| Instructor Information |
| Instructor |
Jessie Doiron |
| Email |
doironjj@lamarpa.edu |
| Phone |
(409) 984-6337 |
| Office |
Madison Monroe Education - Room: 228 |
| Office Hours |
The instructor is adjunct without a designated office space on campus. |
| Additional Contact Information |
Lamar University Department of English Maes Building Office 0-38 Beaumont, Texas |
| Course Information |
| Description |
A survey of American literature from the period of exploration and settlement to the present. Students will study works of prose, poetry, drama, and fiction in relation to their historical and cultural contexts. Texts will be selected from among a diverse group of authors for what they reflect and reveal about the evolving American experience and character.
|
| Required Textbooks |
Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.
Required Course Textbooks
-
The American Tradition in Literature, 11th edition. Perkins and Perkins. McGraw-Hill, 2007.
-
The Little Brown Handbook, 12th edition. Fowler, Aaron, and Marshall. Pearson Publishing, 2012.
-
Any college-level dictionary.
|
| Additional Materials/Resources |
Novels by Ernest Hemingway -- Students select a title from those novels available.
Farewell to Arms
To Have and Have Not
The Sun Also Rises
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Islands in the Stream
True at First Light
The Old Man and the Sea
The Garden of Eden
|
| Corequisites/Prerequisites |
-
ENG-131 Composition
-
ENGL-1301 Composition I
|
| Learning Outcomes |
|
Learning Outcomes |
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Identify key ideas, representative authors and works, significant historical or cultural events, and characteristic perspectives or attitudes expressed in the literature of different periods or regions.
2. Analyze literary works as expressions of individual or communal values within social/ethical, political, cultural, or religious contexts of different literary periods.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the development of characteristic forms or styles of expression during different historical periods or in different regions.
4. Articulate the aesthetic principles that guide the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.
5. Write research-based critical papers about the assigned readings in clear and grammatically correct prose, using various critical approaches to literature. |
|
Core Objectives |
* Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and visual communication.
* Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions.
* Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities.
* Personal Responsibility: Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making. |
|
| Core Objectives |
Course Aims
-
Develop reading comprehension and critical analysis
-
Develop writing skills – analytical, practical, and academic compositional skills
-
Provide experience in critical reading of written works shown to be of literary value
-
Provide opportunities to interpret (explicate and analyze) the meaning of these written works.
-
Review major characteristics of poetry, essay, short story, and novel
-
Provide opportunity to master resources effectively through a writing project – the research essay
-
Inform students of academic formatting for a written presentation of ideas and research
-
Expose students to more than fifty literary figures (novel, short story, essay, and poetry.
-
Present reports on the biographical and literary backgrounds of American writers.
-
Compose a written research essay with a clear thesis and analytical support.
-
Hone skills in composition, e.g. sentence development, paragraphing, and essay construction.
-
Demonstrate, through writing, a knowledge of Standard English grammar, usage, and punctuation.
-
Demonstrate through various assignments ability to think critically and argue cogently.
-
Demonstrate competent use of academic style to document sources in compositions.
-
Enhance skills developed in the prerequisite courses of English composition.
|
| Lecture Topics Outline |
First Class Day June 7, 2021 (Monday)
