SanJoséStateUniversity
DepartmentofEnglishandComparativeLiterature
English68A,AmericanLitto1865,Section1,Fall2016
CourseandContactInformation
Instructor:
KarenEnglish
OfficeLocation:
FO221
Telephone:
(408)(924-4506)
Email:
[email protected]
OfficeHours:
M-W:12-1pm;TR:10:30-11:30amandbyappointment
ClassDays/Time:
TTh:9-10:15am
Classroom:
SH238
CANVASandElectronicMessaging
Coursematerialssuchassyllabus,handouts,notes,assignmentinstructions,etc.ontheCanvaslearning
managementsystemcoursewebsite.Youareresponsibleforregularlycheckingwiththemessagingsystem
throughMySJSU,Canvas,anduniversityemailtolearnofanyupdates.
CourseDescription
ThiscoursesurveysAmericanliteraturesfromthebeginningsto1865.Throughlecturesanddiscussions,we
willexplorenonfictionprose,poetry,drama,andfictionofthecolonial,revolutionary,national,andromantic
periodsofAmericanliterature.Studentswilllearntoread,analyze,andwriteessaysonawidevarietyoftexts.
EnglishDepartmentCourseProgramLearningObjectives(PLOs)
IntheDepartmentofEnglishandComparativeLiterature,studentswilldemonstratetheabilityto:(1)read
closelyinavarietyofforms,styles,structures,andmodes,andarticulatethevalueofclosereadinginthe
studyofliterature,creativewriting,and/orrhetoric;(2)showfamiliaritywithmajorliteraryworks,genres,
periods,andcriticalapproachestoBritish,AmericanandWorldLiterature;(3)writeclearly,effectively,and
creatively,andadjustwritingstyleappropriatelytothecontent,thecontext,andthenatureofthesubject;
(4)developandcarryoutresearchprojects,andlocate,evaluate,organize,andincorporateinformation
effectively;and(5)articulatetherelationsamongculture,history,andtexts.
68ARequiredTexts
TextsareavailablethroughSpartanbookstoreandmanyothersources.Baym,NinaP.etal.NortonAnthology
ofAmericanLiterature.Vols.A&B.8thed.ISBNs9780393934762and9780393934779
English 68A, Fall 2016
Page 1 of 6
CourseRequirementsandAssignments
SJSUclassesaredesignedsuchthatinordertobesuccessful,itisexpectedthatstudentswillspenda
minimumofforty-fivehoursforeachunitofcredit(normallythreehoursperunitperweek),including
preparingforclass,participatingincourseactivities,completingassignments,andsoon.Moredetailsabout
studentworkloadcanbefoundinUniversityPolicyS12-3athttp://www.sjsu.edu/senate/docs/S12-3.pdf.
Studentsareexpectedtoreadallassignmentsonthesyllabus,turninallwrittenworkontime,andattend
classes.Atherdiscretion,theinstructorwillgivequizzesand,asindicatedonsyllabus,assign5-6shortessays
orworksheets.Amidtermandfinalexaminationwillalsobegivenasscheduledinthesyllabus.
GradingPolicy
Tests(satisfyPLOs2,3,5)willcount50%:themidterm20%(Oct25)andthefinal30%(Dec16from7:159:30am).Classworkcounts50%;classworkincludesapprox.6writtenassignmentsandtwooral
presentationsaswellasdailyparticipation(satisfiesPLOs2,3&5).Dailyparticipationisevaluatedbya
student’sshowingevidenceofhavingcompletedtheassignedreadingandcontributingvoluntarilytoclass
discussion.
Classworkcannotbemadeup!Thereisnoextracreditinthisclass.Emailedand/orlateassignmentsarenot
acceptedforgrading.
GradeScale
A+=98to100%;A=94-97%;A-=90-93;B+=87-89%;B=84-86%;B-=80-83%;C+=77-79%;C=74-76%;C-=
70-73%;D+=67-69%;D=64-66%;D-=60-63%;F=59%orlower
EnglishGradingDepartmentPolicies
TheDepartmentofEnglishreaffirmsitscommitmenttothedifferentialgradingscaleasdefinedbytheSJSU
Catalog(Grades-LetterGrading).Gradesissuedmustrepresentafullrangeofstudentperformance:A+/A/A-
=excellent;B+/B/B-=aboveaverage;C+/C/C-=average;D+/D/D-=belowaverage;F=failure.Withinanyof
thelettergraderanges(e.g.B+/B/B-),theassignmentofa+or-gradewillreflectstronger(+)orweaker(-)
completionofthegoalsoftheassignment.
InEnglishDepartmentcourses,instructorswillcommentonandgradethequalityofstudentwritingaswellas
thequalityofideasbeingconveyed.Allstudentwritingshouldbedistinguishedbycorrectgrammarand
punctuation,appropriatedictionandsyntax,andwell-organizedparagraphs.Gradesissuedwillrepresenta
fullrangeofstudentperformanceandwilladheretothefollowingSJSUacademicstandardsofassessment:
The"A"essaywillbewellorganizedandwelldeveloped,demonstratingaclearunderstandingandfulfillment
oftheassignment.Itwillshowthestudent'sabilitytouselanguageeffectivelyandconstructsentences
distinguishedbysyntacticcomplexityandvariety.Suchessayswillbeessentiallyfreeofgrammatical,
mechanical,andusageerrors.
