ENGLISH 2260
Survey of American Literature II: 1865 to Present
Dr. Jayne M. Magee
Office: C2073
Phone: 440-525-7458
Email: jmagee@lakelandcc.edu
Office Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays: 3:45--5:45 p.m.; Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2:00—5:00 p.m
Or By Appointment
REQUIRED TEXTS:
McQuade et al, Eds. The Harper American Literature.
VOL. TWO. 2nd. Ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1993.
SUPPLIES:
3-Ring Binder
Notebook Paper (100 sheets of 8 x 11)
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The historical and critical study of American literature and
literary figures from 1865 to the present. This course will involve critical and analytical
reading, small and large group class discussions, biographical/historical/cultural research
culminating in an oral presentation, quizzes, and exams.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
To encourage and empower students in this course to
1.
read critically and be prepared to discuss in class the assigned homework.
2.
trace significant themes in American literature during this time period.
3.
analyze the influence of history and culture upon literature written during this time
period.
4.
think critically and write well about the issues raised in American literature.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
 To read and be prepared to discuss in class the assigned homework
 To turn in all written and oral assignments (including homework) on time
 To participate actively in peer group work [See description below]
 To help create a positive and nonthreatening environment in which you and your
classmates can discuss American literature.
 To successfully complete and receive a Passing Grade on the quizzes, Oral
Presentation, and four Exams.
ATTENDANCE: Since this class is a workshop, success in this course depends upon
your active participation; therefore, attendance is imperative. If you miss class TEN
TIMES, it is in your best interest to drop the course; otherwise, you will fail the
course. This is NOT a correspondence course! Since the weather is notoriously bad
during this time of year in Northeastern Ohio, save your absences for times when you feel
it is unsafe to drive to campus or for personal emergencies . Please be on time for all
class sessions. Having students routinely interrupt the flow of the class by coming in late
is very distracting for all of us, particularly when people are already engaged in small
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group activities and have to waste valuable time explaining that day’s group activity to
the tardy student. Three tardies=one absence. TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES
BEFORE CLASS STARTS.
CLASS PARTICIPATION: You will be graded on how much you participate in large
and small group discussions. Some of you may have trouble speaking up in a crowd of
strangers (I do!). If this is the case, then make sure you participate actively in peer group
activities. Attendance, homework, and pop quiz grades are also averaged in when I
calculate your Class Participation Grade.
ORAL PRESENTATION:
Each student will be required to do a 15-minute oral presentation for the class. Students
can choose to focus on either the cultural, historical, or biographical influences on
American literature from 1865 to the present. Students will be asked to choose a specific
time frame and focus for this Oral Presentation. Students will be expected to incorporate
a variety of media forms in this Oral Presentation: audio, video, pictures, music, posters,
dramatic presentations, artifacts, etc. As part of the Oral Presentation, each student will
also prepare a Handout for the class, summarizing or supplementing his/her Oral
Presentation. This Handout must include a complete Works Cited page, in correct
MLA format, listing all sources used to prepare the Oral Presentation.
IF YOU MISS A QUIZ, YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP. YOU CAN ONLY MAKE UP
AN EXAM IF ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN ADVANCE! This
means you must call me or email me to tell me ahead of time that you must miss the
exam.
GRADES: Your Final Grade for this course will be based on a total of the
points you receive on the following requirements:
Oral Presentation
4 Exams @ 100 points each
Quizzes and Class Participation
Total Points
Grading Scale:
450--500 points
400--449 points
350--399 points
300--349 points
Less than 299 points
A=Outstanding
B= Above Average
C= Average
D= Poor
F= Failure
50 points
400 points
50 points
500 points
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TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1
January 18--20
W:
Introduction to the course and to one another.
Week 2
January 24--27
M:
Read “The Literature of an Expanding Nation: 1865—1912,” pp. 1—37 before
you come to class.
W:
Read pp. 224—265 in The Harper American Literature before you come to
class. BE PREPARED FOR A POP QUIZ AT ANY TIME !!!!!
Week 3
January 31—February 3
M:
Read Mark Twain=pp 265—273; William Dean Howells=pp. 346—362; Andrew
Garcia=pp. 372—386; Henry Adams=pp. 387—392; Ambrose Bierce=pp. 405—
413; Henry James= 426—459; George Washington Cable= 512—524; Joel
Chandler Harris=525—527; and Sarah Orne Jewett=pp. 527—535.
W:
Read pp. 626—724 in The Harper American Literature before you come to
class. BE PREPARED FOR A POP QUIZ AT ANY TIME !!!!!
Week 4
February 7--10
M:
Read the biographical sketch about each author listed. Then read the following
selections=Hamlin Garland, “Under the Lion’s Paw;” Edith Wharton, “The Other
Two;’ W.E. DuBois, “The Souls of Black Folks;” Edwin Robinson, “Richard
Corry;’ Stephen Crane, “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky;” Theodore Dreiser,
“He Got a Ride;” Paul Lawrence Dunbar, “We Wear the Mask;” and Jack
London, “To Build a Fire.”
