Calendar and Reading Schedule: All readings must be completed by the assigned day. Readings and schedule are subject to change.
Unit 1 – Beginning to 1700
Week 1 – Introduction to Course
Monday 8/14 Introduction to Course and Syllabus
Wednesday 8/16 Intro and Letter to Columbus
Week 2 – The New World and its Landscape
Monday 8/21 Pre-Colonial and Iroquois Creation Story
- Intro Beginnings to 1700, p. 3-11
- Iroquois Creation Story p. 20-23
Wednesday 8/23
- John Smith 57-69 From The General History of Virginia… From The Third Book, “Chapter 2 What Happened Till The First Supply” PDF
- Smith: From A Description of New England p. 69-72
Week 3 – The Self and Divine Revelation
Monday 8/28
- Intro Beginnings to 1700, p. 11-17
- William Bradford: Of Plymouth Plantation, p. 72-89 From Book 1, Chapters 9, 10; From Book 2, Chapters 11, 19, 23
- Anne Bradstreet: “Contemplations” 112, “To my Dear Children” 123
Wednesday 8/30
- John Winthrop: “A Model of Christian Charity” 90-101
Week 4 – Captivity Narratives
Monday 9/4 Labor Day: No School
Wednesday 9/6
- Mary Rowlandson: 126-143; Bio, Intro, Removes 1, 2, 3, 12, and 20
Week 5 – Post
Monday 9/11 Exam Review, Group Workshop Papers, Rough Draft Due
Wednesday 9/13 Midterm 1
Unit 2 – 1700 to 1820
Week 6 – Native Americans: Contact and Conflict
Monday 9/18 Native Americans: Contact and Conflict
- Essay 1 Due
- Intro 1700-1820 p. 157-167
- Native Americans: Contact and Conflict 221-222,
- Pontiac 222-224,
- Occom 224-227
Wednesday 9/20
- Jefferson “Chief Logan’s Speech” 227-229
- Red Jacket 229-231
- Tecumseh 231-233
Week 7 – Inventing the Self in the 18th Century
Monday 9/25 Franklin and “The Way to Wealth”
- Benjamin Franklin: “The Way to Wealth” 234-242 and
- Remarks Concerning the Savages… 244-247
Wednesday 9/27 Equiano: The Interesting Narrative of the Life… 354-372
- Olaudah Equiano Biography
- The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African. Written By Himself
Week 8 – Public Discourse and the Formation of a National Character
Monday 10/2 Crevecouer: Letter from an American Farmer (308-323)
- J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur Biography
Wednesday 10/4 Paine: Common Sense and “The Crisis” (323-336)
- Thomas Paine Biography
- From Common Sense, “Introduction” and
Week 9 – Public Discourse – Continued
Monday 10/9 Thomas Jefferson: The Declaration of Independence 337-344
- Thomas Jefferson Biography
- From The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson
Wednesday 10/11 Murray: On the Equality of the Sexes
- Judith Sargent Murray Bio 387-389
Week 10 – Midterm 2
Monday 10/16 Exam Review, Workshop Papers, Rough Draft Due
Wednesday 10/18 Midterm 2
Unit 3 – 1820 to 1865
Week 11 – Fiction, Poetry, and the Question of American Identity
Monday 10/23 Bryant and “Thanatopsis”
- Essay 2 Due
- Intro to 1820-1865 p. 445-454
- William Cullen Bryant 491-495, Biography
Wednesday 10/25 Irving and “Rip Van Winkle”
- Washington Irving Biography
- “Rip Van Winkle” 467-482
Week 12 – Fiction, Poetry – Cont.
