ENGLISH 2327 / AMERICAN LITERATURE I

Required:             

• The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume 1, 8th Edition (Parts A and B)
• A college dictionary of your choice
• Four blank bluebooks for exams (available in the Pinnacle bookstore)

Regarding Textbooks:  I cannot postpone readings and quizzes in the course, so you will need to purchase the required text as quickly as possible.  If you cannot find the eighth edition of the Norton Anthology at the Pinnacle Bookstore, check other ACC campuses and other college bookstores in the area. 

The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. I (parts A and B) is the primary text for this course, and we will use it on a daily basis.  It is your responsibility to purchase the text and bring the appropriate volume to every class.

Course Description/Objectives:  English 2327 surveys American literature from the late 16th century to approximately 1865.  The objectives of the course are to present an overview of the meaning and influence of American literature in the context of American history from the age of European exploration and colonization to the latter part of the nineteenth century, and to acquaint you with a range of authors and literary works from the period.  It is my hope that you will leave the course with a greater understanding of American literature and its historical context, and be encouraged to further investigate its authors, works, and history.  See the department course description for further information.

Course Prerequisites:  A 'C' or better in English 1301 (Composition I) and English 1302 (Composition II) or equivalent courses from other institutions are the prerequisites for English 2327. I may ask you to provide proof of prerequisite credit in the form of a grade report or transcript.  If you cannot provide proof by Tuesday, January 24 then I will withdraw you from the course.

Grading System:

·       four in-class exams (objective/short essay, 15% each):                        60%

·       two essays (750 words minimum, 15% each):                                    30%

·       average of 10 daily quizzes                                                                        10%

Reading Assignments:  Keep up with the readings outlined below.  Read assignments completely by the date they appear on the syllabus. You'll want to get an early start on longer texts, and be prepared to discuss the readings in class (blinding insights are appreciated, good questions even more so).  As noted above, I will give quizzes on the assigned materials; the average of your quizzes will count for 10% of your final grade.  I will give quizzes at the beginning of class; they cannot be made up.

Late Papers/Make-Up Exams/Extra Credit:  Written assignments are due in my mailbox (mailroom, first floor) by the end of the day indicated in the course schedule below; late essays will be dropped one letter grade for each day past the due date, beginning on the day after the paper comes due.  I cannot consider electronic submissions; provide me with hard copies of all essays, please.  I do not allow make-up exams, nor do I offer assignments for extra credit.

Attendance:Regular and punctual attendance is crucial to your success, as a great deal of the course material comes from lecture, class discussion, and handouts.  You are responsible for information covered in class, whether you were present or not.

Withdrawal Policy:  I do not withdraw students from ENGL 2327.  If you decide that you no longer wish to participate in the course, it is your responsibility to withdraw yourself.  The final day to withdraw is Monday, April 22.  You should be aware that the Texas Legislature passed a bill stating that students who first enroll in state public colleges and universities beginning in Fall 2007 may not withdraw from more than six courses during their undergraduate college career.  See the ACC Student Handbook for further information.

Incompletes:  I do not issue incomplete (I) grades in ENGL 2327.

Scholastic Dishonesty:  'Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research, or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework' (Student Handbook). 

If you are unsure what constitutes plagiarism or unauthorized collaboration, then it is your responsibility to educate yourself: Ignorance is not a defense.

A FINDING OF SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY WILL RESULT IN DISMISSAL FROM THIS COURSE, THE FILING OF A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH THE COLLEGE, AND A FINAL GRADE OF 'F.' NO EXCEPTIONS.

Students with Disabilities:  From the ACC Student Handbook: 'Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accomodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes.'  My policy is to provide all reasonable accomodations requested by OSD, but I must receive written authorization from OSD first.

Classroom Courtesy: Please show respect for your instructor and your classmates by coming to class on time; if you must enter the room after class has begun, come in quietly and take the closest available seat.  Remain in the classroom for the duration of the class; plan breaks for before and after the class period.  Constant comings and goings are distracting to the instructor and your fellow students.

