This class in American literature will focus on the theme of "awakenings," on various attempts by American writers to call on Americans to wake up and be alert to different realities: spiritual, political, economic, social.  America has offered the promise of some kind of "dream," but American literature displays that we have a lot of trouble mediating between our ideals or dreams on the one hand and the realities of our daily lives. The course will strive to be not comprehensive but representative, and an effort will be made to show American literature in its rich variety, as a conversation of many voices.

Student Goals and Objectives

Like all English courses, this is a course in reading and writing.  The general goal for this course is for you to become a better reader--more responsive and insightful--and a better writer-richer and more precise. You should also:

Course Requirements

Your first and most important task is the reading. Check the schedule for the day's reading (you should read what is listed there in preparation for that day).  When you read, you are expected to: 

You will have four main assignments:

Monday question -- Students should read the assigned works prior to each class period. Furthermore, students should come to class with at least one question that will get the class talking (only on Monday will it have to be in writing). Your question should help you (and us) examine what you believe to be the most important ideas of the piece. Try to ask questions that get at its purpose and its significance, assumptions and biases, evidence and argument. Avoid simplistic questions that can be answered with a "yes" or a "no" or with a simple objective fact. If you wish, some of your questions may draw parallels or contrasts among the other readings for the course. Write your question on an index card and turn it in at the beginning of class. Asking questions is a key element to your academic success. Many students enter the university thinking the accumulation of information is the goal of their work, but the questions they are able to ask help them to focus their study and discriminate between important and less important information--whether they are preparing for an exam or writing a senior thesis.  

Weekly Response -- In addition to these questions, students will write weekly response entries. These responses are intended to be informal contemplations that nonetheless demonstrate an active engagement with the literature. These weekly entries should be no longer than a page (200-300 wrds), double-spaced (11 pt, Times Roman font; 1 inch margins) composed in response to a particular question(s) that will be posted on the course web page or WebCT (perhaps emerging from our daily questions). These responses should have a title, a clear point of view or thesis, and development that supports this thesis in a clear, ordered way.   

Purpose: Writing a log on the readings should help to enrich your understanding and strengthen your powers of verbal expression. The best aspect of keeping a journal is that it supports your personal and intellectual growth. It also verifies that you've done the reading, thought about it, and don't need quizzes to test that knowledge.

Response Questions -- The questions will pose questions about the reading and may provide links to Library or Web resources. The questions help provide a focus for your response (so you don't just ramble or tell anecdotes). Entries that ignore questions may receive little or no credit. In general, we will ask these broad study questions when we discuss the works, though there will be more specific ones for each week.

Content of Entries -- You are expected to work toward three objectives: (1) Respond to a particular study question. (2) Show your knowledge of the reading, from beginning to end, both in large concepts and specific details. (3) Provide a point of view about the reading that contributes to our class discussion. You are working to turn a mix of facts, ideas, and opinions into a crisp, coherent statement. Your weekly response is a series of snapshots about what you are thinking and learning.

Your entries need not be a polished final product. The prose should be informal but clear (please spellcheck and proofread) and could be considered the level of discourse you might expect in a good letter or memo from a colleague at work. It should be writing however and not "chat" (as in a chat room), because this kind of writing/speech can be slangy, disconnected, and simplistic in vocabulary. Please observe the conventions of American Standard Edited English.

Criteria for assessment -- Each response will be graded according to how successfully it: 1) exhibits a clear point of view about the reading that opens up discussion of key issues raised by the text; 2) uses specific evidence to support that view; 3) uses clear writing get points across (I won't be a stickler for grammar in the responses, but please use capital letters and other conventions of non-email English). Each log will receive a grade of 3 (strong), 2 (acceptable), 1 (poor) or no credit).   

Sample Student Response 1
Sample Student Response 2
My Response to Crevecoeur

Quizzes -- Quizzes cannot be made up. Quizzes should not present a problem to those who keep up with the reading.

Footnote -- You will also be asked to write and briefly present a short paper (1-2 pages, or several pages if slides) on an extended "footnote" from one of the texts (your choice of footnote does not have to come from one of theirs). Unlike the short notes in the book, these footnotes would extend and clarify obscure historical details and will require some library or internet research (you must document your sources per MLA or APA, and a web address is not a full citation!).  Your footnote will explicate necessary background material, historical references or literary allusions made by one of the writers that may be important in understanding the particular work. For example, if Thoreau refers to the Fugitive Slave laws, you should provide the relevant historical background and the context that Thoreau discusses them. You should also interpret why the particular reference is important to understanding Thoreau's piece. You may elect to do these footnotes in pairs (possibly threes), or alone. Prepare something that can be viewed by the class on the screen (PowerPoint, web page), though you will also hand something in to your instructor.  We will sign up for these early in the semester. If you wish, please talk with me about your choice and the topic you wish to present. Sample on Benjamin Franklin's "The Autobiography."  See also these guidelines for the "footnote" presentation. Footnotes cannot be made up--you must be present on the day you are scheduled to present. 

Presence, Preparation, and Participation -- Since "awakenings" is a theme of our course, you must be alert, attentive and awake during all class sessions. English courses are not lecture courses; they are reading and writing courses that require your consistent and active engagement. As such, they often have a de facto attendance policy, as this one does. You can't earn high marks in this process if you aren't present, prepared, and participating. Your instructor and your classmates expect you to attend regularly and prepare thoughtfully for each class session. Complete the assignments prior to our meeting and come to class ready to work, share, and listen. Throughout the semester, you will most likely work closely with your classmates reading and responding to each other's work. Everyone will benefit if we are all prepared to engage in this type of work. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. If you must be out for a good reason (nuclear war, hospitalization), check the syllabus and see me or another classmate about any information you have missed.  You may not hand in "Monday questions" or quizzes unless you are in class and stay the whole time. Since some of your work will be turned in over WebCT, where there is an electronic cutoff time, you will not be able to hand in late work (unless you contact me).

If you cannot attend class regularly, you might consider dropping the course and taking it at another time. Lateness (without a good excuse) and coming to class without a book will count as a ½ day absent. As a courtesy, please turn off cell phones and pages prior to class meetings and remove them from the table. If an emergency necessitates leaving one on, please let me know prior to class.

If you miss six days of class (for whatever reason), your grade will be affected and you should consider withdrawing from the course. If you miss eight (again, for whatever reason), you will have missed so much in terms of daily work and instruction that you will unconditionally fail the course. Persons missing one class or none will receive extra credit.

Academic Honesty and Plagiarism — The University Affairs Council has asked all faculty to include the following statement in our course policies:

"By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. Please refer to your Student Handbook for details."

Plagiarism, or the use of work by another person, or the use of someone else's words, ideas or arrangement of ideas without giving proper reference to the author, is a serious violation of the Honor Code. You must give credit to other people's ideas and words, even if you put the idea in your own words (even if you paraphrase it). You must also provide full and correct documentation of the exact location of any sources that helped you, including Web or electronic resources. Plagiarism will result in an "F" for the course and the institution of formal disciplinary procedures.

Grading

Weekly Response: 30