Instructor: Lacy Hodges / Lhodges English

Instructor: Lacy Hodges / [email protected] Office Hours: TUR 4315, T 4th period, R 5th period Class Meetings: T 5-6 / R 6 in CBD 310 AML2070-3070

Survey of American Literature (Spring 2009): Gender, Race, and Class http://plaza.ufl.edu/lacy.hodges/aml2070.html

Course Description Building on the study and practice of expository and argumentative writing in ENC 1101, AML 2070 teaches students how to analyze and appreciate literary texts, write critical arguments about literary texts, and employ literary devices in their own writing. While individual sections of the course may involve different literary texts and modes of analysis, all provide opportunities to work with a variety of literary genres, including but not limited to short stories, novels, poetry, drama essays, and multimedia texts. The course's main focus is on the process of producing well- supported, polished, and persuasive writing about texts.

In this section of AML 2070, we’ll discuss the ways in which a number of cultural categories work to form images of coherent and “acceptable” American identities in literature. Utilizing texts from a variety of genres and time periods, we’ll examine the ways that identity is constructed through and by gender, sexuality, race, and class. The class will examine texts from a variety of genres, time periods, and stylistic movements in order to see the many different ways literature works to form identity.

The student learning outcomes for this course are as detailed in the Undergraduate Catalog at http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/advisinggened.html#requirements

Texts (available at Goerings Text Books, 1717 NW 1ST Avenue) Kate Chopin: The Awakening (ISBN: 055321330X; Bantam) Richard Wright: Native Son (ISBN: 006083756X; Perennial Classics) Shirley Jackson: We Have Always Lived in the Castle (ISBN: 0143039970; Penguin) James Dickey: Deliverance (ISBN 038531387X; Delta) Alice Walker: The Color Purple (ISBN: 0156028352; Harcourt) Chuck Palahniuk: Invisible Monsters (ISBN: 0393319296; W.W. Norton) Flannery O’Connor: “Good Country People” & “A Good Man is Hard to Find” (available online) Also, your choice of college dictionary, thesaurus and handbook; a two-pocket folder (for papers and drafts), e-mail account and access to a computer running either Windows 98 (or higher) or Mac OS X.

Note: Some of the required readings will be available on the class website; you will be responsible for reading and bringing a paper copy of those materials with you to class. Make sure to acquire the materials well in advance in case you experience technical difficulties.

Content Warning Some of the texts in this course contain explicit scenes of sexuality, violence, and other material that might be considered objectionable by some students. If you are not comfortable reading and discussing this type of material, this class may not be an appropriate fit for you.

1 Grades and Assignments Participation/Discussion Questions: 15% Quizzes: 10% Response Papers (4 total): 20% Essay 1: 25% Essay 2: 30%

Grading Scale: A: 90-100 / B+: 86-89 / B: 80-85 / C+: 76-79 / C: 70-75 / D+: 66-69 / D: 60-65 / E: 59 and below

Assignments Response Papers: You will need to turn in a total of 4 response papers (2-3 pages long) throughout the semester. These papers can be on any 4 of the novels that we read, and are to be turned in on the final day of class discussion for the novel you’re writing on. Papers should analyze--not summarize--the themes and issues of each text. These papers provide an opportunity to think critically about the texts and the theory and criticism read throughout the course. No late response papers will be accepted.

Quizzes: There will 13 pop quizzes given throughout the semester. Quizzes will cover readings and class discussion. You must be present for the quizzes to receive credit for them; you cannot make them up (even if your absence is excused). The 3 lowest quiz grades will be dropped.

Essays: One 5-6 page paper due mid-way through the semester and one 10-12 page paper due at the end of the semester. These papers will demonstrate the student's ability to think critically and form a coherent and persuasive argument through a use of literary theory. The essay will reflect class discussions but will also require independent analysis of various texts and critical approaches. Papers that fail to meet minimum page length requirements (ten pages means a FULL ten pages) or the outlined paper format requirements will not be accepted. Late essays will be dropped one letter grade per class meeting.

Participation and Discussion Questions: Students are expected to regularly attend class and to be prepared to actively participate in discussion. In order to get full credit for participation, you must turn in a discussion question that shows that you have read and engaged with the material. After 3 missed discussion question, your participation grade will drop one point per additional missed question. Discussion questions must be emailed to [email protected] by 10:00 am on the days of class meetings.

Assignment Guidelines: All written assignments should be typed, double-spaced, using 12pt Times New Roman. Papers should use 1" margins and should be formatted using MLA style.

A Note on Assignments and Reading Due Dates: Reading should be completed on the day assigned and assignments are due on the date shown on the class schedule. Late papers will be dropped one letter grade per class meeting.

Students are responsible for maintaining duplicate copies of all work submitted in this course and retaining all returned, graded work until the semester is over. Should the need arise for a re- submission of papers or a review of graded papers, it is the student's responsibility to have and make available this material. All online work saved to the NWE servers will be deleted at the end of the semester. If you wish to keep your work, save it to a non-NWE hard drive.

2 If you miss a class then it is your responsibility to obtain class notes and/or any work assigned that day. Missing a class does not is an excuse for turning in an assignment late. If you are absent on the day an assignment is due, the assignment can be submitted electronically through email in order to be considered on time.

Attendance You should be consistently in class and consistently on time. You can have 3 absences (excused or unexcused) with no penalty to the final grade, but after 3 absences, your participation grade will drop one letter per absence over three. If you are more than 10 minutes late, you will be marked absent. Ditto for leaving class early. Sleeping and not explicitly paying attention during class meetings is not acceptable; doing so will earn an absence. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get notes and assignments from your classmates. Excessive absences (more than 10) will result in a failing grade. Please note: the Tuesday double period will count as two class meetings (and, therefore, two absences if missed).

General Education Learning Outcomes : AML2070 satisfies the university's General Education Requirement for Composition (C). AML2070 also satisfies 6000 words (E6) of the University Writing Requirement. However, you must turn in all assigned papers and you must pass this course to receive the E6 credit .

Composition (C) Composition courses provide instruction in methods and conventions of standard written English (i.e. grammar, punctuation, usage) and the techniques that produce effective texts. Composition courses are writing intensive, require multiple drafts submitted to the instructor for feedback prior to final submission, and fulfill 6,000 of the university’s 24,000-word writing requirement. For more about the University of Florida Composition requirement, see: http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/advisinggened.html

Gordon Rule Requirements To graduate, students must complete courses that involve substantial writing for a total of 24,000 words. This course meets the requirement of E6 classes: Coursework with at least 6,000 words. In this class, 1. The student must write a minimum of 6,000 words in the course (one double spaced, typed page in 12 point type is 300 words). 2. This written work must be evaluated on the effectiveness, organization, clarity, and coherence of the writing as well as the grammar, punctuation and usage of standard written English. 3. The student must be provided feedback on the written work submitted. 4. Teamwork or writing done by a group or team, class notes, in_class essay examinations, and term papers submitted too late in the semester to be returned to students in class cannot be used to meet the minimum word requirement. Drafts cannot be counted separately from final drafts as part of the total number of words completed during the course.

For more information about the Gordon Rule, see: http://www.cba.ufl.edu/gened/gordonrule.asp

Student Disability Services The Disability Resource Center in the Dean of Students Office provides students and faculty with information and support regarding accommodations for students with disabilities in the classroom. Staff at the Disability Resource Center will assist any student who registers as having a disability. Official documentation of a disability is required to determine eligibility for

3 appropriate classroom accommodations. The professional employees at the Disability Resource Program serve as full time advocates for students with disabilities ensuring students have physical and programmatic access to all college programs.

For more information about Student Disability Services, see: http://www.ufl.edu/disability/

Statement on Harassment It is the policy of The University of Florida to provide an educational and working environment for its students, faculty and staff that is free from sex discrimination and sexual harassment. In accordance with federal and state law, the University prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment. Sex discrimination and sexual harassment will not be tolerated, and individuals who engage in such conduct will be subject to disciplinary action. The University encourages students, faculty, staff and visitors to promptly report sex discrimination and sexual harassment.

UF provides an educational and working environment for its students, faculty, and staff that is free from sex discrimination and sexual harassment. For more about UF policies regarding harassment, see: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/studentguide/studentconductcode.php#s4041

Academic Honesty All students are required to abide by the Academic Honesty Guidelines which have been accepted by the University. The academic community of students and faculty at the University of Florida strives to develop, sustain and protect an environment of honesty, trust and respect. Students are expected to pursue knowledge with integrity. Exhibiting honesty in academic pursuits and reporting violations of the Academic Honesty Guidelines will encourage others to act with integrity. Violations of the Academic Honesty Guidelines shall result in judicial action and a student being subject to the sanctions in paragraph XIV of the Student Conduct Code. The conduct set forth hereinafter constitutes a violation of the Academic Honesty Guidelines (University of Florida Rule 6C1_4.017).

All students are required to abide by the Student Honor Code. For more information about academic honesty, including definitions of plagiarism and unauthorized collaboration, see: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcodes/honorcode.php

This course has a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism. All materials and sources must be correctly cited using proper documentation techniques. The result of any plagiarism (intentional or otherwise) will result in, at minimum, failure of this assignment and may result in failure of the entire course.

Grade Disputes: During the course, feel free to schedule an appointment to discuss your progress and projects, but I will not discuss grade issues directly preceding, directly after, or during class time, or through email. Grades will be discussed via appointment only. And if you wish to discuss a grade on a particular assignment, it will not be discussed until 24 hours after you receive the grade (which allows you time to consult my written comments on the assignment and decide what specific questions you have).

If a student disagrees with the grade given for one assignment or the whole course, the student should make an appointment to talk to me about it or come to my office hours. One low grade on

4 an assignment will not prevent the student from getting a good final grade. A complaint about one assignment should be discussed with the instructor, not the Director of Writing Programs nor the Chair. A student whose complaints have accumulated and is sure his or her final grade will be lower than desired is to fill out a grade appeal form available from Carla Blount, Program Assistant. Completed forms along with all work written during the semester (including journals and/or brief writing exercises) as well as a record of absences and a review of class participation should be submitted to the Program Assistant. A committee of faculty members will review each student's work and decide on the final grade. The committee may decide the grade should remain as is, be raised, or be lowered; the decision is final.

Classroom Behavior Please keep in mind that students come from diverse cultural, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Some of the texts we will discuss and write about engage controversial topics and opinions. Diversified student backgrounds combined with provocative texts require that you demonstrate respect for ideas that may differ from your own. Disrespectful behavior will result in dismissal, and accordingly absence, from the class.

Tentative Schedule

5 Date In-class Homework/Readings (should be completed for the subsequent class meeting) T 1/6 Introduction “American Literature: 1865-1914” (online) / Literature reading complete for Thursday’s class Mini Lecture: Realism R 1/8 Discuss American Lit For Tuesday’s class: The Awakening (ch. 1- Reading 14) T 1/13 Discuss Chopin For Thursday’s class: The Awakening (ch. 15- Mini-Lecture: Gender at the 25) Turn of the Century

R 1/15 Discuss Chopin The Awakening (complete for Tuesday)

T 1/20 Discuss Chopin Native Son (Book One: Fear) Mini-Lecture: Modernism R 1/22 Discuss Wright Native Son (Book Two: Flight [to p. 149]) T 1/27 Discuss Wright Native Son Mini-Lecture: The Jazz Age (Complete Book Two: Flight) and The Harlem Renaissance

R 1/29 Discuss Wright Native Son (Book Three: Fate [to p. 340]) T 2/3 Discuss Wright Native Son (complete for Thursday) Mini-Lecture: Marxist Theory R 2/5 Discuss Wright We Have Always Lived in the Castle (ch. 1-3)

T 2/10 Discuss Jackson We Have Always Lived in the Castle (ch. 4-7) Mini-Lecture: Postmodernism R 2/12 Discuss Jackson We Have Always Lived in the Castle (complete for Tuesday) MID TERM ESSAY DUE TUESDAY T 2/17 Discuss Jackson Deliverance (“Before”) Mini-Lecture: Second Wave Feminism MID TERM ESSAY DUE

R 2/19 Discuss Dickey Deliverance (“September 14th”)

T 2/24 Discuss Dickey Deliverance (“September 15th”) Mini-Lecture: Gender Studies

R 2/26 Discuss Dickey Deliverance (“September 16th”)

T 3/4 Discuss Dickey Deliverance (“After”) Mini-Lecture: Theories R 3/6 Discuss Dickey Over Spring Break, read “Good Country People” & “A Good Man is Hard to Find” T 3/11 NO CLASS: SPRING SPRING BREAK BREAK R 3/13 NO CLASS: SPRING SPRING BREAK BREAK 6 T 3/18 Discuss O’Connor short The Color Purple (pp. 1-74) stories R 3/20 Discuss Walker The Color Purple (pp. 75-147) 7