Syllabus
American Literature: Civil War to the Present

American Literature: Civil War to the Present

ENGL-2328

Credit Spring 2019
01/22/2019 - 05/19/2019

Course Information

Section 017
Lecture
TTh 15:00 - 16:20
RRC1 1218.00
Colin Shanafelt

Office Hours

  • T Th
    2:00pm - 3:00pm
    Round Rock Campus (RRC)
    RRC 1205
    512-223-0094

Course Subjects

Prerequisites
Enrollment in any literature course requires credit for both ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 or their equivalents. The grade in ENGL 1302 must be at least "C." Instructor will verify.
 
Course Description
English 2328, American Literature: Civil War to the Present, is a survey of American literature from the Civil War period to the present.
 
Materials Required 
  • The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 9th edition. Volumes C, D, E (ISBN: 9780393264555)
  • Novel - Selected by popular vote (Tuesday, January 29, 2019). See choices below.
Instructional Methodology
Course material will be delivered via in-class lectures, assigned reading, small group activities, use of electronic media, writing assignments, and in-class writing workshops.

Course Requirements

Reading
Reading assignments are due at the beginning of class on the day they are assigned. Scrutinize the reading list carefully. Longer reading assignments take many days to complete, even if they are covered a single day of class. Students will take random quizzes over the reading due that day.

Quizzes
Quizzes over reading assignments constitute 17% of your final grade. The quizzes are "pop-quizzes" over the reading assignment listed on the course calendar for that day. Each quiz contains five short answer questions and one bonus question. I will drop three quizzes. Not all reading assigned will be discussed in class, but students are nevertheless responsible for those selections. Some reading may be done in class only, and students are responsible for those readings as well. The quizzes are designed subvert the use of Cliff's Notes, Spark Notes, eNotes, etc.

Major Exam
Students will take one major in-class exam which constitutes 17% the overall course grade. The exam will cover all of the material covered during approximately the first third of the course. The test will be timed and will incorporate the following types of questions: multiple choice, true / false, matching, and quote identification. The most important thing students can do to succeed in this class is read, study, and understand the required literary selections.

Writing Assignments
Two major writing assignments constitute 66% of the overall course grade:

  • Literary Analysis Essay – 33%
  • Final Exam (written, take-home) – 33%

Literary Analysis Essay (33%)
Students will write one 1500-word literary analysis essay in response to their choice of several prompts. Students may write on an original topic if they desire, but the topic must be approved by Professor Shanafelt well in advance of the paper's due date. This essay requires extensive research and must demonstrate mastery of MLA 2016 style for documentation. All source material must be properly cited with in-text citations and the "Works Cited" page must document a minimum of the primary source, two peer-reviewed journal articles, and one other credible source. To receive full credit, all source material must be cited in the body of the essay with parenthetical citations and listed on a properly formatted "Works Cited" page.

Final Exam (33%)
The course will culminate with a comprehensive, written (take-home) final exam in which students will respond to several prompts in essay format. The exam will cover the entire scope of the course and all material included during the semester. The final exam will not require research or outside sources, but if any source material other than the primary texts is used, then MLA 2016 to documentation is required.

Essay Details
All papers must be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due. 

  • All papers must be typed and properly formatted. See guidelines below. 
  • Irrespective of the reason, any paper turned in after the first fifteen minutes of class on the day it is due will be counted late. 
  • No papers will be accepted via email. 

Grading System
Students’ mastery of course content will be assessed with daily pop quizzes, a major in-class exam, a 1500-word Literary Analysis Essay, and a take-home final exam in essay format. Due dates, participation, and other minor assignments may be recorded as quiz grades.