The"B"essaywilldemonstratecompetenceinthesamecategoriesasthe"A"essay.Thechiefdifferenceis
thatthe"B"essaywillshowsomespecificslightweaknessesinoneofthosecategories.Itmayslightoneof
English 68A, Fall 2016
Page 2 of 6
theassignedtasks,showlessfacilityofexpression,orcontainsomeminorgrammatical,mechanical,orusage
flaws.
The"C"essaywillcompletealltaskssetbytheassignment,butshowweaknessinfundamentals(usually
development),withbarelyenoughspecificinformationtoillustratetheexperienceorsupportgeneralizations.
Thesentenceconstructionmaybelessmature,andtheuseoflanguagelesseffectiveandcorrectthanthe"B"
essay.
The"D"essaywillneglectoneoftheassignedtasksandbenoticeablysuperficialinitstreatmentofthe
assignment--thatis,toosimplisticorshort.Theessaymayrevealsomeproblemsindevelopment,with
insufficientspecificinformationtoillustratetheexperienceorsupportgeneralizations.Itwillcontain
grammatical,mechanical,andusageerrorsthatrendersomesentencesincomprehensible.
The"F"essaywilldemonstrateastrikingunderdevelopmentofideasandinsufficientorunfocused
organization.Itwillcontainseriousgrammatical,mechanical,andusageerrorsthatrendersome
ClassroomProtocol
Studentsareexpectedtoattendandparticipateinallclasses;studentsareexpectedtoarriveontime.Drinks
areok,butfoodisnottobeconsumedduringclasshour.Electronicdeviceswillbeusedintheclassroomonly
withexplicitinstructorpermission.Participationisdefinedascompletingthereadingassignmentsand
voluntarilyengagingingroupworkandclassdiscussions.
UniversityPolicies
OfficeofGraduateandUndergraduateProgramsmaintainsuniversity-widepolicyinformationrelevanttoall
courses,suchasacademicintegrity,accommodations,etc.YoumayfindallsyllabusrelatedUniversityPolicies
andresourcesinformationlistedonGUP’sSyllabusInformationwebpageat
http://www.sjsu.edu/gup/syllabusinfo/
StudentTechnologyResources
ComputerlabsforstudentuseareavailableintheAcademicSuccessCenterathttp://www.sjsu.edu/at/asc/
locatedonthe1stfloorofClarkHallandintheAssociatedStudentsLabonthe2ndflooroftheStudentUnion.
Additionalcomputerlabsmaybeavailableinyourdepartment/college.Computersarealsoavailableinthe
MartinLutherKingLibrary.Awidevarietyofaudio-visualequipmentisavailableforstudentcheckoutfrom
MediaServiceslocatedinIRC112.
SJSUPeerConnections
PeerConnections,acampus-wideresourceformentoringandtutoring,strivestoinspirestudentstodevelop
theirpotentialasindependentlearnerswhiletheylearntosuccessfullynavigatethroughtheiruniversity
experience.AcomputerlabandstudyspacearealsoavailableforstudentuseinRoom600ofStudent
ServicesCenter(SSC).
PeerConnectionsislocatedinthreelocations:SSC,Room600(10thStreetGarageonthecornerof10thand
SanFernandoStreet),atthe1stfloorentranceofClarkHall,andintheLivingLearningCenter(LLC)inCampus
VillageHousingBuildingB.VisitPeerConnectionswebsiteathttp://peerconnections.sjsu.eduformore
information.
English 68A, Fall 2016
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SJSUWritingCenter
TheSJSUWritingCenterislocatedinClarkHall,Suite126.AllWritingSpecialistshavegonethrougharigorous
hiringprocess,andtheyarewelltrainedtoassistallstudentsatalllevelswithinalldisciplinestobecome
betterwriters.Inadditiontoone-on-onetutoringservices,theWritingCenteralsooffersworkshopsevery
semesteronavarietyofwritingtopics.Tomakeanappointmentortorefertothenumerousonlineresources
offeredthroughtheWritingCenter,visittheWritingCenterwebsiteathttp://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter.
Foradditionalresourcesandupdatedinformation,followtheWritingCenteronTwitterandbecomeafanof
theSJSUWritingCenteronFacebook.(Note:YouneedtohaveaQRReadertoscanthiscode.)
SJSUCounselingServices
TheSJSUCounselingServicesislocatedonthecornerof7thStreetandSanFernandoStreet,inRoom201,
AdministrationBuilding.Professionalpsychologists,socialworkers,andcounselorsareavailabletoprovide
consultationsonissuesofstudentmentalhealth,campusclimateorpsychologicalandacademicissuesonan
individual,couple,orgroupbasis.Toscheduleanappointmentorlearnmoreinformation,visitCounseling
Serviceswebsiteathttp://www.sjsu.edu/counseling.
