American
Writers I
34 ENGL 207 002
TH 11:00AM-12:15PM CCSTUDENT 245
|
Instructor |
Assistant
Professor, Dr. Joel Peckham—Ph.D. in English with a Dissertation on American
Literature from The |
|
Office
Location |
CCSNYDER 272B |
|
Office
Hours |
M,W,F
9-10am / TH 10-11am |
|
Office
Phone Number |
(513)558-1249 |
|
Email
Address |
joel_peckham@yahoo.com |
|
Homepage |
http://www.joelpeckham.com |
Prerequisite: 34 ENGL103
Course Description: Selected works in American Literature until 1865, including
short and long fiction, drama, poetry, and critical essays.
Course Content:
A.
Study of Puritan period and selected writers, such as John Winthrope,
Roger Williams, Samuel Sewell, William Byrd, Anne Bradstreet, etc.;
- Study of Deism and selected writers, such as Benjamin
Franklin, William Bartrum, Thomas Paine, and
Thomas Jefferson;
- Study of Romanticism and selected authors, such as
Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Philip
Freneau, Edgar Allan Poe, etc.;
- Study of Transcendentalism and selected authors, such
as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry Longfellow, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, etc.
- Study of selected Native American Literature
- Study of Early African American Literature
Student Learning Objectives: Students will utilize the analytical and critical thinking
skills developed in Comp III; students will be required to read representative
selections from literary periods and be expected to discuss these readings with
insight and a knowledge of literary terminology.
Course Materials:
Methodologies of Instruction and
Learning/Assessment:
I.
The primary focus of this course
will be to explore
The study of American literature is
the study of the deepening of a nation’s soul, it’s
passage through birth and maturation. And the story it forms is at times
in equal parts heroic and tragic. As we study the first three
centuries of our literature we will form an understanding of the values,
ideals, beliefs, ambitions, and hopes of peoples in conflict, struggling with
each other and with themselves in an effort establish
a “new” world and gradually, one united people co-existing across a sprawling
landscape. Beginning in literature as a dream of paradise in the
imaginations of adventurers who saw the indigenous population as a commodity to
be used or as a blight to be removed and its wild landscape as a resource to be
tamed, the idea of America was formed around a sense of possibility driven by
intense desire—in some cases fueled by fame, power, and fortune, in others by
religious fervor, and in still others the possibility of adventure and a new
beginning. Though it is not incorrect to say our nation was conceived in
liberty, we cannot imagine this idea in simplistic terms. We must ask, “freedom from what?” “to do
what?” “to be what?”
The study of literature gives us the
means of looking at our nation as it happened, from voices experiencing it “in
the moment.” Art reflects, responds to, and shapes the world surrounding
its author. Faulkner once referred to literature as the “story of the human
heart struggling.” And indeed that is chiefly what we find as our
literature as it developed out of Native
American creation stories, the journals of Explorers, through the poetry of
Bradstreet, the brimstone sermons of Edwards, and gradually maturing into a
full body of internationally respected literature in the hands of the great
Romantic, Transcendental, and Realist authors of the 19th century.
In constructing this syllabus and
this course I have tried to offer students multiple options for engaging with
the material and for revealing their understanding of it. The fact
that I give students options will mean that the syllabus may seem confusing and
the choices overwhelming. But part of the education process is learning
to take possession of one’s education and learning to make decisions that shape
your educational experience. I would expect that students to carefully
read the assignments and consider which options are best for them.
Students will be asked to sign a contract early in the semester, specifically
stating what they will accomplish in the course.
2) What you will be asked to do
Personal Responsibility Folder
This
is an essential part of your grade and participation in the class and will form
1000 points (100%) of your overall grade. Essentially, the personal
responsibility folder will contain all your essays, required assignments, and a
record of your individual learning progress.
See
Personal Responsibility Folder Handout and checklist.
Note:
Final Exams/Papers will be placed in the folder by the professor after they are
graded.
Writing: Essay
Assignments (400 pts) or 40% of the Personal Responsibility Folder
Purpose:
To encourage students to participate in higher thinking by asking them to make
connections between literature, philosophy history,
etc., to build upon writing and analytical skills developed in composition
classes, to reveal their understanding of the formal elements of literature,
and to apply that understanding to an analysis of at least 2 literary
works. Students will be allowed to hand in a rough copy of the first
essay for feedback from the instructor if they wish. Students will also
have the option to complete a third essay, worth 300 points (or 30%) in place of taking the final examination.
Application
and Assessment:
a) The student will write one 3-5
page essay, worth 400 points. A series of possible topics
will be given at least one week in advance. In the essay the student must
1)
compare the ideas of two authors writing on a similar
subject, supporting any statements about the author’s ideas based on evidence
they find in the texts.
2)
show how these ideas are revealed using powerful and
convincing symbolism, imagery, characterization, argumentation, narration,
etc.
3)
suggest how and why the authors might have believed
differently or similarly to each other, focusing on the times and or places in
which they lived, the experiences they had, and the literary/philosophical
movements of which they were a part.
4)
make a case for/against their ideas and their value to
contemporary American life.
5)
try to answer the questions, do these ideas, values,
and beliefs still matter to us? Should they?
