American Literature: The Search for National and Individual Identity
Mr. David Grossman — Fall 2014-Spring 2015
Email: dagrossman@cps.edu — Room 5032 (South) — Phone 773.534.8600
Department Mission and Targeted Area of Instruction
The Jones College Prep Department of English is committed to helping students improve their skills in rhetoric, writing, and text
analysis according to the English ACT® College Readiness Standards and the Common Core Standards. Through their English
courses, students will develop their critical-thinking ability: the well-reasoned problem-solving process where one examines
evidence and decides what to believe, communicate, or do.
Course Overview
American Literature enables sophomores to explore foundational works of American Literature. The selected texts encourage
students to ask whether a single national identity exists and what it means to be an American, examine the factors that contribute to
the development of a national and individual identity, and explore the range of voices that have addressed these and other recurrent
questions. Students analyze literary selections from colonial through modern periods in a curriculum encompassing biographies,
speeches, essays, novels, short stories, poetry, and drama. Major and minor assignments target students’ research, analytical,
evaluative, critical thinking, and communication skills.
In this course, we will explore following guiding questions:
 What is American Literature?
 What does it mean to be an American?
 What factors influence the development of national and individual identity?
 How does literature contribute to the development of national and individual identity?
Texts/Rationale for Text Selection
The JCP Department of English selects texts that will help students explore and demonstrate the Grad @ Grad Values:
 Socially Skilled and Mature
 Well-Rounded and Holistic
 Compassionate
 Intellectually Competent
 Socially Just and Responsible
The tentative course texts, which revolve around these values, include:
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The Crucible, by Arthur Miller
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry
The Woman Warrior, by Maxine Hong Kingston
The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
Selected speeches, essays, poems, short stories, and public documents
Note: These texts are subject to change based on availability and educational needs. Students will never be required to purchase
texts.
Supplies
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Three-ring binder with four dividers:
o Vocabulary/Grammar
o Literature Notes
o Homework/Classwork
o Graded Assignments: Quizzes, Tests, Essays, and Projects
Loose leaf notebook paper
Black or blue pens and two #2 pencils
Grading Policy
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Major Assessments (Projects, Essays) = 40% of semester grade
Minor Assessments (Homework, Quizzes, In-Class Activities, Tests) = 40% of semester grade
Final Exam= 20% of semester grade
Grades will follow the standard Jones College Prep scale (unless otherwise indicated in a student’s IEP):
A=100-90%
B=89-80%
C=79-70%
D=69-60%
F=Below 59%
Grades earned by students generally reflect the following general criteria:
A:
B:
C:
D:
F:
Indicates learning at the highest level. The student not only has demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the
material but also has demonstrated an ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the material with breadth and depth of
understanding. An A indicates work that has gone above and beyond the expectations of an assignment.
The student not only has demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the material but also applies the material. The
student will be able, on occasion, to demonstrate an ability to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the material.
The student has demonstrated a basic knowledge and understanding of the material and some ability to apply it.
The student has demonstrated a limited knowledge and limited understanding of the material and is not able to apply
much of it.
The student has not demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the material, and therefore is not able to apply it.
Late Work Policy:
Students are expected to turn all work in on time. Students can only earn half credit for a major assignment that is turned in late.
That means whether the assignment is turned in one day late or four days late, the student automatically loses 50% of the possible
points. The student will earn even fewer points if the assignment is incomplete or if it is not done well. Additionally, students can
turn in major assignments late only during the school week that the assignment is due. For example, if the assignment is due
Tuesday, the student has until Friday to turn it in late (with the automatic 50% deduction once the assignment is collected by the
teacher). If the assignment is due Thursday and there is no school on Friday, the student may not turn the assignment in late and
will not receive any points for the assignment.
Smaller in-class and homework assignments are an integral component of class the day they are due and students will miss out on
valuable writing, reading, and discussion opportunities if they are not prepared. With that in mind, smaller assignments will not be
accepted late unless the student has an excused absence and staples to the assignment a note from a primary care service provider.
If a student knows s/he will be absent the day an assignment is due, it would behoove the student to turn it in early or email it to
the teacher by the time his/her class period starts.
Students must recognize the fallibility of technology and should therefore save documents often and in more than one place. If a
student fails to turn an assignment in on time because of technological failure (a student’s computer crashes or a student misplaces a
flash drive), a parent must call the teacher to explain the situation. Allotting credit is then up to the teacher’s discretion.
Extra Credit:
As this is an Honors course in a college preparatory school, no extra credit assignments will be offered.
Classroom Expectations
Respect: Like the people in the texts we will read, we all come from different backgrounds. We are composed of different genders,
ethnicities, faiths, traditions, customs, beliefs, etc. Everyone in the class deserves to be treated with dignity and their voices deserve
to be heard. Respect includes, but is not limited to: listening quietly while others are speaking, waiting your turn to speak, making
sure feedback is positive and/or criticism is constructive, and solving conflicts without violence or hurtful language. Consistent
with these values, there will be zero-tolerance for any bullying, harassment, ridicule, or teasing.
Responsibility: All students will be responsible for completing assignments, arriving in class with the required materials (no
requests to go to your locker during class), participating in class activities, and communicating with each other and with me.
Appropriateness: Certain behavior that might be acceptable elsewhere will not be appropriate in our classroom, and certain
behavior that might be appropriate for one classroom activity might not be appropriate for another activity. As rule of thumb,
remember that your attitude and behavior should always contribute to, and never interfere with, a positive learning environment for
you and your classmates.