Assignment Weights

  • Quizzes - 17%
  • Literary Analysis Essay - 33%
  • Major Exam - 17%
  • Final Exam - 33%

Grading Details

  • Students will take one objective major exam, write one major paper, and a write one take-home Final Exam.
  • Professor Shanafelt will assign a letter grade to the Literary Analysis Essay and provide comments.
  • Students will not receive comments on your Final Exam, only a letter grade.
  • Guidelines for preparing and turning in writing assignments are provided in this syllabus. Essay formatting affects the score a paper receives. Follow formatting guidelines carefully. Three quiz grades will be dropped. Blackboard automatically calculates the updated course grade reflecting the three dropped quizzes.
  • Extra Credit: Students have the opportunity to receive three additional (extra credit) quiz grades of 100. See page 9 of this syllabus for full details.
  • Grading Scale: A = 90-100, B = 80-89, C = 70-79, D = 60-69, F = Below 60
  • Grading Key: (A+ = 98,A= 95, A- = 92, 90 = 90, etc.)

Late Work
In some cases, late essays my be accepted. Note the following policies regarding late assignments:

  • Essays - There will be a letter grade deduction for every calendar day an essay is late. If a student is absent on the day an essay is due, he/she should place the completed essay in Professor Shanafelt's campus mailbox. There it will be stamped with the date and time. If an essay arrives there before the beginning of class, there is no penalty. Otherwise, the essay is late.
  • Assignments - Students who are absent on the day of a quiz or in-class activity will receive a zero for that quiz or activity. There is no way to make up missed quizzes. Students who are late to class and miss the quiz will receive a zero for that quiz; there is no way to make it up. However, students are allowed to miss four days and three quizzes are dropped.

Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. Professor Shanafelt does check attendance. Students can miss four classes without penalty. Upon a student's fifth absence, Professor Shanafelt will withdraw him/her from the course or assign an F as his/her final grade. From attending a concert to attending a funeral, all absences are valid. Please do not bring a doctor’s note or try to explain an absence. Every absence counts. In order to be marked present, students must arrive reasonably on time and stay until the end of the class. For example, if a student comes to class and then leaves before class is dismissed, that absence counts as one of the four allowed. Students may wish tell Professor Shanafelt of an absence beforehand, but all absences always count.

Paper Format Requirements
Students are required to format their essays in accordance with the guidelines set out in the MLA Handbook 8th edition (2016). These guidelines can be found at the following link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/24/

Grading Rubric
Since a major portion of your overall grade is based on writing assignments, it is important that students understand how these assignments are graded:

  • For a paper to receive a grade of A, it must be properly formatted and have a clearly stated main idea, which is thoughtfully and thoroughly developed with sufficient specific supporting details. Logical development and clear, precise phrasing must be evident. Superior understanding of the subject matter must be apparent. Sentences and paragraphs should be correctly constructed, and no major grammatical or mechanical errors (such as sentence fragments, run-on sentences, or lack of agreement between subject and verb) should be present.
  • In the paper, the main idea must be developed with some real depth. Ordinarily, a paper will be properly formatted and completely free of major grammatical errors; it will show a superior level of thought and expression.
  • The paper is one that lacks brilliance but is, at least, logical in the way it develops its main idea. Its phrasing may not be fancy, but it must be reasonably clear and accurate. The paper must be relatively free of major grammatical and formatting errors. It must also be relatively free of errors in spelling and punctuation.
  • The paper indicates below average work. Such a paper usually has no clearly stated main idea, contains inadequate supporting details, abounds with grammatical and formatting errors, and/or reveals a serious lack of understanding of the subject matter.
  • The paper reflects a complete lack of ability to state or develop a main idea in most instances. This paper may also reveal a total lack of comprehension, as well as major errors in formatting, grammar, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, and diction.

**This rubric is general in nature and does not pertain to any one specific assignment.**

Use of ACC Email
All college e-mail communication to students will be sent solely to the student’s ACCmail account, with the expectation that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. ACC will send important information and will notify you of any college related emergencies using this account. Students should only expect to receive email communication from Professor Shanafelt using this account. Likewise, students should use their ACCmail account when communicating with instructors and staff. Instructions for activating an ACCmail account can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/accmail/index.php.