Note:
no research other than class handouts, discussion, oral presentations, and
reading assignment are required for these writing assignments, but I will allow
outside research if a student wishes to include it. The format of the
paper should adhere to MLA formatting and any quoted material must be cited in
adherence to MLA formatting practiced. The papers should be double-spaced
and written in 12 point Times or Courier.
b)
The papers will be graded in accordance with the following scale
200
points—Content: Completion of the 5 essay requirements
listed above, with appropriate supporting evidence from the text.
Students are expected to support all statements made using textual evidence and
appropriate quotation. The absence of supporting evidence from the text
could result in a 0 for this portion the assignment.
100
points—Quality of Writing, Paragraph Level: evidence of well-formed, coherent,
unified paragraphs, with clear and elegant sentences, transitions, appropriate
tone and clean grammar and punctuation. Though quality of writing is
worth 50 points, if the quality is low enough, it can affect the content grade.
If I can’t understand your position, I can’t give you credit for your ideas.
100
points—Quality of Organization and
Formatting: evidence that the ideas are put together in a logical order
with transition sentences connecting them to a central thesis.
Examinations (400 pts or 40% of your Personal Responsibility Folder)
Purpose:
To give students the opportunity to reveal what they know about the material
covered in class, to ensure that students keep up with and understand the texts
covered for class, to encourage higher thinking through the answering of essay
questions provided in advance.
Application
and Assessment: Students will be given 2 exams: a mid-term examination
and final examination (unless they choose the third essay option). The
Mid-term examination will be worth 100 points and the Final Examination 300
points for a total of 400 points of the personal responsibility folder.
Each exam will contain short answer and essay questions on the material
covered. We will have overviews in the form of literary jeopardy to cover
possible short answer questions and students will be given a list of possible
essay questions from which the essay questions on the exam will be
selected. Students may come to the exam with note-cards containing
information necessary to answering each possible essay question
3) Grade Breakdown Summary:
Essay:
400 points-- (300 pts for the 3rd essay option)
Final:
400 points--100 points for the mid-term, 300 points for the final (Exam or
Essay)
TOTAL:
1000pts
A: 90-100 B: 80-89
C: 70-79 D: 65-69
F: 64 and below
(900-1000) (800-899)
(700-799) (650-699) (649 and
below)
Administrative Procedures:
A.
Completion of the drop/add process
and the withdrawal process is the responsibility of the student.
B.
Absence Policy: Absences will damage your grade, particularly because I do
not allow students to make up pop quizzes and because class participation is a
substantial portion of your grade in the course. Don’t miss classes.
C.
Tardiness. If you are late at all, you will find the door closed.
Do not open it. The only thing I dislike more than a student who misses
classes is one who is so disrespectful as to show up late for one.
D. Policy for make-up work. Students are responsible to complete any work they miss
during an absence. Missed work can only be made up if the student has a
legitimate excuse for missing the class and provides supporting
documentation. Legitimate excuses include illness, serious family
obligations, and sanctioned college activities for which absence is
required.
E.
Harassment Policy: I see sexual and racial harassment as a direct attack not
only on the victim, but on the entire community. Harassment is any
behavior that would either threaten a reasonable person or inhibit that
person’s ability to learn or work by creating an uncomfortable
environment. Don’t say or do anything to a fellow student that you
wouldn’t say or do to your own mother, father, sister, or brother.
Sexual or racial comments made in the classroom, even if not directed at anyone
in particular and even if made in jest, will be considered
harassment. The presence of materials that demean others
–inappropriate or offensive t-shirts or
magazines for example—will also be considered harassment. Such behavior
will directly affect the offending student’s grade for class participation and
may result in dismissal from the class for the day or even for the
quarter.
F.
Dress Code: Though there is no official dress code for this course, I encourage
students to dress in a manner that reflects a respectful attitude towards their
peers, the professor, and themselves.
G. Late Assignments: I
do not accept late assignments. Assignments should be ready for
submission at the beginning of class on the day that they are due.
Because I understand that events may happen that are beyond a student’s
control, I allow for one 24 hour pass a semester. That means that
one time during the semester, for whatever reason you might have, or for no
reason at all, you may hand in an assignment 24 hours late. If an
assignment is due on a Friday, I expect you to send it to me over the e-mail by
attachment or as text by Saturday, 11am. If electronic submission is not
possible, contact me and I will arrange another method for you to hand in the
assignment on time. I urge students to use this option only when and if
they desperately need it. If a student must miss a class on the day an
assignment is to be turned in, the student must find another student to turn it
in for them or must send the assignment to me via e-mail by the beginning of
class on the day the assignment is due. I will make rare exceptions if I
have ample reasons. The 24 hour pass cannot be used for an exam, a pop-quiz, or
a term-paper. A late term paper or a missed final will assure
failure in the course.
Withdrawal
Plagiarism
1. Submitting another's
published or unpublished work, in whole, in part, or in paraphrase, as one's
own without fully and properly crediting the author with footnotes, citations
or bibliographical reference. 2.Submitting as one's
own, original work, material obtained from an individual or agency without
reference to the person or agency as the source of the material. 3.Submitting as one's own, original work, material that has
been produced through unacknowledged collaboration with others without release
in writing from collaborators.
Students with Disabilities:
The policy of the University of Cincinnati Clermont
College requires students to self-identify and provide proper documentation to
Jennifer Radt, 732-5327. Academic Director of
Disability Services, located in the
