ENGLISH 6340.001 ETHNIC AMERICAN LITERATURE (FIRST DRAFT)
Seodial Deena Fall 2001
Classroom: GCB 1010 TTh 12:30-1:45
Office: GCB 2130 Tel. 328-6683 E-mail Deenas@mail.ecu.edu
Office hours: TTh 10:30-12:15, 2-3:15, and by appointment. Scheduled conferences with students.
Required Texts:
Cortina, Rodolfo. Hispanic American Literature. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group, 1998.
Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. Arranged Marriages. Doubleday, 1995.
Gillan, Maria Mazziotti, and Jennifer Gillan, eds. Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry. New York: Penguin Books, 1994.
Mukerjee, Bharati. Jasmine. New York: Fawcett, 1991.
Phillips, Caryl. The Atlantic Sound. New York: Random, 1998.
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Gardens in the Dunes. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999.
Walcott, Derek. Tiepolo's Hound. New York: Farrar, 2001.
Objectives:
To help students understand the ways that literature expands their awareness of themselves and of their relations to the world around them.
To help students read, interpret, and respond individually and collectively to imaginative literature more thoughtfully and meaningfully through an examination of the elements of literature.
To familiarize students with the literature of various periods, emphasizing the twentieth century, of ethnic Americans.
To help students express their thinking about ethnicity, race, literature, and culture through class discussion, journal entries, class presentations, examinations, and papers.
To expose students to the culture and experience of various ethnic groups in America.
To learn how to apply various literary and critical languages to specific texts in order to illuminate their richness and intellectual power.
Focus:
This course focuses on ethnic Americans’ responses to Americanness, especially when color, language, ethnicity, and religion are used to further marginalize them as the “other.” We will explore the thematic organization of the book: “the cultural dislocation of both immigration and relocation in Uprootings; the representation and performance of American identity in Performing;
the articulation of one’s experience, as well as the labeling of those experiences by others, in Naming; the uncomfortable position of inbetweenness as both American and Other in Negotiating; and the rethinking and reimagining of American identity in Re-envisioning.” We will also explore these and other related themes and concerns from the other texts.
Evaluation:
1. Responses: 10%
Writing and sharing your response to each text or to each section of the anthologies.
2. Research Paper: 30%
An original critical paper (research paper, 15-20 pp. MLA, works cited included–a paper with a specific thesis, aimed at a journal/conference–due on Thursday of week fifteen)
3. Discussion leader and respondent: 20%
Lead a discussion on a text or on a section of the anthologies and serve as a respondent to another.
4. Book Project: 20%
Due on Thursday of week twelve
5. Attendance and class participation: 20%
(This includes an Ethnic American Scrapbook (research, articles, photographs, news, words/terms/quotes and meanings, etc.)
Late:
All late assignments will be penalized with a loss of a letter grade (A to B to C to D). No late assignment will be accepted after the Friday of the week in which assignments are to be submitted. THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT.
Groups:
Discussion will be done in small and large web groups.
