (Th)            Emerson, pp. 1177-1191

Mar. 18 (T)            Thoreau, pp. 1788-1807

Mar. 20 (Th)          Douglass, pp. 2029-2097

Mar. 25 (T)            Essay Exam #2

Mar. 27 (Th)          Hawthorne, pp. 1247-1263

Apr. 1  (T)              Hawthorne, pp. 1263-1272

Apr. 3  (Th)           Hawthorne, pp. 1280-1289, 1313-1333

Apr. 8 (T)               Poe, pp. 1507-1510, 1572-1575, 1592-1597

Apr. 10 (Th)          “The Black Cat”(handout), Poe, pp. 1534-1547

Apr. 15 (T)             Melville, pp. 2287-2292, 2330-2355

Apr. 17 (Th)          Melville, pp. 2431-2487

Apr. 22 (T)             Child, pp. 1094-1103; Stowe, pp. 1670-1676; Jacobs, pp. 1757-1771

Apr. 24 (Th)          Fern, pp. 1746-1748; Fuller, pp. 1618-1654

Apr. 29  (T)            Dickinson, pp. 2499-2503

May 1  (Th)           Whitman, pp. 2127-2145, 2212-2216, 2226-2232, “Passage to India” (handout)

May 13 (T)            Final Essay Exam #3 (12 noon-3 p.m.)

 

Learning Goals:  At the completion of this course, you should be able to 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.