Basic Information
Location: Carney 304
Course: EN140.1
Time: MWF, 9:00 a.m.

Instructor
Tim Lindgren
Office Hours: Tues. 3-4, Wed. 2-4, Fri. 11-12, and by appointment
Office: McGuin 529C
E-mail:
Home page

Required Texts
Norton Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 10
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin (Norton Critical Ed.)

Course Description

This course is meant as an introduction to a wide variety of works written between the first English settlements in America and the Civil War. No prior knowledge of the literature in this period is assumed, and English majors, American studies minors, and non-majors are all welcome.

As we read, we will pay attention to the roles metaphor, symbol, language, theme, structure, style, and world view play in literary texts, and will examine the way American writers use various literary forms (history, journal, narrative, sermon, essay, letter, poetry, short story, novel) to achieve their particular purposes and effects. We also will attempt to read literary works as social texts embedded in particular cultural, political, religious, and environmental contexts.

Requirements

1. Regular Attendance and Reading
A discussion-oriented class like this only works if each member comes to class having done the reading.You will have three absences in this course to use for illness, emergencies, personal days or what have you. Use them wisely, because after three misses your grade will drop 1/3 letter grade per miss (it might go from an A- to a B+). I will try to be accommodating when possible so please contact me before (or soon after) you have to miss.

In addition to the assignments, you should read the introductions to each author and the period introductions in Norton, as well as glance at the online web resources when possible.

2. Participation
One-fifth of your grade for this class will be for participating in classroom discussion and for contributing reading responses to the online discussion list.

While both kinds of participation will be required, I will give you credit for what you do best. In other words, if you thrive on face-to-face interaction, you may talk more in class and just fulfill the one required weekly posting. If you are more comfortable working out your thoughts on paper, you might compensate for a little shyness in class with some extra online responses. In either case, I'm looking for everyone to be reading actively and then sharing insights and questions with the class. With a little luck, the result should be a dialogue with texts and with each other that extends beyond just our 50 minutes in class.

You will be required to post one online response a week on the day you signed up to do it:

Monday: Natalie, Kate, Sandra, Lauren
Wednesday: Meghan, Emily, Robin, Patrick, Justin
Friday: Matt, Jeff, John and Kristen

For a response to count, it must be posted by 10:00 p.m. the evening before the relevant readings are due. Your response need not be long (roughly 200 words) but it should include several the following elements:

1. A question (or questions). Write down questions you found yourself asking of the text as you read, and comment on wy you think they are worth asking.

2. A thread. Record the thematic, figurative, or stylistic patterns you observe running through this text (and others we have read).

3. A thesis. Make an assertion based on the treads you observed or other insights you had in reading the text.

4. A passage. Find a particular moment in the text that puzzled or intrigued you and reflect on on why you think it's important.

You also are required to read your classmates' entries before class so we all have some inkling what others are thinking about before we dive into discussion. If you feel inspired by one of the postings, you should feel free to respond to someone else's entry for that day. You can also list books or websites that you have found, along with some comments on why they are of interest to the rest of the class.

3. Presentations
Once during the semester you will give a short (10 minute) presentation to the class which will help us "zoom out" and locate the texts we are reading in a broader social and historical context. Your topic need not be directly related to the text for that day but should be relevant enough that it helps us think about relationships between texts and contexts.

Aim to fascinate and provoke us with information we would not likely learn about without your stimulating presentation. Consider using handouts and visual aids when appropriate.

One option might be to take a tour a local of a historical site and give an report that points out interesting geographic/historical connections.

You should plan to meet with me beforehand to discuss ways to approach the assigment. The presentation schedule lists the day you will be presenting.

4. Essays
The two essays for this course will give you the chance to write on topics that interest you and develop some of the ideas you have been working with during the semester. Essay #1 will be short (4-5 pages) and will focus on close reading, and Essay #2, longer essay (6-8 pages) will require you both to read closely and engage with a relevant critical essay.

Use the correction guide to decipher my marginal comments on your papers.

5. Exams
The midterm exam and the final will reward you for careful reading throughout the semester. They will be fairly straightforward--mostly identification and short answer questions.

Policies

1. Late papers will be docked one-third letter grade per day. If you are deciding between getting a paper in on time and skipping class, I would rather have you come to class so I will usually give a twenty-four hour grace period.

2. Missed exams will be decrease one-third letter grade if made up later.

Academic Integrity

All work you submit must be yours and any borrowed material must be properly documented. If you plagiarize, you will fail this course. If you have any questions on this topic, please don't hesitate to ask me--before there is a problem. For more information on BC policies, read the rules about plagiarism, cheating, and academic citation in the Undergraduate Catalogue