Awarding "Incomplete" as a Final Grade 
Professor Shanafelt may award a grade of "I" (Incomplete) if a student is unable to complete all of the objectives for the passing grade in a course. An incomplete grade cannot be carried beyond the established date in the following semester. Professor Shanafelt’s established completion date is the final deadline for withdrawal in the subsequent semester (i.e. "census date"). Professor Shanafelt almost never assigns incomplete ("I") grades.

Student Freedom of Expression
Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class. In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints. These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn. On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor. It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others both when expressed in classroom discussions or class-related writing.

Lack of Progress
Each of the conditions below constitutes lack of progress in the course and may cause students to be dropped from the course or receive an F:

  • A grade of zero on four or more quizzes
  • Failure to take the Major Exam on the assigned day
  • Failure to turn in the Literary Analysis Essay
  • Failure to submit the Literary Analysis Essay within five days of due date Failure to submit the Final Exam before the official end of the class.

Withdrawal Policy
It is the student’s responsibility to track his/her own progress and drop or withdraw from this course as appropriate. In rare cases, however, Professor Shanafelt may drop or withdraw students from the course based upon the “Lack of Progress” guidelines above. It is important to know that The Texas State Legislature has passed a bill stating that students who first enroll in public colleges and universities beginning in Fall 2007 and thereafter may not withdraw from more than six classes during their undergraduate college career. See ACC Student Handbook for further information.

If students do not meet the “Lack of Progress” guidelines listed above, they may be subject to WITHDRAWAL from the course. It is the student’s responsibility to know a professor’s withdrawal policies.

  • Census DateThe last day to drop or withdraw without a grade or "W": 02/28/2019
  • Withdrawal Date: The last day to withdraw from the Spring 2019 semester: 04/29/2019

Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism
Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty (e.g., 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 and quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations; and homework.

Plagiarism can be defined as using the words and ideas of another writer without acknowledging the debt. Plagiarism takes many forms, including the omission of parenthetical citations, the failure to place quotation marks around direct or modified content taken from another source, and another person writing the essay for the student. It is of utmost importance for students to understand that in academic and professional life, plagiarism of any kind is absolutely unacceptable. Therefore, acts of plagiarism, major or minor, may have serious repercussions, which could include a failing grade, expulsion from the class, and/or disciplinary action on the part of the College. Specific policies can be found in individual faculty syllabi; College policies can be found in the ACC Student Handbook.

Students with Disabilities
Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical or psychological disabilities. Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes. Students are encouraged to register with OSD three weeks before the start of the semester.

Student and Instructional Services
ACC strives to provide exemplary support to its students and offers a broad variety of opportunities and services. Information on these services and support systems is available at: http://www.austincc.edu/s4/ Links to many student services and other information can be found at: http://www.austincc.edu/current/ ACC Learning Labs provide free tutoring services to all ACC students currently enrolled in the course to be tutored. The tutor schedule for each Learning Lab may be found at: http://www.austincc.edu/tutor/ students/tutoring.php

For help setting up ACCeID, ACC Gmail, or ACC Blackboard, see a Learning Lab Technician at any ACC Learning Lab.

Student Rights and Responsibilities
Students at the college have the rights accorded by the U.S. Constitution to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, petition, and association. These rights carry with them the responsibility to accord the same rights to others in the college community and not to interfere with or disrupt the educational process. Opportunity for students to examine and question pertinent data and assumptions of a given discipline, guided by the evidence of scholarly research, is appropriate in a learning environment. This concept is accompanied by an equally demanding concept of responsibility on the part of the student. As willing partners in learning, students must comply with college rules and procedures.

Enrollment in the college indicates acceptance of the rules set forth in this policy, which is administered through the office of the campus dean of student services. Due process, through an investigation and appeal process, is assured to any student involved in disciplinary action.

