American Authors I, fall 1999

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This page is designed for my students in 52-3112, American Authors I, fall 1999 online syllabus
This document contains syllabus, part one: course policies and guidelines
Go to the next page for syllabus, part two: course schedule

some of the topics covered in this document:
Reading notes attendance what counts for what
Stuff you need to know about papers
How I grade papers
Some topics for the first paper

Fall 1999, American Authors I: to 1877, 52-3112-01 Mondays 9:30-12:20 3 credits

Your instructor: Karen Osborne, Ph.D. You may call me Karen. My office is 300-Y, 33 E. Congress. Important facts to keep handy:

/ My mailbox is in the English department common area, also on the 3rd floor; drop things off there; if you need to pick something up, look in the plastic out box near my office door
) My phone number is 312-344-8123; you may call this number anytime and leave voice mail messages, 24 hours a day. : Email: kosborne@popmail.colum.edu
Remember to check my office hours before you call or stop by. You can always find me in class and talk to me on break.

OFFICE HOURS: Mondays 1:30-3:30 exc. Sept. 27; Tuesdays 2:00-4:00 and by appt.
I will make announcements in class about additional hours or changes

You are reading the online version of the syllabus. This handout is required reading. You are responsible for all information on it. Study it carefully and refer to it frequently. If anything is unclear, don't hesitate to ask questions. Seek me out whenever you have questions about any assignment or about your progress in general.

Required Text &Lauter, et. al., eds, The Heath Anthology of American Literature, 3^rd. edition, volume one ONLY; it’s expensive (about $50), but it’s the only text you need for the class! A copy of the previous edition has been placed on reserve in the library; it has most, if not all, of the assigned readings.

Course Description

In the Columbia College Chicago 1997-1999 Catalog the description of this course reads:

"[The] course examines [the] early history of American literature, including writings by indigenous peoples, explorers and settlers. Readings may include works by Bradstreet, Wheatley, Franklin, Douglass, Emerson, Occum, Hawthorne, Melville, Harper, Dickinson, and Whitman. Prerequisite: 52-1101 English Composition I."

This survey course will give you a basic introduction to the sweep of early American literature, with a particular grasp of some texts and authors. It will also give you an introduction to some of the connections between literature and history, and to some of the practical and theoretical issues surrounding the redefinition of American literature. You probably signed up for this course because you wanted to develop a broad understanding of the traditions of American literature. This semester we will read a selection of authors from pre-colonial times (from the perspectives of Native Americans as well as explorers and colonizers) to the late nineteenth century. The Heath Anthology was the first important American literature anthology to treat American literature as multicultural literature. Since its first edition, virtually every other well-known anthology of American literature has been revised as a result.

General Education Humanities/Literature credit or not?

If you enrolled after fall, 1997, you must take the course, 52-3100, Introduction to Literature in order to fulfill the General Education requirement for Humanities/Literature unless you see me about obtaining a written waiver signed by the department chair. If you began your studies at Columbia College prior to fall, 1997, you may use this course to fulfill 3 credits of the General Education requirement for Humanities/Literature without a waiver.

Intended Student Learning Outcomes for this course

The intended student learning outcome for the General Education Literature requirement is:

"Students will 1)become familiar with one or more of the major forms of literature (poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction) and 2) be able to demonstrate that familiarity by being able to read and write critically about one of those forms (genres)."

This course supports that outcome (but cannot fulfill the General Education requirement unless you enrolled prior to fall, 1997).

In addition to the broad literature outcome, I have personally designed five more outcomes that I hope this course will enable you to achieve:

1. to be able to demonstrate an understanding of works by two American authors in some depth by writing critical essays about these works

2. to be able to demonstrate a broad understanding of three important periods or movements in American literature.

3. to be able to demonstrate a knowledge of the diversity of American literature by naming and discussing at least two writers who were not of Euro-American heritage.

4. to be able to recognize and discuss passages from important works of American literature

Keep these objectives in mind, and let me know as the semester progresses how you feel you're doing on each of them.

Literature Minor

This course does count toward the Literature minor (if you do not also use it for General Education credit). See me for more information on the minor.