Independence Day Holiday (observed) July 5, 2021 (Monday)
Last Class Day/Final Exams July 12, 2021 (Monday)
Final Grades Due by 4:00 p.m. July 12, 2021 (Monday)
Week 1 COURSE START Review of Course Packet
Week 2 The Colonies and Puritanism
Week 3 Reason and Revolution
Week 4 Romantic Temper and the House Divided
Week 5 Romanticism
Week 6 The Humanitarian Sensibility
Week 7 An Age of Expansion
Week 8 Realists and Regionalists
Week 9 The Turn of the Century
Week 10 Literary Renaissance
Week 11 A Literature of Social and Cultural Challenge
Week 12 The Second World War and Its Aftermath
Week 13 The Second World War and Its Aftermath (continued)
Week 14 A Century Ends
Week 15 Globalization of American Literature
Week 16 FINAL DAYS OF COURSE ALL WORK DUE
Detailed Lecture Schedule
Module 1 COURSE START –
August 25 Introduction to course, books, methodology
Review of Course Packet
“Exploration and the Colonies” pp. 1 – 29
Module 2 The Colonies and Puritanism
September 1 John Smith pp. 33 – 42
William Bradford pp. 42 – 58
“The Colonies” pp. 33 – 58
Anne Bradstreet pp. 67 – 80
“Crosscurrents” pp 112 – 114
Cotton Mather pp. 117 – 125
Module 3 Reason and Revolution -- CRITICAL ANALYSIS
September 8 Background Information pp. 155 – 160 Ernest Hemingway's Ficition
Benjamin Franklin pp. 188 – 233 Select a Work for Research
“Crosscurrents” p. 233
Thomas Paine pp. 240 – 257
Thomas Jefferson pp. 257 – 270
Olaudah Equiano pp. 270 – 280
Phillis Wheatley pp. 280 – 286
Module 4 Romantic Temper and the House Divided CRITICAL ANALYSISSeptember 15
Background Information pp .293 – 299 continued
Washington Irving pp. 301 – 333
William Cullen Bryant pp. 346 – 358
“Transcendentalism” pp. 362 – 365
Ralph Waldo Emerson pp. 365 – 452
Henry David Thoreau pp. 478 – 561
Module 5 Romanticism TEST ONE
September 22 Background p. 561 BEGIN
Edgar Allan Poe pp. 563 – 621
“Crosscurrents” pp. 621
Nathaniel Hawthorne pp. 626 – 697
Herman Melville pp. 697 – 779
“Crosscurrents” p. 785
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow pp. 799 – 831
Module 6 The Humanitarian Sensibility TEST ONE
September 29 Background pp. 779 – 886 COMPLETE
Oliver Wendell Holmes pp. 838 – 844
Abraham Lincoln pp. 844 – 850
Fredrick Douglas pp. 874 – 889
Module 7 An Age of Expansion CRITICAL ANALYSIS
October 6 Background pp. 889 – 898 continued
Walt Whitman pp. 898 – 986
Emily Dickinson pp. 986 – 1020
Module 8 Realists and Regionalists CRITICAL ANALYSISOctober 13
Background Information p. 1021 continued
Mark Twain pp. 1021 – 1052
“Crosscurrents” pp. 1052
Booker T. Washington pp. 1061 – 1065
The Turn of the Century
Background pp. 1193 – 1199
Sarah Orne Jewett pp. 1208 – 1216
Kate Chopin pp. 1216 – 1304
Module 9 The Turn of the Century CRITICAL ANALYSIS
October 20 Background pp. 1193 – 1199 continued
“Crosscurrents” p. 1328
W. E. B. Du Bois pp. 1337 – 1340
Stephen Crane pp. 1331 and pp. 1367 – 1386
Jack London pp. 1401—1413
Module 10 Literary Renaissance TEST TWO
October 27 Background pp. 1413 – 1419 BEGIN
Robert Frost pp. 1448 – 1474
Carl Sandburg pp. 1474 – 1478
T. S. Eliot pp. 1516 – 1547
Poets of Idea and Order p. 1563
Wallace Stevens pp. 1563 – 1577
William Carlos Williams pp. 1577 – 1589
Module 11 A Literature of Social TEST TWO
November 3 and Cultural Challenge COMPLETE
Background pp. 1607 – 1616
e. e. cummings pp. 1659 – 1670
“Crosscurrents” p. 1670
Langston Hughes pp. 1679 – 1686
Ernest Hemingway pp. 1744 – 1758
Module 12 The Second World War and Its Aftermath CRITICAL ANALYSIS
November 10 Background pp. 1773 – 1784 continued
Poetry p. 1840
Theodore Roethke pp. 1840 – 1848
Elizabeth Bishop pp. 1848 – 1857
Gwendolyn Brooks pp. 1865 – 1871
Robert Bly pp. 1879 – 1882
Module 13 The Second World War and Its Aftermath CRITICAL ANALYSIS
November 17 Background pp. 1773 – 1784 continued
John Cheever pp. 1907 – 1917
Ralph Ellison pp. 1917 – 1927
James Baldwin pp. 1933 – 1955
John Updike pp. 1986 – 1994
Philip Roth pp. 1994 – 2006
Thomas Pynchon pp. 2006 –2017
James Wright pp. 2048 – 2053
Sylvia Plath pp. 2068 – 2077
Module 14 A Century Ends CRITICAL ANALYSIS
November 24 Background pp. 2031 – 2040 continued