English 68A, Fall 2016
Page 4 of 6
English68AAmericanLiteratureto1865
Thefollowingscheduleofreadingsandwrittenassignmentsissubjecttochange.Changeswillbepostedand
announcedthroughCANVAS.AllassignmentsarefromtheNortonAnthology,volumesA&B,8thedition.
Whilewemaynotdiscusseveryassignedreading,studentsareresponsibleforthecontentofallassignments
onquizzesandexams.ReadingassignmentssatisfyCLOs1,2,5.
CourseSchedule
Week
Date
Topics,Readings,Assignments,Deadlines
1
Aug25
1
Aug30
2
Sept1
2
Sept6
3
Sept8
3
Sept13
IntroductiontoOrality
READING:WhentheWorldasWeKnewItEnded”Harjo
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/179779
“TheIroquoisCreationStory”21-25(Cusick);Delaware/LenapeLegendof
Hudson’sArrival68-71(Heckewelder)
StoriesaboutWakjankaga(Winnebago)100-111,“IktoConquersIya,theEater”
(Sioux)111-114,“Coyote,Skunk,andthePrairieDogs”(Navajo)
115-120
WilliamBradford121ff.ReadBio,OfPlymouthPlantation:fromBookI:
ChaptersIV(124-7),IX(131-4),X(134-8);fromBookII:ChaptersXI
(138-143),XII(144),XXIII(147-8),XXVIII(152-154);IllustrationC4
ElizabethClarkeFreakeandBabyMary
ClassAssignment#1duePLOs2,3&4
AnneBradstreet207;"ToMyDearChildren"235-8;"TheAuthortoHerBook”
225;”BeforetheBirthofOneofHerChildren”225-6;Edward
Taylor289-90“UponWedlock,andDeathofChildren”303-4
MaryRowlandsonNarrative255-272
4
Sept15
Rowlandson273-288
4
Sept20
5
Sept22
BenjaminFranklin455-7;fromAutobiography481-509;IllustrationC6Benjamin
FranklinDrawingElectricityfromtheSky(West)
Franklin510-542Autobiography(cont)
5
Sept27
6
Sept29
6
Oct4
7
Oct6
PhilipFreneau756-7;“TheIndianBuryingGround"758;ToSirToby"759-760;
"OntheReligionofNature"762;MercyOtisWarren731-2“A
ThoughtontheInestimableBlessingofReason...”
ClassAssignment#2duePLOS2,3&4
OlaudahEquianofromtheInterestingNarrative687-721;Illus.C7TheOld
Plantation
PhillisWheatley762-4;"OnBeingBrought"764;"OntheDeathoftheRev.Mr.
GeorgeWhitefield"767-8;"ToS.M.,AYoungAfricanPainter"7712
RoyallTyler775-90TheContrast
7
Oct11
Tyler(cont)791-816
8
Oct13
ReadingDay
English 68A, Fall 2016
Page 5 of 6
Week
Date
Topics,Readings,Assignments,Deadlines
HannahWebsterFosterTheCoquette817-867
OralPresentations
Webster868-916
OralPresentationsandClasswork#3duePLOS2,3,&4
MIDTERM(PLOs:2,3,5)Bringanthology,vol.A,largeformatexamination
booklet,and2pens
Emerson211-214,“Circles”286-294;“EachandAll”341-2;“TheSnow-Storm”
342;“Brahma”347
MargaretFuller740-743;from"TheGreatLawsuit"771-77;IllustrationC6:Shake
Hands?LilyMartinSpencer
HarrietJacobs,fromIncidentsintheLifeofaSlaveGirl920-942
Classwork#4duePLOs2,3,&4
HenryDavidThoreau961-964;”Sounds”fromWalden1039-1048;IllustrationC7:
TheLackawannaValleyGeorgeInness
Thoreau“ResistancetoCivilGovernment”964-979;FrederickDouglass11701174fromMyFreedomandMyBondage1240-1251
EdgarPoe631-32;"PhilosophyofComposition"719-727;”TheRaven”637-640; “TheFalloftheHouseofUsher”654-667
NathanielHawthorne369-373;“TheCustom-House”450-476
8
Oct18
9
Oct20
9
Oct25
10
Oct27
10
Oct27
11
Nov1
11
Nov3
12
Nov8
12
Nov10
13
Nov15
13
Nov17
14
Nov22
Nov24
NathanielHawthorne477-527;TheScarletLetter
Classwork#5duePLOs2,3,&4
NathanielHawthorne527-594;TheScarletLetter
Classwork#5duePLOs2,3,&4
HAPPYTHANKSGIVING
14
Nov29
HermanMelville1424-1427,BenitoCereno1526-1551
15
Dec1
Melville,BenitoCereno1552-1582
15
Dec6
16
Dec8
Final
Dec16
WaltWhitman1310-1314;from"Preface"toLeavesofGrass1316-1319;
"CrossingBrooklynFerry"1383-1387;“AMarchintheRanksHardPrest,andtheRoadUnknown”1397-8
EmilyDickinson1659-1663;poemsnumbered112,122,225,339,269,320,236,
620,446,348,519,935,1263,1489
7:15aminclassroomPLOs2,3,5
English 68A, Fall 2016
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