English 2130-25H-- 1
FALL 2013
ENGLISH 2130-25H: American Literature—Honors
Red Riding Hood in the New World: Fairytales in America—American Fairytales
MW 11:00 am – 12:20 pm
Pafford 309
Dr. Patrick M. Erben
Office: TLC 2239
Office Hours: MW 9-10:30 am and 12:30-1:30pm
and by appointment
E-mail: perben@westga.edu
Tel.: (678) 839-6144 (Office and Voicemail)
WEBSITE: http://www.westga.edu/~perben
English 2130-25H-- 2
Class Description (specific to this course):
Though sanitized by Walt Disney, the fairytales of the European tradition express many of the dark and secret
passions, fears, and hopes of the human psyche. This course examines how many of the fairytale motifs were
transformed and adapted in America, and how the diverse peoples and traditions of the New World created new
narratives or mythologies (i.e. cultural and communal narratives and beliefs) reflecting the peculiar experiences,
conflicts, and desires that shaped America. Thus, we will also encounter the influence the narrative traditions of
Native Americans, African Americans, and other immigrant cultures. We will meet Indian princesses and Old
World knights; we will venture into darks woods and encounter horrible monsters; we will dance with the
“witches” of Salam; we will bust the ghosts that haunt the American psyche (such slavery and Native American
genocide); and, finally, we will analyze and deconstruct the most persistent of all American fairytales—the
“American dream.”
We will approach texts thematically rather than chronologically (there will be some thematic overlap between
texts under each rubric). The four main themes are:
- Princesses and Knights: Gender, Womanhood, and Manhood
- Witches and other “Un-American” Beings: Social Deviance and Communal Phobias in American
Culture
- The Haunted: Ghosts and Other Specters
- The Deep, Dark Woods: Wildernesses and Strange Beasts
Course Goals (same for all English 2130 courses):
Students will develop the ability to recognize and identify significant achievements in American literature.
 Students will understand the relevant social, historical, and aesthetic contexts of these literary works.
 Students will appreciate the implications of theoretical and critical approaches to such literature.
 Students will develop enhanced cultural awareness and analytical skills.
 Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and of the tenets of sound composition
by means of thesis-driven analytical prose.
Program Goals (same for all English 2130 courses):
 Oral and written communication will be characterized by clarity, critical analysis, logic, coherence,
persuasion, precision, and rhetorical awareness (Core Curriculum learning outcomes I)
 Cultural and Social Perspectives: Cultural and social perspective will be characterized by cultural
awareness and an understanding of the complexity and dynamic nature of social/political/economic
systems; human and institutional behavior, values, and belief systems; historical and spatial relationship;
and, flexibility, open-mindedness, and tolerance. (Core Curriculum learning outcomes III)
 Aesthetic Perspective: Aesthetic perspective will be characterized by critical appreciation of and ability
to make informed aesthetic judgments about the arts of various cultures as media for human expression
(Core Curriculum learning outcomes V)
 This course fulfills the Area C.2 requirement in the core for all students.
 Area C (Humanities/Arts) Learning Outcomes:
1. To develop the ability to recognize and identify achievements in literary, fine and performing arts;
2. To have an appreciation of the nature and achievements of the arts and humanities; and
3. To develop the ability to apply, understand, and appreciate the application of aesthetics criteria to
"real world circumstances.
 This course fulfills an Area F requirement for English majors (all tracks) in the core.
 This course fulfills one of the core-level language arts requirements for Middle Grades Education
majors.
English 2130-25H-- 3


This course contributes to the program goal of equipping students with a foundation in literary history
and the issues surrounding literary study in contemporary culture.
This course broadens students' desire and ability to take pleasure in their encounter with literature.
REQUIRED MATERIALS: One bound journal (not a spiral notebook or loose-leaf folder), one portfolio folder for
your papers. Please write your name and the class number clearly and visibly on the front of your journal and
portfolio folder!
Required Texts: You need the exact editions, at the beginning of the semester.
1) Maria Tatar, ed., The Classic Fairy Tales. W. W. Norton (Norton Critical Editions), 978-0-393-97277-1.
2) Susanna Rowson, Charlotte Temple. W. W. Norton (Norton Critical Editions), 978-0393925388.
4) William Faulkner, Go down, Moses. Vintage, 978-0679732174.
