LF 231 Spring 2006 Professor John N Serio Snell 276/ext. 3987

Sci Ctr 340 MW 1–2:15 PM serio@clarkson.edu

American Literature, II

Text: The American Tradition in Literature, Shorter Edition in One Volume. 10^th ed.
(McGraw-Hill, 2002) ISBN: 0-07-248681-3

Assignments:

Jan. 16 M Course Introduction

Jan. 18 W Robert Frost “The Tuft of Flowers,” “Mending Wall,” “Home Burial,” “After

Apple-Picking,” “The Wood-Pile,” “The Road Not Taken,” “The Oven Bird,” “Birches” (1389–97)

Jan. 23 M Robert Frost “The Witch of Coös,” “Fire and Ice,” “Stopping by Woods on a

Snowy Evening,” “Two Tramps in Mud Time,” “Desert Places,” “Design,” “Come In,” “Directive” (1403–11)

Jan. 25 W Robert Frost Robert Frost (videotape)

Jan. 30 M Sherwood Anderson “The Book of the Grotesque” “Adventure” (1419–23)

“Hands,” “Paper Pills” (handout)

Feb. 01 W Sherwood Anderson “Mother,” “The Philosopher,” “Nobody Knows” (handout)

Feb. 06 M T. S. Eliot “Tradition and the Individual Talent,”

“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (1449–58)

First Formal Essay Due

Feb. 08 W Wallace Stevens “Peter Quince at the Clavier,” “Disillusionment of Ten

O’Clock,” “Sunday Morning,” “Anecdote of the Jar” (1494–1500)

Winter Break

Feb. 15 W Wallace Stevens “The Snow Man,” “The Emperor of Ice-Cream,” “The Idea of Order at Key West,” “A Postcard from the Volcano,” “Of Modern Poetry,” “The Plain Sense of Things,” “Of Mere Being” (1500–07)

Feb. 17 F William Carlos Williams “The Young Housewife,” “Tract,” “Queen-Anne’s Lace,” “The

Great Figure,” “Spring and All,” “The Red Wheelbarrow,”

“This Is Just to Say,” “The Yachts,” “The Dance,” “The Ivy Crown” (1509–20)

Feb. 20 M E. E. Cummings “Thy Fingers Make Early Flowers Of,” “When God Lets My

Body Be,” “In Just–,” “Buffalo Bill’s,” “My Sweet Old

Etcetra,” “I Sing of Olaf Glad and Big,” “Somewhere I Have

Never Travelled,Gladly Beyond,” “Anyone Lived in a Pretty

How Town,” “My Father Moved through Dooms of Love,”

“Plato Told” “When Serpents Bargain for the Right to Squirm,”

“I Thank You God” (1592–1602)

Feb. 22 W F. Scott Fitzgerald “Babylon Revisited” (1611–25)

William Faulkner “Barn Burning” (1655–77)

Feb. 27 M Ernest Hemingway “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” (handout)

Mar. 01 W Eugene O’Neill The Hairy Ape (1552–80)

Mar. 06 M Eugene O’Neill Film: Desire Under the Elms

Second Formal Essay Due

Mar. 08 W Eugene O’Neill Film: Desire Under the Elms

Spring Recess: March 13–March 17

Mar. 20 M Elizabeth Bishop “The Fish,” “Sestina,” “In the Waiting Room,” One Art”

(1760–69)

John Berryman from The Dream Songs (1770–75)

Mar. 22 W Katherine Anne Porter “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” (1682–88)

Richard Wright from Black Boy [“A Five Dollar Fight”] (1689–95)

Mar. 27 M John Cheever “The Swimmer” (1797–1804)

Ralph Ellison from Invisible Man [“Battle Royal”] (1805–15)

Mar. 29 W Bernard Malamud “The Mourners” (1816–20)

Flannery O’Connor “Good Country People” (1843–55)

Apr. 03 M Toni Morrison from Sula (1983–91)

Alice Walker “Everyday Use” (2077–83)

Mar. 05 W In-class Essay and/or Examination

Apr. 10 M Philip Roth “The Conversion of the Jews” (2001–11)

Bobbie Ann Mason “Shiloh” (2067–76)

Apr. 12 W Thomas Pynchon “Entropy” (2028–37)

Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are Your Going, Where Have You Been?” (2055–66)

Apr. 17 M Raymond Carver “A Small, Good Thing” (2039–54)

Amy Tan “Half and Half” (2101–10)

Apr. 19 W Tim O’Brien “Going After Cacciato” (2084–90)

Louise Erdrich “The Red Convertible” (2111–17)

Apr. 24 M Isaac Bashevis Ginger “Gimpel the Fool” (2136–45)

Bharati Mukherjee “The Management of Grief” (2189–98)

Apr. 26 W Sylvia Plath poems (1933–39)

A. R. Ammons poems (1869–76)

Final Examination Week: May 01–May 5, 2006 No Final Examination

May 02 Tu Third Formal Essay Due by noon in my office.

Course Information:

Objectives and Outcomes: The main objectives of this course are to introduce students to the rich and varied tradition of American literature that emerged in the twentieth century and to foster critical thinking. By examining texts closely and by having students respond to them through class discussion and expository writing, the course aims at improving students’ interpretative abilities as well as their reading and writing skills. These objectives will be met by the reading and writing assignments and by the discussion format of the course.

Assignments: Reading assignments should be completed before class on the assigned date. It is a good idea to read, highlight important passages, and then review the material before class.

Discussion: Your response to the reading material constitutes an important aspect of this course. Through discussion and a sharing of ideas and questions, we can all gain deeper insights into these works. In order to receive at least a 3.0 (B) for the discussion portion, you must volunteer, not merely respond when called upon.