Monday 10/30 Cooper and “The Last of the Mohicans”
- James Fenimore Cooper Biography
- From The Last of the Mohicans, Volume 1, Chapter 3, p. 482-491
Wednesday 11/1 Emerson and The American Scholar
- Ralph Waldo Emerson Biography (505-508) (536-566)
Week 13 – Native Americans: Removal and Resistance
Monday 11/6 Native Americans: Removal and Resistance
- Black Hawk: From “Life of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, or Black Hawk” 584-588
- Petalesharo: “Speech of the Pawnee Chief” 588-591
- Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Letter to Martin Van Buren” 600-603
Wednesday 11/8 Hawthorne and “Young Goodman Brown”
- Nathaniel Hawthorne (603-606) Biography
- “Young Goodman Brown” (619-628)
Week 14 – American Influence
Monday 11/13 Poe Selections and Longfellow
- Edgar Allan Poe (683) Biography
- “The Raven” (688)
- “Annabel Lee” (691)
- “Ligeia” (692)
- “The Fall of the House of Usher” (702)
- “The Black Cat” (718)
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (656) Biography
- “A Psalm of Life” (658)
Wednesday 11/15 Thoreau and Walden
- Henry David Thoreau (839) Biography
- From Walden, Ch. 1 “Economy” (858)
- Ch.2 “Where I Lived, and What I Lived For” (901)
Week 15 – Slavery and the Achievement of Selfhood
Monday 11/20 Jacobs and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
- Thomas Jefferson: From Notes on the State of Virginia (761-765)
- Harriet Jacobs Biography
- From Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (818-839)
- I. Childhood
- VII. The Lover
- X. A Perilous Passage in the Slave Girl’s Life
- XIV. Another Link to Life
- XXI. The Loophole of Retreat
- XLI. Free at Last
Wednesday 11/22 Frederick Douglass and Narrative of the Life
- Frederick Douglass Biography
Week 16 – The Self as Contingent or Imperiled
Monday 11/27 Whitman, Preface, and “Song of Myself”
- Walt Whitman 1005-1009 Biography
- 1855 Preface 1009-1024
- Song of Myself 1024-1029
Wednesday 11/29 Melville and Bartleby
- Herman Melville 1099-1102 Biography
- Bartleby, The Scrivener 1102-1128
Week 17 – Dickinson
Monday 12/4 Emily Dickinson and Poems
- Emily Dickinson 1189-1193 Biography
- Selections 1193-1214
Wednesday 12/6 Final Exam Review and Workshop
- Rough Draft Due
- Class Workshop
- Exam Review
Week 18 – Finals
Monday 12/11 Presentations and Final Exam
- Essay 3 Due
- Final Exam Online
English 260: Survey of American Literature 1
Crafton Hills College – Fall 2017
| Instructor: Sefferino Ramos
Class Time: 5:00-6:15 pm M/W Classroom: West -215
|
Email: sramos@craftonhills.edu
Website: ProfessorRamos.blog
|
Course Description: Welcome to Survey of American Literature 1! An analysis of representative literary works by significant American writers from the late fifteenth century through the Civil War that includes the study of the historical and social context of the literature as well as the lives of important writers. The course is broken down into three units:
- Pre-colonial
- 1700-1820
- 1820-1865
The unifying theme that we will be exploring is “The Problem of American Identity.” We cannot read everything in our anthology and the theme is meant to help you develop an understanding of what American literature is.
Course Objective: The objective of this course is to introduce you to the main works of early American literature while also studying the main themes and writers of the period. This course covers some controversial topics and will require some careful navigation of political discourse. Your job will be to develop an understanding and appreciation for the time, themes, and literature. You will learn to identify, evaluate, and analyze the literature.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Students will be able to identify, evaluate and analyze the works and authors in the period of encounter and discovery (pre-colonial).
- Students will be able to identify, evaluate and analyze the works and authors in the period of colonial America from approximately 1700 – 1820.
- Students will be able to identify, evaluate and analyze the works and authors in the period of U.S. history from approximately 1820 – 1865 (reconstruction).
Required Texts:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1 Shorter Eighth Edition
Supplemental texts on Class Website
Course Requirements: This class requires your attendance and participation. While I am here to lecture and help facilitate discussion, it is up to you to participate in the class and keep up with the readings. I will be available through email and office hours, so please see me if you need anything pertaining to our class.