5) Arthur Miller, The Crucible. Penguin, 978-0142437339.
6) Anne Sexton, Transformations. Mariner Books, 978-0-393-97277-1
8) Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. 978-0679721888.
9) August Wilson, Fences. Plume, 978-0452264014.
10) Some short handhouts provided by the instructor.
REQUIREMENTS:
Investment and Interest in the Course, its Materials, and its Subjects: I bring a great deal of enthusiasm
and intellectual curiosity to my teaching and the materials and questions we discuss in class. I demand that you
do the same and treat your work in this course as an important part of your intellectual growth, especially if it is
not directly connected to your major. I will quickly recognize if you treat the course merely as “just another
requirement” and/or try to coast through it by doing the minimum amount of work. If you are looking for an
easy grade and little work, I urge you to drop the course immediately.
Attendance: Regular and timely attendance is MANDATORY. You have three (3) allowed absences. Each
additional absence will result in a full letter grade deduction from your final course grade (A to B, B to C, etc.).
All absences will be treated the same (i.e. no distinction between excused and unexcused absences). Thus, you
do not need to turn in a doctor’s note or any excuses for absences, email me, or call me about your absence.
Everyone is responsible for signing an attendance list circulated at the beginning of every class meeting. If you
arrive late, it is your responsibility to request the attendance list at the end of class (do not interrupt class by
asking for the list if you arrive late!). Failure to sign up on the attendance list may be counted as an absence for
that day. Absences will also result in a deduction from your journal grade (which can’t be made up by showing
me the journal the next class meeting).
Participation: Active participation is the essence of a lively and productive course. I encourage you to
cultivate an engaged reading style. Classroom discussion will usually involve close readings, and I may ask
you to support your comments with evidence from the text. I evaluate both the quality and quantity of your
contributions, so less vocal students may excel through fewer, but thoughtful comments. I will help you prepare
for your reading and classroom discussion by posting specific reading questions for each text on the website. I
may restate these questions in class to guide discussion, and you may use them to cultivate active note-taking.
We can discuss at any point during the semester how you are doing on your participation grade. Also, active
journal writing will help your participation in class (see below for Journal).
English 2130-25H-- 4
Journal: Your journal writing will serve multiple purposes—to gather your thoughts about the readings and
discussion questions, to help you prepare for class discussions, to have a record of your ideas and thus a basis
for the short papers, and demonstrate (to me!) your diligent preparation and completion of all reading
assignments. Here are the rules and expectations for your journal:
- I will collect your journal two times during the semester for grading.
- Each day at the beginning of class, I (or a designated student) will walk around and stamp your
completed journal entry for that day. Journal entries turned in at the end of class will not be
accepted. If you arrive more than 5 minutes late, your journal entry will not be stamped.
- You have to write at least one substantial (i.e. about 1 hand-written journal page) for each class
meeting, each time that a reading assignment is due (see Schedule for specific journal due dates).
- Your journal entries should respond in a coherent fashion to one or more of the Critical
Questions/Writing Prompts I post on my webpage for each reading assignment. These questions
will also serve as guidelines for class discussion. You may in addition explore any issue you would
like to discuss (including personal or political reflections on the readings and discussions).
- Think of your journal entries as mini-response papers. They should preferably involve
argumentative/analytical thinking and writing, while referring directly to features of the readings.
(Keep in mind that I will use your journals to evaluate whether you are doing your work and paying
attention in class; thus, your entries should demonstrate as much!)
- I will grade your journal entries on rate of completion, diligence, knowledge of and critical insight
into the texts, and personal involvement. In other words, demonstrate that you are reading and
thinking about the text. I do not want plot summaries of what you have read. I do not grade your
writing in detail here, but please strive for readable and correct prose/spelling/grammar.
- Please do not use your journal for regular class notes.
- BRING YOUR JOURNALS TO CLASS EVERY DAY! I may ask you to use your journal for inclass writing.
