Request for Designation as a Problem Solving (IA) Course in Explorations
Name__________Clare Emily Clifford_______________________________________
Course number and title____EH 226 The Tranquillized Fifties: American 1950s Literature and
Culture _________________
Departmental endorsement_______EH?________________________________________
Has this course been submitted for any other Explorations designation? ___NO_____
If so, which one? ______________
Please list which of your course assignments or activities addresses each of the guidelines, state briefly
how this is accomplished, and attach a syllabus or a preliminary redesign plan for the course.
Criteria for problem solving courses include the use of a formal method of interpretation/ analysis
To some degree, every EH or literature course makes use of the “formalist” method of
literary analysis. The most basic and utilitarian function of this methodology is to provide a
“close reading” of a literary text to reveal how its constituent parts are put together to create a
unified text and generate meaning. In addition, EH 226 also introduces students new
historical criticism, reader response, and cultural studies methodologies to reflect and respond
to social and political changes of the decade.

that can be applied to discrete problems/goals and
This course looks at various literary texts published within the decade of the American 1950s
and uses those to examine common assumptions about the decade—notably that it was a
placid era of calm and tranquility, with clearly defined social and gender roles, political and
personal responsibilities, all encircled with the domestic security of a white picket fence.
Using literary texts (primary texts by authors like J.D. Salinger, Robert Lowell, Allen
Ginsberg, Ralph Ellison, Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac, and Sylvia Plath) in conjunction
with literary criticism and cultural theory in the form of secondary texts about the Cold War
Era we examine the flux of the decade—shifting racial and political ideologies,
countercultural challenges to fifties’ conformity, and introspective analysis of individual as
well as cultural successes and failures—as reflected in and represented by the decade’s
writers. For this reason the course is structured around the themes of “Security, Selfhood, and
Survival” in the decade’s literature. We hope to also become adept at seeing how similar
personal, socio-cultural, and national concerns persist in problematic ways in even today’s
literary, cultural, and political discourses.

that require students to apply that method in specific ways.
In addition to our daily work, small-group projects, and collaborative class discussions,
students will complete various assignments throughout the term including: (1) journal
responses on 10 separate topics/texts which will comprise nearly 20 single-spaced written
pages of literary “close reading” and analysis by the end of the term; (2) one five page paper
comprised of a “close reading” of one literary text; (3) one 10 page end-of-term paper with
an argumentative thesis derived from placing three literary texts in conversation with one
another; and (4) a final exam, which includes identifying key passages with their author and
text, short answer essays with a “close reading” component, and one longer essay question.
[see attached EH 226 syllabus]
Return this form as one electronic file with a syllabus appended to shagen@bsc.edu by 30 May 2011.
Course:
Professor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Office Phone:
Email:
EH 226: American 1950s Literature and Culture, MW 12:30-1:50, HC 317
Dr. Clare Emily Clifford
205 Humanities Center
M-Th 2:00-3:30, and by appointment
(205) 226-7840
ccliffor@bsc.edu
“The Tranquillized Fifties”: Security, Selfhood, and Survival
in American 1950s Literature and Culture
[T]he trauma suffered by everyone in the middle of the 20th century when it became clear
that, from now on to the end of human history, every person would spend his individual
life under the threat not only of individual death, which is certain, but of something almost
insupportable psychologically—collective incineration and extinction which could come
at any time, virtually without warning…. Ours is indeed an age of extremity.”
Susan Sontag, “The Imagination of Disaster” (1965)
We’re safe here. I hope.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
It is a lonely idea, a lonely condition, so terrifying to think of that we usually don’t.
And so we talk to each other, write and wire each other, call each other short and long
distances across land and sea, clasp hands with each other at meeting and at parting,
fight each other and even destroy each other because of this always somewhat
thwarted effort to break through walls to each other. As a character in a play once said,
“We’re all of us sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins”.
