English 3563--American Literature I
Origins up to the Civil War

In the popular conception, Early American Literature conjures up images of rustic Puritans in New England whose literary production was derivative of the work produced in Britain at the time. Puritans were important to the founding of what came to be known as the United States, but they were by no means alone in this project. The United States emerged from a collision between Native American, Spanish, African and European cultures, and the literature of this time manifests a level complexity that belies a simple association between early America and Puritanism. Literature no longer needs to be in English, or to be by descendants of European immigrants to the New World to be classified as "American." While this new freedom opens up refreshing possibilities, it also requires us to exert more effort in delimiting our topic of study than we had before, but this process brings its own rewards.

This class will provide you with a survey of works of literature leading from the discovery of the New World to the US Civil War, which called into question the cohesiveness of the American identity that Americans had striven to establish for 350 years. While it is impossible to decide upon a single comprehensive definition of American identity, this course will examine several tendencies that have emerged in the cultures of America and that offer means of identifying some common threads that bring these cultures together. We will consider the early settlers' definitions of American as a land of unlimited resources as well as the views of writers in the nineteenth century who had to accommodate the moral failings of slavery within their accounts of America's liberty and prosperity.

The goal of this course is to give you an understanding of American literature from origins up to the Civil War across a variety of literary genres and cultural perspectives. While we explore these fascinating and complex issues, this course will also offer you experience in interpreting literary works. The mid-term and final exams will test your understanding of the readings and lectures, and the paper will allow you to spend time exploring the possibilities of a single work. There will also be a few informal assignments along the way.

The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1, Third Edition

James Fenimore Cooper, The Pioneers

Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin

Paper Assignment, Literary Cultures and Beliefs (30%)-Ð Choose one of the assigned texts and develop a thesis about the cultural vantage points or philosophical beliefs that are evident in the text. How are these cultures and beliefs different from those that prevalent in the present day? I will hand out a more complete explanation of this assignment later in the semester.

Mid-term (20%)-- Questions about the texts from the first part of the semester including four short-answer questions and one longer essay question.

Final (40%)-- Four short-answer questions about texts from the second half of the semester and two essay questions addressing texts from the entire semester.

Participation (10%)-- Credit for informal assignments, attendance and contribution to class discussions.

Your grade will depend primarily on your written work and the understanding of the material that you convey through that work. A command of standard written English and the ability to present an argument will also contribute to the determination of your grade. Any infractions against UMD's Scholastic Dishonesty provisions in the Student Conduct Code as stated in the UMD catalogue will receive serious attention and appropriate penalties.

Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might influence their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform me at the start of the quarter. I can make special adaptations of teaching methods, assignments, materials, or testing as required to provide for equitable participation in the course. The Access Center is also available to assist students with disabilities. It is located in 138 Library and on the web at <http://www.d.umn.edu/access>.