Phones and Other Electronic Devices:Turn off and put away all electronic devices (including cellphones, laptops, and netbooks) upon entering the room, and refrain from using your devices while in class.  Texting or other use of electronic devices during class time will not be tolerated, and students who text during class may asked to leave the classroom.  Regarding the use of laptop computers in the classroom, it has been my experience that they are a distraction to other students.  I encourage the taking of notes in ENGL 2327 (careful note-taking is crucial to success in this and all college courses) but I ask that you take your notes by hand, and type them up outside of class.  It's a useful review technique.

Contacting the Instructor:  I am available before our class, and during my regular office hours.  Outside of office hours I may be reached via voicemail or email (I do not text).  I check both at least once a day; you will receive a reply within 24 hours, excluding weekends.  I stand ready to answer questions about course policies and assignments, but if the answer can be found in the course syllabus or other document (as is usually the case) then I will refer you to that document.

Email:  All ACC students were assigned an ACCmail account upon registration.  If you have not already done so, activate your account immediately and use it for all correspondence regarding this course.  This is a requirement, not an option: I will send course material and other information to your ACCmail address.  Follow this link for more on activation:

http://www.austincc.edu/accmail/

When you email me, make sure to give your email a clear subject line that includes the course number, your name, and the reason for the email (example: “Fred Smith, ENGL 2327 – Question about Essay 1”).  Email messages with blank subject lines or vague subjects (‘Hi!’ ‘Yo!’ or ‘question’) are indistinguishable from spam and will likely wind up the spam folder unread.

Class Discussion:  In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, particularly about political issues, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints.  Students may not only disagree with each other at times, but the students and instructor may also find that they have conflicting views on sensitive and volatile topics.  I hope these differences will enhance class discussion and create an atmosphere in which students and instructor will be encouraged to think and learn.  Therefore, be assured that your grades will not be adversely affected by any beliefs or ideas expressed in class or in assignments.  Each of us will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussion.

READING ASSIGNMENTS, DUE DATES

(Unless otherwise indicated, readings come from the Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol 1, 8th Edition. Every author’s section is prefaced by a biographical headnote; whether or not the headnote is included within the assignments, you are responsible for that material. The headnotes provide context and insights into the readings.)

Tue Jan 15            Introduction to Course

Th Jan 17            Introduction to Course, cont’d.

                        Introduction to Colonial Period/Puritanism

Tu Jan 22            Introduction to Colonial Period/Puritanism, cont’d

                        Background: from 'Introduction' (13-20)

                        John Smith: from General History... (83-92); from A Description... (93-96)

Th Jan 24            Introduction to Puritanism

William Bradford:Introduction (A: 121-22); Of Plymouth Plantation (122-27; 127-28; 131-34; 144-48; 154-56)

Thomas Morton:Introduction (A: 157-58); from New English Canaan (158-65)

Tu Jan 29             John Winthrop: Introduction (A: 165-66); A Model Of Christian Charity (166-177); from The Journal of John Winthrop (177-86)

Th Jan 31             Roger Williams:Introduction (A: 193-94); from A Key into the Language of America (194-204); from The Bloody Tenet of Persecution (204-06); ‘A Letter to the Town of Providence’ (206)

Tu Feb 5            Anne Bradstreet: Introduction (A: 207); 'The Prologue' (208-09); 'To Her Father with Some Verses' (215); 'The Author to Her Book' (225)

Edward Taylor:Introduction (A: 289-90); from God's Determinations (298-303); 'Huswifery' (305-06)

Th Feb 7            Samuel Sewall: Introduction (A: 307-09); from The Diary of Samuel Sewall (309-23); The Selling of Joseph: A Memorial (323-26)

                        Cotton Mather: Introduction (A: 327-28); from The Wonders of the Invisible World (328-33)

Tu Feb 12            EXAM 1: COVERING MATERIAL THROUGH FEB. 7

                        Happy Mardi Gras Day!

