Course Overview

This class will give you a solid grounding in American Literature from the landing of the first settlers up to the beginning of the Civil War. This is a large scope for a single-semester class, so the readings are selective, and the demands on students are significant. Early American literature is strangely foreign to us here at the dawn of the second millennium, so we must consider the historical context in order to understand where these writers are coming from. At the same time, the works we will cover are genuinely fascinating. They contribute to a deeper understanding of American culture and reveal perplexing contradictions in an identity that we have historically taken for granted.

We will begin with the writings of the very first European settlers in the New World who regarded their arrival here as an event that was completely unprecedented. The works of Christopher Columbus and Alvar Nuñez de Cabeza de Vaca introduce us to conflicts in American identity that continue through the subsequent works by Puritan settlers, eighteenth-century philosophers, slaves, profiteers and idealists. At the end of the semester, we arrive at our destination in the middle of the nineteenth century in a country poised on the brink of a devastating war. The conflicts about American identity that we will identify have persisted even to the present day and underlie many current political disagreements.

Objectives

Over the semester, I expect students to achieve the following goals:

• Be able to read texts that come from an era wildly different from their own.

• Be able to discuss these texts in the context of a classroom discussion or smaller discussion section.

• Write convincing arguments about the meanings of these texts-their qualities and their meanings in examinations and longer research papers.

• Recall key facts about the works in question including but not limited to the date of publication, the author, the title and its general meaning.

• Produce papers about literature that are interesting, articulate and well organized.

• Revise drafts of such papers before turning them in as finished products.

• Proofread papers effectively.

• Format papers according to MLA format and the conventions of college academic work.

• Discuss strengths and weaknesses of classmates' drafts as a means of helping them produce better final drafts.

• Teach these ideas effectively to others.

To reach these goals, students will need to do the following:

1. An analysis of a brief passage from the assigned works. DUE OCTOBER 9TH.

2. A research paper using a different work and making use of historical data to inform a reading of that work. DUE DECEMBER 6TH.

3. A mid-term examination including identification, short-answer and longer essay questions. ON OCTOBER 23RD.

4. A final examination covering the material from the entire semester and following a similar format. ON DECEMBER 16TH.

5. Attend class regularly and contribute to class discussion and group activities. In addition, bring a typed, complete draft to class on peer-editing days, and provide classmates with carefully considered comments on their own drafts on those days.

Grade Breakdown

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 semester. 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 (or Kirby Plaza) and on the web at <http://www.d.umn.edu/access/>.

Required Texts

Brown, Charles Brockden. Edgar Huntley.
Lauter, Paul, et. al. The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 1, Third Edition
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter.