REQUIRED TEXTS:         

Baym et al, The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 9th ed. Vols. A and B.

A dictionary and a thesaurus.

May 30-June 1            Read through syllabus. Read first Lecture: Early American Literature.

 June 5-June 9             John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity; Roger Williams, The Bloody Tenet of Persecution and Letter to the town of Providence. Anne Bradstreet, The Prologue, The Flesh and the Spirit, The Author to Her Book, To My Dear and Loving Husband, and Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House

             June 12-June 15         Mary Rowlandson, A Narrative of the Captivity of Mrs. Mary                                           Rowlandson (first six removes only).  Paper #1 Due Thursday by                                                 5 pm.  No exceptions. 

June 19-June 22         Benjamin Franklin, Information to Those Who Would Remove to America and Remarks Concerning The Savages of North America; Thomas Paine, from Common Sense (641-47); Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence.

June 26-June 29         MOVIE.  The Patriot   You will watch this at your own convenience.

July 3-July 6               Phillis Wheatley, On Being Brought from Africa to America, To the University of Cambridge in New England and To His Excellency General George Washington. Frederick Douglass, The  Meaning of July Fourth…

                                    July 4th Holiday (Tuesday)

July 10-July 13           Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance; William Cullen Bryant, Thanatopsis; Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown. 

July 17-July 20           Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, A Psalm of Life, The Slave’s Dream and My Lost Youth; Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.    Paper # 2 Due Wednesday by 5 pm.  No exceptions.  

July 24-27                  Abraham Lincoln, A House Divided…. Walt Whitman, When Lilacs Last in the  Dooryard Bloom’d and Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking; Emily Dickinson, 199, 258, 303,341 and 1129

                                                                                                                        Lewis—4

July 31-Aug. 3            Final Exam.  This exam is worth 35 points.  I will send it to you by                         email and I will give you 24 hours to return it to me.  You should                                     be able to fit this work into your schedule regardless of work or                                       school, child or parent care, or fun/vacation times. You may use                                       whatever venue is necessary to get the answers EXCEPT each                                           other.  Unapproved collaboration is scholastic dishonesty and is,                                         therefore, grounds for failure.  I will not make adjustments to the                         scheduled time for you to return this exam. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is a discussion oriented survey course.  This means that the pace will be rapid, the

tone introductory, and participation is a must.  My lectures will concern history,

biography, genre and other literary terms.  I expect you to read the assignments before

coming to class and be prepared to discuss them critically.  We will cover a period of

approximately 250 years.  Since our nation is marked by diversity, can we (should

we) attempt to locate commonalities in its literature?   As “cultural tourists” we will

examine these works for differences and similarities, and we will attempt to identify and

define the “American Dream.”

OBJECTIVES:

To analyze pre-20th century American literature from a variety of critical perspectives.

REQUIREMENTS

1. You must sign in to Blackboard at least once a week.  There you will find questions

regarding the texts.  You should attempt to answer as many as you can.  You are also

expected to interact with your classmates. Admittedly, this is an ambitious syllabus.

If you fail to sign in more than two times you may be withdrawn from the course.

More than one absence will adversely affect your participation grade.   Your participation grade will be based upon the number of times you sign in and the number of questions you address. Your final grade will be contingent upon the work you have done.

2. Instructions for each paper and exam will be posted on Blackboard.  You are responsible for information and notes. 

Lewis—2

1.  Paper #1:  Analysis of a story, essay or document.  1000 words.         25%

2.  Paper #2:  Analysis of a poem.  1000 words.                                         25%

3.  Final Exam:                                                                                              35%

4.  Participation:                                                                                            15%

GRADING SYSTEM

 91-100 = A; 81-90 = B; 71-80 = C; 61-70 = D; 60 and below = F

OTHER POINTS OF IMPORTANCE:

1.  I do not generally accept late papers.  You should budget your time wisely so that you will be “excuse-free” on paper day.  I am open, however, to explanations, and I will grant an extension when circumstances warrant it.
2. All work submitted in this course must be your own.  Avoid plagiarism. 
3. You must complete the paperwork in the Admissions Office should you decide to drop this course.  If you simply stop signing in to Blackboard after the final withdrawal date I will have no choice but to assign an “F” as your final grade.
4.  Students may not initiate an incomplete (I) grade.  In rare cases of emergency I         will issue an “I.”  The work must be completed before the end of the following semester or the grade becomes an “F.”
5. Your participation is equal to 15% of your final grade.  This means that if you do not participate in the online discussions your best grade will be a ‘B’ regardless of your papers and exam. 
6. The topic of each paper must be on our reading list.
7. If you miss an assignment you are subject to withdrawal.