W:
Oral Presentations: The Literature of an Expanding Nation: 1865—1912.
Week 5
February 14--17
M:
TEST 1. Bring all handouts, class notes and your textbook with you to class.
***Speak to me before class if you need to take your Exams in the Testing Center.
W:
Read pp. 925—943 in HAL before you come to class. Oral Presentations: The
Literature of Modernism: 1912--1940.
Week 6
February 21--24
M:
Read pp. 944—983 724 in The Harper American Literature before you come to
class. BE PREPARED FOR A POP QUIZ AT ANY TIME !!!!!
W:
Read Glaspell, Trifles and Zora Neal Hurston, “The Gilded Six Bits” 724 in The
Harper American Literature before you come to class. BE PREPARED FOR A
POP QUIZ AT ANY TIME !!!!!
Week 7
February 28—March 3
M:
Read pp. 1080—1108 724 in The Harper American Literature before you come
to class. BE PREPARED FOR A POP QUIZ AT ANY TIME !!!!!
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W:
Read pp. 1109—1125 in HAL.
Week 8
March 7--10
M:
Read the biographical information preceding each author. Then read the
following selections: Robert Frost, “The Tuft of Flowers, “Mending Wall,” “The
Road Not Taken”; Sandburg, “”Fog”; Georgia Johnson, “The Heart of a
Woman,” “Motherhood”; Williams, “The Red Wheelbarrow,” “This Is Just to
Say”; Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B,” “Deferred”; Helene Johnson=pp.
1490—93.
W:
TEST 2. Bring all handouts, class notes and your textbook with you to class.
***Speak to me before class if you need to take your Exams in the Testing Center.
SPRING BREAK:
March 14--17
Week 9
March 21--24
M:
Read pp.. 1495—1519 before you come to class. Oral Presentations: The
Literature of Postwar America: 1940--1975.
W:
Read the following selections: Welty, pp. 1528—1538; Tillie Olsen, pp. 1623—
1630; Walker Percy, pp. 1744—1752; and Yamamoto, pp. 1752—1762.
Week 10
March 28--31
M:
Read pp. 1797—1834 in The Harper American Literature before you come to
class. BE PREPARED FOR A POP QUIZ AT ANY TIME !!!!!
W:
Read pp. 1834—1877 before you come to class.
Week 11
April 4--7
M:
Read pp. 1879—1889. Read Poetry=selections will be assigned in class.
W:
Read Poetry=selections will be assigned in class.
Week 12
April 11--14
M:
TEST 3. Bring all handouts, class notes and your textbook with you to class.
***Speak to me before class if you need to take your Exams in the Testing Center.
W:
Read pp. 2175—2182. Oral Presentations: The Literature of
Contemporary America.
Week 13
April 18--21
M:
Read the entire section on the following authors: Grace Paley, Toni Morrison,
Don DeLillo, and Joyce Carol Oates.
W:
Read the entire section on the following authors: Raymond Carver, Bharati
Mukherjee, and Bobbie Ann Mason.
Week 14
April 25--28
M:
Read the entire section on the following authors: Max Apple, James Alan
McPherson, Alice Walker, and David Mamet.
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W:
Read the entire section on the following authors: Leslie Marmon Silko, Jamaica
Kincaid, Louise Erdich, and Helena Maria Viramontes.
Week 15
May 2--5
M:
Read pp. 2393--2396. Read Poetry=selections will be assigned in class.
W:
Read Poetry=selections will be assigned in class.
Finals Week: May 9—14
TEST 4 WILL BE GIVEN DURING THE SCHEDULED FINAL EXAM TIME.
***Speak to me before class if you need to take your Exams in the Testing Center.
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Oral Presentations
English 2260
Dr. Jayne Magee
Requirements:
 Length: At least ten minutes
 Some type of media: pictures, music, artifacts, a collage, copies of old
newspapers, posters, videos or dvds, etc. Use your imagination and
creativity!!!! *Hint: You could also dress up in costume and do some role
playing.
 If you are planning to show a video or DVD or do a PowerPoint presentation,
you must tell me at least one week ahead of time, so I can arrange to have the
necessary equipment in the classroom the night of your presentation.
 Bring enough handouts for everyone in the class, plus one for me. Handouts
must be at least two pages in length. One page will be list of the sources you
used to prepare you Oral Presentation. This will be your Works Cited page
and must be in correct MLA format. If you don't remember how to use
MLA format, go to the following link: (http://www.landmarkproject.com/citation_machine/index.php?mode=form&list=nonprint&
cm=13)
 Below is the format to use for your handouts:
Your Name
Dr. Magee
English 2260
Date
Title of Your Oral Presentation
Grading Criteria for Oral Presentations:
1. Content= 10 points
2. Creativity=10 points
3. Clarity & Organization=10 points
4. Quality of Handout=10 points
5. Depth and Breadth of Research (Hint: Don't take all of your information
from one internet source or one encyclopedia or one book!!!!) =10 points