Course Outline:
WEEK 1: (AUG. 16) UPROOTING (UNSETTLING AMERICA)
SIGN UP FOR BOOK PROJECT AND PRESENTATION
WEEK 2: (AUG. 21 & 23) UPROOTING (UNSETTLING AMERICA)
SIGN UP FOR BOOK PROJECT AND PRESENTATION
HAL from Introduction
WEEK 3: (AUG. 28 & 30) PERFORMING (UNSETTLING AMERICA)
HAL from The Account
WEEK 4: (SEPT. 4 & 6) NAMING (UNSETTLING AMERICA)
HAL Our America
WEEK 5: (SEPT. 11 & 13) NEGOTIATING (UNSETTLING AMERICA)
HAL Indigenous Profile
WEEK 6: (SEPT. 18 & 20) RE-ENVISIONING (UNSETTLING AMERICA)
HAL The Prize of Freedom
WEEK 7: (SEPT. 25 & 27)
HAL Black and White Photo, The Moths
HAL Tales Told Under the Mango Tree, My Name
POSSIBLE PAPER TOPICS DUE
WEEK 8: (OCT. 2 & 4)
HAL Doubt, An Awakening
HAL A Romeo and Juliet Story in Early New Mexico
WEEK 9: (OCT. 9 & 11)
HAL Eva and Daniel, First Love
HAL Sun Images
WEEK 10: (OCT. 18)
16 (13-16) FALL BREAK
HAL Los Vendidos, The Goat Incident, My Race
OUTLINE OF PAPER DUE
WEEK 11: (OCT. 23 & 25)
Arranged Marriages
WEEK 12: (OCT. 30 & NOV. 1)
Jasmine
BOOK REPORT DUE
WEEK 13: (NOV. 6 & 8)
The Atlantic Sound
FIRST DRAFT OF PAPER DUE (Bring two copies to class for editing)
WEEK 14: (NOV. 13 & 15)
Gardens in the Dunes
SCRAPBOOK DUE
WEEK 15: (NOV. 20)
22 (21-25) THANKSGIVING BREAK
Gardens in the Dunes
RESEARCH PAPER DUE
WEEK 16: (27 & 29)
Tiepolo’s Hound
JOURNALS DUE
WEEK 17: (DEC. 4) WRAP-UP, REVIEW, AND GOOD BYE!
Tiepolo's Hound
NB. Additional information/definition/clarification will be given at different times during the semester. Please do not hesitate to seek my help. Good Luck!
ADDITIONAL:
1. Book Project: 10%
This book project will be as an introduction to the book, which I have approved for the assignment. It should be on a play or novel–most important or recent–by an author from the list provided. It should be approximately two-three typed pages (double space), using MLA format and works cited. Write in complete sentences, and check your spelling, grammar, construction, expression, and organization. Number/label your headings. You can also use multimedia or powerpoint presentation.
1. A short introductory paragraph about the book, including MLA documentation of the book and a few general statements about the book’s content, style, and worth.
2. Author’s background–date of birth/death, something about the author’s life, particularly young life, and any events in the author’s life which are relevant to the book. Also include the other works the author has written.
3. Background to the book–historical/cultural/political. Include any background information, which will add to the reader’s understanding of the book. For this section, you can use both historical documents and literary criticism.
4. Content of the book–a short synopsis of the plot. Also include any themes or motifs that run through the book. Here you would refer to anything unique or unusual in the writing style or subject matter.
5. Your analysis–your opinion on the importance of the book to the reader, not merely whether or not you like it or not, but your own understanding, backed by examples from the book, why the book is a significant literary work.
2. Research Paper:
Choose a topic that is of interest to you. Narrow the topic so that you can focus on one area. Do some research on your topic. At a later stage I will tell you more about the paper. Read handouts on paper.
The research paper is a substantial work of writing and research about a text, theme, or issue--only on texts from syllabus. It is a semester-long project due in its final form on the Thursday of week 15. It should be 15-20 pages in length (including works cited page, 12 point font size), and you should consult at least 5 secondary sources.
At the core of the paper should be an original, viable argument of your own about the text/topic you have chosen. You should also place your argument in the intellectual debate concerning that work by consulting and citing secondary sources. (Come up with your own ideas first, and then use secondary ideas).
STEPS:
As early as possible, determine which work to concentrate on, read that work, define a topic and preliminary thesis with my guidance, and consult relevant secondary sources. Your work on history of criticism should help you to determine and develop your topic and thesis.
By week seven, declare possible paper topics, from which you should present to me a narrowly defined topic the following week. In the 10th week, an outline is due and in the 13th week a first draft is due.
HELPFUL HINTS:
Narrow topic and use clear and well-expressed thesis. Develop thesis.
Two spaces after every period.
A long quote is more than four lines and should be indented 10 spaces, two tabs, or one inch. Double space. Generally, introduce with colon, and end with period, two spaces and source.
A short quote is four lines and less and should be incorporated in paragraph with quotation marks to indicate beginning and end. It ends with quotation marks, space, source in parenthesis, and period.
Introduce, integrate, and interact with quotes.
Vary your use of quotes and the active words that introduce the quotes.
Place header at top right. Place works cited on separate page.
Use cover page or its equivalent.
Check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Review coherence, transition, and organization.
Document correctly all borrowed materials (Plagiarism).
Generally, use present tense when discussing fiction.
Avoid plot summary.
Use left justification only. Good luck!
3. Leading Discussion and Serving as Respondent
Each student is required to lead a discussion on one of the texts or a section of the anthology and to serve as respondent for another. Leading discussion will require complete familiarity with the text–thesis, main points, examples, cross-references, special techniques, and connections. Hints for an interesting and lively discussion would include: be thoroughly prepared, focus on central points and support points with examples, present with interest, creativity, and enthusiasm, use powerpoint or multimedia–involve students in your discussion–comments, questions, readings–research, and make reference to other works and articles. Finally, enjoy what you are doing. You should spend the first part of your time presenting interesting and insightful points from the text. Incorporate criticism from the critical text (other sources are also welcome), and then engage your colleagues in discussion.
The respondent’s job is to be familiar with the text or section. During the discussion session, the respondent will be used as a second authority on the work. The two can engage in short dialogues, even debates that will serve to define important issues for the rest of the class. But ultimately, both leader and respondent should seek to advance the discussion and involve the entire class in the discussion, since everyone should have read the text and its section of criticism and should have something to say about them. The final authority is the leader.
This experience, once approached positively, should be engaging, exciting, interesting, and rewarding.
Consult with me at any point in your preparation.
4. Ethnic American Scrapbook:
By Thursday of week 15, you are to submit your scrapbook that you will be working on during the semester. The book will consist of resourceful materials such as ethnic American words/terms/quotes and their meanings, news, photographs, research findings, articles, etc. Please submit a copy of all items for the class file.
5. Journal:
A collection of writing pieces based on your responses to the readings. We will share some of these in class on a voluntary and rotation basis. These are due on class days when the pieces are explored. Resubmit your signed copies in a file/folder on the Thursday of week 16.
6. Attendance and participation:
Attendance and participation will be graded on a letter scale. Poor attendance always affects grades adversely.
ENGLISH 3640.001 LITERATURE AND RELIGION (FIRST DRAFT)
Seodial Deena Fall 2001
Classroom: GCB 1010 TTh 3:30-4:45
Office: GCB 2130 Tel. 328-6683 E-mail Deenas@mail.ecu.edu
Office hours: TTh 10:30-12:15, 2-3:15, and by appointment. Scheduled conferences with students.
Required Texts:
Soyinka, Wole. Collected Plays I. Oxford UP, 1973.
Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Devil on the Cross. Heinemann, 1982.
Rushdie, Salman. Satanic Verses. ST. Martin Press, 2000.
Harris, Wilson. The Palace of the Peacock. Farrar, 1960.
Walcott, Derek. Dream on Monkey Mountain. Farrar, 1970.
Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. Norton, 1982.
Morrison, Toni. Paradise. Knopf, 1997.
Objectives:
To help students understand the ways that literature expands their awareness of themselves and of their relations to the world around them.
To help students read, interpret, and respond individually and collectively to imaginative literature more thoughtfully and meaningfully through an examination of the elements of literature.
To familiarize students with the literature of various periods, emphasizing the twentieth century, in a postcolonial setting.
To help students express their thinking about Christianity and Colonialism—the use of religion to aid colonization and the effects of colonization on evangelization.
To expose students to writers’ appropriation of biblical language, symbols, themes, and characters.
To learn how to apply various literary and critical languages to specific texts in order to illuminate their richness and intellectual power.
Focus:
Christianity and Colonialism.
Colonial and Postcolonial Implications for World Evangelization in an Era of Globalization.
Writers’ appropriation of biblical language, themes, characters, and symbols.