Tennessee Williams, “Person—to—Person” (1954)
Course Description: The title of our course encapsulates the focus of the literature and culture we will be
studying, discussing and writing about this term. As the quote from Robert Lowell implies, “The
Tranquillized Fifties” describe a common perception of the American 1950s as a placid decade of
tranquility with clearly defined personal, public, and national roles in the postwar period. Yet Lowell’s
phrase also captures the dichotomy of a culture numbed and medicated, even self-medicated, with
highballs and tranquilizers. Even the notion of a “nuclear family” carries an inherent complexity: while
conjuring images of Ozzie and Harriet—with clearly defined social and gender roles, political and
personal responsibilities, all encircled with the white picket fence—this “secure” postwar period was also
the first time in global history we lived our lives fully conscious of and prepared for nuclear annihilation
as a possible fate at any moment.
In this respect, the 1950s was also a time of flux—racial and political ideologies were shifting, the
counterculture began challenging fifties’ conformity, individuals engaged in a query of their cultural
successes and failures affecting personal well-being and happiness—and the decade’s writers addressed it
all. Although enacted in different ways, many important literary and cultural movements during the
1950s seek to strip away the formal and more abstract veils by which we present or conceal our true
selves. Allen Ginsberg explains of the Beat movement, that the “point of Beat is that you get beat down
to a certain nakedness where you actually are able to see the world in a visionary way, which is the old
classical understanding of what happens in the dark night of the soul”.
Our class goal will be to examine in the literature of this decade how its youth and adults negotiate peace
and anxiety, manage holocaust and hope, question self-identity and survival. All of the writers we will
study are part of a cultural vanguard interrogating the blurring boundaries of the personal, public, and
political. Their questions arise from the desire to speak about concerns often silenced in a culture of
“tranquillized” conformity. Their novels and poems seek to understand the dis-ease of their culture, and
these writers ultimately offer us an innovative and exploratory use of language as we ourselves, sixty
years after the fifties, traverse a culture of similar complexity.
I will—daily—encourage you to do close readings of texts, and continually urge you to think critically
about the texts we read and discuss. You will also be expected to pay particular attention to the editing
and analysis of your own formal and informal writing. This course is both reading and writing intensive.
In order to best engage these texts in dialogue we will have to decipher the meanings and effective
strategies employed by each. An additional goal of this course is to ensure that you can effectively write,
edit, review, interpret and critique the discourse of your academic and professional career; and therefore,
the work you do now is essential.
Required Materials:
David Halberstam, The Fifties (1993)
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951)
Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man (1952)
Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1954)
Jack Kerouac, On the Road (1955)
J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey (1955, 1957; 1961)
Notebook
Portfolio, binder, or multi-pocket folder for essays/drafts/handouts
Access to Moodle
Flash/USB drive
Small, portable stapler
In addition to these texts, various handouts will be made available as the semester progresses—either as
hard copies in class or as electronic documents on Moodle; it is your responsibility to have them printed,
when necessary, and in class on the days they are to be discussed. It will also immensely help you to have
regular access to an excellent dictionary and thesaurus; a useful online one is Merriam-Webster Online
<www.m-w.com>. You will also be expected to know and use MLA format on all of your papers. Diana
Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference—the required reference guide for BSC writing courses—covers this (355407 WR), and the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University has a useful electronic MLA Formatting and
Style Guide available via any computer with internet access:
< http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01 >.
Course Policies: In class I expect, foremost, that everyone treat each other with respect. You are
welcome to bring coffee, tea, soda, or whatever (legal) beverage will ensure that you are both conscious
and attentive during class. Please make sure any drink containers have a lid. You may bring food as long
as you bring enough for everyone; otherwise, please eat prior to or after class. Electronic devices will not
be permitted in class. This includes blackberries, PDAs, and cell phones, which must be all be powered
OFF—not turned to silent, not turned to vibrate—and put away in your bag while class is in session. If
you are anticipating an emergency for which you may need to be “on-call” (for instance, regarding childcare or an illness in the family) contact me prior to the start of class to discuss any necessary
accommodations.
