COURSE DESCRIPTION

In 1850, 20% of Americans lived in cities. By 1900, over 50% did. Some six million people poured into the U.S. between 1870 and 1890, and most lived in cities. This new population inhabited a cityscape that embodied all the tensions of an emerging social and economic order. As new people moved into new urban areas, as old orders gave way to new ones, leading writers and arbiters of taste were convinced that a dose of "realism" was necessary to reflect the changes in society. During the period after the civil war, the novel increasingly deals with the patterns and problems of urbanization. Like the etiquette books they parallel and criticize, American novels offered ways to "read" the character and conditions of people in an urban context, and to cope with the process of social change.

In this course, we’ll examine a handful selected texts (that also happen to be aesthetically pleasing) in their historical and social context:

A new reading public
Etiquette manuals
The "new woman"
Yellow journalism
Tenements and apartments
North and South
The telegraph, trans-continental railroad, trans-Atlantic cable
Darwin, Marx, Freud

Class Log

Students will write weekly reflective pieces on assigned readings, reminiscent of a journal entry. These personal responses are intended to be informal contemplations that nonetheless demonstrate an active engagement with the literature. These weekly entries should be about 200-300 words long, usually composed in response to study questions, and e-mailed to your instructor before class (before 9:00am, but deadlines can change).

Purpose: Writing a weekly response to the readings should help to enrich your understanding and strengthen your powers of verbal expression. The best aspect of writing a response 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.) The weekly entry is your initial contribution to class discussion. I will review the group's entries and guide discussion accordingly. (That's why they should come in early.) In class, you may at times be asked to summarize your entry or read it aloud, so be sure and keep printed copies. In discussion, you are expected to go beyond those points, listen to others, and develop fresh ideas. The response is not a substitute for talking and listening well.

Study Questions: I will post questions to our course web page or e-mail them to our course alias list (you can also send your response to this or privately to me). They will pose questions about the reading and may provide links to Library or Web resources. The questions help provide a focus for responses (so you don't just ramble or tell anecdotes). Entries that ignore questions may receive little or no credit.

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, both in large concepts and specific details, and (3) Provide a point of view or question about the reading that contributes to class discussion. You are working to turn a mix of facts, ideas, and opinions into a crisp, coherent statement. Responses are 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, 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.

Papers

Students will also be required to write two papers. The first will either involve research into some topic, a critical review of one of the works we're not reading, or a digest of one of the critical works pertaing to the period. (This is NOT A BOOK REPORT—Guidelines for the papers, suggestions for topics and a sign-up sheet to follow). The idea behind this paper is to demonstrate the ability to read closely, to hone research skills, and to create a rich compost to draw on for the final paper. These projects will be presented informally at a class meeting, and may be posted to our course web page (to create the compost).

This final paper should involve two or more of the works (at least one on our list), should provide greater depth and analysis and the ability to formulate and present an argument, and may require some secondary research. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED for the papers. For the responses, a few exceptions can be made. If you fail to hand in either Paper #1 or #2, you will unconditionally fail the course.

Attendance and Participation

Please be here on time; lateness is rude. You are expected to be in class every day, body and mind--that is, read the texts carefully and be ready to ask questions and engage in conversation. Absences may certainly harm your performance on the final or affect your grade in other ways. If you must miss class because of a bona-fide excuse (nuclear war, hospitalization, etc.), please notify me by phone or e-mail. You are responsible for terms, concepts, or ideas you may miss. Please read closely--annotate your texts--for the day the reading is assigned. You will not be penalized for being shy or reluctant to speak in class; however, you may contribute by posting responses to our e-mail list (perhaps just post the weekly response publicly). Remember, to participate is not to dominate; everyone deserves a chance in class discussions. Persons missing one class or none will receive three (3) points extra credit.

Academic Dishonesty

Radford University supports an Honor Code to which each of you is obliged to adhere. "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."

GRADING