Assignments: This class will have several written assignments as well as two midterms and a final.
Reading Journals will be due at the beginning of class on the day we will discuss the readings. You can hand them in or email them to me. You may turn in a journal for either the readings scheduled on Monday or Wednesday. Journals will be 200-400 words in length, typed or legibly written. 10 points each.
Grading: This class has a 1250 point grade scale. To pass the class you need 875 Points for a C, 1000 points for a B, and 1125 points for an A. There are more points available than you need to pass the class. You decide what grade you want and calculate how to get there. Only three essays are mandatory, everything else you choose. Grades will be visible on iGradeplus.com. I will send out email links by next week.
| Assignments | Points | Max Points | |
| Essay 1 ** | 150 | 150 | |
| Proposal | 10 | 10 | |
| Rough Draft | 10 | 10 | |
| Peer Review | 20 | 20 | |
| Essay 2** | 150 | 150 | |
| Proposal | 10 | 10 | |
| Rough Draft | 10 | 10 | |
| Peer Review | 20 | 20 | |
| Essay 3** | 150 | 150 | |
| Proposal | 10 | 10 | |
| Rough Draft | 10 | 10 | |
| Peer Review | 20 | 20 | |
| Exam 1 | 100 | 100 | |
| Exam 2 | 100 | 100 | |
| Exam 3 | 100 | 100 | |
| Journals | 160 | 260 | |
| Attendance Unit 1 | 45 | 45 | |
| Attendance Unit 2 | 50 | 50 | |
| Attendance Unit 3 | 75 | 75 | |
| Annotated Bib | 30 | 30 | |
| Writing Center | 20 | 40 | |
| Workshops | 20 | ||
| Extra Credit | 60 | ||
| Total Points | 1250 | 1320 |
Course Notes and Policies: Some adjustments might need to be made during the quarter. I reserve the right to change and add to the course calendar and syllabus.
Code of Conduct: We will be discussing controversial and adult oriented content in this course. You are all adults and are expected to conduct yourself accordingly in class and in all interactions with other students. Racist, sexist, bigoted, and hurtful language will not be tolerated and could get you removed from the course and/or reported to university authorities.
The sensitive nature of the material requires suspending judgment. We are not here to debate the past, but to gain an understanding of the events and the literature it produced. As such, you will be expected to come to class prepared and having read the material.
Plagiarism: Any work that you submit to me at any stage of the writing process -thesis and outline, draft, bibliography, etc., through final version -must be your own; in addition, any words, ideas, or data that you borrow from other people and include in your work must be properly cited. Failure to do either of these things is plagiarism. Accordingly, the college severely penalizes plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty.
Attendance: You will receive 5 points just for coming to class!
Late Work: All assignments are due at the start of class on the designated dates. Please see me if you have any questions or need special accommodations. Since there are many more points available than required to pass the class, no late work will be accepted unless cleared by me ahead of time.
The Tutoring Center is a wonderful resource that is available to all students. I recommend that you make one appointment with a writing tutor at least once during the quarter. If you decide to have the session reported to me, you will receive 20 points. You can register and make appointments by visiting the tutoring center in the Learning Resource Center.
Electronic Devices: Electronic devices are not permitted during class time, unless specifically cleared by me. Please silence or turn off your electronics and phones. If you require special accommodation, please see the contact the Disabled Student Services office at (909) 389-3325. There is no texting, social media, or email during class.
Revision: If you are not happy with a grade you receive on an assignment, you may revise the essay within one week of receiving the grade. I do not like giving bad grades. If you turn in something that is below standard or missing something, I will make notes and give it back to you to revise.
ADA Compliance: If you are unable to participate fully in this class due to a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you should contact the Disabled Student Services office at (909) 389-3325.
Professor Ramos' Blog 