3 (THREE) short papers/close readings (see detailed handout!): These papers function essentially the same
as a short, analytical paper about a literary text you practiced in other classes. I will ask you to pick a specific
“scene” (a chapter, a passage) perform a “close reading,” i.e. analyze the text with regard to literary, cultural,
sociological, political, cinematic, and other aspects. Primarily, you should use your scene or passage to
demonstrate how it develops or adapts a fairy tale theme within a specifically American literary and cultural
context. Just as any close analysis of literature, these papers must abide by standard essay format (introduction,
body paragraphs, conclusion), use MLA style and format, state a clear, focused, and argumentative thesis,
support the thesis with logical argumentation and textual evidence, and, overall, stress the significance of your
argument/analysis for the larger understanding of a “fairy tale” theme or myth in American literature and
culture. Each paper must be a minimum of 3 full pages (i.e. all the way to the bottom of page 3) long.
Group Presentations (see detailed handout): Though they are not the primary focus of our class, the classic
fairy tales of the European tradition informed and continue to inform story-telling, character development, and
literary paradigms in American literature. Some writers, such as Washington Irving and Anne Sexton, directly
dialogued with these classical fairy tales, while others, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, tried to develop
distinctively American story-telling paradigms and character archetypes. At the beginning of the semester, you
will each join with a partner and prepare a circa 10 to 15-minute presentation on one of the thematic
groupings in Maria Tatar, ed., The Classic Fairy Tales. In your presentation, you should
- discuss the main themes and/or archetypes of the fairy tales in your section,
- discuss the elements of human experience that your fairy tales address,
- outline techniques of characterization and narration employed by the fairy tales, and
- explain variations on the theme (adaptations in different times, locations, cultures, etc.).
English 2130-25H-- 5
-
summarize and explain the argument of one critical/scholarly essay in the book (will be assigned to
each group).
In reading the selections and preparing your presentation, consider some of these questions: what do fairy tales
say about the nature of good and evil, the triumph of love, the proper roles of genders in human society, the
interaction between natural and super-natural forces, the encounter with “Others” (such as monsters, witches,
giants, dwarfs, and other non-human or sub-human creatures), transformations in nature and human nature
(including the blossoming of human sexuality), and many more? While I did not select the readings for the rest
of the semester as precise analogies to the “classic fairy tales,” we will reflect on the ways in which American
literature adapts some of these themes to an American cultural and literary environment.
Your presentation must include a one-page (single-space, 12-point font) handout summarizing your
findings (you can use a bulleted list, but please use complete sentences). I do not want Powerpoints or other
visual aids; the presentation should demonstrate your engagement with the readings, your analysis of the
readings (rather than plot analysis), and your intelligent presentation style and professionalism.
GRADE BREAKDOWN:
Participation
Journal (10% for 1st and 2nd portion each)
3 Short Analyses/Close Readings (15% each)
Group Presentation
20%
20%
45%
15%
GRADING CRITERIA AND RUBRIC:
For all papers prepared for this course, the English Department grading rubric for 2000-level and above course
applies: http://www.westga.edu/~engdept/fr/Ruby.doc. In addition, separate assignment descriptions will state
additional grading criteria.
COURSE POLICIES:
Attendance and Deadlines: In case of absence, you are responsible for keeping up with all assignments,
readings, and in-class work. I do not make lecture notes etc. available to students who missed class (please
get in touch with a fellow student). I can only accept late work if you discussed the issue with me ahead of time.
All exceptions and acceptance of excuses are completely at my discretion.
Tardiness: A roll book or list will circulate at the BEGINNING of class. Everyone who is late will be noted as
tardy. Three (3) “tardies” will result in one (1) absence!
Plagiarism: There are different forms of plagiarism, from blatant theft of entire papers to negligence in
acknowledging a source in your writing. However, you will be held responsible for any form of plagiarism—
whether intentional or not. Consequences and responses to plagiarism are entirely at the discretion of the
instructor. Please pay specific attention to the English Department’s site on plagiarism:
http://www.westga.edu/%7Eengdept/Plagiarism/index.html. I expect all out-of-class work to abide by MLA
Format (See: MLA Handbook for the Writers of Research Papers) for proper documentation of sources (primary
and secondary). “Recycled” papers, i.e. papers you wrote for other courses, may only be accepted if you apprise
me of your previous work and present a cogent and significant plan for revision, expansion, or refocusing.
Otherwise, submitting papers previously written for other courses may count as academic dishonesty.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: (NB: Before you read the following, keep in mind that I wouldn’t have to address
these issues if they hadn’t caused problems in the past.)
English 2130-25H-- 6
I expect everyone to be ready to work at the beginning of class. This means in particular having ALL reading
materials assigned for that day on hand and ready to use, as well as any tools for note-taking. You MAY bring
drinks and/or non-smelly or non-noisy food to class. Most importantly: Be respectful toward the opinions,
ideas, and personal identity of all members of our class!
The following actions will result in an immediate dismissal from class and result in an absence for that
day (and may result in the administrative withdrawal from the course):
- surfing the net or using email, Facebook, etc. on a personal laptop or the desktop computers. If you
wish to use an electronic device for electronic books (see above for Required Texts), you must
clear this with me at the beginning of the semester. You may only use those devices for that
particular purpose.
- using any other electronic device, such as i-phones, MP3-players, etc. In particular, I am extremely
allergic to students text-messaging during class. Please turn off any of these devices before class.
- sleeping or even acting like you’re sleeping (e.g. putting your head on your desk)
- disruptive behavior, such as interrupting other students or the instructor while they’re speaking,
insulting or disparaging the opinions of other students, harassing other students or the instructor,
inciting hate or prejudice, doing non-course related work, and especially the use of any electronic
devices not used for course-related note-taking. All rules stated under the UWG Student
Conduct Code apply (http://www.westga.edu/handbook/60.php).
UWG Email Policy: University of West Georgia students are provided a MyUWG e-mail account. The
University considers this account to be an official means of communication between the University and the
student. The purpose of the official use of the student e-mail account is to provide an effective means of
communicating important university related information to UWG students in a timely manner. It is the student’s
responsibility to check his or her email.
Dr. Erben’s Email Etiquette: In communicating with me via email, please observe basic rules of politeness
and formality. These rules include:
- All messages must include a subject line
- All messages must include an address line (e.g. “Dear Dr. Erben” or “Dr. Erben”)
- Use polite and appropriate language, as well as reasonably edited prose (i.e. complete sentences,
correct spelling, etc.)!
- No text-messaging language and abbreviations.
- Always sign your name!
Individual Help, Office Hours, and Writing Center: The writing center provides individual tutorials for any
writing-related problems, but no proofreading service. The center is located in TLC 1201. However, I am not
only available during my designated office hours, but am happy to speak to you about assignments and any
other questions by appointment (or right after class).
Americans with Disabilities Act: Students with a documented disability may work with UWG Disability
Services to receive essential services specific to their disability. All entitlements to accommodations are based
on documentation and USG Board of Regents standards. If you need course adaptations or accommodations
because of a disability or chronic illness, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must
be evacuated, please notify your instructor in writing by the end of the second full week of class and include a
copy of your Student Accommodations Report (SAR), which is available only from Disability Services.
English 2130-25H-- 7
Students are entitled to accommodations if they deliver the SAR to the instructor no later than the end of the
second full week of class.
Credit Hour Policy: The University of West Georgia grants one semester hour of credit for work equivalent to
a minimum of one hour (50 minutes) of in-class or other direct faculty instruction AND two hours of student
work outside of class per week for approximately fifteen weeks. For each course, the course syllabus will
document the amount of in-class (or other direct faculty instruction) and out-of-class work required to earn the
credit hour(s) assigned to the course. Out-of-class work will include all forms of credit-bearing activity,
including but not limited to assignments, readings, observations, and musical practice. Where available, the
university grants academic credit for students who verify via competency-based testing, that they have
accomplished the learning outcomes associated with a course that would normally meet the requirements
outlined above (e.g. AP credit, CLEP, and departmental exams).
University of West Georgia Honor Code: At the University of West Georgia, we believe that academic and
personal integrity are based upon honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Students at West Georgia
assume responsibility for upholding the honor code. West Georgia students pledge to refrain from engaging in
acts that do not maintain academic and personal integrity. These include, but are not limited to, plagiarism,
cheating, fabrication, aid of academic dishonesty, lying, bribery or threats, and stealing.
The University of West Georgia maintains and monitors a confidential Academic Dishonesty Tracking System.
This database collects and reports patterns of repeated student violations across all the Colleges, the Ingram
Library, and the School of Nursing.
Additionally, you are responsible for safeguarding your computer account. Your account and network
connection are for your individual use. A computer account is to be used only by the person to whom it has
been issued. You are responsible for all actions originating through your account or network connection. You
must not impersonate others or misrepresent or conceal your identity in electronic messages and actions.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
All changes are at the discretion of the instructor. Important: All assignments, including readings and film
viewings, are to be completed for the date listed in the schedule! Please check the University website or
hotline in case of inclement weather. Please check your email and my website for updates.
