ENGL 3347: African American Short Fiction

Transcription

1 ENGL 3347: African American Short Fiction Instructor: Dr. May Section # 001 Spring Semester 2010 Time: T/TH: 11:00-12:20 Location: 302 Preston Hall Office: 412 Carlisle Office Hours: T/TH 9:00-10:30am Office Phone: cedrickmay@uta.edu Course Description: In this course, students will read analyze, and discuss a variety of short fiction written by African Americans. Beginning with some of W.E.B. DuBois s early 20 th -century fiction, and working our way through realist fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and postmodern fiction, this course will provide a survey of short stories written in the 20 th and 21 st century. One of the major goals of the course is to introduce students to a new way of looking at the African American literary tradition by examining how contemporary writers both embrace and then further develop earlier traditions within the canon. Further, this course aims to help students develop their own theories of how contemporary African American literature ought to be read and enjoyed. Required Books: Damned If I Do Percival Everett Course Packet to be purchased at the bookstore Requirements: Quizzes (10%) There will be occasional, random quizzes of 5 to 10 short-answer questions over the readings for the day. Journals (10%) Students will keep a daily reading journal in which they reflect on the readings for a particular day. I will take these journals up periodically for grading. Oral presentation (20%) See Last Page of Syllabus Midterm Exam (30%) Research Essay (30%) Students will write a 10 to 15-page essay that proposes an original thesis that is well argued and supported by research. All research materials will come from scholarly books, journals, microfiche, and audio/video recordings that may be found in the library.

2 Objectives, Assessment Goals, Assessment Strategies: Objectives: Upon completing the course, students should be able to: Assessment of Goals A. Discuss the content of texts by various African American writers. Assessment Strategies Class discussion, reflective journaling, and in-class writings 1. Read and analyze texts by African American writers. 2. Situate literary works by African American authors with respect to the works historical, social, and cultural contexts. 3. Demonstrate ethical research and documentation skills. B. Compare/contrast literary works through an analysis of genre, theme, character, and other literary devices. C. Analyze the structure of a given text for its plot and format, its cultural/social relevance, and its contribution to, or exclusion from, the literary canon. D. Formulate questions for class discussions based on the reading of a text. A. Identify the historical periods surveyed B. Identify significant social and cultural situations that can potentially effect (or affect) an author s work C. Explain the social and cultural contexts of the surveyed works. D. Discuss how the authors life experiences influence their works. A. Select, analyze, and annotate information to be used in written essays. B. Locate and sufficiently incorporate one or more relevant sources to support an assignment documented in MLA Style. C. List sources on Works Cited page using MLA format. Assigned essay and midterm exam Reflective journaling, assigned essay, midterm exam Oral Presentation Quizzes, oral presentation Quizzes, reflective Journaling, and in-class writing Class discussion, assigned essay, oral presentation Class discussion and oral presentation Reflective journaling and assigned essay Reflective Journaling, assigned essay, oral presentation, and midterm exam Oral presentation and assigned essay

3 Class Guidelines: 1. Course Work, Deadlines, and Late Work: All assignments described in this syllabus will be discussed further in class and are expected to be complete by the stated deadline. It is the student s responsibility to understand the assignments before leaving class, so if you are experiencing difficulty with any assignment, please speak to me immediately for clarification and/or assistance. No assignments will be accepted late for any reason. 2. Attendance: Classroom interaction is crucial if we are to meet the objectives of the course. Therefore, attendance is taken in every class, and students are expected to attend every class. Every student may have four (4) excused absences, but every absence after the fourth will reduce the student s final grade by 2 points. If a student is late to class, it is that student s responsibility to inform the professor that he or she arrived late in order to receive a tardy instead of an absent mark. Two tardies equal one (1) absence. 3. Academic Honesty: Academic Honesty is expected of all students. Cheating and plagiarism are violations of academic honesty. Any student caught violating the academic honesty code will be failed for the entire semester and the matter will be reported, with documentation, to the Office of Student Conduct for further disciplinary action. Plagiarism: In both oral and written communication, the following guidelines for avoiding plagiarism must be followed: 1. Any words quoted directly from a source must be in quotation marks (for a written assignment) and cited. 2. Any paraphrasing or rephrasing of the words and/or ideas of a source must be cited. 3. Any ideas or examples derived from a source that are not in the public domain or of a general knowledge must be cited. 4. All papers and presentations must be the student s own work. Students who are confused about what constitutes plagiarism should meet with me, the instructor.

