American Literature and Composition
Email: areda@lps.org
Anthony Reda
Phone: (402) 436-1306 (ext. 66257)
American Literature attempts to understand the “American Experience.” It is this shared
experience that is the unifying thread to the vast diversity of experiences that create
America. This country claims to be a special place—a land unique in its demographics,
but united in spirit. America sees itself as the birthplace and flag-bearer of democracy;
however, this idealistic image of America is tarnished by its historical inability to fulfill
its promises of freedom, equality, justice, and opportunity for all. It is this tension
between the ideal and reality in America that is the basis for this course. What is an
American? What does it mean to be an American? How does our literature answer these
questions?
Readings in American Literature will be studied in relation to each other to emphasize the
interconnection/linkage of the literature. These links illustrate how the literary works and
cultures of America not only reflect each other but also have influenced each other at
different times. Much of the literature will be discussed in relation to the social justice
issues embedded within the stories in order for us to deepen our understanding of the
diverse American experience.
Texts:
Schakel, Peter and Jack Ridl. Approaching Literature in the 21st Century. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martins, 2005.
Warner, J. Sterling and Judith Hilliard. Visions Across the Americas: Short Essays for
Composition. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007.
Selected American Literature and Composition Objectives
Students will:
*Reading and Literature
--read and comprehend a wide range of genres and authors drawn from instructional level
print and non-print texts that represent diverse American perspectives.
--examine literature for issues of social justice.
--understand the unique role of race in the transformation of American literature.
--analyze, interpret, synthesize, and evaluate texts emphasizing literary structures and
techniques, ideas and concepts, supporting examples, and connections between diverse
texts.
--know and apply various literary theories, such as biographical, gender, historical,
Marxist, mythological, psychological, and reader response.
*Writing and Language
--write a paper that synthesizes text(s) to create a reasoned, new understanding.
-- write a documented research paper using MLA format.
--write a literary analysis which examines the function of literary elements in a text
and/or applies critical theoretical strategies.
--write a persuasive essay that forms an opinion, and develops compelling
and logical arguments.
--write an evaluative essay that focuses on the student’s own work or an aspect of a text.
--examine language choices for aesthetic and rhetorical effectiveness and purpose.
--recognize dialect, regional language, idiomatic language, formal and informal registers,
and code switching as valid syntactical structures.
--recognize ways language can empower and oppress.
*Oral Communication
--deliver group and/or individual presentations using effective oral communication skills.
--engage earnestly in a community of intellectual discourse.
--substantiate assertions with textual references in class discussions.
*Creative and Critical Thinking
--interrogate a range of cultural topics seen through American literature.
--demonstrate flexible thinking by deferring judgments, suspending assumptions,
recognizing multiple sides to an account/problem/issue, questioning own thinking and
practices, and maintaining a willingness to change and be challenged.
Materials
--Required:
At least one writing implement (blue or black ink pen)
A loose-leaf notebook or keeper folder with paper
--Suggested:
A good dictionary
Highliter(s)
Post-it Notes
File Cards
American Literature/Composition
Tentative Weekly Schedule
Week 1
Overview and Sharing Cultures Activity
Introductory poems and discussion (How does American literature reflect the culture?)
Their Eyes Were Watching God, chapters 1-3
Week 2
Their Eyes Were Watching God, chapters 4-8
“The Lesson,” Toni Cade Bambara, AL 183
“The Story of an Hour,” Kate Chopin, AL 167
Anne Bradstreet poetry
Composition Focus: Narrative
Week 3
Their Eyes Were Watching God, chapters 9-17
“Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin, AL 138
Walden
Composition Focus: Narrative
Week 4
Their Eyes Were Watching God, chapters 18-20
“Red Convertible,” Louise Erdrich, AL 67
Composition Focus: Description
Week 5
The Great Gatsby, chapters 1-2
Death of a Salesman, AL 980 or Fences, AL 1186
Walt Whitman poetry
Composition Focus: Description
Week 6
The Great Gatsby, chapters 3-6
Death of a Salesman or Fences
Composition Focus: Illustration and Example
Week 7
The Great Gatsby, chapters 7-8
Death of a Salesman or Fences
Composition Focus: Illustration and Example
Week 8
The Great Gatsby, chapter 9
Death of a Salesman or Fences
Composition Focus: Definition
Week 9
Selected poetry (What is the American Dream?)
Composition Focus: Definition
Finals