COURSE SYLLABUS: Summer II 2012
English 5387: 3 credit hours
Studies in American Literature: 1920-Present
Professor: Dr. Linda Byrd Cook
Office: Evans 306 Telephone and Voice Mail: 936/294-1425
e-mail: LindaCook@shsu.edu
MEETING LOCATION: Evans 358
MEETING TIMES: Monday-Friday: 8:00-9:50 a.m.
PROFESSOR: Dr. Linda Byrd Cook
OFFICE LOCATION: Evans 306
PROFESSOR CONTACT INFORMATION:
Tel. # and Voice Mail: 294-1425
E-mail: LindaCook@shsu.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday –Thursday: 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Others by appt. only
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine various writers from this extremely rich period in American
literature, thus providing an overview of literary writing during the Modern and
Postmodern periods. Writers covered in the course will tentatively include: Hemingway,
Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Welty, Salinger, O’Connor, Ellison, Plath, Rich, and Morrison. T.S.
Eliot says that “criticism is as inevitable as breathing, and that we should be none the
worse for articulating what passes in our minds when we read a book and feel an
emotion about it.” In this course, we will take a variety of critical approaches such as:
formalism, structuralism, new historicism, psychoanalytical criticism, and feminist
criticism.
Class will be conducted primarily as a combination of lecture and class/group discussion. Students are expected to
actively participate in class discussions.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Ernest Hemingway: Selected short fiction (online)
F.Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
William Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury
Eudora Welty: Delta Wedding
J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye
Flannery O’Connor: Selected short fiction (on BLACKBOARD)
Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man
Sylvia Plath: Selected poems (online)
Adrienne Rich: Selected poems (on BLACKBOARD)
Toni Morrison: A Mercy
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
The university stresses the importance of punctuality and regular attendance.All students are expected to
attend every class, and attendance will definitely be taken into consideration in final computation of a
student's course grade. Attendance will be recorded each class day, so a student must notify the
professor of a legitimate absence BEFORE class time on that day (via e-mail or phone message). With
appropriate prior notification of a student’s absence, the professor will work with the student to make up
any missed work.
GRADE DETERMINATION:
Seminar Paper (15-18 pp)
Oral reports/participation
Mid-term exam
Final comprehensive exam
GRADING SCALE:
(due 8/1)
35%
(throughout semester)15%
(7/18)
25%
(8/1)
25%
90-100=A
80-89=B
70-79=C
60-69=D
59 or below=F
COURSE REQUIREMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS:
Seminar Paper: Each of you will choose arbitrarily an author from the course
with whom you think you can have a good working relationship for the semester.
Your extra reading and seminar paper will focus on this author. Part of the
reason for this method of choosing a scholarly interest for the semester is to
underscore what I see as the purposes of a graduate course: to learn as much
as you can; to pique your interest in learning even more; to help you see how
much one small research area can lead you to many other fascinating subjects;
and to remind you that, after all, papers are only papers and courses are only
courses—their real worth is in how much they take you beyond the class and
help you define your future interests.
One suggestion: choose an author with whom you are not familiar. This way,
you will be more likely to come to a fresh understanding of an author
unencumbered by preconceptions, however positive those might be.
You will focus on ONE work by your author; we may or may not have studied this
text in class. A maximum of TWO students may work on the same author, so we
will operate on the basis of “first come, first serve.” Once you’ve chosen a writer
and a text, read and reread your novel, short story collection, play, or poem(s)
carefully and critically, keeping a reading journal as you go.
You will then write a paper in which you show how this particular work reflects
the author’s ideological perspective or world view (political, sociological, cultural,
sexual, or psychological, etc.). In your paper, focus on the overriding themes in
the work and explain how they “define” the author. Your purpose will be to read
the text in any theoretical framework and then write a critical analysis of the
book. Use examples/passages from the text to explain/support your argument,
and utilize at least FIVE critical sources to help inform your reading of the text.
You should also research the past ten years of scholarship on your author/text
and utilize this information in your paper when appropriate.
This should be a scholarly exercise, thoroughly researched and
cogently written and argued. Please give me your general topic in writing
no later than July 13th. Please feel free to consult with me about your topic
any time. Length of final paper: 15-18 pages. MLA format, of course.
TURN-IT-IN.COM (through BLACKBOARD): SEMINAR PAPER will be submitted to
Turnitin.com through BLACKBOARD. Instructions will be provided in class. *No credit
will be given for a paper that is not submitted through this site.*
Oral Reports/Participation: This category covers attendance, involvement in the
class, and oral reports. “Involvement” means a range of participation from
active discussion to intelligent questions to enthusiastic nods and
thoughtful facial expressions. I strongly encourage each of you to
contribute verbally to class discussions because I believe you learn much
more that way. Also, the only foolproof way for me to tell that you are
prepared for class is if you are an active contributor to discussions. But
some people are more comfortable with discussion than others, and there
are different ways of being an active class member.
Each of you will present two or three brief, informal, and informative report(s) on
background topics pertinent to the material of our course. Reports should be about 15
minutes long; the objective is to provide the class with introductory background
information, not to be exhaustive. Also, shift the focus slightly if you think it appropriate
to do so—topics are meant to be flexible. Highlight for the class what you think is the
most important or relevant information related to your topic, speculating on its
significance to 20th century American literature and culture. We are interested in
possible ways the time period connects with the literature and writers.
