SUNY – Cortland Department of English African American Studies Program ENG/AAS 251 Introduction to African American Literature
COURSE INFORMATION PROFESSOR INFORMATION Credit Hours: 03 Dr. Emmanuel S. Nelson Semester/Year: Fall 2011 Ph: 753-2078 Location: Dowd 56 Email: [email protected] Office: 115G Old Main Office Hours: 10:00 – 11:15 MWF
REQUIRED TEXTS Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Nella Larsen, Passing Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings August Wilson, Fences James Weldon Johnson, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Several poems and short stories (handouts)
COURSE DESCRIPTION Survey of African American literature: representative works of fiction, poetry, drama, and autobiography from various time periods.
COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. To develop an informed appreciation of the African American tradition in literature from its origins to the present time.
2. To become familiar with the basic critical vocabulary necessary to discuss a variety of literary forms (such as fiction, poetry, drama, and autobiography).
3. To examine canonical African American literary works in the context of “issues of power and bias as they relate to prejudice and discrimination” and understand how these issues have historically shaped individual and collective attitudes, various social institutions, and cultural dominance.
4. To understand “how various beliefs can lead to conflicting conclusions about a society Its values, and norms.”
EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE 1. Your grades on individual assignments will depend on the following factors: quality and perceptiveness of the thesis statement, development of the thesis, organization, GRAMMAR, spelling, punctuation, style, and documentation.
2. Here is the grading scale:
97-100: A+ 93-96: A 90-92: A- 87-89: B+ 83-86: B 80-82: B- 77-79: C+ 73-76: C 70-72: C- 67-69: D+ 63-66: D 60-62: D- 1 0-59: E
3. Your final grade will be computed on the following basis: in-class themes, 15% each; exams, 15% each; out-of-class paper, 20%; quizzes, 10%; class participation, 10%.
4. Here is the general guideline I will follow to assess your grade for class participation:
Irregular attendance: E Regular attendance but little or no participation: D Regular attendance and occasional participation: C Regular attendance and frequent participation: B Regular attendance and consistent participation throughout the semester: A
COURSE ATTENDANCE POLICY Attendance is mandatory, in accordance with the policy of the College. You are allowed three unexcused absences; penalty for any additional unexcused absences will be “one-third of a letter grade per class hour of absence” (College Catalog).
PUNCTUALITY Late arrivals and early departures are disruptive and discourteous. Please be punctual. Habitual tardiness will seriously compromise your final grade.
PLAGIARISM Incorporating into your writing key phrases/complete sentences/original ideas from print and Internet sources without appropriate citation constitutes plagiarism. It is a serious form of academic dishonesty; penalty for such conduct is failing grade.
COURSE SCHEDULE August 29 Introduction
August 31 Folktale/Poem (handout) September 2 Douglass’ Narrative, Preface and Chapters 1, 2 5 Labor Day/No Class 7 Douglass’ Narrative, Chapters 3 to 9 9 Douglass’ Narrative, Chapters 10, 11, and Appendix 12 Poetry from the Harlem Renaissance (handout) 14 Poetry from the Harlem Renaissance (handout) 16 Theme #1 (in-class) 19 Theme #1 (Optional rewrite) 21 The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, Chapters I to V 23 TBA 26 The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, Chapter VI to XI 28 The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
30 A Lesson Before Dying (movie) October 3 A Lesson Before Dying (movie) 5 A Lesson Before Dying 7 Larsen’s Passing 10 Larsen’s Passing 12 MID-SEMESTER EXAM (NO MAKE-UP EXAM WILL BE GIVEN) 17 A Raisin in the Sun, Act I 2 19 A Raisin in the Sun, Act II 21 A Raisin in the Sun, Act III 24 A Raisin in the Sun 26 A Raisin in the Sun 28 Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” (handout)
31 Theme #2 (in-class) November 2 Theme #2 (Optional rewrite) 4 TBA 7 Wilson’s Fences, pages 1-101 9 Wilson’s Fences 11 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Chapters 1 to 12 14 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Chapters 13 to 24 18 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Chapters 25 to 36 21 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 23 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings 28 Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” (handout); Out-of-Class Paper (first draft) due
December 2, 5, 7 CONFERENCES 9 Review; Out-of-Class Paper (final draft) due
TBA Final Exam
As a matter of courtesy, please silence your cell phones and put them away during class meetings. If I see you using the phone during class, I will ask you to leave the classroom.
If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services located in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call (607) 753-2066 for an appointment. Information regarding your disability will be treated in a confidential manner. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be made as early as possible.
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