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English 2328 Course Requirements and Readings: Prerequisites 1301, 1302
Professor’s Name: Dr. Cynthia McNamara
E-mail: cynthia.mcnamara@hccs.edu
Office Hours: Before and After Class and by Appointment
Texts: The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Volumes C, D, E. 7th Edition. C volume,
ISBN 978-0393-92741-2; D volume, ISBN 978-0393-92742-9; E volume, ISBN 978-039392743-6.
Attendance Policy: HCCS policy states that a student who is absent more than 12.5% (6 hours)
of class may be administratively dropped from the course. This policy will be enforced. Coming
in late or leaving early will constitute a tardy. An excessive number of tardies (3) and/or missing
½ of the class will be counted toward your allotted absences. Your participation is required.
State of Texas Policy for Withdrawals: The State of Texas has begun to impose penalties on
students who drop courses excessively. For example, if you repeat the same course more than
twice, you have to pay extra tuition. In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed a law limiting new
students (those starting college in Fall 2007) to no more than six total course withdrawals
throughout their academic career in obtaining a baccalaureate degree. There may be future
penalties imposed. Additionally, no student can be dropped from the course after the official drop
date, not by the student nor by the professor.
Scholastic Dishonesty: Please note the student handbook for a more detailed definition of this
subject and for the consequences of cheating on a test, plagiarism (unacknowledged incorporation
of another’s ideas in your work), and/or collusion (unauthorized collaboration with another
person). Plagiarized Work may result in an “F” in the course.
Special Conditions: If you have any special conditions, extenuating circumstances, or needs that
may affect your progress in this course, please notify your instructor. Discuss with your instructor
any special accommodations that you have documented through the Disability Support Services
Counselors so that we may better meet your needs.
Counseling: Counseling is available at each campus. Check with the information desk at the
particular campus for room numbers and with your class schedule for telephone numbers.
Computer Facilities: English Computer Writing Labs in the Learning Hub at Stafford
and the Alief Campus during open lab hours; the Open Computer Lab in the Learning Hub at
Stafford; the Open Computer Lab at the West Loop Campus; the Open Computer Lab at the
Sienna Campus in Missouri City; and Computer Facilities in the libraries of most campuses.
Specific available hours are posted at each site.
Tutoring Facilities: The Learning Hub at the Stafford Campus, the Alief Campus, the West Loop
Campus and the Sienna Campus in Missouri City. Tutoring in English is provided by highly
qualified English teachers. Specific hours are available through your English teacher and at each
tutoring site.
Prohibition of Recording Devices: Use of recording devices, including camera phones and tape
recorders, is prohibited in classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, and other locations where
instruction, tutoring, or testing occurs. Students with disabilities who need to use a recording
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device as a reasonable accommodation should contact the Office for Students with Disabilities for
information regarding reasonable accommodations.
Grade Turnaround: The English department regards a two- week turnaround for the return of
major essays an appropriate time frame.
Late Paper Policy: Papers that are late will be penalized 5 points for the first class within the
week. Those late over a weekend will be penalized 10 points. Thereafter, penalty will be 10
points per class. There will be a cutoff date when no late paper will be accepted. That date is at
the discretion of the Professor.
Important Dates:
Presidents’ Day February 21
Spring Break March 14-20
Last Day for Withdrawals April 21—4:30 p.m.
Easter Holiday April 22-24
Instruction Ends May 8
Final Examinations May 9--15
The following Student Learning Outcomes are designed for English 2328:
1. Explain and illustrate stylistic characteristics of representative works of major American
writers from 1865 to the present (since the Civil War).
2. Connect representative works of major American writers from 1865 to the present to human
and individual values in historical and social contexts.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of various works of major American writers from 1865 to the present.
4. Analyze critical texts relating to the works of major American writers from 1865 to the present.
5. Critique and interpret representative literary works of major American writers from 1865 to the
present.
The following objectives are to ensure basic intellectual competencies in this course:
Reading: Reading material at the college level means having the ability to analyze and interpret a
variety of printed materials.
Writing: Writing at the college level means having the ability to produce clear,
correct, and coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion, and audience. In addition to knowing
correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, students should also become familiar with the writing
process, including how to discover a topic, how to develop and organize it, and how to phrase it
effectively for their audience.
Speaking: Effective speaking is the ability to communicate orally in clear, coherent, and
persuasive language appropriate to purpose, occasion, and audience
Listening: Listening at the college level means the ability to analyze and interpret various forms
of spoken communication.
Critical Thinking: Critical thinking embraces methods for applying skills analytically and
creatively to subject matter in order to evaluate arguments and to construct alternative strategies.
Problem solving is one of the applications of critical thinking used to address an identified task.
Computer Literacy: Computer literacy at the college level means having the ability to use
computer-based technology in communicating, solving problems, and acquiring information.
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Grade Percentages: Essays, Final Exam, and Instructor’s Choice (journals, oral reports, group
work), all of equal value, will all be averaged together for the final course grade.
ALL REQUIREMENTS MUST BE FULFILLED TO PASS THIS COURSE.
*All drafts of the essay assignments must be word-processed or typed.
This syllabus is subject to changes.
Readings (In addition, please read the introductory biographies for each author.)
Week 1: Jan. 18-20
Introduction to the Course
Diagnostic Writing (to count as the first journal)
Week 2: Jan. 24-27 Vol. C 1865-1914
Selections from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson (theme and form for the 20th century)
Week 3: Jan. 31-Feb. 3
Complete Whitman and Dickinson
Ambrose Bierce “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” 360; “Chickamauga” 366
Week 4: Feb. 7-10
Chippewa Songs 377-382
Cochise [I am alone] 383
Charlot [He has filled graves with our bones] 385
Sarah Orne Jewett “A White Heron” 522
Native American Oratory and Songs
Week 5: Feb. 14-17
Mary Wilkins Freeman “The Revolt of ‘Mother’” 635 “The Woman Question/The New
Charlotte Perkins Gilman “The Yellow Wall-Paper” 820
Woman”
Week 6: Feb. 22-24
Booker T. Washington “The Atlanta Exposition Address” 680 “The Negro Question/The New
W. E. B. Du Bois “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others” 901
Negro”
Week 7: Feb. 28-Mar. 3 Vol. D 1914-1945
Amy Lowell “The Captured Goddess” 1350; “September 1918” 1353
Robert Frost “Home Burial” 1395
William Carlos Williams “The Young Housewife” 1464; “The Red Wheelbarrow” 1469
Week 8: Mar. 7-10
Ezra Pound “In a Station of the Metro” 1482
Other Imagist Poems Handout
T. S. Eliot “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock” 1577
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Week 9: Mar. 21-24
Ernest Hemingway “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” 1983
“Hills Like White Elephants” Handout
“Indian Camp”
Week 10: Mar. 28-31
John Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath Movie video
Week 11: Apr. 4-7 Vol. E American Literature Since 1945
Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman 2327
Week 12: Apr. 11-14
Complete Miller
Week 13: Apr. 18-21
Lucille Clifton “miss rosie” 2801; “the last baby poem” 2801
Allen Ginsberg “Howl” 2576; “A Supermarket in California” 2584
Week 14: Apr. 25-28
Anne Sexton “The Starry Night” 2642; “Sylvia’s Death” 2643
Leslie Marmon Silko “Lullaby 3083
Simon J.Ortiz Selections 2915
Week 15: May 2-5
Lorna Dee Cervantes “Uncle’s First Rabbit” 3184
Li-Young Lee Selections 3198
Preparation for Final Examination
Week 16: May 9-12 Final Examinations
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