Toni Morrison pp. 2102 – 2111
Raymond Carver pp. 2111 – 2127
Sandra Cisneros pp. 2174 – 2182
Sherman Alexie pp. 2182 – 2199
Module 15 Globalization of American Literature CRITICAL ANALYSIS
November 29 Vladimir Nabokov pp. 2202 – 2215 continued
Isaac Bashevis Singer pp. 2215 – 2226
Module 16 FINAL DAYS OF COURSE
December 1 RESEARCH PAPER CRITICAL ANALYSIS
TEST THREE TEST THREE
COURSE END ALL WORK DUE
|
| Major Assignments Schedule |
Preliminary Work Schedule
The American Tradition in Literature, 11th edition
Perkins and Perkins. McGraw-Hill, 2007
First Class Day June 7, 2021 (Monday)
Independence Day Holiday (observed) July 5, 2021 (Monday)
Last Class Day/Final Exams July 12, 2021 (Monday)
Final Grades Due by 4:00 p.m. July 12, 2021 (Monday)
Module 1 COURSE START –
August 25
Introduction to course, books, methodology
Review of Course Packet
“Exploration and the Colonies” pp. 1 – 29
Module 2 The Colonies and Puritanism
September 1
John Smith pp. 33 – 42
William Bradford pp. 42 – 58
“The Colonies” pp. 33 – 58
Anne Bradstreet pp. 67 – 80
“Crosscurrents” pp 112 – 114
Cotton Mather pp. 117 – 125
Module 3 Reason and Revolution -- CRITICAL ANALYSIS
September 8
Background Information pp. 155 – 160 a novel by Ernest Hemingway
Benjamin Franklin pp. 188 – 233
“Crosscurrents” p. 233
Thomas Paine pp. 240 – 257
Thomas Jefferson pp. 257 – 270
Olaudah Equiano pp. 270 – 280
Phillis Wheatley pp. 280 – 286
Module 4 Romantic Temper and the House Divided CRITICAL ANALYSISSeptember 15
Background Information pp .293 – 299 continued
Washington Irving pp. 301 – 333
William Cullen Bryant pp. 346 – 358
“Transcendentalism” pp. 362 – 365
Ralph Waldo Emerson pp. 365 – 452
Henry David Thoreau pp. 478 – 561
Module 5 Romanticism TEST ONE BEGIN
September 22
Background p. 561
Edgar Allan Poe pp. 563 – 621
“Crosscurrents” pp. 621
Nathaniel Hawthorne pp. 626 – 697
Herman Melville pp. 697 – 779
“Crosscurrents” p. 785
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow pp. 799 – 831
Module 6 The Humanitarian Sensibility TEST ONE COMPLETE
September 29
Background pp. 779 – 886
Oliver Wendell Holmes pp. 838 – 844
Abraham Lincoln pp. 844 – 850
Fredrick Douglas pp. 874 – 889
Module 7 An Age of Expansion CRITICAL ANALYSIS continued
October 6
Background pp. 889 – 898
Walt Whitman pp. 898 – 986
Emily Dickinson pp. 986 – 1020
Module 8 Realists and Regionalists CRITICAL ANALYSIS continued
October 13
Background Information p. 1021
Mark Twain pp. 1021 – 1052
“Crosscurrents” pp. 1052
Booker T. Washington pp. 1061 – 1065
The Turn of the Century
Background pp. 1193 – 1199
Sarah Orne Jewett pp. 1208 – 1216
Kate Chopin pp. 1216 – 1304
Module 9 The Turn of the Century CRITICAL ANALYSIS continued
October 20
Background pp. 1193 – 1199
“Crosscurrents” p. 1328
W. E. B. Du Bois pp. 1337 – 1340
Stephen Crane pp. 1331 and pp. 1367 – 1386
Jack London pp. 1401—1413
Module 10 Literary Renaissance TEST TWO BEGIN
October 27
Background pp. 1413 – 1419
Robert Frost pp. 1448 – 1474
Carl Sandburg pp. 1474 – 1478
T. S. Eliot pp. 1516 – 1547
Poets of Idea and Order p. 1563
Wallace Stevens pp. 1563 – 1577
William Carlos Williams pp. 1577 – 1589
Module 11 A Literature of Social TEST TWO COMPLETE
November 3 and Cultural Challenge
Background pp. 1607 – 1616
e. e. cummings pp. 1659 – 1670
“Crosscurrents” p. 1670
Langston Hughes pp. 1679 – 1686
Ernest Hemingway pp. 1744 – 1758
Module 12 The Second World War and Its Aftermath CRITICAL ANALYSIS continued
November 10
Background pp. 1773 – 1784
Poetry p. 1840
Theodore Roethke pp. 1840 – 1848
Elizabeth Bishop pp. 1848 – 1857
Gwendolyn Brooks pp. 1865 – 1871
Robert Bly pp. 1879 – 1882
Module 13 The Second World War and Its Aftermath CRITICAL ANALYSIS continued
November 17
Background pp. 1773 – 1784
John Cheever pp. 1907 – 1917
Ralph Ellison pp. 1917 – 1927
James Baldwin pp. 1933 – 1955
John Updike pp. 1986 – 1994
Philip Roth pp. 1994 – 2006
Thomas Pynchon pp. 2006 –2017
James Wright pp. 2048 – 2053
Sylvia Plath pp. 2068 – 2077
Module 14 A Century Ends CRITICAL ANALYSIS continued
November 24
Background pp. 2031 – 2040
Toni Morrison pp. 2102 – 2111
Raymond Carver pp. 2111 – 2127
Sandra Cisneros pp. 2174 – 2182
Sherman Alexie pp. 2182 – 2199
Module 15 Globalization of American Literature CRITICAL ANALYSIS continued
November 29
Vladimir Nabokov pp. 2202 – 2215
Isaac Bashevis Singer pp. 2215 – 2226
Module 16 FINAL DAYS OF COURSE
December 1 RESEARCH PAPER CRITICAL ANALYSIS
TEST THREE TEST THREE
COURSE END ALL WORK DUE
|
| Final Exam Date |
December 1, 2022 - 6:0 PM
|
| Grading Scale |
Grading Policy
-
Content Exams / Tests 30% 3 exams 10% each = 30 points
-
Writing Assignment – Critical Analysis 25% 1 Critical Analysis 25% = 25 points
-
Written Comments in the Discussions 45% 15 discussions 3% each = 45 points
_____________________________________________________________________________
ALL ASSESSEMENTS /ASSIGNMENTS 100% All Course Work = 100 points
Grading Scale
90 – 100 = A
80 -- 89 = B
70 -- 79 = C
60 – 69 = D
below 59 = F
|
Determination of
Final Grade |
Grading Policy
-
Content Exams / Tests 30% 3 exams 10% each = 30 points
-
Writing Assignment – Critical Analysis 25% 1 Critical Analysis 25% = 25 points
-
Written Comments in the Discussions 45% 15 discussions 3% each = 45 points
_____________________________________________________________________________
ALL ASSESSEMENTS /ASSIGNMENTS 100% All Course Work = 100 points
Grading Scale
90 – 100 = A
80 -- 89 = B
70 -- 79 = C
60 – 69 = D
below 59 = F
|
| Course Policies |
| Instructor Policies |
Tardiness – Research Paper, Tests, Discussions
Tardy submissions of work will not count in the calculation of course points. Students must complete all assessments, assignments, and tasks for the course by the August 3 deadline set by LSCPA and TDCJ. All work must be submitted properly, as scheduled by TDCJ and LSCPA, to earn credit for calculation of the course grade.
Excused Absence
For absences to be excused, a student must receive authorization from the TDCJ of the need to be absent.
Make-up Work / Late Assignments
-
A student must receive specific permission from the TDCJ and LSCPA to make up missed work or turn in an assignment after its original due date.
-
I will permit make up work and accept overdue assignments only under excused absences or in situations of extreme hardship.
-
Approved make up work will correspond to the original assignment in grade value plus one or more of the following categories: subject matter, form, style, level of difficulty, learning focus.
-
Make-up work must be approved by the LSCPA Director of the Inmate Instruction Program.
Dropping Class
-
If a student wishes to drop a class, it is always the student’s obligation to complete the required procedures for dropping. Instructions for dropping a class can be obtained through the LSCPA office of Inmate Instruction and the TDCJ Mark Stiles Education Program.
-
It is also the student’s responsibility to drop even for reasons of illness or personal hardship. In such cases, it is the student’s duty to complete the drop process through the TDCJ or LSCPA.
-
If a student decides to stop participating but does not complete the official drop procedure, he will, in all likelihood, earn a grade of “F” in the course.
Plagiarism/ Collusion / Cheating -- REFER TO TSUS POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Students who plagiarize, collude, or cheat on any course assignment will earn a failing grade for the course.
Plagiarismcan lead to a student’s receiving a failing grade in the course and can result in administrative action through which the student is suspended from the university. Plagiarism is the appropriation of passages, either word for word, or in substance, from the writing of someone else, and the incorporation of such passages as one’s own, in an assignment offered for credit.
Collusioncould lead to a student’s receiving a failing grade on a particular assignment or for the course.Collusion refers to the student’s receiving unnecessary or unauthorized tutoring in the preparation of written work to be offered for credit.
Cheating implies dishonesty or deception of a different sort, whether in the preparation of written work offered for credit or in the taking of a test or examination.