In this course all the readings we cover will be challenging. You will have a reading and/or writing
assignment due for each class period, and our daily class goal will be, together, to synthesize class
materials in regard to the course’s larger goal of critically examining the literature and culture of this
decade. You will be expected to arrive at each class prepared to actively participate in class discussion,
and use your critical thinking and writing skills to represent those ideas in your journal entries and formal
papers. I fully expect that we will engender lively discussions that reach across time and extend beyond
traditional boundaries of culture, race, class, politics, gender, and sexuality. You will not always read
essays, poetry, or novels that directly relate to your life, nevertheless I assure you that thinking outside of
your immediate life-experiences will undoubtedly enrich your critical thinking, writing, and social skills.
I understand that you may often feel frustrated while constructing your thesis statements and writing your
papers; understand, however, that this frustration can be fruitful. Consider this difficulty as a promising
sign of your untapped intellect, which will lead you to new levels of sophisticated and analytic thinking.
Remember, I will always be available for consultation, discussion, brainstorming, or just downright
encouragement if ever you need it. In this respect, I will frequently encourage you to take full advantage
of my office hours, and equal advantage of my email accessibility.
Grade Breakdown:
Paper 1 …….……………………………………………... 200 points
Paper 2 …………………………………………………… 300 points
Final Exam ………………………………………............. 200 points
Journals ………………………………..…..……….…….. 200 points
Quizzes & Class Participation …..……………….….…... 100 points
1000 points total = A
Attendance and Tardiness: I take roll at the beginning of class every day, even if I don’t call roll. This
is a writing and discussion intensive course and critical analysis of the assigned texts is crucial to and
essential for the development of your journal entries and formal essays. Your presence in class and
arrival on time is essential and will be reflected in the grade you receive. You are strongly encouraged to
maintain a consistent pattern of attendance. You will be permitted only four (4) absences, whether
excused or unexcused, and a culmination of more than four absences from this class is grounds for failure.
Absences due to jury duty and military service will require proper documentation for excusal. Should you
choose to sleep in class, you will be marked absent—clearly you are not present. Failure to have your
course handouts or textbook (or printed copies of texts from Moodle) in class when assigned will also be
counted as an absence. If you are tardy to class, it is your responsibility to notify me of your late arrival at
the end of that class period to have your presence noted in my roll book. Two tardies or early departures
from class are equivalent to one absence, and after four absences you will be advised to withdraw from
the course. Furthermore, this syllabus is subject to change and you will be responsible for adhering to its
additions and/or deletions as they are announced, whether you are in class or not.
Translation: IF YOU DO NOT COME TO CLASS YOU WILL NOT PASS.
Days Absent: ______; ______; ______; ______
Days Tardy/Early Departures: ______; ______; ______; ______; ______; ______
In-Class Contacts: These people are your first point of contact should you miss class or need handouts
and updates on assignments or homework. While I am always available to help you with your work, I will
expect that you have contacted one of these classmates first before you email me to say: “I was absent
yesterday, did I miss anything important? Is anything due for class in an hour?”
Name: ________________________________
Name: ________________________________
Phone: ________________________________
Phone: ________________________________
Email: ________________________________
Email: ________________________________
Classwork: You will be held accountable for what is said in class; take notes. I will often introduce to
you key terms, concepts, and strategies, which will show up on the quizzes and greatly aid you when
writing your papers. But you should also take notes on what your classmates say during class discussion!
Your professors alone are not the key sources of insight into the work we study together in the
classroom—listen carefully to your classmates and take notes during class discussion as well. Part of
intellectual work (especially within a Liberal Arts tradition) means being part of a conversation with
others; this includes careful listening, thoughtful responses, and engaging with the insights and ideas of
others.
Shortly into the semester we will begin to integrate Moodle into this course, which will be an online
component to your in-class work and formal essays. Frequently you will be assigned journal entries
which you will post to Moodle by 8:00am the day it is due for discussion in class. Also, always bring a
printed copy of your journal entry to class. I will integrate your observations, queries, assertions,
arguments, ideas, and quandaries—as articulated in your journal entries—into our class discussion.
