ENG 2201: American Literature 2: Realism, Modernism, and Homesickness
Spring 2014
Eng 2201; Section 5254 (E254)
Instructor: Professor Sean Scanlan
Classroom: Namm 701
Time: Tues/Thurs 6:00-7:15
Office: Namm 520
Office Hours: Tues 4:30-5:30; Wed 1-2 & by Appt.
Email: sscanlan@citytech.cuny.edu
Course Website:
https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/
SCANLAN-ENG2201AmLit2-S2014/
Mailbox: Namm 512
Office phone: 718-260-5123
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General Introduction to the Course:
In this course, we will study American writing from the late 19th through the 20th
century, with an emphasis on literature as an expression of the cultural and intellectual
life of the times. We will examine broad themes such as family and home, the individual
and society, religion and philosophy, and the conflicts that have shaped American ideas
and culture.
Specific introduction:
In order to set the stage for the semester, we will examine several important and complex ideas as they relate to American literature: Realism, Modernism, and Homesickness. Then we will examine the crisis leading up to the Civil War—and some of the damaging repercussions of reconstruction. Questions about the identities and struggles of the American writer will become important: what, exactly, is an American writer? and, what do they write about? The modern American writer was often without a stable home, or perhaps between homes, or even displaced from another country. For these reasons, we will examine the idea of homesickness as it is bound up with the ideas and problems surrounding colonization, slavery, dissent, industrialization, and modernization. Sometimes the people who immigrated to America were very homesick; sometimes the people already in America were homesick. And, indeed, anybody who has moved from one home to another, from one country to another, might have encountered homesickness too. Homesickness can bring people closer to others who share a lost home or homeland, but homesickness can also divide those who have not experienced the same loss. Homesickness, and its common synonym nostalgia, can reflect the desire for a home or homeland that never was; and it can also convey the mourning of actual displacement due to war, genocide, or economic disaster. We will inquire into the nature of homesickness: who is homesick, what are they homesick for, and is there an ethical adjustment within the process of homesickness?
Besides learning about the histories and theories of homesickness and the meaning of realism and modernism, we will also spend time understanding how industrialization altered the nation and its trajectory. In fact, the ideas of realism (a true and faithful portrait of the natural and the human-made) and modernism (a radical break with the past) were interwoven into industrialization. We will also study American memoir and autobiography. Personal stories are still very popular today, and they were popular two hundred years ago. We will read a range of personal writing with this question in mind: why are Americans compelled to write about their identities? And what can we learn about national identity from such writings?
Required Book:
The Bedford Anthology of American Literature: Volume 2: 1865 to the Present, (Bedford/St. Martin’s 2014), edited by Susan Belasco and Linck Johnson.
ISBN 978-0-312-67869-2
This book is available at the City Tech bookstore: New $81.75, Used $61.50, Rent $44.10. Below are three sites that have some, but not many, copies available for less. See me if you have questions. Make SURE to type in the ISBN number so that you get this second edition, and not the first edition. 1. amazon.com (from $56.25) 2. alibris.com (from $57.95) 3. abebooks.com (from $49.00)
** I do not require that you buy a grammar/language usage book, but I recommend that you own at least one; and I recommend that you familiarize yourself with Purdue University’s well-respected and free OWL website (Online Writing Lab) at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ (This site is listed on our OpenLab course website).
Other Materials:
Bring to class one sturdy notebook with paper for notes and at least one folder with pockets for handouts/assignments. Both spiral-bound or 3-ring are acceptable. It is very important that you save all of your work for this class. Devise a filing system that allows you to maintain prior drafts and final copies of all assignments. In addition to keeping a copy of your work on the hard drive of your computer, save all of your course work on a stable format such as a flash drive or on a remote hard drive/server such as iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Docs. Never throw away or delete drafts or notes until after you have received your final grade. Computer/Printer malfunctions are not viable excuses for late or lost work.
Grading:
Journals (6): 15% —1-2 page reflections on course readings
Quizzes (2): 8%
Midterm Essay: 25% — a 3-4 page critical analysis paper (author and reading lens)
Final Essay: 25% — a 3-4 page critical comparison paper (two different authors)
Final Exam: 12%
Participation: 15%
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100%
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. Attendance: Attendance is mandatory in this discussion-based course. Arriving late or leaving early will count as a partial absence. City Tech’s policy states that four or more absences will result in a WU grade—see Student Handbook, p. 49. I will not grant excused absences since three absences are permitted without penalty. Being absent is not an excuse for missing or late work: you must get notes from a classmate and keep up with the assignments. Also, I recommend sending me an email if you are absent.
2. Drafts and Typing: The essays will require organization, honesty, and clarity. In order to practice the process of writing, the essays will require drafts. All essays must be typed. If you have word processing questions, please ask me. If you do not have access to Microsoft Word, you can use Google Docs for free (https://docs.google.com/) or Open Office for free (www.openoffice.org/).
3. Late Papers: For each day that an assignment is late, one full letter grade will be deducted (10 points). After five days the assignment we be recorded as a 0.
4. Plagiarism: Is the unauthorized use of another person’s ideas, language, or research as your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally. City Tech does not tolerate plagiarism. Using proper documentation and textual analysis will help you avoid plagiarism. If you have any questions about plagiarism, please ask me. Any cases of plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will result in a failing grade and appropriate administrative measures. Please familiarize yourself with City Tech’s policies on academic honesty in the Student Handbook (89-92), or at: http://www.citytech.cuny.edu/files/students/handbook.pdf (pp. 76-79)
5. Be on time: tardiness disrupts the entire class. Come prepared: turn off/silence all gadgets, please. Beverages are fine, but no food that makes noise.
6. The Atrium Learning Center: For each of the essays, you should take advantage of the writing tutors at the Learning Center. This is an excellent resourse for writers of all abilities. ATRIUM LEARNING CENTER: Atrium Building G-18, Director: Judith Rockway, Phone: 718-260-5874. jrockway@citytech.cuny.edu.
7. Assignments and Grading: There will be times when your expectations and my evaluation do not match. I am always willing to explain my comments on your assignments, and to discuss ways in which your work might benefit from additional effort. Lower grades most often result from misunderstanding the assignment goals, and from insufficiently realized or poor executions of these goals. I do not grade beliefs or values. If you are unhappy with a grade, or unsure as to why you received such a response to your work, please make an appointment to see me.
8. Homework: It is a standard measurement at colleges and universities that each hour of in-class instruction requires two hours of out-of-class preparation. That means for a 3-hour course, students should expect 6 hours of homework—per week—on average; such demands are part of college accreditation and follow national standards for what is known as the Carnegie Hour.
