LONG BEACH CITY COLLEGE – SPRING 2016
English 42: American Literature II
Section 32373
Instructor: Dr. Karen Rose
Phone: 562-938-4099
Email: krose@lbcc.edu
Office: P103
Office Hours:
Monday 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Tuesday 5:30-6:00 pm
Wednesday 6:00-7:00 pm
Class Time: Tuesday/Thursday 1:00-3:00
Class Room: N109
Website: lbcc.edu/English/faculty/KarenRose.cfm
Course website: http://lms.lbcc.edu/
“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings,
that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald)
“It is difficult / to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably every day /for lack / of what is
found there.” (William Carlos Williams)
Course Description
English 42 is a four-unit course that provides an introduction to literature published in the United
States from the Civil War to the present. Important American writers, styles, themes, and
imaginative concerns will be our focus. We will consider how social and political issues influence the
authors’ works, and we will discuss literary movements so we can see how American literature has
changed and evolved over time.
Course Goals
Upon completion of English 42, you should be able to:
1. Develop and sustain a consistent interpretation of literary texts of diverse cultures of American
literary history from the Civil War to the present.
2. Write essays based on analysis and explication of American literary texts from the Civil War to the
present.
3. Identify historical and cultural contexts of American literary texts from the Civil War to the present.
Textbooks

The American Tradition in Literature, 12th Edition, Eds. George Perkins & Barbara Perkins.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Tortilla Curtain, T. C. Boyle
Grading
Your final grade for the course will be determined as follows:
Essay #1
100 points
Essay #2
100 points
Midterm
100 points
Final
100 points
Quizzes
10-15 points each
Participation
25 points
Attendance
I will take attendance at the beginning of class every day. I expect you to arrive on time, bring your
textbook to class, and be prepared to participate in class discussions and activities. Your failure to
fulfill these expectations will adversely affect your grade. Please make note of the following:
English 42 / Spring 2016 / Rose
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

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In accordance with LBCC policy, if you are absent in excess of 20% of total class hours
or for two consecutive weeks, you will be dropped from the class.
If you arrive after attendance is taken, you are tardy. Three tardies count as one
absence.
In-class work missed during an absence cannot be made up.
Missed Quizzes
Unless you make arrangements with me in advance, make-up quizzes are not allowed. If you are
absent on the day of a quiz, or if you arrive to class late and miss a quiz, you will receive a grade of
zero for that quiz.
Late Essays
Fifteen points will be deducted for each day your essay is late (including weekends). When an essay
is due, a paper copy must be handed in at the beginning of the class or it will be considered late.
Classroom Conduct
Treat your classmates as you would want them to treat you! When somebody is talking, pay attention
and listen to what he or she has to say, even if you disagree with what is being said. You have the
right to speak up and present your viewpoint, but personal insults are not acceptable. Treating one
another with respect will make our class more fun.
Electronic Devices
Please refrain from using electronic devices during class. The first time your electronic device makes
noise or I find that you are interacting with your device during class, you will receive a warning. After
that, I will deduct 10 points each time, and you owe the class a treat, preferably cupcakes or donuts.
Essay Format
All essays must follow MLA format: double-spaced, one-inch margins, with a typeface equivalent to
approximately 300 words per page. To cite sources, be sure to include parenthetical citations and a
works cited page.
Plagiarism
The MLA Handbook defines plagiarism as “the act of using another person’s ideas or expressions in
your writing without acknowledging the source.” This includes buying papers and copying/pasting
content from the Internet. If you are not sure you understand what constitutes plagiarism or you
have any questions about how to acknowledge another’s work, please ask me. Be aware that LBCC
regulations require that all instances of plagiarism be reported to the Dean for disciplinary action. If I
learn that you have plagiarized, you will receive a zero on the assignment, and I will contact the Dean
of Language Arts. Please be careful to cite other people’s words and ideas that you incorporate – by
way of quotation, paraphrase, and summary – into your essays.
Resources
Take advantage of the resources available to help you develop your writing skills and succeed in this
class:

Me -- I am dedicated to helping each of you achieve your academic goals. If you feel that you
need extra assistance, please come to my office hours. I will be happy to help you.

The Learning and Academic Resources Department offers services and classes designed to
help you improve your academic performance. Free tutoring, study skills assistance, computers,
and more are available at both campuses. For more information visit: www.lbcc.edu/lar or contact
the Multidisciplinary Student Success Centers at LAC (L-212 562 983 4699) or at PCC (EE-206 562
938-3991).
English 42 / Spring 2016 / Rose
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Course Schedule and Assignments
Note: This schedule is subject to change. If we need to spend more time
on any of the topics listed below, we will make adjustments.
Tuesday
Thursday
Week 1
February 9 &
11
Course overview
Interviews and introductions
Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
Chapter 1 (155-158), Chapter 16 (206-211),
Chapter 31 (278-284)
Charles Chesnutt, “The Passing of Grandison”
(640-651)
Week 2
February 16 &
18
Mary Wilkins Freeman, “The Revolt of
‘Mother’” (628-639)
Stephen Crane, “Do Not Weep Maiden, for
War is Kind” (705), “A Man Said to the
Universe” (706)
Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour” (539-540)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow
Wallpaper” (686-697)
Week 3
February 23 &
25
Emily Dickinson, “I Like a Look of Agony”
(72), “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” (77),
“The Brain is Wider Than the Sky” (81), “Tell
All the Truth but Tell It Slant” (88)
Theodore Dreiser, “The Second Choice”
(789-801)
Jack London, “To Build a Fire” (810-820)
Sherwood Anderson, “The Book of the
Grotesque” (910-912), “Adventure” (912-916)
Robert Frost, “Mending Wall” (883-884), “The
Road Not Taken” (893)
Week 4
March 1 & 3
Gertrude Stein, “Tender Buttons” (869-871)
Ezra Pound, “In a Station of the Metro”
(931)
William Carlos Williams, “The Red
Wheelbarrow” (1012), “This Is Just to Say”
(1012)
Langston Hughes, “Song for a Dark Girl”
(1139), “Harlem” (1142)
Ernest Hemingway, “Soldier’s Home,” “Big TwoHearted River: Part II” (1206-1212)
Katherine Anne Porter, “The Jilting of Granny
Weatherall” (1221-1227)
Week 5
March 8 & 10
William Faulkner, “Barn Burning” (11871198)
Richard Wright, “A Five Dollar Fight” from
Black Boy (1245-1252)
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Chapters IIII (1-64)
Week 6
March 15 &
17
FLEX DAY – No Classes
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Chapters
IV-VII (65-153)
Week 7
March 22 &
24
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Chapters VIII-IX (154-189)
The Great Gatsby - film
Week 8
March 29 &
31
Essay #1 Due
Midterm Exam
Review for Midterm
April 4 - 9
Spring Break
English 42 / Spring 2016 / Rose
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Week 9
April 12 & 14
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act I
(1316-1345)
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act II &
Requiem (1345-1377)
Week 10
April 19 & 21
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman, Act II
& Requiem (1345-1377)
Death of a Salesman, film
Death of a Salesman, film
Week 11
April 26 & 28
Jack Kerouac, From On the Road (14061409)
Allen Ginsberg, “A Supermarket in
California,” (1499-1500) “Howl,” (15001507)
Theodore Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz”
(1424)
John Berryman, “145” (1455-1456), “384” (14561457)
Sylvia Plath, “Daddy” (1519-1521)
Anne Sexton, “Her Kind” (1820)
Adrienne Rich, “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” (1824),
“Diving Into the Wreck” (1826-1828)
Week 12
May 3 & 5
John Cheever, “The Swimmer” (15661573)
Flannery O’Connor, “Good Country
People” (1632-1645)
Joyce Carol Oates, “Where Are You Going, Where
Have You Been” (1872-1883)
Raymond Carver, “A Small Good Thing” (19261941)
Week 13
May 10 & 12
Lorna Dee Cervantes, “Poem for the
Young White Man Who Asked Me How I, an
Intelligent, Well-Read Person, Could Believe
in the War between Races“ (1859-1860)
Alice Walker, “Everyday Use” (1985-1991)
Louise Erdrich, “Red Convertible” (2027-2034)
Amy Tan, “Half and Half” (2017-2026)
Week 14
May 17 & 19
To Be Announced
T. C. Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain, Part One (1-142)
Week 15
May 24 & 26
Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain, Part Two (145257)
Boyle, The Tortilla Curtain, Part Three (261-355)
Week 16
May 31 &
June 2
Sandra Cisneros, “Woman Hollering
Creek” (2034-2042)
Sherman Alexie, “What You Pawn I Will
Redeem” (2054-2069)
Essay #2 Due
Finals
June 7
Final Exam
June 9 - LBCC Graduation
No Classes!
Review for Final Exam