ENGL 4355 – “20th Century American Literature”
Tuesday and Thursday
3:30-4:50
BUS 260
Instructor: Michael Cerliano
Email: mcerliano@uttyler.edu
Office hours by appointment
Required Texts:
Written texts:
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter 8th Edition, Vol. 2
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor
Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Films:
Citizen Kane, directed by Orson Welles
Vertigo, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
The Apartment, directed by Billy Wilder
Course Objectives:
This course surveys major American writers and literary trends during the 20th century. Over the course
of the semester, we will look at:
 The distinctive contributions of various writers and filmmakers to American culture
 The interaction of a particular artist’s imagination with his or her historical moment
 The relationship of our own historical moment to our interpretations of 20th century texts
 The ability of experiments in form and style to create provocative answers to what Roland
Barthes called the question par excellence: “Why the world? What is the meaning of things?”
Course Requirements/Percentages of Grade*:
Quizzes/Discussion Board**
Papers (two literary analyses)
Exams (a midterm and a comprehensive final)
30%
30%
40%
I reserve the right to revise grading criteria so that excessive absence or demonstrated
lack of interest in the course becomes a significant factor in a student’s final grade.
**Discussion Board grade:
A = 5 or more substantive contributions to D.B. per week for 14 weeks.
B = 3-4 substantive contributions to D.B. per week for 14 weeks.
C = 1-2 substantive contributions to D.B. per week for 14 weeks.
D = > 20 substantive contributions to D.B. throughout the semester.
F = > 10 substantive contributions to D.B. throughout the semester.
Grade Representations:
A (90-100)
demonstrates exceptional competence
B (80-89)
demonstrates competence
C (70-79)
demonstrates promise of competence
D (60-69)
demonstrates probability of incompetence
F (59 or below)
demonstrates incompetence
General Guidelines:
•
My baseline expectations of college students include regular attendance, class preparedness,
verbal contributions (oral and written), self-initiative, and academic rigor. Consistent failure to fulfill
one or more of these expectations may override your numerical average and negatively affect your final
grade in the course. Conversely, exceptional performance in one or more of these areas may positively
affect your final grade.
•
You are responsible to follow the tentative class schedule and stay abreast of announced
changes. If you miss a class, please contact a fellow student or me for an update.
•
If you must miss class, I strongly prefer that you not discuss the reason for your absence (unless
university policy dictates otherwise). I understand that many of you have responsibilities and
obligations which may conflict with the requirements of this course. I can sympathize personally, but I
cannot in good conscience alter my professional standards because of life’s exigencies.
•
I strongly advise you not to get behind on assignments. Late assignments generally receive a
significant grade reduction. One week (the third class period past the due date) is the latest I will accept
any past-due assignment. Students are responsible for making certain that assignments have reached
me. When approved religious holidays, university-related duties, or legally recognized disabilities
conflict with the course schedule, students must make arrangements with the instructor prior to the due
date of the assignment(s).
•
Be prepared for a short quiz on any class day. Quizzes may cover assigned readings, class
handouts, and/or class discussions (including those posted on Discussion Board). I do not give make-up
quizzes; please do not request them.
•
Please turn off all beepers and audible cell phone signals before entering the classroom — such
technologies are highly intrusive to the educational process. Under no circumstances should you
answer your cell phone during class.
•
Expect to participate in discussions. The success of this course depends largely on our ability to
establish (quickly) a community of scholars with mutual respect, trust, and commitment to intellectual
curiosity. I encourage differences of opinion as long as they are grounded in textual evidence and
reflective of disciplined study.
•
I integrate an Intranet program called Blackboard into this course. At this site you will find,
among other features, a copy of the course syllabus; special announcements; copies of handouts;
supplemental reading assignments; links to pertinent web sites; and a Discussion Board. I expect you to
participate regularly in the Discussion Threads posted on the Discussion Board. For those of you who
are hesitant to talk in class, this format provides an excellent opportunity to share your insights and to
demonstrate your critical thinking skills. NOTE: Discussion Board is reserved for electronic conversations
about the texts we are reading. If you have problems or concerns regarding any other aspect of the
course, you should use the appropriate means of communication (telephone, office appointment, email).
•
Academic dishonesty, including cheating and plagiarism, may earn students a variety of
instructor imposed sanctions. For a more detailed explanation, please refer to the online “Statement on
Academic Honesty” provided by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences:
http://www.uttyler.edu/arts/dickerson/Statement.htm
Disability Statement
If you have disability, including a learning disability, for which you request an accommodation, please
contact Ida MacDonald in the Disability Support Services offices so that the appropriate arrangements
may be made. In accordance with federal law, a student requesting accommodation must provide
documentation of his/her disability to the Disability Support Services counselor. For more information,
call or visit the Student Services Center located in the University Center, Room 111. The telephone
number is 566-7079 (TDD 565-5579).
Tentative Schedule in Outline
Week 1
Winesburg, Ohio
Week 2
Winesburg, Ohio
Week 3
Modernist poetry: Eliot, Pound, Frost, H.D., Williams
Experiments in prose: Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway.
Week 4
The Great Gatsby
Week 5
The Great Gatsby
The development of Modernism: Wallace Stevens, Langston Hughes
Week 6
Citizen Kane
Wise Blood
Week 7
Nine Stories
Week 8
Nine Stories
Midterm
Week 9
Lolita
Week 10
Lolita
Vertigo
Week 11
Postwar poetry and short fiction
Week 12
The Crying of Lot 49
Week 13
The Crying of Lot 49
Week 14
The Apartment
Week 15
Final Paper Due. Final Exam