Academic Honesty -- Students are warned against all forms of cheating and plagiarism. LSCPA and TSUS indicate: “Any student found guilty of academic dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subjected to disciplinary action. Punishable offenses include, but are not limited to, cheating on an examination or academic work which is to be submitted, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of source materials.” One aspect of academic cheating includes “purchasing or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one’s own work any research paper or other writing assignment prepared by an individual or firm.” Plagiarism is defined as “the appropriation and the unacknowledged incorporation of another’s work or ideas into one’s own and submitted for credit.” The the Inmate Instruction Program investigates suspected plagiarism. A student guilty of academic dishonesty may receive an “F” in the course, a zero or an “F” on the assignment, and/or will be reported to the director of the Inmate Instruction Program.
Course Etiquette
No course work can be submitted outside the rules of TDCJ and LSCPA. To receive a score, work must be submitted as scheduled. Failure to submit assessments, assignments, or scored tasks in a timely fashion will result in a failing grade for the tardy work.
Mature Content Warning
This course contains strong language, adult situations,graphic depictions of human interactions. The course also contains discussions that are intended for mature audiences. In no manner is it the intention of the instructor to disturb students whose sensitivities do not permit full, frank, candid, light-hearted, serious, intense, and adult conversation.
Terms, words, comments, statements, ideas, concepts, and descriptions that appear in the textbooks or surface in classroom discussions may be offensive to one or more persons in the class group at some time or another. Nothing intentionally offensive should ever be directed at any single individual, minority group, social class, ethnicity, gender, or race. Never should any single individual feel personally affronted by the language used in the books, handouts, or classroom discussions.
American conversational English has multiple levels of social acceptance. Misunderstandings of comments or words will occur that might discomfit or annoy some individuals. I will do my best to serve as a model in these matters through personal example and by providing clarifications, explanations, and counseling if needed. Should any terms, phrases, words, or comments offend a particular individual, please bring this to my attention at the earliest convenient time so that I might do what I can to alleviate the perceived injury.
With the above observations in mind, remember that we live in a free and democratic society, one in which all individuals have the right to think and believe and speak what they will without fear of governmental sanctions. In America, individuals have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Let us balance these inalienable rights with the need to get along with one another in our learning community so that we may all successfully achieve our course objectives.
|
| Attendance Policy |
Students are required to attend all scheduled classes in the course.
Tardiness – Research Paper, Tests, Discussions
Tardy submissions of work will not count in the calculation of course points. Students must complete all assessments, assignments, and tasks for the course by the August 3 deadline set by LSCPA and TDCJ. All work must be submitted properly, as scheduled by TDCJ and LSCPA, to earn credit for calculation of the course grade.
Excused Absence
For absences to be excused, a student must receive authorization from the TDCJ of the need to be absent.
Make-up Work / Late Assignments
-
A student must receive specific permission from the TDCJ and LSCPA to make up missed work or turn in an assignment after its original due date.
-
I will permit make up work and accept overdue assignments only under excused absences or in situations of extreme hardship.
-
Approved make up work will correspond to the original assignment in grade value plus one or more of the following categories: subject matter, form, style, level of difficulty, learning focus.
-
Make-up work must be approved by the LSCPA Director of the Inmate Instruction Program.
|
| Additional Information |
|
| Institutional Policies |
| MyLSCPA |
Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through
MyLSCPA.
|
| Academic Honesty |
Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
|
| ADA Considerations |
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive
civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students
with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their
disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the
the Office for Disability Services Coordinator, Room 231, in the Madison Monroe Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
|
| COVID 19 Information |
The Lamar State College Port Arthur (LSCPA) Student Code of Conduct COVID 19 Policy
requires students who have been exposed to COVID 19 or diagnosed with COVID 19 to report their condition on the COVID 19 Notification Form (available via a link on the Student Code of Conduct COVID19 webpage). This
information will be provided to the Dean of Student Services. In addition, this policy requires all students to wear face coverings in compliance with the criteria included in the policy. For more information
please refer to the COVID 19 link on the LSCPA website.
|
| Facility Policies |
No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
|
| HB 2504 |
This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
|
| Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect |
As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see
LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
|
| Title IX and Sexual Misconduct |
LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
|
| Clery Act Crime Reporting |
For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
|
| Grievance / Complaint / Concern |
If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.
|
| Department Information |
| Inmate Instruction |
| Chair: | Dr. Michelle Davis |
| Email: | davisml1@lamarpa.edu |
| Phone: | (409) 984-6341 |
|