General Provisions: The purpose of this policy is to identify the rights and responsibilities of ACC students, to specify acts prohibited and standards of conduct required, and to set a range of appropriate penalties when rules are violated.

Due Process: College disciplinary procedures respect the due process rights of students.

Emergency Action: Provisions are included to protect the college and members of the college community in emergencies and other instances requiring immediate action. Even in such instances, the college will take reasonable steps to provide for due process.

Administration of Discipline: The campus dean of student services or the appropriate facility administrator shall have primary responsibility for the administration of student discipline. The campus dean of student services works cooperatively with faculty members in the disposition of scholastic violations.

Novel Selection (Student Choice)
Research each of the titles below. Select the work you would most like to study as a part of this class. The final selection will be determined by popular student vote in class on January 29, 2019. Students who are absent forfeit their right to vote.

  • The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
  • The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
  • The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
  • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  • A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
  • Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
  • Beloved by Tony Morrison
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Extra Credit
Each of the following assignments is worth one quiz grade. Successful completion of the assignment will earn you a 100 in the grade book. Numbers 2 and 3 below can be completed in the city of your choice. You may complete all or none of the assignments as you please, but all extra credit must be completed before May 7, 2019.

  • Visit the museum of your choice. I suggest that you visit the Harry Ransom Center (HRC) on UT campus. The HRC is one of the world’s premier research libraries in the area of liberal arts with extensive collections in rare books, manuscripts, photography, film, art, and the performing arts. Take pictures of yourself there and provide a brochure as proof.
  • Attend the dramatic production of your choice. The play you attend should be of literary merit (i.e. something that might be studied in college). Please no high school productions, college or professional productions only. Operas are okay. Take pictures of yourself there and provide ticket stubs as proof.
  • Attend a poetry slam. Poetry slams are usually held in bars and coffee shops on weeknights. Use Google or the newspaper/Chronicle to locate a poetry slam in your area. Take pictures of yourself there and provide any other documentation you can gather as proof.

Wild Card
You my substitute the following assignment for one of the above. However, no student may receive credit for more than three extra credit assignments.

  • Attend a literary event in Austin, Texas, with one or more of your classmates. All events must be pre-approved by Professor Shanafelt. Find events in the Austin ChronicleAccent, online, etc. The event must be literary in nature. Some examples include the following: book signing, writer’s conference, author reading, comic-con, or a 2nd poetry slam.

 

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

Course Objectives
  • To provide a working knowledge of the characteristics of various literary genres.
  • To develop analytical skills and critical thinking through reading, discussion, and written assignments.
  • To broaden a student’s intercultural reading experience.
  • To deepen a student’s awareness of the universal human concerns that are the basis for literary works.
  • To stimulate a greater appreciation of language as an artistic medium and of the aesthetic principles that shape literary works.
  • To understand literature as an expression of human values within an historical and social context.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of sophomore literature, students should be able to
  • Identify key ideas, representative authors and works, significant historical or cultural events, and characteristic perspectives or attitudes expressed in the literature of different periods or regions.
  • Analyze literary works as expressions of individual or communal values within the social, political, cultural, or religious contexts of different literary periods.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the development of characteristic forms or styles of expression during different historical periods or in different regions.
  • Articulate the aesthetic principles that guide the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.
  • Write research based critical papers about the assigned readings in clear and grammatically correct prose, using various critical approaches to literature.
English Department Student Learning Outcomes
The following outcomes are developed in all sophomore literature students regardless of student age or course location:
  • Write clearly, coherently and effectively about various genres in literature
  • In discussions and writing, address the culture and context of the work of literature
  • Write about and discuss elements of literary texts and relate these to the work as a whole.
  • Core Curriculum Learning Outcomes
  • Content – Uses compelling and relevant content to illustrate mastery of the subject.
  • Organization – Presents information in a unified and coherent manner with thesis clearly stated and supported.
  • Sources and Evidence – Effectively utilizes a wide variety of relevant and credible materials with citations (when required).
  • Writing Conventions (grammar/spelling/usage/punctuation/formatting) – Uses language that communicates meaning to readers with clarity and fluency. 
General Education Learning Outcomes
  • Civil and Cultural Awareness – Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society; comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices.
  • Critical Thinking – Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information.
  • Personal Responsibility – Identifying and applying ethical principles and practices; demonstrating effective learning, creative thinking, and personal responsibility.
  • Written, Oral and Visual Communication – Communicating effectively, adapting to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.