How to Survive This Course and College: Time Management ¼6

Consider your entire work schedule this semester and each course’s role within that schedule. For every hour you spend in a college classroom, you need to budget approximately 2-3 hours of study time outside of class. This class carries 3 credit hours. Therefore, you will be spending at least six hours per week outside of class keeping up with this course. Add the 3 hours per week you spend in class, and that’s 9-12 hours per week for this class alone. Do the same for your other classes--for every t3-credit class, budget a total of 9-12 hours, and for every 4 credit class, budget a 12-16 hour study schedule. If your job requires 20+ hours per week, you’ll be busy with work and school at least 56 hours per week. Taking more than 12 credits while working more than 20 hours per week may be asking for trouble.

Attendance and Tardiness

Two, and only two, absences, FOR ANY REASON, are acceptable (provided that you're not also missing quizzes or other deadlines those two times). This means that you must save your two absences for emergencies only---unusual illness, visits to hospitals, funerals, and other disasters. Because this class meets for three hours once a week, missing one class is the equivalent of missing a full week of class. You don’t have absences to spare. Even when you are absent, you are required to see that whatever work is due that week is delivered to my mailbox by 2:00 Thursday afternoon of that week. The third absence lowers your final grade one letter. The fourth absence means you fail the course, unless you have an ‘A’ average--then you’ll get a ‘D.’ The fifth absence means you absolutely fail the course. No ifs, ands, or buts. When you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed by asking other students and by checking with me before or after class or during my posted office hours. Follow the syllabus and any changes or additions I announce in class. ¿

Tardiness also counts. If you show up to work late, or leave work early, the boss isn’t going to keep you employed. The same is true of class. Being late or leaving early by 15 minutes or more counts as half an absence.

Plagiarism

On p. 21 of the Columbia College Chicago Catalog, 1997-1999, students are informed that "The College prohibits the following conduct: all forms of academic dishonesty including cheating; plagiarism; knowingly furnishing false information to the College; forgery; alteration or fraudulent use of College documents, instruments, or identification." The Student Handbook is distributed to all students during class registration. In this class, any student found using the work (ideas or language) of another writer (including, but not limited to, other students) without giving credit to the source will receive an 'F' in the course. If you're unsure as to what, exactly, constitutes plagiarism, do not hesitate to ask.

Assignments and Grading Breakdown; Keep Track of Your Scores!

The two papers: 20 points each.
Three quizzes, about 7-12 points each.
Reading/Response Notes: 3 points each.
Visit to the Terra Museum (or other museum) response: 4 points.
Final Examination: if we have one, the essay section will be worth 10 pts, the objective section 10-15 points.
Class participation: I will give up to 5 bonus points to students who make a significant contribution to the class’s understanding throughout the semester.

Note: Tardiness and absences cost you points. See Attendance.

If the TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE at the end of the semester is 100, then 90 will be an A-, 80 a B-, and so on. If the total possible is different, we’ll calculate accordingly. You will always know where you stand. Keep a list of your assignments, the points possible, and your points.

Writing Center, First Floor, 33 E. Congress/506 S. Wabash

Even the best writers show their work to someone for feedback before they present it to the public. Talking over your ideas and planning the organization with a helpful friend or a tutor can save time and diminish your anxiety. If you're also enrolled in Composition I or II , you may wish to sign up for 1 hour of tuition credit in the Writing center. Remember that tutoring is like a class; attendance is taken. You can also sign up for tutoring without credit.

Creating A Positive Learning Environment

I invite all of you to help us create an environment of respect and courtesy where different perspectives can be heard, where more outgoing classmates gently encourage quieter classmates to participate in dialogue. Please see me in my office whenever you have insights to offer or suggestions for ways to enhance the classroom as a place where everyone can learn from each other. Also, please see me whenever you feel that I’m spending too much or too little time on something, when I’m boring you to tears, etc. Telling me this won’t devastate my ego and I probably won’t even bite your head off. I am here to help you learn, and if you’re not learning, you and I need to find ways together that will work.

Of course, a classroom is a place for learning. Any behavior that interferes with learning will not be tolerated. Any student who is discourteous to another student or to the instructor, or who in any way tries to usurp the classroom for purposes other than learning, will be given an 'F' in the course. This is the only warning that will be given.

Reading Notes !

You are required to keep a tear-out journal of READING NOTES; one entry each week, in response to ONE of the selections for that week. Write a page or two; spend about 20 minutes on it. I will check these notes occasionally, but their purpose is to help you prepare for quizzes and exams. Reading notes will help you understand and retain what you've read. Keep another journal for your personal life.