Therefore, the more fully you engage the journal prompt in your journal response, the better able I am to
directly address in class what you deem most important about the assignment. Journal entries should be
one full typed single-spaced page in MLA Format to receive full credit. Journal entries submitted late will
not earn credit.
Papers: In 220 you will complete two formal essays. Depending on the paper assignment, your papers
will vary in length from five to ten pages, and must be presented in MLA Format or I will hand it back to
you. I am happy to discuss drafts of essays and assignments with you, but I do not accept electronic
copies of drafts; make an appointment to see me during office hours and bring along a draft of your
assignment and we will discuss it in person. Your papers will be due at the beginning of class on the due
date, in hard copy and stapled with any/all drafts. At that time it is also mandatory that you also have an
electronic copy uploaded to Moodle, otherwise your submission of the assignment will be considered late.
All formal papers must be typed, double-spaced, with 10 to 12 point Times New Roman font, and one
inch margins. For every day that you do not turn in a paper, the grade you receive for that paper will be
dropped a full letter grade. Your final grade on each paper will also be penalized if you do not clear your
topic and thesis with me, when required, by their due dates. Computer-related failures such as crashed
hard drives, dead printers, power outages causing disk corruption, or long waiting lines in computer labs
are also not acceptable excuses for late work. Back your work up regularly! If you have extenuating
circumstances contact me as soon as possible, and 24 hours in advance of the due date.
Quizzes: Quizzes will be given at the beginning of some classes and will not be announced. They will be
fairly simple—if and only if you have remained conscious in class, done the reading, and taken notes. We
can go nowhere in this class if you do not engage the assignments and arrive for class prepared to discuss
the material. Quizzes cannot be made up under any conditions.
Honor Code: As a member of the Birmingham-Southern College community, you have signed an Honor
Pledge affirming that you will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate such behavior on the part of other members
of the community. In attending this class, it is presumed that you are aware of the policies and procedures
outlining your commitment to that code.
Plagiarism: If you use the words or ideas of others give them credit. Plagiarism of any kind will not be
tolerated. The student handbook states, “When you use someone else’s words, ideas, or data derived
through experimentation or investigation without giving that person credit, you are plagiarizing. This is
contrary to academic integrity and to the College’s Honor Code.” This includes submitting as one’s own
work any portion of a book, magazine, journal, handout, original creation, speech, lecture, article, oral
communication, website, paper, or examination written by someone else, as well as submitting an
assignment to more than one course without consultation with and permission from both faculty
members.
Plagiarism is a serious offense, and all members of the academic community must carefully avoid
plagiarism by fully acknowledging the sources of studies, projects, and ideas which have been produced
by another person. If you plagiarize, (1) your assignment will fail, (2) you may fail this course and be
placed on Academic Probation, and (3) you may even be expelled from the college. Please, do not find
yourself in this situation. If you are ever in doubt as to whether you have used another's ideas, simplify
everything and give proper reference where it is due—you can never get penalized for being cautious. If
you have any questions or concerns about plagiarism, please talk to me; I will not think you are a big
plagiarist if you have questions about what plagiarism is and want to know how to avoid it.
Accommodations / Disabilities: Any students with special needs or a disability may require academic or
other accommodations and has the right to request them. If this applies to you and you have not already
done so, you must contact the office of Counseling and Health Services to arrange for the official
documentation needed to allow your professors to grant appropriate accommodations. Without this
documentation we can do nothing.
Writing Center: Located in 102 of the Humanities Center (HC), the Writing Center will be able to help
you cultivate ideas, organize a paper, and even aid you in identifying grammatical problems and patterns.
They also offer tutorials on various writing-related subjects throughout the semester. The Writing Center
is staffed with trained tutors, but don’t expect them to function as an editing service. I highly recommend
utilizing this resource. Bring along a copy of the paper assignment so that your tutor can adequately help
you, and always tell them to notify me each time you come—it makes you look good! Sign up for
appointments early; the sign-up sheet is located outside the center. You may also contact them by calling
x4852.
