Heartland Community College
Humanities & Fine Arts
Course Syllabus for Students
Course Prefix and Number: English 254-01
Course Title: African American Literature
Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Laboratory Hours:0
Days and times the course meets: 11:00-12:15am TR ICB 1703
Catalog Description:
Prerequisite: Completion of or concurrent enrollment in ENGL 101 is strongly
recommended. Discussion and analysis of literature written by, for, and about
African-Americans.
Instructor Information:
Instructor name: Glen Bush, PhD
Phone number to contact instructor: Office—268-8621 or Cell—824-1591
Instructor’s e-mail address: glen.bush@heartland.edu
Instructor’s office: ICB 2018
Hours and days of instructor’s office hours: MWF 9:30-10:00am &
12:00-12:30pm
TR 9:00-9:30am &
1:45-2:15pm
T 5:00-6:00pm
Or By Appointment
Texbook:
Gates and McKay, ed. Norton Anthology of African American Literature, 2nd ed.
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFERABILITY:
ENGL 254 fulfills 3 of the 9 semester hours of credit in Humanities/Fine Arts required for
the A.A. or A.S. degree. It satisfies the Humanities component of this requirement. ENGL
254 should transfer to other Illinois colleges and universities as the equivalent of the General
Education Core Curriculum course H3 910D, described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative.
However, students should consult an academic advisor for transfer information regarding
particular institutions. Refer to the IAI web page for information as well at www.itransfer.org
COURSE OBJECTIVES (Learning Outcomes)
Students who successfully complete ENGL 254 should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Identify major Black authors and their principal writings.
Place Black authors in their appropriate historical periods and identify the
historical events that influenced their writing (D#3).
Describe issues, trends, philosophical and literary movements, and principal
ideas relating to Black literature (D5).
Define key literary terms, such as griot, negritude, epic, praise-song, call and
response, oral tradition, orality.
Evaluate some of the ways that readers read literary texts (P5).
Articulate in both writing and speech your thoughts and observations about
what you read (C1, P7).
Demonstrate an awareness for the importance of nonverbal communication
within the African and African-American narrative and imagistic tradition
(C5).
Define the inferential basis of those problems that have contributed to the
negative imagery attached to African/African-American narrative traditions
(P2).
Identify appropriate topics for scholarly research in Black Literature, utilize
standard bibliographic and other research tools, select suitable sources and
methodology, and write papers presenting the results of your research while
observing the conventions of scholarly discourse (C6).
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
I.
Oral Tradition
Folk Tales
Sermons
II.
Slave Narratives
III. Post-Civil War Literature
a.
Novels
b.
Poetry
c.
Non-Fiction
d.
Short Stories
IV. Harlem Renaissance
a.
Poetry
b.
Short Stories
c.
Novels
V.
Modern 20th Century African-American Literature
a.
Naturalism and Social Realism
b.
Black Arts Movement
c.
Feminist/Womenist Literature
d.
Afrocentricity
a.
b.
METHOD OF EVALUATION (Tests/Exams, Grading System): Instruction will consist
of lectures, class discussion, readings, films, in-class writing, e.g., quizzes, and research
assignments. Unless otherwise stated, all exams will be essay exams given on Heartland’s
WebCT site. Class discussion is mandatory!
Exams are worth 30%, final exam 30%, research proposal assignment 5%, research
essay 25%, and class discussion and participation 10%. Four essay exams will be given.
The lowest grade of the four exams will be dropped. The final exam, the fifth exam, cannot
be dropped. The Final Exam will be given in a specified room; IF YOU ARE NOT IN
THE ASSIGNED CLASSROOM AT THE PROPER TIME, YOU WILL RECEIVE A
GRADE OF ZERO ON THE FINAL EXAM!
For a more detailed explanation of the grading/scoring system, please read the
Grading Guidelines at the end of the syllabus.
Final grades will be determined according to the following scale:
92-100%
83-91%
74-82%
65-73%
Below 65%
A
B
C
D
F
Participation (or Attendance): Class attendance and participation are mandatory.
Three unexcused absences may be acceptable, but any more than three absences and you, the
student, stand a very good chance of having your grade lowered, possibly to an F. The
discretion is mine.
IF YOU MISS THE FINAL EXAM, YOU WILL RECEIVE A GRADE OF ZERO ON
THE FINAL EXAM AND IN ALL PROBALITY FAIL THE CLASS!
Class Participation: Required!
Incompletes: For the most part, incompletes are non-existent in this class.
