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Course OverviewThis class will give you a solid grounding in American Literature from the landing of the first settlers up to the beginning of the Civil War. This is a large scope for a single-semester class, so the readings are selective, and the demands on students are significant. Early American literature is strangely foreign to us here at the dawn of the second millennium, so we must consider the historical context in order to understand where these writers are coming from. At the same time, the works we will cover are genuinely fascinating. They contribute to a deeper understanding of American culture and reveal perplexing contradictions in an identity that we have historically taken for granted. We will begin with the writings of the very first European settlers in the New World who regarded their arrival here as an event that was completely unprecedented. The works of Christopher Columbus and Alvar Nuñez de Cabeza de Vaca introduce us to conflicts in American identity that continue through the subsequent works by Puritan settlers, eighteenth-century philosophers, slaves, profiteers and idealists. At the end of the semester, we arrive at our destination in the middle of the nineteenth century in a country poised on the brink of a devastating war. The conflicts about American identity that we will identify have persisted even to the present day and underlie many current political disagreements. ObjectivesOver the semester, I expect students to achieve the following goals:
To reach these goals, students will need to do the following:
Grade Breakdown
Your grade will depend primarily on your written work and the understanding of the material that you convey through that work. A command of standard written English and the ability to present an argument will also contribute to the determination of your grade. Any infractions against UMD's Scholastic Dishonesty provisions in the Student Conduct Code as stated in the UMD catalogue will receive serious attention and appropriate penalties. Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might influence their ability to perform in this class are encouraged to inform me at the start of the semester. I can make special adaptations of teaching methods, assignments, materials, or testing as required to provide for equitable participation in the course. The Access Center is also available to assist students with disabilities. It is located in 138 Library (or Kirby Plaza) and on the web at <http://www.d.umn.edu/access/>. Required TextsBrown, Charles Brockden. Edgar Huntley. |
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John D. Schwetman 5 September 2000 |