Course Calendar
(subject to change)
W 9.1:
Introduction: Syllabus, Course Policies
Entering Into Fifties Culture
M 9.6:
No Class, Labor Day
W 9.8:
David Halberstam, The Fifties (Preface and Chps 1-2: ix-48)
M 9.13:
Warren Susman, “Did Success Spoil the United States? Dual Representations in Postwar
America” (handout)
Morris Dickstein, “Culture, Counterculture, and Postwar America” (handout)
“If You Want to Know the Truth”: Searching for Sincerity in a World of Phonies
W 9.15:
J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (Chps 1-14)
M 9.20:
continue Salinger (Chps 15-26)
“I Myself am Hell”: Personal and Political Fires
W 9.22:
Robert Lowell, “Memories of West Street and Lepke,” and “Skunk Hour” (handout)
RCC: David Halberstam, The Fifties (Chp 6: 87-100, Chp 9: 131-143)
M 9.27:
Robert Lowell, “For the Union Dead” (handout)
RCC: David Halberstam, The Fifties
(Chp 33: 496-507, Chp 34: 508-520, Chp 35: 521-536)
Assignment for Paper One
W 9.29:
Allen Ginsberg, “Supermarket in California, “America” and (handouts)
Anne Charters, “Introductions: Variations on a Generation”, “The Best Minds of a
Generation: East Coast Beats” (handouts)
RCC: Halberstam, The Fifties (Chp 22: 295-307)
M 10.4:
Allen Ginsberg, Howl (handout)
RCC: Halberstam (Chp 3: 49-61, Chp 20: 272-281)
“The Hibernation is Over”: Shaking Off Skin, Coming Up for Air
W 10.6:
Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man (Prologue and Chapter One)
RCC: Halberstam, The Fifties (28: 411-428, Chp 29: 429-441)
M 10.11:
Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man (Chps 2-7)
Tu 10.12:
Paper One Due
(by noon; hard copy dropped off at my office, and e-copy uploaded to Moodle)
W 10.13:
continue Ellison, (Chps 8-14)
RCC: Halberstam, The Fifties (Chp 30: 442-455, Chp 36: 540-563)
Th 10.14-F 10.15:
M 10.18:
Fall Break
finish Ellison, (Chps 22-Epilogue)
“Too Rare to be Normal”: Disgust with Mendacity
W 10.20:
Tennessee Williams, “Person—to—Person” and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1-101)
RCC: Halberstam, The Fifties (Chp 37: 564-576, Chp 38: 577-586)
M 10.25:
continue Williams (102-172)
W 10.27:
continue Williams
M 11.1:
No Class, Film on Reserve at Library
Rebel Without a Cause (Dir. Nicholas Ray, 1955)
Beth Bailey, “The Making of the American Dream: Rebels Without a Cause? Teenagers
in the 50s” (handout)
RCC: Halberstam, The Fifties (Chp 19: 267-271, Chp 31: 479-486)
“I Am Learning Peacefulness”: Defining Convention, Defying Convention
W 11.3:
Sylvia Plath, “Tulips,” “Fever 103°,” “Daddy,” “Lady Lazarus”
M 11.8:
continue Plath
“God is Pooh Bear”: Going, Going, Gone
W 11.10:
Jack Kerouac, On the Road (through Chapter 8 of Part Two: 166, Penguin Ed)
M 11.15:
continue Kerouac
Assignment for Paper Two
“Consecrated Chicken Soup”: Ephiphany, Awakening, and Enlightenment
W 11.17:
J.D. Salinger, Franny and Zooey (3-44)
M 11.22:
continue Salinger (47-119)
W 11.24-F 11.26:
M 11.29:
Thanksgiving Break
finish Salinger
“The Same Life, The Generic One”: Sixty Years After the Fifties
W 12.1:
Final Exam Review, bring two exam Bluebooks
W 12.6:
Last Day of Class
Paper Two Due
F 12.10:
Final Exam, 9:00am-12:00pm