Extra Credit: On rare occasions an extra credit assignment may be given to the
class; never are there individual extra credit assignments.
Make-up of tests and assignments: NONE!
Deadlines: This means DEADLINE, not maybe about this time! Exams are
scheduled during class! Outside assignments are due at the BEGINNING OF
CLASS on the date due. After class ends on the date due, no assignment will be
accepted and the grade for that assignment will automatically become an F.
Required Writing and Reading:
Each student will write essay exams, including a final exam. There will also be a 1012 page typed research essay, written in the MLA format, 6th edition. No other
format will be accepted! More detailed explanation of essay writing can be
found at the end of the syllabus under GUIDELINES FOR ESSAY WRITING.
THE FINAL RESEARCH ESSAY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED IF THE
RESEARCH PROPOSAL CONSISTING OFA PROPOSAL NARRATIVE, A
WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY, AND A TRADITIONAL OUTLINE HAS NOT
BEEN TURNED IN ON THE DATE DUE!!!!
Selected essays, short stories, plays, and poems that best define the individual
cultures will be assigned. These will include both in-class and outside readings.
Student Conduct: I expect you to conduct yourself as a reasonable, mature adult. I
do not accept childish or disrespectful conduct.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism: READ THE HCC POLICY
Academic integrity is a fundamental principle of collegial life at Heartland Community
College and is essential to the credibility of the College’s educational programs. Moreover,
because grading may be competitive, students who misrepresent their academic work violate
the right of their fellow students. The College, therefore, views any act of academic
dishonesty as a serious offense requiring disciplinary measures, including course failure,
suspension, and even expulsion from the College. In addition, an act of academic dishonesty
may have unforeseen effects far beyond any officially imposed penalties.
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to cheating, aiding or
suborning cheating or other acts of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, misrepresentation of
data, falsification of academic records or documents and unauthorized access to
computerized academic or administrative records or systems. Definitions of these violations
may be found in the college catalog.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presenting of others’ ideas as if they were your own. When you write a paper,
create a project, do a presentation or create anything original, it is assumed that all the work,
except for that which is attributed to another author or creator, is your own. Plagiarism is
considered a serious academic offense and may take the following forms:
1
Copying word-for-word from another source and not giving that source credit.
2
Paraphrasing the work of another and not giving that source credit.
3
Adopting a particularly apt phrase as your own.
4
Using an image or a copy of an image without crediting its source.
5
Paraphrasing someone else’s line of thinking in the development of a topic as
if it were your own.
6
Receiving excessive help from a friend or elsewhere, or using another project
as if it were your own.
Note that word-for-word copying is not the only form of plagiarism.
The penalties for plagiarism may be severe, ranging from failure on the particular
piece of work, failure in the course or expulsion from school in extreme cases.
[Adapted from the Modem Language Association’s MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. New York: MLA, 1995: 26]
Support Services:
Heartland Library Information
www.hcc.cc.il.us/library
The Library, located within the Academic Support Center (ASC) on the Normal campus, provides
Heartland students with a variety of on-campus resources that support both class work and personal
inquiry. These include: reference tools (print and non-print), periodicals, audio-visual materials and
equipment, reserves, a general circulating collection, and a fiction collection. Computer terminals
provide access to various electronic resources, including Academic Universe, FirstSearch, and
EbscoHost databases; CARL online card catalog, and Internet access. Several electronic resources
are accessible from computers off campus. Students may borrow books from the fiction and general
collections and may renew materials, in person or by phone, if requests have not been placed on them.
Heartland students also have Interlibrary Loan privileges from Heartland Library. Items usually take
1 to 3 weeks from date of the order to arrive.
The Library maintains a quiet study environment. Assistance is available for all library and
information needs. Heartland Library is open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday 7:30
a.m. to 4 p.m., when the college is in session, but is closed on holidays that Heartland observes.
Intersession and summer hours are reduced.
Milner Library at Illinois State University is a public institution so you may use their collection on
site. If you want to request to check out materials, ask for a free Community Borrowers card
application at the Milner Library circulation desk. It is important that you have specific titles to
request for check out when you apply for the card. The card will give you access to their circulating
collection for three months, with a four-week check out period. To qualify for this service you must
live within 50 miles of Milner, have a current state ID (driver's license) with current address on ID,
and be over age 18. After you fill out the application Milner will perform a background check on you
for over due books, etc.
For more information about Library services please call the Library at 268-8200.