In your reading notes, give a brief, accurate, unbiased summary of the selection, and then your reaction to the selection. Your reaction might be a response to any ONE of the following (or anything else that strikes you):

What is significant about this particular text?
What does it make you think about?
Does it remind you of anything else you’ve read? This semester? Elsewhere?
What does it imply about literature? Or about America? Or about the world?
Did you have a strong reaction to it?
Did it make you think of any experiences you've had that were in any way similar?
Or people you've known who were/are similar to any of the characters?
Does it use any interesting literary techniques (plot, point of view, metaphors,
Style, tone, etc.)

Read carefully, be able to summarize accurately, and then reflect upon what you've read.

LOTS OF STUFF YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PAPERS

Rough Drafts, Final Papers and Deadlines for Each 4

Rough drafts and final papers are to be typed (or computer-printed,) double-spaced, clipped or stapled (there is no stapler in the classroom), carefully proofread, and turned in at class time on the dates they are due. Number the pages. You will write TWO papers for this course. The recommended length for each is 3-6 pages, typed, font size 10-12, double-spaced, with 1" margins. You will have a deadline for the rough draft and the final paper on each of the two essays. I will NOT accept rough drafts after the deadline for rough drafts has passed. You will lose the opportunity for feedback and a chance to revise if you fail to meet the deadline. I also do not accept late papers. If you are having trouble with completing your draft or your paper, you must see me BEFORE THE DAY IT IS DUE to discuss your difficulties. In some cases I may be willing to grant an extension, if you've been keeping up with everything else, have demonstrated solid work habits, and have made an effort to to write the draft or paper. You should use the computer labs available in several Columbia College buildings. BE SURE TO SAVE TO THE "A" DRIVE, where your formatted IBM-compatible 3.5" disk is. Ask me about buying a disk for .50.

Guidelines for Papers about Literature, and How I Grade

When I grade the final drafts of your papers, I evaluate them according to fairly recognizable standards. The following should help you understand what I am looking for and how I will grade. The papers you write should demonstrate your ability to read, analyze, and interpret literature. Your paper should have a clear thesis, use evidence from the text to support the thesis, offer

sufficient analysis and interpretation of that evidence, and follow a logical progression. I expect all papers to be well written in clear English prose. I will also consider the quality of your insights.

Highly successful (A) papers will meet the following description: "The writer has successfully analyzed and interpreted a textual element or elements such as plot, character, point of view, imagery, setting, form, theme, irony, tone, symbols, language or any similar elements. The writer has grounded arguments in specific references to text. The essay has a clear thesis supported by sound logic and good organization. The essay is thoroughly developed."

Successful (B) papers will meet the following description: "The writer has analyzed a textual element or elements such as plot, character, point of view, imagery, setting, form, theme, irony, tone, symbols, language or any similar elements. The writer has grounded arguments in at least some specific references to text. The essay has a clear thesis, but may need one of the following: more textual support, more analytical or interpretive development, or clearer logic and/or organization."

Moderately successful (C) papers will fit the following description: "The writer has analyzed or paid some attention to texts or a textual element(s), has made an effort toward interpretation, and has some supporting references and/or evidence, but the essay does not fully develop or support its thesis in a logical fashion."

Unsuccessful (D or F) papers can be described with SOME or MOST of the following: "The writer has not sufficiently analyzed or interpreted the text; there may be textual references, but not in clear support of an interpretation; AND/OR the writer has failed to offer a clear thesis supported by sound logic; AND/OR has not responded to the assignment."

Paper topics can be from my lists, or you may propose your own. You may discuss one work or you may trace an idea or connection across two or more works. I must approve your topic before you write the draft.

Here are some tips to keep in mind as you write and revise:

I. The paper is an analysis of a text or texts and an interpretation based on that analysis.

The audience is readers who have already read the text. IF YOU MERELY REPEAT WHAT THE STORY SAYS, WITHOUT INTERPRETATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE. A thesis statement is a debatable proposition, that is, a statement (a complete sentence containing a subject and verb) about which reasonable people might disagree. ("Ligaments in Winthrop" is a title, not a thesis. A possible thesis and clarification: "Winthrop's use of the body as a central metaphor in his sermon suggests that the view of Puritans as seeking to ignore or deny the physical in favor of the spiritual is overstated. In fact, they were quite conscious of the physical conditions of their lives, and Winthrop's sermon is one example of this consciousness." (For evidence you might analyze the many passages that contain specific images of the body, and how despite the fact that these images always lead beyond themselves to the allegory of the community and Christ, they are physically compelling images on their own terms.) Your paper must have a clear thesis supported by evidence in a logical progression of sufficiently developed and well-written paragraphs. Show me, show me, show me. Show exactly where and exactly how (refer to SPECIFIC words, phrases, lines, events, characters, etc.) the story, poem or play does what you are saying it does. The thesis should make an interesting point ABOUT the story, poem or idea (not merely to repeat what the story says) and should be clearly stated, preferably at the end of the first paragraph. I also expect a strong conclusion that does more than simply restate the thesis. Show why the thesis was worth proving, after all.

II. Make sure the topic is NARROW enough and that you say enough about it.

Say something--show us what your mind can do with the text. Select one aspect of the literary work and discuss how it functions and connects with the WHOLE work. Show that you have read closely, and that you can ANALYZE the significance of CONTENT and FORM--the two are inseparable, so by analyzing carefully how something is written, you are also analyzing meaning. Be sure to SAY ENOUGH about the part you've chosen. Most drafts need more DEVELOPMENT--you need to SHOW the reader exactly what your point is, what evidence supports it, and WHY your point is so important. Don't just quote--you must COMMENT on everything you bring up. I will take points off for fuzzy thinking, vague language, insufficient development, and poor transitions. Read the chapter on literature papers in your Comp I or II handbook (you did save your handbook, didn’t you? asked the concerned teacher...)

III. When you finish a draft, read it critically and revise, revise, revise. Read your draft aloud, have friends or fellow students read it, and rewrite it, cutting redundancy and adding new material to strengthen weak paragraphs. Ask "so what?" at the end of every paragraph--then write at least two more sentences to answer the "so what." Sometimes you'll need to add much more than just a few sentences to actually pursue the answer.You must turn in your ROUGH DRAFT two weeks ahead of the date the paper is due. The rough drafts MUST be double-spaced.

IV. PROOFREAD CAREFULLY. Never turn in a paper for a grade that you would not turn in if you were a reporter working for a newspaper. Teachers and editors often will WILL NOT READ PAPERS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN PROOFREAD CAREFULLY. Neat corrections are fine with me. You'll get an "F" if I find more than ten careless mistakes on the first page. I will take points off for grammatical mistakes, inconsistent/inaccurate punctuation, or any obstacles that prevent the paper from achieving its purpose. Let your natural voice come through, to the extent possible in standard English.Aim for clarity, economy, conviction: cut away as much phoniness and verbal confusion as you can. Avoid "Englishteacherese"--inflated, pretentious, vague language. Papers must be typed, 3-5 pages, font size 10-12, double-spaced, with 1" margins. Pages must be numbered.

Some possible topics for the first essay; you can also propose your own topic

Most of these topics are based on texts we have discussed or will discuss in class, but I have listed a few topics on other texts in the anthology.

1. Compare and/or contrast images of Native Americans as seen through the European eyes of Cabeza de Vaca and Roger Williams, respectively. Then discuss how, according to their own expressed concerns, their views differed from the views of other colonialists. What assumptions did the Christians, both Catholic and Puritan, make about Native Americans? What do de Vaca and Williams, respectively, suggest about the truth or falsity of these assumptions? What specific evidence does each writer use to support his views.?

2. Discuss the use of irony in “How America Was Discovered.” Discuss specific sentences and word choices; show where the best examples of irony are and discuss some examples of irony that others may not have noticed. What seems to be the purpose of the irony (ies)? Does this method seem more effective than a direct statement of outrage?

3. Compare the descriptions of hypocrisy you find in Sarah Kemble Knight’s diaries with the descriptions of impure motives in “How America was Discovered.” What similarities do you find in these very different texts, written by people of different sexes and ethnic backgrounds?

4. Contrast the views of America’s discovery in “How America Was Discovered” and any one of the following: Winthrop’s “A Modell of Christian Charity,” Champlain, or any of the selections from John Smith, William Bradford, William Byrd, or Cotton Mather. Itemize the images any two of these writers use, and then discuss to what degree the writers are presenting descriptions and to what degree they are using particular images for rhetorical effect (to manipulate the reader).