4 Schedule T 1/19 Introductions and discussion on the major themes TH 1/21 Assignment of oral presentations T 1/26 Of the Meaning of Progress (W.E.B. DuBois) & Criteria of Negro Art (DuBois) TH 1/28 Big Meeting (Langston Hughes) Of the Faith of Our Fathers (DuBois) T 2/2 Sonny s Blues (James Baldwin) TH 2/4 Blueprint for a Negro Literature (Richard Wright) T 2/9 The Comet (W.E.B. DuBois) TH 2/11 Racism and Science Fiction (Samuel R. Delany) T 2/16 The Book of Martha (Octavia Butler) & On Octavia Butler (Tananarive Due) TH 2/18 Night Watch (Charles Johnson) T 2/23 Arc of Bones (Henry Dumas) TH 2/25 Aye, and Gomorra (Delany) & A Conversation with Samuel R. Delany about Sex, Gender, Race, Writing and Science Fiction (Delaney and Carl Freedman) T 3/2 **Midterm Exam** TH 3/4 Damned if I Do Appropriation of Cultures & Irony and Ecstasy: A Profile of Percival Everett (Trent Masiki) T 3/9 Damned if I Do True Romance & Signing to the Blind (Percival Everett) TH 3/11 Damned if I Do The Fix & Percival Everett : Author of God s Country Talks with Robert Birnbaum T 3/16 Spring Break TH 3/18 Spring Break T 3/23 Damned if I Do Age Would Be that Does TH 3/25 Damned if I Do Epigenesis

5 T 3/30 Mrs. Turner s Lawn Jockeys (Emily Raboteau) & Forward and Introduction to Mixed TH 4/1 Sambo, or: The Last of the Gibson Girls (Rita Dove) & Black No More (George S. Schuler) T 4/6 Brownies (Z.Z. Packer) TH 4/8 That Ain t Jazz (David Bradley) T 4/13 The Structure of Bubbles (Emily Raboteau) TH 4/15 The Great Negro Plot (Mat Johnson) T 4/20 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Díaz) TH 4/22 Draft analysis for research paper T 4/27 Draft analysis for research paper TH 4/29 Draft analysis for research paper T 5/4 Office Hours TH 5/6 Final Day of Class ***Research Paper Due***

6 Directions for ENGL 3347 Oral Presentation 20% of Overall Grade Each student will be responsible for one 15-minute oral presentation that introduces an assigned writer to the class and includes an analysis/close reading of the assigned text, a works cited page, and four discussion questions. Each presentation will examine the author and his/her assigned text, biographical information about the author, a broader analysis of his/her works, and, if possible, how our assigned reading by this writer fits into the larger context of the African- American short fiction canon. Requirements: The presentation should also include a works cited page with a minimum of three scholarly sources (from the library or reputable.edu research websites). Each source used must be clearly attributed in the presentation. In addition, the presenter should submit four questions aimed at fostering class discussion immediately after the presentation (Q&A time is not considered part of the required 15 minutes). An array of mixed media can be used in the presentation (PowerPoint, overhead projections, audio, handouts, etc.), so feel free to be creative and tailor your presentation to meet your own style and needs. All materials must be typed and a clean copy of all three items (analysis, works cited, and questions) is to be provided to each student in the class. The collection of typed summaries will benefit the class as we prepare for the midterm exam and final paper. This assignment is worth 20% of your overall grade in the course. The actual grading rubric is included below to help you prepare an effective presentation: Oral Presentation Evaluation Sheet ENG 204 Name Date presented Author Adequately discussed the writer, his/her life, and his/her writing Related the writer to the larger canon of African-American literature Handout/presentation materials reflected thoughtful research & citations Student presented his/her work energetically, connected with the audience, did not simply read to the class Student made eye contact, had good posture, used appropriate gestures, and exuded a positive attitude about the presentation Student skillfully facilitated a class discussion, which enhanced the impact of the presentation Overall, the presentation engaged the class, enlightened them, and maintained their interest Total (Out of Possible100)