Tutoring and Academic Support
Heartland Community College offers learning assistance in various forms at no cost to
Heartland students at the Academic Support Center (ASC) in Normal and at the Pontiac and
Lincoln Centers. Tutors are available at convenient times throughout the week. Study
groups, group tutoring facilitated by a specially-trained tutor, are also available by request.
Help is also provided through instructional materials, study skills workshops, open
computing, and the Library. For more information about services available at each location,
please call the ASC in Normal at (309) 268-8235, the Pontiac Center (815) 842-6777; or the
Lincoln Center (217) 735-1731.
Academic Support Services (Academic Support Center) Lab
www.hcc.cc.il.us/divisions/asc
[The following material must be on every syllabus. However, this text may be updated as
needs warranted. Please check either the HCC Intranet site in the Curriculum and Academic
Standards folder or with the lead faculty member for the most current site.]
Testing Center Lab
www.hcc.cc.il.us/asc/testing
The Testing Center proctors make-up exams for students enrolled in traditional courses. In
addition, regularly scheduled exams for alternative delivery courses are also proctored at this
Center. Exams are proctored free of charge in a secure and quite environment. For more
information about exam proctoring services contact the Testing Center at (309) 268-8231.
Open Computing Lab
www.hcc.cc.il.us/divisions/asc/complab
The Open Computing Lab provides free computing for HCC students at convenient times throughout the week.
The computer lab is staffed by trained Lab Assistants and offers the use of approximately 70 computers, a
scanner, a laser printer, and an electric typewriter.
Course Calendar:
August-September:
The Literature of Slavery and Freedom, 1746-1865 (151-162)
Jupitor Hammon, Poetry (162-168)
Phillis Wheatley, Poetry (213-227)
David Walker, Prose (227-239)
Sojourner Truth, Prose (245-249)
Martin R. Delany, Prose (255-279)
Harriet Jacobs, Prose (279-315)
Frederick Douglass, Prose (385-452)
Frances E. W. Harper, Poetry (491-521)
Essay Exam #1: Thursday, September 20, 2007
September-October:
Research Proposal (Proposal Narrative, Working Bibliography,
and Traditional Outline) is Due at the Beginning of Class on
Tuesday, September 25, 2007. No late papers!
Literature of the Reconstruction to the New Negro Renaissance, 18651919 (541-554)
Booker T. Washington, Prose (570-601)
Charles Chesnutt, Prose (602-604; “The Wife of His Youth” 624-632)
W.E.B. DuBois, Prose (686-689; “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and
Others” 699-708)
James Weldon Johnson, Poetry (791-803)
Paul Laurence Dunbar, Poetry (905-929)
Essay Exam #2: Thursday, October 11, 2007
October-November:
Research Essay Assignment is Due at the Beginning of Class on
Thursday, October 25, 2007. No Late Papers!
Harlem Renaissance, 1919-1940 (953-962)
Alain Locke, Prose (983-993)
Marcus Garvey, Prose (995-1003)
Claude McKay, Poetry (1003-1010)
Zora Neale Hurston, Prose (1019-1053)
Jean Toomer, Prose (1168-1170; “Blood-Burning Moon” 1186-92)
Langston Hughes, Poetry/Prose (1288-92; “I, Too” 1295; “The Negro
Artist and the Racial Mountain” 1311-15)
Realism, Naturalism, Modernism, 1940-1960 (1355-1368)
Richard Wright, Prose (1399-1403; “Long Black Song” 1419-36)
Chester Himes, Prose (1487-1496)
Ralph Ellison, Prose (1535-48; “Change the Joke…” 1570-78;
“Remembering Richard Wright” 1599-1611)
Gwendolyn Brooks, Poetry (1623-1649)
James Baldwin, Prose (1696-99; “Notes of a Native Son” 1713-28)
Essay Exam #3: Thursday, November 8, 2007
November-December:
The Black Arts Era, 1960-1975 (1831-1850)
Martin Luther King, Jr., Prose (1895-1908)
Etheridge Knight, Poetry (1908-1911)
Audre Lorde, Poetry (1919-1926)
Toni Morrison, Prose (2210-14; “Rootedness…” 2286-90)
Ernest Gaines, Prose (2322-2344)
Octavia Butler, Prose (2515-2529)
Walter Mosley, Prose (2624-2635)
Essay Exam #4: Thursday, December 6, 2007)
FINAL EXAM : TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007, 10:00-11:50AM, IN ICB ROOM