5. Discuss how the character of Raven in "Raven and Marriage" or “Raven Makes a Girl Sick and Then Cures Her” is/is not typical of the Trickster figure as described in the introductory material. Discuss what the function of the trickster is and how this tale works. Do you think the fact that Raven can change shapes or cause humans to change shape is an advantage in showing the human audience its own flaws? If so, how so? Why not just have a manipulative human pull these tricks?

6. Discuss the notion of appearances in "Raven and Marriage." What did you think of the old man's motive for changing and of the Raven for changing him? What did you think about the wife "who was prouder than when she was with her father" and the fact that "if boys or anyone else displeased her they were put to death"? Why did the brants carry her away? When the old woman tells her "you have already turned into a fox," what does she mean? Did you think the ending of the story was logical or inevitable? How would the story have been different if it had ended simply with a death? Why does it end, instead, with a rebirth?

7. Discuss some of the things you found rather shocking in “Raven Makes a Girl Sick and Then Cures Her.” What purpose, if any, did the inclusion of such shocking things serve?

8. Why do you think the chief was so quick to believe in Raven’s powers? What should have been the tip-off that the Raven was not necessarily pure of heart? What attitudes toward shamanism does the story present? What warnings? Do you find these attitudes or warnings relevant to our own times? If so, how?

9. Humor among the Puritans: Sarah Kemble Knight. Show how Knight's writing demonstrates irony, self-mockery, and a worldliness not usually associated with our stereotypical images of the Puritans. How does she reconcile her worldliness with her religious faith?

10. Compare and contrast John Winthrop's (re)presentation of God in "A Modell of Christian Charity" as a loving, gentle Being with Jonathan Edwards' graphic portrayal of God's wrath. How can you reconcile two such differing (re)presentations? Or can they be reconciled?

11. Anne Bradstreet's persona: the mask of humility. Show how Bradstreet's poetic persona models humility while at the same time demonstrating a technical brilliance that belies the humble pose. (Poems to consider: "The Author to Her Book" and "Prologue.") Read a student essay in response to this topic!

12. Sex among the Puritans: Bradstreet's love poems to her husband. Contrast to her apparent denial of the worldly in "Flesh and Spirit." For someone set on Heaven, she seems to love this earthly paradise!

13. Explicate the images of weaving in Edward Taylor's "Huswifery" and then compare/contrast with Winthrop's use of "bond" imagery ("knit" in Winthrop does not mean knitting, as with needles, but rather the way bones knit). Discuss the similarities of tone in Winthrop's sermon and Taylor's poem---both works establish a picture of God's relationship with the individual human as one of free will and acceptance, not coercion or fear. Yet both insist on Divine Authority. Discuss.

14. Compare/contrast Taylor's vocabulary and diction with Bradstreet's. Pick a few specific examples of word choices. Where Bradstreet adopts a more informal level of speech, Taylor employs an elevated diction and style. Do these stylistic differences suggest any significant other differences? Do you think the fact that Taylor was a highly educated minister accounts for the elevated language? How does the difference in style establish a different persona?

15. Phillis Wheatley's use of irony and paradox. Show how and where Wheatley says more than one thing to her white audience. For those of you who know DuBois’s theory of double consciousness, you may wish to discuss how a Wheatley poem (or two--read beyond the selections assigned, particularly “To the University of Cambridge, in New England”) illustrates the theory.

16. Wheatley and Taylor, or Wheatley and Bradstreet. Select any two poems to compare/contrast. Select poems that have at least some similarities, so you can compare two relatively similar poems by different poets. Then discuss whether there are more significant similarities than the obvious ones, arguing that race or gender doesn’t seem to distance the poets that much, or, conversely, argue the opposite--that despite the similarities, these poets proceed to compose very different poems.

17. Form in Bradstreet (or Wheatley, or Taylor). Select one or more poems and discuss the stanza structure, rhyme scheme, meter and other aspects of the poem's craft. Come up with a thesis statement about what purpose the form serves. Does the poet use form creatively, or does the poet simply follow the form in what appears to be a mechanical fashion? Are there any interesting variations or departures from the pattern? Does the poet use assonance or alliteration to reinforce the effect of a particular line or idea? Do certain metaphors or similes, etc. help to create the poem's effect or to strengthen its ideas?

Questions? Email me at kosborne@popmail.colum.edu

Topics for second paper

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