This course will analyze colonial and postcolonial fictional and critical literature in world missions with the intention of examining imperialism and Christianization/colonial evangelization and depicting the implications of these limitations in a postcolonial era of globalization. From British, African, African American, Caribbean, and Indian literature, we will explore the colonizers’ exploitation of Christianity and the Bible to advance their capitalistic and materialistic agenda. Thus, the misuse of Christianity and the Bible as a master religion and narrative, respectively, assisted and justified the imperial project. They have, therefore, now become central canonical targets for decolonization and deconstruction appropriate to each people’s socio-political and economic history. We will also examine writers’ appropriation of biblical language, symbols, themes, and characters. This will provide us with some familiarity with Christianity and the Bible.
Evaluation:
1. Responses: 10%
Writing and sharing your response to each text.
2. Research Paper: 30%
An original critical paper (research paper, 6-8 pp. MLA, works cited included–a paper with a specific thesis, aimed at a journal/conference–due on Thursday of week fifteen)
3. Discussion leader and respondent: 20%
Lead a discussion on a text—a particular aspect—and serve as a respondent to another.
4. Book Project: 20%
Due on Thursday of week twelve
5. Attendance and class participation: 20%
(This includes a Literature and Religion Scrapbook (research, articles, photographs, news, words/terms/quotes and meanings, etc.)
Late:
All late assignments will be penalized with a loss of a letter grade (A to B to C to D). No late assignment will be accepted after the Friday of the week in which assignments are to be submitted. THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP ASSIGNMENT.
Groups:
Discussion will be done in small and large web groups.
Course Outline:
WEEK 1: (AUG. 16) INTRODUCTION
SIGN UP FOR BOOK PROJECT AND PRESENTATION
WEEK 2: (AUG. 21 & 23) WIDE SARGASSO SEA
SIGN UP FOR BOOK PROJECT AND PRESENTATION
WEEK 3: (AUG. 28 & 30) WIDE SARGASSO SEA
WEEK 4: (SEPT. 4 & 6) DREAM ON MONKEY MOUNTAIN
WEEK 5: (SEPT. 11 & 13) DREAM ON MONKEY MOUNTAIN
WEEK 6: (SEPT. 18 & 20) THE PALACE OF THE PEACOCK
WEEK 7: (SEPT. 25 & 27) THE PALACE OF THE PEACOCK
POSSIBLE PAPER TOPICS DUE
WEEK 8: (OCT. 2 & 4) COLLECTED PLAYS
WEEK 9: (OCT. 9 & 11) COLLECTED PLAYS
WEEK 10: (OCT. 18) DEVIL ON THE CROSS
16 (13-16) FALL BREAK
OUTLINE OF PAPER DUE
WEEK 11: (OCT. 23 & 25) DEVIL ON THE CROSS
WEEK 12: (OCT. 30 & NOV. 1) SATANIC VERSES
BOOK REPORT DUE
WEEK 13: (NOV. 6 & 8) SATANIC VERSES
FIRST DRAFT OF PAPER DUE (Bring two copies to class for editing)
WEEK 14: (NOV. 13 & 15) SATANIC VERSES
SCRAPBOOK DUE
WEEK 15: (NOV. 20) PARADISE
22 (21-25) THANKSGIVING BREAK
RESEARCH PAPER DUE
WEEK 16: (27 & 29) PARADISE
JOURNALS DUE
WEEK 17: (DEC. 4) PARADISE WRAP-UP, REVIEW, AND GOOD BYE!
NB. Additional information/definition/clarification will be given at different times during the semester. Please do not hesitate to seek my help. Good Luck!
ADDITIONAL:
1. Book Project: 10%
This book project will be as an introduction to the book, which I have approved for the assignment. It should be on a play or novel–most important or recent–by an author from the list provided. It should be approximately two-three typed pages (double space), using MLA format and works cited. Write in complete sentences, and check your spelling, grammar, construction, expression, and organization. Number/label your headings. You can also use multimedia or powerpoint presentation.
1. A short introductory paragraph about the book, including MLA documentation of the book and a few general statements about the book’s content, style, and worth.
2. Author’s background–date of birth/death, something about the author’s life, particularly young life, and any events in the author’s life which are relevant to the book. Also include the other works the author has written.