Mid-term/Final Exam: You will have a mid-term exam and a final,
comprehensive examination. These exams will have two objectives: 1) to
give you a chance to synthesize material from the course that has not
engaged your research attention; and 2) to help you prepare for the
departmental Comprehensive Exam. (You will thank me later; trust me.)
These two exams will be similar in construction: short objective section to
check reading (quotations)—15-20 minutes; one or two long essay
questions in which you will focus on writers OTHER than your specialized
choice. The essay question(s) will be broad and general.
SHSU WRITING CENTER:
Sam Houston State University Writing Center, located in Farrington 111, will have several writing tutors
available Monday through Friday for both summer sessions.
Appointments are always encouraged; students can call 936-294-3680 to
schedule appointments. Writing tutors will work with you one-on-one to
help you generate a draft, organize a draft, or revise a draft of any
assignment.
CELL PHONES, LAPTOP COMPUTERS, PAGERS, ETC.:
*Only with a formal request from the Counseling Center will a student be allowed to use ANY electronic
device during class to aid in the learning process.*
As members of the classroom community, all students have a responsibility to others who are a part of
that community. The goal is to produce an environment that is conducive to learning. Students are to treat
faculty and other students with respect. Cell phones, laptop computers, pagers, and similar devices have
become increasingly a part of everyday life in our society; however, when used in the classroom
environment they can become disruptive. Students are to turn off all cell phones and other electronic
equipment while in the classroom. When cell phones or pagers ring and students respond in class or
leave class to respond, it disrupts the class. *Therefore, the use by students of cell phones, pagers, or
similar communication devices during scheduled class-time is prohibited.* All such devices should
be turned off or put in a silent (vibrate) mode and ordinarily should not be taken out during class. If there is
an emergency situation for a student, that student should inform the instructor and place himself/herself in
a seat near the door where an exit for a phone call would be only minimally disruptive. With instructor
approval, students may record lectures, take notes via laptop computer, etc., provided that they do not
disturb other students in the process. Other exceptions to this policy may be granted at the discretion of
the instructor. Any use of cell phones or other electronic devices during a test period is prohibited. Even
the visible presence of a cell phone or other device during the test period may result in a zero for that test.
Use of a cell phone during a test could result in a charge of academic dishonesty. During the test these
instruments should be left at home or stored securely in such a way that they cannot be seen or used by
the student.
For a complete copy of Student Guidelines, see:
http://www.shsu.edu/students/StudentGuidelines2007_2008.pdf
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: A paper/assignment that can be proven to have been plagiarized will receive
an automatic zero (whether its worth is 10% or 50% of the grade). The second offense will lead to an
automatic F for the entire course.
All students are expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students
are expected to maintain honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the
classroom. Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subject to
disciplinary action. The University and its official representatives may initiate disciplinary proceedings
against a student accused of any form of academic dishonesty including but not limited to, cheating on an
examination or other academic work which is to be submitted, plagiarism, collusion and the abuse of
resource materials. For a complete listing of the university policy, see:
http://www.shsu.edu/administrative/faculty/sectionb.html#dishonesty
STUDENT ABSENCES ON RELIGIOUS HOLY DAYS POLICY: Section 51.911(b) of the Texas
Education Code requires that an institution of higher education excuse a student from attending classes or
other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel
for that purpose. Section 51.911 (a) (2) defines a religious holy day as: “a holy day observed by a religion
whose places of worship are exempt from property taxation under Section 11.20….” A student whose
absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized for that absence and shall be allowed to
take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable
time after the absence.
University policy 861001 provides the procedures to be followed by the student and instructor. A student
desiring to absent himself/herself from a scheduled class in order to observe (a) religious holy day(s) shall
present to each instructor involved a written statement concerning the religious holy day(s). The instructor
will complete a form notifying the student of a reasonable timeframe in which the missed assignments
and/or examinations are to be completed. For a complete listing of the university policy, see:
http://www.shsu.edu/~vaf_www/aps/documents/861001.pdf
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES POLICY: It is the policy of Sam Houston State University that
individuals otherwise qualified shall not be excluded, solely by reason of their disability, from participation
in any academic program of the university. Further, they shall not be denied the benefits of these
programs nor shall they be subjected to discrimination. Students with disabilities that might affect their
academic performance are expected to visit with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities
located in the Counseling Center . They should then make arrangements with their individual instructors
so that appropriate strategies can be considered and helpful procedures can be developed to ensure that
participation and achievement opportunities are not impaired.
SHSU adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to
providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have a disability that may affect
adversely your work in this class, then I encourage you to register with the SHSU Counseling Center and
to talk with me about how I can best help you. All disclosures of disabilities will be kept strictly confidential.
NOTE: No accommodation can be made until you register with the Counseling Center . For a complete
listing of the university policy, see: http://www.shsu.edu/~vaf_www/aps/811006.pdf
VISITORS IN THE CLASSROOM: Only registered students may attend class. Exceptions can be made
on a case-by-case basis by the professor. In all cases, visitors must not present a disruption to the class
by their attendance. Students wishing to audit a class must apply to do so through the Registrar's Office.