Faculty: William Gleason, Peter Balaam, Anne Jamison

Course Description:  LIT 132 offers an introduction to the comparative study of American writing, focusing on the multiple and often overlapping concerns of the literatures of the United States.  We will examine a range of compelling and innovative works that in turn interrogate American notions of region, race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, or culture.  In our readings of both classic and contemporary texts, we will be especially interested in such topics as American identity, cross-cultural interaction, place and displacement, and the relationship between social and literary history.

Texts:

Elizabeth Bishop, "In the Waiting Room" (handout)
Willa Cather, My Ántonia (Houghton Mifflin)
Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (Vintage)
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (Scribner)
Gish Jen, Typical American (Plume)
Charles Johnson, Middle Passage (Plume or Scribner)
Yusef Komunyakaa, Magic City (Wesleyan)
Bharati Mukherjee, The Middleman and Other Stories (Grove)
Adrienne Rich, Dark Fields of the Republic (Norton)
John Sayles, Men with Guns and Lone Star (Faber and Faber)

Diana Hacker, A Pocket Style Manual (Bedford/St. Martin's)

Requirements:  Do all the reading by the date assigned; attend all lectures, precepts, and the film screening; participate actively and resourcefully in precept discussions; write three essays; take a comprehensive final exam.  Your instructor may also require brief writing assignments beyond those listed on this syllabus, including in-class responses, e-mail discussion lists, peer review, and so on.  Unexcused late papers will be marked down each day they are late.

Because precepts may at times involve discussion of drafts, late or incomplete drafts will count against your participation grade.  Unexcused late final drafts will be marked down each day they are late .  Repeated unexcused absences from lecture or precept can be grounds for failing the course.

Grading:

    Precept participation 20%
    Papers  60%
    Final exam  20%

Online Resources:  If you're reading this, you probably already know about this part.  LIT 132 has its own web site, which includes a copy of the syllabus and will include copies of all assigned essay topics.  There will also be links to pre-reading study questions, advice on writing, as well as other relevant online material.

Plagiarism:  From Rights, Rules, Responsibilities, p. 70: "The use of any outside source without proper acknowledgement" is considered plagiarism.  "'Outside source' means any work, published or unpublished, by any person other than the student."  In short, all work in this course must be your own.  If you have any questions about this requirement, please see your instructor.