374Syllabus

English 374-001
Early Twentieth Century American Literature
Spring 2006: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:45
Life Sciences 255
Professor Bryant Mangum

I. Texts: The books listed below will be available through Virginia Book Company, 900 W. Franklin.

Book List:

Anderson, Sherwood	Winesburg, Ohio
Eliot, T.S.	The Waste Land
Faulkner, William	The Sound and the Fury (1929)
Fitzgerald, F. Scott	The Great Gatsby (1925)
Hemingway, Ernest	The Sun Also Rises (1926)
Hurston, Zora Neal	Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
O'Neill, Eugene	Desire Under the Elms (1924)
Toomer, Jean	Cane (1923)
Additional Stories	Details to be announced

II. Written Assignments: There will be (a) three hour tests, (b) a midterm essay test, (c) a cumulative final essay examination, and (d) one brief, optional critical response paper based on outside research (3-5 pages long, typed). The written assignments will be weighted in this way:

Option 1:
     Average of hour tests 40%   (Test 1=13%; Test 2=13%; Test 3=14%)
     Class Participation (based largely on Blackboard postings—see below) 5%
     Midterm Essay grade 25%
     Final Essay Examination 30%

Option 2:
     Average short tests 30% (10% of final grade for each test)
     Class Participation (based largely on Blackboard postings) 5%
     Midterm Essay grade 25%
     Optional Critical Response Paper 10%
     Final Essay Examination 30%

Note: Much of our class will consist of discussion of the works we are reading. You are encouraged to contribute to class discussions and your participation will be figured into your final grade, particularly in borderline cases. Because participation is such an important component of the course, you are allowed to miss a maximum of four classes. If you miss more than four classes for any reason (other than one of dire emergency such as serious illness or death in your immediate family) you will receive a grade of F in the course. From the beginning of week two, a tardy counts as an absence. The final day to withdraw without penalty is 24 March. Over the course of the semester I will post approximately twenty questions on the discussion board of Blackboard. Five substantial postings in response to these are considered the minimum. For a detailed explanation of the way that Blackboard postings will be computed into your class participation grade, check under Course Documents.

III. General Objectives:
The phrase "modern American literature" usually refers to literature published between World War I and World War II. "Modern" or post-war I writers are those, generally, whose first major work appeared in the so-called "Modern Period" (i.e., 1919-1939). In this course we will be concerned primarily with the first of the two decades in this period: the 1920's. This decade has been referred to as "The Full Flowering of American Literature." By reading and studying some of the best writing to come out of this time we will attempt to identify major themes that characterize the writings of the post-war I decade in America, focusing particularly on the image of the wasteland that provides a context for these themes.

IV. Specific Objectives:
A. Close Reading: The hour tests are designed to bring your attention to concrete details in the works. The theory here is that in a well-constructed work, no detail is insignificant, though some details are more important than others are. The emphasis in these tests will be on factual material, but you will also relate the details to thematic concerns. The best way to prepare for these tests is to read the works carefully, and for the hour tests to mark the passages and details discussed in class with particular attention to the ways these passages and details reflect themes of the works.

B. Abstracting: After reading the works closely, the next objective will be to "abstract" from it major thematic concerns as they are expressed through concrete details, image patterns, etc.

C. Synthesis: We will try finally to relate the themes, characters, etc. in the works to each other. This will be an ongoing process in our class discussions. The mid-semester and final essay examinations will be aimed specifically at this objective.

V. Below is the grading scale: These numerical grades will actually be of concern to you only on the short answer tests. The other assignments will be assigned letter grades. 90-100 A
80-90 B
70-80 C
60-70 D
0-59 F

Letter grades for essays will be averaged in as follows:
A=95; A-=90; B+=88; B=85; B-=80; C+=78; C=75; C-=70; D+=68; D=65; D=60; F+=59; F see me

VI. VCU Honor System: "Virginia Commonwealth University recognizes that honesty, truth, and integrity are values central to its mission as an institution of higher education." This class will be conducted in strict adherence to VCU's Honor System policies. In essence, you should not use another student’s work. You should not falsely present source material as your own. Whenever you use material from another source, you must credit this source clearly, whether you are quoting directly, summarizing, or paraphrasing. Conscious and uncorrected acts of plagiarism (either from another student's work or from an academic source) will result in a failing course grade. In other words, respect the work of others and in no way present it as your own. If you have additional questions about academic integrity and plagiarism consult VCU's policy in the VCU Resource Guide or at the following web address: http://www.students.vcu.edu/rg/policies/honor.html

VII. Students with Disabilities: "Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing students with disabilities equal opportunities to benefit from all programs, services and activities offered." Students with disabilities should identify to the instructor at the beginning of the course the services that they will need. For further information on this policy, refer to VCU Resource Guide.

VIII. A Note on Computers: Much of the work in this course will depend on regular use of Blackboard and on email sent to and from your VCU email address. I will use your VCU email address for communication with you and will expect you to check it between each of our classes. The same is true for Blackboard: I will post announcements there and you should check it between each of our classes. If you do not have a user ID and password that will allow you to access Blackboard and your VCU email, be sure to get one before the second class meeting. You will be able to access all of the course materials by going to http://blackboard.vcu.edu. If you do not have a computer ID number and password you can get one by following the steps listed at the following web address: http://www.vcucard.com/

IX. Miscellaneous:
My office is 307 Anderson House (913 W. Franklin). The telephone number is 828-1255. I will post office hours on my door, but if you need to see me at times other than those posted please feel free to set up a time during which we can meet. There is a voice mail on my telephone, and if you leave word on it, I will call you back within an hour or so. My e-mail address is bmangum@vcu.edu. The address for my web page, with links to our course syllabus and daily assignment sheet, is http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bmangum

X. Daily Assignment Sheet to Follow: