English 451 – Contemporary American Literature
[ Schedule ]
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This course will focus on select American short stories and novels written after 1950. The goals of the class are for you to become more knowledgeable about the diversity of literature produced during this period and to become better readers and writers. TEXTS (in order
they will be read) The Ecco Anthology
of Contemporary Short Fiction (I’m
seeing used editions for 5 bucks) Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Morrison, Toni, Beloved DeLillo, Don. White Noise McCarthy, Cormac. The Road Ward, Jesmyn. Salvage the Bones
Insight
and Evidence – You will be asked to write in-class (but possiblly out), informal pieces
that demonstrate an active engagement with the readings. As the title
indicates, you will want to show insight into a particular reading both in
large concepts and specific details, and use evidence to support that
insight. Your I&E should turn a mix of facts, ideas, and opinions into a
coherent statement, providing a snapshot about what you are thinking and
learning. As they provide
a check on reading, these may or may not be announced. And they can only be
made up for excused and documented absences (3 pts each for a total of 20) Posts/Responses –A
secondary goal of ours is to form a community or readers, and the only way to
do that is to talk (or write) to one another. Please post on your
reading and on issues that are raised by the texts. Provide insight into the
works. Share pleasures (and frustrations), thoughts and ideas. I may try to
provide some prompts. You should post on 2 of the 3 novels before the
mid-term, and 3 of the 4 after. Responses to other posts can count and are in
fact encouraged. We’ll use D2L system. (2 pts each for 10 points—criteria
here is mainly that you do it). Mid-term
– Mainly designed to show that you’ve read and read closely. On the short
stories and novels so far—open book (20 pts). Exam/Final
Paper – An option here of depth (perhaps a paper on one of the novels) or
breadth (short answers showing reading, understanding, and links among
works)—probably take home (30 pts). Critical
Digest – Read a work of criticism (a chapter in a book or peer reviewed
journal article) on White Noise, Beloved, or The Road, and summarize/digest it in a paper and present to the
class. We will sign up – you can’t sign up for one, miss your date, and then
sign up for another. (10 pts) Presence, Participation, and Preparation – English courses are not lecture courses; they are reading and writing courses that require your consistent and active engagement. You can't earn high marks in this process if you aren't present, prepared, and participating. I and your classmates expect you to attend regularly and prepare thoughtfully for each class session. Each day you are present and give the class your full attention, you will earn a point. Also, although computers have proven to be a marvelous invention, because they can also be a great distraction, please remove them from your desk. I much prefer books over E-readers (and you can’t read on your phone). And, because they will also distract you from your full attention, please remove phones from your desk unless an emergency necessitates keeping one close (in which case you should notify me). One more thing—please take care of business before class so you don’t have to get up to leave in the middle of class. Anyone with perfect attendance will receive 2.5 points added to their final grade (an 88% = 90.5%) (25pts). Caveat—because of the crazy times we are in, if you have symptoms, stay home. Let me know and no penalty. No proof required. Total points = 110. Earned/110 = final
grade %. |
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