Spring 2010 Tu/Th 12:15-1:40 MYBK
300
ENGL 349: THE AMERICAN NOVEL to 1900
INSTRUCTOR TEXTS
Dr. J. Michael Duvall [email protected]
Susanna Rowson, Charlotte
22A Glebe St., #103 953-4833 Temple (1794)
Office Hours: TBA Penguin
ISBN: 9780140390803
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Charles Brockden Brown,
We will study key examples of the novel as it developed in the
Edgar Huntly (1799)
United States from the late 18th century through the turn of the
20th century. We will read these novels closely, trying to grasp Penguin
what makes each a distinctive work of art, while also paying 0140390626
careful attention to what makes each of these also a part and
parcel of the culture, history, and literary history in which it was James Fenimore Cooper,
produced. We will attend, as well, to the ways in which these Last of the Mohicans (1826)
novels implicitly enter into conversation with one another on key Penguin
national, cultural, and literary concerns.
9780140390247
Students who successfully Nathaniel Hawthorne,
complete this course will
demonstrate the ability to The Blithedale Romance
(1852). Bedford.
❖ draw stylistic and thematic
comparisons between the novels 0312118031
studied
❖ define and explain key Herman Melville,
literary, theoretical, and
Moby Dick (1851).
historical terms and concepts for
Norton
the study of the American novel
to 1900 I0393972836
❖ identify and interpret key
William Wells Brown, Clotel,
strands of American thought and
or the President’s Daughter
ideology as they are developed
(1853) Bedford
within and across the novels
0312152655
❖ recognize and analyze some of
the “conversations” about the Harriet Wilson,
novels into which scholars and
critics have entered and, ideally, Our Nig (1859)
be able to enter into such Penguin
conversations themselves in 9780142437773
discussion and writing
Sarah Orne Jewett, The
❖ develop and articulate a
Country of the Pointed Firs
sustained argument about one of
(1896) Dover.
the novels in the form of a
lengthy paper that analyzes the
novel and synthesizes relevant
current criticism.
ASSIGNMENTS
In-Class Writing, Quizzes, and Other Short Writing Assignments (60 points -- 15% of the
final grade)
You will regularly complete short writing assignments in class and sometimes outside of class in
order to help you focus on the assigned reading, think through the issues that we will encounter in
the course, formulate problems and questions for class discussion, respond to the readings, and so
on. There will also be quizzes on the reading assignments.
Class Notes (2) (20 points, each – 10% of the final grade)
Twice in the semester, you will work in a group (2 or 3 students, depending on class date) to
collaborate and prepare a single set of class notes for a class meeting. These notes will be posted on a
website (URL forthcoming) to serve as a record of what was discussed and as a reference for your
preparations for the midterm and final examinations. You may sign up for your two groups by talking
to Dr. Duvall directly, or visiting the following doodle site: <
http://doodle.com/7v484q9ndqk7f47x>.
For details on what the notes need to include and instructions on posting the notes, see the
assignment sheet (forthcoming).
Critical Article Summary and Response (2) (100 points [40 for the first, 60 for the second] or
25% of the final grade)
You will summarize an assigned critical article twice during the semester, once before the mid-term
and once after. Each summary will indicate the rhetorical situation in which the article situates itself
and will reiterate the article’s thesis, central claims, reasoning, and key evidence. Additionally, the
summary will include a thoughtful response to the article. See the course calendar for summary due
dates and the forthcoming assignment sheet for details (forthcoming).
Researched Critical Paper (100 points – 25% of the final grade)
You will write a ten-page, thesis-driven, researched essay interpreting some aspect of one of the
novels we are studying in the class this semester. You will sign up for a novel to write on, and the
final version of your paper will be due within two weeks of our completing the novel. You may sign
up by talking to Dr. Duvall directly, or visiting the following doodle site: <
http://doodle.com/pedztukhksauf9k5>.
Leading up to the final version of your paper, you will write a proposal, draft a first version, and
workshop the draft in a group setting with Dr. Duvall and the other students who have signed up to
write on the novel. For more details, see the assignment sheet.
Midterm and Final Examinations (40 and 60 points, respectively or about 10% and 15% of the
final grade, respectively)
The midterm and final examinations will allow you to demonstrate your knowledge and interpretive
skill. We will review for each examination by going over the kinds of questions that will be asked and
discussing strategies for preparation and successful completion of the exams. The midterm will cover
the novels and ideas discussed before the midterm. A portion of the final examination will focus on
texts read since the midterm, but a section of the examination will be cumulative, in that it will ask
you to draw connections across the entire semester’s reading list.
COURSE GRADES
Grades in this class are determined on a point system. The total amount of points available to earn in
the semester will be approximately 400, although the final number may be slightly lower or
slightly higher than that number, depending on how many points are available in the “In-Class
Writing, Quizzes, and Other Short Writing Assignments” category.
For your reference, the table below matches final percentage scores in this section of ENGL 349 with
grades on the College of Charleston plus/minus grading system.
Grades on individual assignments will be based on criteria that I will announce a sufficient time in
advance of assignment due dates. As a general rule, I try to be as forthcoming as possible about my
expectations for assignments. I am also always willing to discuss grades and grading criteria with
students in person. If you need clarification, you should never hesitate to ask.
Attendance, Preparation for Class, Late ENGL 349 FINAL GRADES
and Missed Assignments, and the Like CofC ENGL 349 (Duvall)
CofC
4-pt Catalog approx.
There will be no grade penalty in this class for %
pts.*
Grade scale Description
failure to attend a certain number of classes. If
A 4.0 Superior 94-100 374-400
you are serious about your education and I am
serious about offering something during class A- 3.7 91-93 364-373
periods that goes beyond what you could just as B+ 3.3 Very Good 88-90 350-363
easily do on your own, then the attendance B 3.0 Good 84-87 334-349
issue, I think, will sort itself out. It’s axiomatic: B- 2.7 81-83 322-333
when you don’t attend class or when you attend C+ 2.3 Fair 78-80 310-321
class without reading and otherwise preparing, C 2.0 Acceptable 74-77 294-309
you miss things, and when you miss things, you
C- 1.7 71-73 282-293
cannot expect to do well in the course. Thus,
D+ 1.3 68-70 270-281
attendance is necessary for success, but I do not
require it. D 1.0 Barely 64-67 254-269
Acceptable,
Should you miss a class, though, you will lose Passing
the points you might otherwise have earned on D- 0.7 61-63 242-253
in-class writing, for which I offer no make-ups. F 0.0 Failing 0-60 0-241
But the problem with not attending class really
goes beyond missing “things,” in the sense of
missing material or “content,” per se. When you are not here, you miss out on the conversation, and
thus you miss out on the very process of the course itself. For me, the process is, in many ways, the
real “content” of the course.
Since the conversations we will be having in this class are so important, I feel it’s also worth also
saying a few words here about the kind of class climate we all need to cultivate in order to have
productive (and I hope enjoyable) meetings. We will inevitably broach controversial issues in this
class. Religion, race, gender, ideology, sexuality, and more: when it comes to literary study, it’s all on
the table. I will do my best to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect, openness, and fairness,
balanced with high intellectual standards for backing up the positions we may take in regard to the
literary texts under discussion. I will ask you to do your part, too.
Late Assignment Policy - You should turn in assignments on time, as specified in the assignment
instructions. Late major assignments are penalized at the rate of 10% off the final grade per calendar
day late. Other late assignments may also incur a reduction of some sort in the grade earned. In
some cases, missed assignments cannot be made up.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY AND PLAGIARISM
I treat plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty with utmost seriousness. If I suspect an
assignment to be plagiarized or in some other way not the student's own work, I assign the grade of
zero for the assignment and will likely report the violation to the Honor Board for further review and
action. Please consult The Honor System at the College of Charleston, available online at
<http://www.cofc.edu/studentaffairs/general_info/honor_system/>, for a full statement on the
college’s honor code. For the general statement on academic dishonesty from Dean of Students Jeri
Cabot, see the attachment below.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
The College makes appropriate accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students
who would like these accommodations should apply at the Center for Disability Services located on
the first floor of the Lightsey Center, Suite 104. Students approved for accommodations are
responsible for notifying me as soon as possible and for contacting me one week before
accommodation is needed. Should you have questions about disability services at the College of
Charleston, please contact the Center for Disability Services at 953-1431 or visit their website at
<http://www.cofc.edu/~cds/>.
CALENDAR
This calendar represents a tentative plan for the semester but may require adjustments, which will
be announced in class.
DAY
of READING ASSIGNMENT FOR THE Notetakers
WEEK class DATE DAY / DUE DATES / ETC. Needed
1 1 Tu 1/12 First Day – Syllabus, Policies, Procedures, --
General Questions
2 Th 1/14 Readings on the novel in Early America: To 3
be Determined (TBD)
2 3 Tu 1/19 Charlotte Temple (CT) 3
4 Th 1/21 CT, continued 2
Criticism, TBD
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
3 5 Tu 1/26 Edgar Huntly (EH) 3
6 Th 1/28 EH, continued 2
4 7 Tu 2/2 EH, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
8 Th 2/4 Last of the Mohicans (LM) 3
5 9 Tu 2/9 LM, continued 2
10 Th 2/11 LM, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
6 11 Tu 2/16 Moby Dick (MD) 3
12 Th 2/18 MD, continued 2
7 13 Tu 2/23 MD, continued 2
14 Th 2/25 MD, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
8 15 Tu 3/2 Review for midterm --
16 Th 3/4 Midterm Examination --
3/8 – 3/12 SPRING BREAK
9 17 Tu 3/16 The Blithedale Romance (BR) 3
18 Th 3/18 BR, continued 2
10 19 Tu 3/23 BR, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
20 Th 3/25 Clotel, or the President’s Daughter 3
11 21 Tu 3/30 Clotel, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
22 Th 4/1 Our Nig (ON) 3
12 23 Tu 4/6 ON, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
24 Th 4/8 The Country of the Pointed Firs (CFP) 3
13 25 Tu 4/13 CFP, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
26 Th 4/15 The House of Mirth (HM) 3
14 27 Tu 4/20 HM, continued 2
28 Th 4/22 HM, continued 2
Critical Article Summary and Response Due
15 29 Tu 4/27 Review for Final Examination
Th 4/29 Final Exam (12-3PM)
College of Charleston Honor Code and Academic Integrity
Recommended Language for Course Syllabi Distributed by Dean Jeri Cabot
Lying, cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of our Honor Code that, when identified, are
investigated. Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of deception involved.
Incidents where the instructor determines the student’s actions are clearly related more to a misunderstanding will
handled by the instructor. A written intervention designed to help prevent the student from repeating the error will be
given to the student. The intervention, submitted by form and signed by both the instructor and the student, will be
forwarded to the Dean of Students and placed in the student’s file.
Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported directly by the instructor and/or others having knowledge of
the incident to the Dean of Students. A student found responsible by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty will
receive a XF in the course, indicating failure of the course due to academic dishonesty. This grade will appear on the
student’s transcript for two years after which the student may petition for the X to be expunged. The student may also
be placed on disciplinary probation, suspended (temporary removal) or expelled (permanent removal) from the College
by the Honor Board.
Students should be aware that unauthorized collaboration--working together without permission-- is a form of cheating.
Unless the instructor specifies that students can work together on an assignment, quiz and/or test, no collaboration
during the completion of the assignment is permitted. Other forms of cheating include possessing or using an
unauthorized study aid (which could include accessing information stored on a cell phone), copying from others’ exams,
fabricating data, and giving unauthorized assistance.
Research conducted and/or papers written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in part for any assignment in
this class without obtaining prior permission from the instructor.
Students can find the complete Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook at
http://www.cofc.edu/studentaffairs/general_info/studenthandbook.html.
