FF:AJ15002 American Literature: Post-1945 - Course Information

AJ15002 American Literature: 1945 to the Present

Extent and Intensity

0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Prajznerová, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek

Timetable

Tue 13:20–14:55 G31

Prerequisites (in Czech)

AJ09999 Qualifying Examination && AJ04003 Intro. to Literary Studies II

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 13 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

This course attempts to capture the rich cultural diversity of American writing since the Second World War. Reading a variety of genres, we will examine works by authors from different literary generations, geographical regions and ethnic backgrounds, including, Sandra Cisneros, Louise Erdrich, David Guterson, Tillie Lerner Olsen, Ron Rash, Scott Russell Sanders, John Updike, and Alice Walker. A special emphasis will be placed on the socio-historical context of the selected readings. Class sessions will include lectures, audio-visual learning, student presentations, team work, class discussion, and short open-book response papers.

Syllabus

• Course outline: week 1 / Sept. 18: Orientation week, no class week 2 / Sept. 25: Introduction to the course and class policies week 3 / Oct. 2: Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street (lib / is), RP week 4 / Oct. 9: Ron Rash, One Foot in Eden (is), RP week 5 / Oct. 16: Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine (lib / is) or Tracks (is) week 6 / Oct. 23: Louise Erdrich, Love Medicine (lib / is) or Tracks (is), RP week 7 / Oct. 30: Tillie Lerner Olsen, “Tell Me a Riddle (Heath 1812-40 / is) and John Updike, “Separating” (Heath 2007-16 / Norton 2191-99 / is), RP week 8 / Nov. 6: David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars (lib) or East of the Mountains (is) week 9 / Nov. 13: David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars (lib) or East of the Mountains (is), RP Book review due (turn in a hard copy at the end of today’s class) Sign up for next week’s conferences week 10 / Nov. 20: First research paper proposal and annotated bibliography due on Mon, Nov. 19 by noon Student conferences, no class week 11 / Nov. 27: First research paper due (turn in a hard copy at the end of today’s class) week 12 / Dec. 4: Alice Walker, Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth (is), RP week 13 / Dec. 11: Scott Russell Sanders, Hunting for Hope (is), RP week 14 / Dec. 19: Conclusion, course evaluations, bring a book of your choice to class Final research papers and complete course portfolios are due on Wednesday, Jan. 9 by 12 pm or earlier (1st re-sit Jan. 23, 2nd re-sit Feb. 6). Your complete course portfolio will include all the response papers, the presentation outline / book review, paper proposal and annotated bibliography, first research paper, and final research paper. Please note that the focus of the presentation / book review may (but does not have to) coincide with the focus of the first and/or the final research paper. Ideally, you will pursue a particular direction and develop a research topic of your choice over the course of the semester. I will accept late assignments only in cases of serious and documented emergencies.

Literature

• Alice Walker, Absolute Trust inthe Goodness of the Earth
• Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street
• Scott Russell Sanders, Hunting for Hope
• Louise Erdrich, Love Medice , Tracks
• Tamar Jacoby, ed. Reinventing the Melting Pot: The New Immigrants and What it Means to Be American
• Tillie Lerner Olsen, Tell Me a Riddle
• David Guterson, Snow Falling on Cedars, East of the Mountains
• Gary Clombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, eds., Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing
• Ron Rash, One Foot in Eden
• John Updike, Separating

Assessment methods (in Czech)