Th Feb 14            Introduction to The Enlightenment Period

                        Handout on John Locke (to come)

'American Literature 1700-1820' (A: 365-376)

Jonathan Edwards:Introduction (A: 396-98); Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (430-41)

Tu Feb 19            Benjamin Franklin: Introduction (A: 455-57); 'The Way To Wealth' (457-63); 'Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One' (465-71); 'Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America' (476-80)

Th Feb 21            Benjamin Franklin: Autobiography [Parts One and Two] (A: 480-542)

Tu Feb 26             Benjamin Franklin, cont’d

Th Feb 28            J. Hector St. John De Crèvecoeur: Introduction (A: 604-05); from Letters from an American Farmer (605-25)

Tu Mar 5            Thomas Paine: Introduction (A: 639-40); from Common Sense (641-47); from The Age of Reason (653-59)

                        Thomas Jefferson: Introduction (A: 659-61); from Notes on the State of Virginia (668-677)

Th Mar 7            EXAM 2: COVERING MATERIAL FROM FEB 14 THROUGH MAR 5

Tu Mar 12            SPRING BREAK – COLLEGE CLOSED

Th Mar 14            SPRING BREAK – COLLEGE CLOSED

Tu Mar  19            Introduction to Romanticism

Philip Freneau:'The Indian Burying Ground' (A: 758-59)

'American Literature 1820 – 1865' (B: 3-21)

Washington Irving:Introduction (B: 25-27); 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' (41-62)

Th Mar 21            Nathaniel Hawthorne: Introduction (B: 369-73); Preface to The House of the Seven Gables (594-95); The Scarlet Letter (B: 450-594) (DO NOT SKIP THE 'CUSTOM-HOUSE' INTRODUCTION)

                        ESSAY 1 DUE AT CLASS TIME

Tu Mar 26            Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter cont'd

Th Mar 28            Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter cont'd

Tu Apr 2            Edgar Allan Poe: Introduction (B: 629-33); 'To Helen' (633-34); 'Sonnet – To Science' (633); 'Ligiea' (644-53)

Th Apr 4            Edgar Allan Poe: 'The Philosophy Of Composition' (B: 719-27); The Raven (637-40)

Tu Apr 9            EXAM 3: COVERING MATERIAL FROM MAR 19 THROUGH APR 4

Th Apr 11            Introduction to Transcendentalism

Ralph Waldo Emerson:Introduction (B: 211-14); Nature (214-43)

Tu Apr 16             Ralph Waldo Emerson:Nature, cont'd.

                        Henry David Thoreau: Introduction (B: 961-64); Walden Chapters 1 – 4 (981-1048)

Th Apr 18            Henry David Thoreau: WaldenChapters 5 – 11 (1048-1097)

Mon Apr 22: LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW FROM CLASS

Tu Apr 23            Henry David Thoreau: Walden Chapters 12 – 18 (1097-1155)

Th Apr 25            Frederick Douglass: Introduction (B: 1170-74); 'What To The Slave Is The Fourth of July?' (handout)

                        Harriet Jacobs: Introduction (B: 920-21); from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (921-42)

Tu Apr 30            Herman Melville: Introduction (B: 1424-27); 'Hawthorne and His Mosses' (1427-39); from Moby Dick (1462-75)

                        ESSAY 2 DUE AT CLASS TIME

Th May 2            Herman Melville: Billy Budd, Sailor (B: 1587-1643)

Tu May 7            Herman Melville: Billy Budd, Sailor cont'd.

Th May 9            EXAM 4: COVERING MATERIAL FROM APR 12 – MAY 8

see readings above

The objectives of the course are to present an overview of the meaning and influence of American literature in the context of American history from the age of European exploration and colonization to the latter part of the nineteenth century, and to acquaint you with a range of authors and literary works from the period.  It is my hope that you will leave the course with a greater understanding of American literature and its historical context, and be encouraged to further investigate its authors, works, and history.