YOU MUST BRING THE ASSIGNED TEXT(S) AND YOUR JOURNAL TO CLASS EVERY DAY!
DATES
COURSE TOPICS AND ASSIGNED READINGS and
VIEWINGS
M 8/26
Introduction to the Course and Assignments. Group Presentation
Assignments made.
ASSIGNMENTS
DUE/DEADLINES
English 2130-25H-- 8
W 8/28
Instructor lecture: “European Images of the New World.”
Detailed Instructions for Group Presentation assignment.
M 9/2
W 9/4
Labor Day; no classes
Princesses and Knights: Gender, Womanhood, and
Manhood in Early America
Read: Selections on English settlement of Virginia, Captain John
Journal entry due.
Smith, Pocahontas (handout).
M 9/9
W 9/11
M 9/16
Watch (at home): The New World (Terrence Malick, 2005).
NB: The film is on reserve in the library, but you can also
access it through amazon.com’s “Instant Video” service.
Selected scenes and discussion in class.
The European Fairy Tale—Themes, Traditions, and
Transformations
Journal entry due
Group Presentations
The European Fairy Tale—Themes, Traditions, and
Transformations.
Princesses and Knights: Gender, Womanhood, and
Manhood, (continued)…
Read: Charlotte Temple (“Introduction,” Preface, Chapters IXVII )
Group Presentations
M 9/23
W 9/25
Read: Charlotte Temple (Chapters XVIII-end)
Read: Anne Sexton, Transformations
Journal entry due.
M 9/30
Theme: Witches and other Subversive Beings: Social
Deviance and Communal Phobias in American Culture
In-class viewing: Three Sovereigns for Sarah (Dir. Philip
Leacock).
Short Paper One (Close
Reading) due.
W 9/18
Journal entry due.
Turn in Journal at the end of
class.
Journal entry due (write on
loose leaf paper and past in
journal later)
W 10/2
Read: Handout on Salem Witchcraft Trials.
M 10/7
W 10/9
Read: Arthur Miller, The Crucible
No class (instructor giving Dale Brown Book Award
Lecture at Elizabethtown College, PA)
Journal entry due.
M 10/14
W 10/16
F 10/18
In-class viewing: The Crucible (Dir. Nicholas Hytner, 1996).
Cont. discussion of Arthur Miller, The Crucible and film.
Journal entry due.
M 10/21
Watch (at home): The Village (Dir. M. Night Shyamalan,
2004). NB: The film is on reserve in the library, but you can
also access it through amazon.com’s “Instant Video” service.
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW
WITH GRADE “W”
Journal entry due.
Short Paper 2 (Close Reading)
English 2130-25H-- 9
due in class.
W 10/23
Selected scenes and discussion in class.
The Haunted: Ghosts and Other Specters
Read: Washington Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
and “Rip van Winkle” (handouts)
Journal entry due.
Read: Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior, pages 1109.
Continued: discussion of Maxine Hong Kingston, The
Woman Warrior, pages 111-end.
Journal entry due.
Read: Leslie Marmon Silko, “Lullaby” and Louise Erdrich,
“Fleur” (handouts)
Read: August Wilson, Fence (Introduction and Act One)
Journal entry due.
M 11/11
W 11/13
Read: August Wilson, Fences (Act Two)
Theme: The Deep, Dark Woods: Wildernesses and
Strange Beasts
Read: (handout) selections from William Bradford, Of
Plymouth Plantation; Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown.”
Journal entry due.
Journal entry due.
M 11/18
W 11/20
Read: William Faulkner, “The Bear” (from Go down, Moses)
Continued: discussion of Faulkner, “The Bear”
Journal entry due.
M 11/25
W 11/27
THANKSGIVING BREAK—NO CLASSES
THANKSGIVING BREAK—NO CLASSES
M 12/2
Reading TBA (handout).
W 12/4
Short Paper 3—writing workshop.
M 12/9
Final Exam period (no final exam given); CLASS WILL
MEET 11-1:30 PM, REGULAR CLASSROOM
M 10/28
W 10/30
M 11/4
W 11/6
Journal entry due.
Journal entry due.
Turn in Journal at the end of
class.
Short Paper 3 (Close Reading)
due in class.