Class sessions will include lectures, audio-visual learning, student presentations, team work, class discussion, and short open-book response papers. Assessment: For full credit: Class participation 10% Open-book response papers 20% Oral presentation / book review 15% Paper proposal and annotated bib. 10% First research paper 15% Final research paper 30% For partial credit: Class participation 30% In-class response papers 70% For more information on each assignment please see the assignment guidelines. Please keep in mind that you need to pass (earn at least an E on) each assignment in order to pass the course. The grading scale: 85-100=A 80-84=B 75-79=C 70-74=D 60-69=E 0-59=F Assignment Guidelines: Participation You are expected to attend all class sessions, to have read the assigned readings for each week, and actively participate in class discussion. If you must miss a class, please let me know in advance or e-mail me an explanation soon afterwards. Open-book response papers Purpose: to read critically, notice details, make connections, return to key passages, gain a deeper appreciation of the assigned texts, take notes and gradually build up a course portfolio, clearly formulate one’s own thoughts in writing, get personalized feedback from the instructor, be prepared to participate in class discussion, practice writing about literature in preparation for the state exam Form: you can answer one of the three questions suggested by me or write on a topic/issue of your choice, ideally, you will also come up with a creative title for your mini-essay Content: no research, “only” your own creative / critical thoughts, discoveries and opinions based on the primary reading(s), analytic mini-essays rather than records of personal impressions, narrow focus (particular themes, images, narrative techniques, characters, relationships, issues, contexts, and so on) Style: clear argumentation, logical organization (introduction, main body, conclusion), a coherent paragraph written in complete sentences, integrated citations, academic language Due dates: at the end of class on Oct. 2, Oct. 9, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, Nov. 13, Dec. 4, Dec. 11 Oral presentation (optional) Purpose: to orally yet clearly articulate complex arguments, use a variety of audiovisual aids, lead a discussion, respond to comments Form: fifteen minutes of being in charge of the class, written outline (including a title) and bibliography, additional materials pertinent to the topic (optional) Content: your own creative / critical thoughts and discoveries and opinions based on the primary reading and supported by/in dialogue with two or three secondary sources (you may use the supplementary essays) Style: easy to follow argumentation, logical organization (preview, introduction of the thesis and secondary sources, main points, supporting evidence, conclusion, discussion), appropriate pacing, variety of presentation strategies (textual examples and audiovisual aids), interaction with the audience (eye-contact, gestures, rhetorical questions, check-up questions, discussion questions), use of spoken discourse markers (pauses, repetitions and restatements, sign posting and transitions, short sentences, simple words, loud voice, clear articulation), you may refer to your notes occasionally but do not read Due date: If you choose to give a presentation, please sign up for a week of your choice at the beginning of the semester. Drop a hard copy of your outline into the essay box or e-mail it to me by noon on the preceding Monday. Book review (optional) Purpose: to analyze and critique a book-length study of US literature, investigate how and why scholars make certain assertions about literature, determine whether or not the author fulfils the stated aim of the book Form: two pages, MLA format, title, four to six paragraphs Content: summary and evaluation of the ideas (are they well supported by convincing evidence or highly speculative?), information (is it systematically researched or one-sided? does the author maintain the stated focus or include extraneous material?), and organization (is it balanced and logical or haphazard and confusing? how do the major points relate to one another?), connecting points with the course (if applicable), remember that you need to re-see the book, not to re-tell it Style: clear organization: introduction (general topic, wider context, author’s purpose, your approach, your thesis about the author’s thesis, brief overview of the book’s structure and relevant background information), main body (a few selected key points in the book and your assessment of each), conclusion (weaknesses and strengths and why / least effective elements and most effective elements and why); concise, precise, academic language Due date: If you choose to write a book review, please turn in a hard copy at the end of class on Nov. 13. Paper proposal and annotated bibliography Purpose: to organize your materials and your ideas in preparation for the first research paper, to receive feedback on your research before you start writing Form: title, a full paragraph or a detailed outline, an annotated list of sources, MLA format, double-spaced Content: a concise introduction to your topic, a list of your research questions, a preliminary version of your main argument, an outline of structure, a list of the primary as well as secondary sources you have consulted so far and plan to integrate into your paper, a five-sentence summary of each source highlighting why it is useful to you Style: precise, academic language, careful and complete bibliographic information Due date: drop a hard copy of your proposal into the essay box or e-mail it to me by noon on Monday, Nov. 19 First research paper and final research paper Purpose: to examine some aspect of American literature that interests you, to develop your ideas with the help of a variety of sources, to formulate an argument and support it by convincing evidence, to pursue a research project over the course of the semester which will develop into a short first paper and then get reworked into a longer final paper. Content: preferably, your paper will focus on one (or two or three) of the works we have studied. You may also discuss an author whose work we have not looked at but who is in some way connected to the issues we have covered. You may analyze various literary features (the use of imagery, sources, style) through one critical approach or another, but I especially welcome interdisciplinary perspectives that in some way connect literature and history. You are encouraged to draw on the themes that emerged (and re-emerged) in class discussions, in your response papers, and/or your presentation / book review. Form: three to four pages (first paper, excluding the works cited page), six to seven pages (final paper, excluding the works cited page), MLA format, use endnotes or footnotes only for informative/explanatory notes Style: strong argument, clear organization, coherent paragraphs, integrated citations and references, academic language Due dates: turn in a hard copy of the first paper at the end of class on Nov. 27 and then drop a hard copy of the final paper into the essay box by noon on Wednesday, January 9 (1st re-sit Jan. 23, 2nd re-sit Feb. 6)

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

The course is taught each semester.

• Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2007, recent)
  
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