3. Background to the book–historical/cultural/political. Include any background information, which will add to the reader’s understanding of the book. For this section, you can use both historical documents and literary criticism.
4. Content of the book–a short synopsis of the plot. Also include any themes or motifs that run through the book. Here you would refer to anything unique or unusual in the writing style or subject matter.
5. Your analysis–your opinion on the importance of the book to the reader, not merely whether or not you like it or not, but your own understanding, backed by examples from the book, why the book is a significant literary work.
2. Research Paper:
Choose a topic that is of interest to you. Narrow the topic so that you can focus on one area. Do some research on your topic. At a later stage I will tell you more about the paper. Read handouts on paper.
The research paper is a substantial work of writing and research about a text, theme, or issue--only on texts from syllabus. It is a semester-long project due in its final form on the Thursday of week 15. It should be 6-8 pages in length (including works cited page, 12 point font size), and you should consult at least 3 secondary sources.
At the core of the paper should be an original, viable argument of your own about the text/topic you have chosen. You should also place your argument in the intellectual debate concerning that work by consulting and citing secondary sources. (Come up with your own ideas first, and then use secondary ideas).
STEPS:
As early as possible, determine which work to concentrate on, read that work, define a topic and preliminary thesis with my guidance, and consult relevant secondary sources. Your work on history of criticism should help you to determine and develop your topic and thesis.
By week seven, declare possible paper topics, from which you should present to me a narrowly defined topic the following week. In the 10th week, an outline is due and in the 13th week a first draft is due.
HELPFUL HINTS:
Narrow topic and use clear and well-expressed thesis. Develop thesis.
Two spaces after every period.
A long quote is more than four lines and should be indented 10 spaces, two tabs, or one inch. Double space. Generally, introduce with colon, and end with period, two spaces and source.
A short quote is four lines and less and should be incorporated in paragraph with quotation marks to indicate beginning and end. It ends with quotation marks, space, source in parenthesis, and period.
Introduce, integrate, and interact with quotes.
Vary your use of quotes and the active words that introduce the quotes.
Place header at top right. Place works cited on separate page.
Use cover page or its equivalent.
Check your spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Review coherence, transition, and organization.
Document correctly all borrowed materials (Plagiarism).
Generally, use present tense when discussing fiction.
Avoid plot summary.
Use left justification only. Good luck!
3. Leading Discussion and Serving as Respondent
Each student is required to lead a discussion on one of the text and to serve as respondent for another. Leading discussion will require complete familiarity with the text–thesis, main points, examples, cross-references, special techniques, and connections. Hints for an interesting and lively discussion would include: be thoroughly prepared, focus on central points and support points with examples, present with interest, creativity, and enthusiasm, use powerpoint or multimedia–involve students in your discussion–comments, questions, readings–research, and make reference to other works and articles. Finally, enjoy what you are doing. You should spend the first part of your time presenting interesting and insightful points from the text. Incorporate criticism from the critical text (other sources are also welcome), and then engage your colleagues in discussion.
The respondent’s job is to be familiar with the text or section. During the discussion session, the respondent will be used as a second authority on the work. The two can engage in short dialogues, even debates that will serve to define important issues for the rest of the class. But ultimately, both leader and respondent should seek to advance the discussion and involve the entire class in the discussion, since everyone should have read the text and its section of criticism and should have something to say about them. The final authority is the leader.
This experience, once approached positively, should be engaging, exciting, interesting, and rewarding.
Consult with me at any point in your preparation.
4. Literature and Religion Scrapbook:
By Thursday of week 15, you are to submit your scrapbook that you will be working on during the semester. The book will consist of resourceful materials such as words/terms/quotes and their meanings, news, photographs, research findings, articles, etc. as related to our course. Please submit a copy of all items for the class file.
5. Journal:
A collection of writing pieces based on your responses to the readings. We will share some of these in class on a voluntary and rotation basis. These are due on the first Tuesdays when the texts are explored. Resubmit your signed copies in a file/folder on the Thursday of week 16.
6. Attendance and participation:
Attendance and participation will be graded on a letter scale. Poor attendance always affects grades adversely.