G. MCDONALD                                                                 SPRING 2003

 

 

        AMERICAN REALISM AND NATURALISM

 

Jan.         13        Introduction

15        James, The Portrait of a Lady

20           Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday

22-29 continue Portrait

 

Feb.        3          Jewett, “A White Heron,”  “Miss Tempy’s Watchers”

5                    Freeman, “The Revolt of ‘Mother’”

Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”

10      Chopin, “Désirée’s Baby”; Wynne, “The Little Room”

                        12-24    Frederic, The Damnation of Theron Ware

   26   Bierce “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”

 

March             3   James, “The Real Thing”

                          5   James, “The Beast in the Jungle”

      10-12    SPRING BREAK

       17-24     Norris, McTeague

       26    Crane, “The Blue Hotel,” “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”

       31    Crane,  “The Men in the Storm,” “The Open Boat”

 

 

April                 2    Crane, “An Experiment in Misery”

                                Dreiser, “Curious Shifts of the Poor”

          7-16    Dreiser, Sister Carrie

       21-23   Free Days:  reports, film, other

       28-30 Wharton, The House of Mirth

 

May                 5    Complete Wharton

7         READING DAY

 

FINAL EXAMINATION:  MONDAY, 12 MAY, NOON.

 

 

REQUIRED TEXTS:  All short stories may be found in The Portable American Realism Reader.  Preferred texts for the novels listed above are in the bookstore under my name and this course number.

 

OFFICE HOURS:   MW 8-9; 1-2 in McIver 124.  Voice mail:  4-5650

                               E-mail:  g_mcdona@uncg.edu

 

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS: At the completion of this course, students will be able to

$                    identify and understand varied characteristics of late 19th and early 20th century realist and naturalist fiction in America

$                    define in a skillful and discriminating way the various techniques and subjects of these “schools” of writing

$                    apply techniques of literary analysis

$                    use literary study to develop skills in careful reading and clear writing

$                    employ a variety of critical approaches and theories to literature

$                    demonstrate understanding of the diverse social and historical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted

$                    conduct research in primary and secondary materials

$                    write a lengthy essay in which an argument is sustained and supported

$                    improve and edit their own writing

$                    present an informative report to their peers

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

  • one oral report of 10 minutes discussing either the historical context of our reading or a classic work of literary criticism (further instructions later) 10%
  • one formal essay requiring close reading and formal analysis 20%
  • one formal essay requiring research, to be completed in three phases: journal entries, draft, revision 30%
  • a final examination 30%
  • attendance, preparation for class, contributions to discussion 10%

 

INSTRUCTOR POLICIES:

--I will always be prepared for class: I expect my students to be prepared, too.

--Consideration for others requires that you come to class on time and turn off your cell-phone.

--Students missing 3 classes will be dropped from the course unless special and serious circumstances apply.  If you must miss class, it is your responsibility to 1) inform me; 2) make up missed work.

--Late papers are discouraged.  A late paper is automatically marked down 1/3 grade.

--Students are expected to observe the Academic Integrity Policy outlined in the Student Handbook.  We will discuss proper documentation of sources in class.