Fall 2009
AMS 3343.03 and ENG 2383.002
Multiethnic Literatures of the United States
Dr. Lenora Perry-Samaniego
TR 12:30 p.m.-1:45 MB 1.206
E-mail: Lenora.perrysamaniego@utsa.edu
Ph. (210) 458-5049
Office Hours: T: 10:00 a.m. --11:00 a.m.
Office Location -- MB 2.248 B
I. Course Description:
A survey of the literature of various minority groups such as Native American, African
American, Asian American, and U.S. Latina/o. Designed also for non-majors. Prerequisite:
Completion of the Core Curriculum Requirement in Literature.
II. Conceptual Framework:
During the last 500 years, the population that has made up the area that we know as the nation
state of the United States of America has emerged as a diverse and complex society. The
literature of the indigenous peoples as well as the various ethnic groups that have settled in the
U.S. reflects the concerns and issues that have shaped the literary canon of the nation. Writers of
the four ethnic “minority” groups explore issues of identity formation, of living within a nationstate where one is the “other,” and of survival and maintenance of their root culture. Literature
has often served as a didactic and socializing tool even as it has also functioned as a critic of the
body politic and the society where it is written. The class focuses on the “literature of various
minority groups” (perhaps a misnomer given the changing demographics of the U.S.) and studies
the formation of a literary tradition in four major cultural groups.
III. Goals and Objectives:
Participants will become familiar with the four major “minority” groups (Native American,
Chicano/a African American, and Asian American) in the United States by reading novels that
deal with identity: James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest
Eye, John Okada’s No No Boy, Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior, , Leslie Marmon
Silko’s Ceremony, José Antonio Villarreal’s Pocho, and Helena Maria Viramontes’s Under the
Feet of Jesus. Participants will demonstrate competency in knowledge of the subject matter by
writing papers using a particular literary critical approach, take examinations and quizzes, and
participating in class discussion.
IV. Instructional Activities:
 Lectures will introduce themes, topics or general areas of discussion.
 During the class, participants will engage in collaborative learning activities and will experience a
variety of pedagogical approaches.
 Participants will engage in various readings, visit web sites, and view videos as assigned. The
Schedule indicates when the assigned readings are due.
Other Required Assignments:
·
Response Papers: At least once a week, students will be asked to write a response to the
assigned readings for that day, and occasionally they will be asked to provide an oral
summary of their “answer.”
·
Brief Summaries: As assigned on the syllabus, participants will be responsible for a
written summary of one of the critical essays related to the required reading. Participants
will provide outlines of the summary for all members of the class the dates that they
present their summaries.
·
Précis: As they prepare to write their paper, participants must turn in brief abstracts that
summarize the “research question” and the critical approaches used in the conferencelength paper.
·
Conference-length paper: 8-10 page paper on any of the readings from the required
texts. The paper must follow the MLA Style and include a works cited page.
·
Midterm Exam: The first exam will be a traditional exam (you will not be allowed to bring
books or notes to the exam), held during class time.
·
Final Exam: This exam will be comprehensive. This means that all the material covered in
the course and all the reading we have done in-class is eligible to be included. It will be
an open-book exam. Consequently, note taking throughout the semester is important.
Note: Participation in this class includes accessing Blackboard for messages, postings, etc. All
handouts, assignments and the syllabus will be posted online for your use. You are strongly
encouraged to participate in the chats set up for special-topics discussions.
V. Policies
Grading Policies: Grades will be contingent on the completion of the various competencies at
the usual level (A+ = 100%; A = 95%; A- = 90; B+ = 88%; B = 85%; B- = 80%, etc.). A
maximum of 5 BONUS points will be awarded for additional participation in relevant extracurricular events such as attendance at conferences, talks, readings, etc. as approved by the
Professor. The professor must approve the extra-curricular event PRIOR to the event.
Points Awarded
Activity
Possible Points
Response Papers
Brief Summary
Précis
Conference-length paper
Midterm
Final Exam
10
12
8
20
25
25
TOTAL:
Extra or Bonus Points
100 points
5
VI. Other Policies

Be a considerate class participant. Arrive on time. Lateness is the same as absence
should it become habitual. Leave early, arrive early, and find a parking place. Please do
not come in late and expect to be able to sign the roll sheet.

Turn off all electronic devices before the class begins, including mobile phones,
pagers, PDAs, laptops, and others. As the class requires all students’ constant and active
engagement, please refrain from using laptops. Bring your own textbooks and
handouts.

Pay attention and participate in class. Class members should contribute to constructive
discussion while respecting other people’s views. Always read the texts to be discussed
and come prepared. You will definitely learn much more and get a higher participation
grade this way. Purchase and bring the assigned books to class. You can’t be eligible
for a participation grade without having the book and having read it.

Assignments are due on the date assigned unless arrangements have been made prior to
the turn-in date (for example, an athletic absence).

You are expected to learn from mistakes and evaluations of your work, and to improve as
you proceed from one assignment to another. I am more than happy to discuss your work
in this class and answer any questions during office hours, by appointment, on
Blackboard and via email.

All work presented in class or turned in must be a student's own work. Plagiarism or any
other form of academic misconduct will be dealt with in accordance with the guidelines
laid down by the University's published rules and regulations; such conduct could result
in the student’s dismissal and/or receiving a failing grade for the course.

If you have a learning disability requiring special arrangements for completing
assignments, please let me know as soon as possible so we can make the proper
arrangements.

Absences: It is in the student’s best interest to attend all scheduled classes, however,
emergencies do happen. If you miss class because of a scheduled, school sponsored
event, please inform me by email prior to the event, or pass me a note. If you tell me
before/after class, I am likely to forget. Missed work is your responsibility. Excessive
absences will result in a failed grade.

All work done outside the classroom must be word-processed and must be done in
MLA format. An excellent resource is the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research
Papers edited by Gibaldi. If you would like to save some money, try an on-line resource
that probably has what you need like the OWL Writing Lab at Purdue University. They
have posted MLA rules at their website:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/. Save all your work as you complete
drafts, revisions, and finals. For your own protection and for the satisfaction of seeing it
accomplished, keep track of ALL your work!
Schedule:
August
TR 27: Syllabus/Class Policies
September
T 1: Begin Baldwin, Go Tell it on the Mountain.
TR 3: GTM
T 8: GTM
TR 10: GTM & Response Paper
T 15: Begin Morrison, The Bluest Eye
TR 18: TBE
T 22: TBE & Response Paper
TR 24: Begin John Okada’s No No Boy
T 29: NNB
October
TR 1: NNB & Response Paper
T 6: Begin Maxine Hong Kingston’s Warrior Woman
TR 8: WW
T 13: WW & Response Paper
TR 15: Begin Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony
T 20: Ceremony
TR 22: Ceremony & Response Papers
T 27 : Begin Pocho
TR 29: Midterm Exam
November
T 3: Pocho
TR 5: Pocho & Response Papers
T 10: Begin Viramontes’s Under the Feet of Jesus
TR 12: UFJ & Precis due
T 17: UFJ [IDEA Surveys]
TR 19: UFJ & Response Papers
T 24: Conference-length papers due
TR 26: Thanksgiving Break
December
T 1: Catch-up day
TR 3: Review
T 8: Study Day -- No Classes
Final Exam: Weds. Dec 9th, 10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.