School/District-wide Policies: You must comply with all Jones and CPS policies, including those related to attendance, electronic
devices, dress code, food/drink, and fighting.
Tardiness: You are expected to arrive at class on time. If you are not in your seat by the time the bell has rung, you are late and will
be reported as such. Each tardy in the computer system will create an automatic detention. Extra time will not be provided
for tardy students to complete assignments that begin at the start of class.
Bathroom Breaks: Students who need to leave the classroom for any reason must first ask for permission at an appropriate time
(excepting emergencies). You have a lengthy passing period before each class, so bathroom visits during class should be rare unless
you have a specified medical condition.
Communication: You must communicate with me using only your CPS email. I will always tell you about homework in class,
but you should still check your email and the JCP homework site every day. If you are having issues of any kind that restrict your
ability to complete class assignments in a timely manner, it is your responsibility to speak to me about it in advance.
Ink: You are preparing to become college students and young professionals, and your work should reflect that. All work must be
done in black or blue ink (or typed). Assignments turned in any other way will receive a point deduction or need to be rewritten
in order to receive credit. You are responsible for bringing your own pens to class.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Any assignments that are partially or fully plagiarized will receive an
automatic zero, and further academic penalties (such as suspension) will be pursued by the school.
Course Outline
Unit and Theme
The Emergence of American
Literature
(First Quarter)
Central Questions
What is American Literature?
What makes American
Literature distinctive?
How does language create and
reflect national and individual
identity?
How does a dialogue develop
among authors and texts?
Key Texts
Writings from John Winthrop
and George Washington
Major Assignments
Analytical Writing: Essay on
Lincoln’s Speeches
Declaration of Independence and
Responsive Texts (Declaration
of Rights and Sentiments,
Frederick Douglass, Sojourner
Truth, Chief Seattle)
Meeting of the Minds Activity
Abraham Lincoln,
“Gettysburg Address” and
“Second Inaugural Address”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self
Reliance” (excerpts)
Walt Whitman, selected poetry
Individual and National
Identity
Conformity vs. Individuality
How do people respond to the
choice between conformity
and individuality?
(First Quarter)
What does it mean to be an
individual and to think
independently?
What does it mean to be a
hero?
How does literature comment
about contemporary issues
and concerns?
Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young
Goodman Brown”
Arthur Miller, The Crucible
Emily Dickinson, selected
poetry
Argumentative Writing:
Research Project and Paper
applying The Crucible’s themes
to historical/contemporary
example
Creative Writing:
Diary Entry or Letter from
Character in The Crucible
In-Class Short Answer Test
Challenging the Status Quo:
Aspirations vs. Reality
(Second Quarter)
What forces are most
influential in shaping
individuals’ identities?
How does literature address
race and the nation’s history
with racial discrimination?
Is censorship ever justified in
a democracy?
Does literature lead to societal
change?
The American Dream
(Third Quarter)
Confession of Nat Turner
Analytical Writing:
In-Class Essay
Frederick Douglass, Narrative
of the Life of Frederick Douglass
(excerpts)
Book Jacket Cover
Mark Twain, The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
Group Project and
Presentation:
Applying Authors’ Ideas to
Contemporary Situations
Henry David Thoreau, “Civil
Disobedience” (excerpts)
Semester Exam
Martin Luther King, Jr., Stride
Toward Freedom (excerpts)
What is the “American
Dream”?
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great
Gatsby
Is the “American Dream”
attainable?
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin
in the Sun
What is the relationship
between literature and the
“American Dream”?
Selection of Speeches: JFK’s
“Inaugural Address,” MLK’s
“I Have a Dream,” LBJ’s “We
Shall Overcome,” and
Obama’s “Second Inaugural
Address”
Informative/Explanatory
Writing (Speech): “This I
Believe” response to
American Dream
Analytical Writing:
Comparative Essay for The
Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the
Sun
Creative Writing:
Missing Scene from The Great
Gatsby or A Raisin in the Sun
Inaugural Poems
Cesar Chavez and Studs
Terkel, selected writings
Assimilation vs. Preserving
Identities
(Third and Fourth Quarter)
How do individuals balance
the desire to maintain a unique
cultural heritage or identity
with the desire to gain
acceptance?
Maxine Hong Kingston, The
Woman Warrior
What factors contribute to
individuals’ development of
their identities?
Essays by A. Hemon and D.
Mengestu
How does literature address
ethnic identity?
N. Scott Momaday The Way to
Rainy Mountain (excerpts)
Analytical/Narrative Writing:
Essential Self in The Woman
Warrior and Personal Life
Creative/Persuasive Writing:
Sense of Place in Chicago
Selected short stories and
poetry
Reflecting Inward and
Projecting Outward
Must you be patriotic to be an
American?
Tim O’Brien, The Things They
Carried
Narrative Writing: “What I
Carry” Essay
(Fourth Quarter)
Is identity (national and
individual) static or dynamic?
William Faulkner, Nobel Prize
Acceptance Speech
Analytical Writing: Applying
Faulkner and JFK to
authors/texts
At what point, if any, does an
individual have a stable
identity?
John F. Kennedy Dedication
of Robert Frost Library at
Amherst College
Are masks of identity ever
justified?
I have read and understand the expectations in Mr. Grossman’s American Literature syllabus.
Student name (printed) ________________________________________________________________________________
Student signature____________________________________________________________ Date ________________________
I have read and understand the expectations in Mr. Grossman’s American Literature syllabus.
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Parents/Guardians: If you would like to provide me with any information about your child, please do so below, on the
back of this sheet, or in an email. It will remain confidential.