Readings

Mth

Date

Day

Assignments & Topics

Jan

22

T

Syllabus and Introductions

Jan

24

Th

1. Literary Analysis Essay (assigned)

2. Early American Literary Periods

3. EMILY DICKINSON (vol C, 88)

     "Success is counted sweetest" 

     "Faith" is a fine invention" 

     "I taste a liquor never brewed—" 

     "Some keep the Sabbath going to Church—" 

     "There’s a certain Slant of light" 

     "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" 

     "The Soul selects her own Society—" 

     "I died for Beauty—but was scarce" 

     "Because I could not stop for Death—" 

     "I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—" 

     "Much Madness is divinest Sense" 

     "Tell all the Truth but tell it slant—"

Jan

29

T

1. Novel Selection (chosen popular student vote) **Vote in class today.**

2. WALT WHITMAN (vol C, 19)

     from "Song of Myself" (Sections: 1, 2, 15, 21, 51, 52) 

    "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking"

3. Realism (lecture notes)

Jan

31

Th

MARK TWAIN (vol C, 111)

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

     - Chapters 1-6, 14-18, 31       

     "The War Prayer"

Feb

5

T

1. Naturalism (lecture notes)

2. STEPHEN CRANE (vol C, 1002)

     "The Open Boat"

     "The Black Riders"

     from "War Is Kind"

3. AMBROSE BIERCE (vol C, 394)

     "Chickamauga"

Feb

7

Th

 CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN (vol C, 842)

     "The Yellow Wall-paper"

Feb

12

T

1. ROBERT FROST (vol D, 218)

     "Mowing"

     "Mending Wall"

     "The Death of the Hired Man"

     "Home Burial"

     "The Road Not Taken"

     "Birches"

     "Out, Out—"

     "Fire and Ice"

     "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"

     "Desert Places"

     "Design"

2. Major Exam Review

Feb

14

Th

** Major Exam (in-class) **

(Bring a bluebook, a #2 pencil, and a 100-question Scantron form.)

Feb

19

T

1. Modernism (lecture notes)

2. E. E. CUMMINGS (vol D, 607)

     "O sweet spontaneous" 

     "Buffalo Bill’s"

     "the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls"

     "next to of course god america i"

     "somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond"

     "pity this busy monster,manunkind"

Feb

21

Th

1. WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS (vol D, 281)
      "Spring and All"
      "This Is Just to Say"
      "Burning the Christmas Greens"
     "The Red Wheelbarrow"

2. EZRA POUND (vol D, 293)
      "Portrait d’une Femme"
      "A Pact"
3. CARL SANDBURG (vol D, 266)
      "Chicago"
      "Fog"
      "Cool Tombs"
      "Grass"

4. T.S. ELLIOT (vol D, 352)

     "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
5. WALLACE STEVENS (vol D, 269)

     "The High-Toned Old Christian Woman"

     "Anecdote of the Jar"

     "Of Modern Poetry"

Feb

26

T

1. F. SCOTT FITZGERALD (vol D, 629)

     "Winter Dreams"

2. J.C. CHANDOR (director)
     Margin Call (Film for discussion)

Feb

28

Th

ERNEST HEMINGWAY (vol D, 795)

     from The Sun Also Rises
      - "Chapter III [It was a Warm Spring Night]"

Mar

5

T

1. HART CRANE (vol D, 783) 

     "At Melville’s Tomb" 