Attendance: Since class discussion is important, attendance is required. Persistent absences incur incremental penalties (remember we meet only twice a week): .25 will be deducted from your final grade point average for 4–5 absences; .50 for 7–8 absences; 1.0 for 9–10 absences; 2.0 for 11–12 absences; etc. Persistent tardiness and sleeping in class may count against your attendance. Always let me know when you cannot attend class.

Initiative: Demonstrate initiative. It is your responsibility to keep up with assignments. Contact me or a classmate if you have missed or will miss a class and need to know what to do for the next assignment.

Grading: Grading will be traditional. Three formal essays (four pages each, word processed) and a one hour examination count 70%; possible quizzes and discussion 30%. Late work may be penalized. These are minimum course requirements. I reserve the right to alter these assignments and percentages.

Grade Scales: Minimum averages: 3.65=A; 3.30=B+; 2.80=B; 2.30=C+; 1.80=C; 1.30=D+; .80=D; .00=F. 92–100=4.0; 87–91=3.5; 82–86=3.0; 77–81=2.5; 72–76=2.0; 67–71=1.5; 62–66=1.0; 0–61=0.0

Revision Policy: You may revise for full credit your first or second formal essay. It must be a true revision and not merely a cleaning-up of mechanical errors, and it should be completed within approximately one week of having received the original, graded essay back. Hand in the revision with the graded version attached.

The Writing Center: Utilize the free and helpful tutorial services of the Writing Center while working on papers. It is located in Snell 139. Hours: M–Th 12:30–4:30 p.m., and 6:30–8:00 p.m.; Fri. 12:30–2:30 p.m.; Sun 6:30–8:00 p.m. Phone: ext. 4439. E-mail: writcent@clarkson.edu

Plagiarism: Note well: Plagiarism will result in a grade of F in the course. It is not necessary for you to read any outside sources; simply concentrate on the text(s). However, if you use an outside source, such as the Web, you must provide the proper acknowledgment; otherwise you will fail the course. You may not submit work done for another course. All formal essays must be submitted to <www.turnitin.com> before you hand them in. Suggestion: Spend your time reading and re-reading the assigned text rather than reading outside sources. I am interested in your response, not the response of others.

Office Hours: M, Tu,W 2:30 p.m.–4 p.m. and by appointment. Feel free to drop in anytime, especially if you are experiencing difficulties.

Course Information:

Objectives and Outcomes: The main objectives of this course are to introduce students to the rich and varied tradition of American literature that emerged in the twentieth century and to foster critical thinking. By examining texts closely and by having students respond to them through class discussion and expository writing, the course aims at improving students’ interpretative abilities as well as their reading and writing skills. These objectives will be met by the reading and writing assignments and by the discussion format of the course.

Assignments: Reading assignments should be completed before class on the assigned date. It is a good idea to read, highlight important passages, and then review the material before class.

Discussion: Your response to the reading material constitutes an important aspect of this course. Through discussion and a sharing of ideas and questions, we can all gain deeper insights into these works. In order to receive at least a 3.0 (B) for the discussion portion, you must volunteer, not merely respond when called upon.

Attendance: Since class discussion is important, attendance is required. Persistent absences incur incremental penalties (remember we meet only twice a week): .25 will be deducted from your final grade point average for 4–5 absences; .50 for 7–8 absences; 1.0 for 9–10 absences; 2.0 for 11–12 absences; etc. Persistent tardiness and sleeping in class may count against your attendance. Always let me know when you cannot attend class.

Initiative: Demonstrate initiative. It is your responsibility to keep up with assignments. Contact me or a classmate if you have missed or will miss a class and need to know what to do for the next assignment.

Grading: Grading will be traditional. Three formal essays (four pages each, word processed) and a one hour examination count 70%; possible quizzes and discussion 30%. Late work may be penalized. These are minimum course requirements. I reserve the right to alter these assignments and percentages.

Grade Scales: Minimum averages: 3.65=A; 3.30=B+; 2.80=B; 2.30=C+; 1.80=C; 1.30=D+; .80=D; .00=F. 92–100=4.0; 87–91=3.5; 82–86=3.0; 77–81=2.5; 72–76=2.0; 67–71=1.5; 62–66=1.0; 0–61=0.0

Revision Policy: You may revise for full credit your first or second formal essay. It must be a true revision and not merely a cleaning-up of mechanical errors, and it should be completed within approximately one week of having received the original, graded essay back. Hand in the revision with the graded version attached.

The Writing Center: Utilize the free and helpful tutorial services of the Writing Center while working on papers. It is located in Snell 139. Hours: M–Th 12:30–4:30 p.m., and 6:30–8:00 p.m.; Fri. 12:30–2:30 p.m.; Sun 6:30–8:00 p.m. Phone: ext. 4439. E-mail: writcent@clarkson.edu

Plagiarism: Note well: Plagiarism will result in a grade of F in the course. It is not necessary for you to read any outside sources; simply concentrate on the text(s). However, if you use an outside source, such as the Web, you must provide the proper acknowledgment; otherwise you will fail the course. You may not submit work done for another course. All formal essays must be submitted to <www.turnitin.com> before you hand them in. Suggestion: Spend your time reading and re-reading the assigned text rather than reading outside sources. I am interested in your response, not the response of others.

Office Hours: M, Tu,W 2:30 p.m.–4 p.m. and by appointment. Feel free to drop in anytime, especially if you are experiencing difficulties.

I have read and understand and will abide by the above regulations.

Please Print Name ______________________ Signature ______________________