     "Voyages" Online

     "The Bridge" 

      - "To Brooklyn Bridge"
2. LANGSTON HUGHES (vol D, 833) 

     "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" 

     "I, Too"

     "The Weary Blues"

     "Words Like Freedom"

Mar

7

Th

RALPH ELLISON (vol E,  189)

     from Invisible Man

     - "Prologue"

     - "Chapter 1 [Battle Royal]"

Mar

12

T

ARTHUR MILLER (vol E, 218) 

     Death of a Salesman (Act I)

Mar

14

Th

1. ARTHUR MILLER (vol E, 218)

     Death of a Salesman (Act II)

2. OLIVER STONE (director)

     Wall Street (Film for discussion)

Mar

19

T

OFF - Spring Break (No Class!!)

Mar

21

Th

OFF - Spring Break (No Class!!)

Mar

26

T

1. THEODORE ROETHKE (vol E,  30) 

     "Root Cellar"

     "My Papa’s Waltz"

     "Dolor"

     "Night Crow"

     "The Waking"

     "In a Dark Time"

2. RICHARD WILBUR (vol E, 327) 

     "The Death of a Toad" 

     "A World without Objects Is a Sensible Emptiness" 

     "Love Calls Us to the Things of This World"

Mar

28

Th

1. ANNE SEXTON (vol E, 549)
      "The Truth the Dead Know"
      "The Starry Night"
      "Sylvia’s Death"
2. SYLVIA PLATH (vol E, 620)
      "Morning Song"
      "Lady Lazarus"
      "Daddy"
      "Child"

April

2

T

1. ** Literary Analysis Essay Due **

     - Due at the beginning of class.

     - NO emailed essays!!!

     - Paper copy typed in proper format required

2. Comic Books (lecture)
     - Selected American pre-code books: EC, Harvey, AMC, Aragon, Star, etc.
    - Dr. Fredric Wertham (SOTI) & the Comics Code Authority (CCA) 

April

4

Th

1. Postmodernism (lecture notes)

3. ALLEN GINSBERG (vol E, 485)

     from "Howl" - Part I 

2. ROBERT PINSKY (vol E, 807)

      "The Figured Wheel"

      "The Street"

      "The Want Bone"
4. Christopher Nolan (director)

     Memento (Film for discussion) 

April

9

T

THOMAS PYNCHON (vol E, 730)

     "Entropy"

April

11

Th

RAYMOND CARVER (vol E,  742)

     "Cathedral"

April

16

T

Novel - Student Choice - Day 1

     (To be determined by student vote at beginning of semester.)

April

18

Th

Novel - Student Choice - Day 2

     (To be determined by student vote at beginning of semester.)

April

23

T

1. BILLY COLLINS (vol E)
      "Forgetfulness"
      "The Night House"
      "Litany"
2. FRANK O’HARA (vol E,  499)
      "To the Harbormaster"
      "Why I Am Not a Painter"
       "A True Account of Talking to the Sun at Fire Island"

April

25

Th

KURT VONNEGUT (vol E,  342)

     Slaughterhouse-Five

      "Chapter 1"

April

30

T

CORMAC MCCARTHY (Day 1)

    from Blood Meridian
    ** No reading due. Lecture & selected in-class reading **

May

2

Th

1. CORMAC MCCARTHY (Day 2)

     from The Crossing

     from All the Pretty Horses
    ** No reading due. Lecture & selected in-class reading **

2. EHTAN AND JOEL COEN (directors)

     No Country for Old Men (Film for discussion)

May

7

T

1. *** Extra Credit Due ***
2.  FLANNERY O’CONNOR (vol E, 426)
       "Good Country People"

May

9

Th

Final Exam Workday

May

14

T

Final Exam Workday

May

16

Th

Final Exam Due

     (Submit Final Exams via the Blackboard assignment page.)

Last Day of Class!!!