English 23: American Autobiography
Fall Term 2004
T/Th 2:50-4:20 PM
Dante 203
Prof. Kathryn Koo
E-mail: [email protected]
Office: Dante 302, x-8782
Office Hours: T/Th 12:30-2:00
and by appointment
Given the American fascination with self-reform and personal destiny, it is no wonder that
autobiographies have always held an important place in our national imagination and literature.
For ethnic American writers, the genre of autobiography has assumed even greater significance
as a means of countering the threat of silencing and erasure. In this course, we will examine the
autobiographies of a number of twentieth-century American writers of color whose self-portraits
have challenged, defied, and reshaped the notion of the “American” self. In our study of these
works, we will also investigate contemporary theories of autobiography, the formation of identity
and subjectivity, and the role of gender in the making of the self.
READING LIST:
Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior
Richard Wright, Black Boy
Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road
Oscar Zeta Acosta, Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo
Leslie Marmon Silko, Storyteller
N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain
Xeroxed handouts
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
In-class Work and Participation
This course will be conducted as a student-based seminar. Therefore, students will be expected to
come to each and every seminar prepared to share their questions, ideas, and interpretations about
the assigned text. Students will also be asked to participate in the various activities of the class:
small- and large-group discussions, group presentations, and writing workshops. Your individual
in-class work, participation, and academic conduct (see p. 3) will be evaluated at the end of the
semester and will be worth 15% of your overall course grade.
Roll will be taken promptly at the beginning of every class. Latecomers will not be counted as
present, so please arrive on time. The College’s attendance policy permits students to miss no more
than three hours of class during the semester. In the case of our T/Th schedule, students are allowed
to miss no more than two class meetings. It is every student’s responsibility to keep track of his/
her absences and to keep that number to a minimum. Please do not bring doctor’s notes or other
excuses to class. More than two absences will result in the lowering of the student’s In-class Work
and Participation grade by one-third of a grade (for example, from a B+ to a B). More than three
absences will result in a two-thirds of a grade deduction, and so on.
Group Presentations
Each student will be asked to participate in two group presentations—an introductory presentation
and a response presentation—over the course of the semester. In the introductory presentation,
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students in small groups will introduce one of the major texts of the course. Groups will be asked
to provide a brief biography of the writer in question, elaborate upon the themes and issues raised
by the text that are relevant to this course and its objectives, pose a series of discussion questions
to the class, and lead the class in a thoughtful and well-organized discussion. Each group will
be asked to hand in to the instructor a brief bibliography of consulted works. In the response
presentation, students in small groups will be asked to respond to the introductory presentation,
frame possible answers to the questions posed by the introductory group, pursue new lines of
inquiry based on that day’s reading assignment, and lead the class in discussion.
Students should expect to take full responsibility for the seminar on the day of their presentation
and should expect to spend a considerable amount of outside class time preparing for them. The
class and the instructor will grade presentations on a number of criteria, including cooperation
among group members and the quality of the group’s preparation. The grades assigned by the class
and the instructor will be averaged to produce the final group presentation grade.
Essays
Two analytical essays are required in this course: a 1,250-word essay (approx. 4-5 pages in length)
and a 1,500-word essay (approx. 5-6 pages in length). Directions and guidelines will be distributed
well in advance of the due dates. We will devote a considerable amount of class time to the
development of paper topics and arguments.
Each student will also be asked to write a brief autobiographical sketch about a particular phase or
incident from his or her life. At the beginning of the course, we will write a 2-3 page preliminary
draft of the sketch. At the end of the course, we will return to the autobiographical sketch and
expand the narrative to approximately twice its original size. Each student will also be asked to
write a 1-2 page critique of his/her revision process to accompany the autobiographical sketch.
Detailed guidelines for the autobiographical sketch and the critique will be distributed.
GRADING:
In-Class Work and Participation
Group Presentations
Essays
First Essay
Second Essay
Autobiographical Sketch & Critique
15%
15%
70%
(20%)
(30%)
(20%)
_________________
100%
Note: The student must participate in two group presentations and submit the three formal
essays in order to receive a passing grade in the course.
ACADEMIC HONOR CODE:
This year, St. Mary’s College has established a new academic honor code that asks students
to pledge to uphold and abide by certain standards of academic integrity. The pledge reads as
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follows: “As a student member of an academic community based in mutual trust and responsibility,
I pledge: to do my own work at all times, without giving or receiving inappropriate aid; to avoid
behaviors that unfairly impede the academic progress of other members of my community; and to
take reasonable and responsible action in order to uphold my community’s academic integrity.”
Students in this course will be expected to understand the Academic Honor Code and to abide by
it in all aspects of the course. We will discuss issues pertaining to academic integrity throughout
the term. In particular, we will discuss proper citation forms, proper paraphrasing, and plagiarism.
I will be available to answer any questions you might have about the policy and its relationship to
this course. To understand the Academic Honor Code in full, please see the most recent Student
Handbook.
ACADEMIC CONDUCT:
Students in this course will also be expected to abide by certain standards of academic conduct
in the classroom. By its content and nature, this course will be highly controversial. Therefore,
all students will be asked to follow certain guidelines aimed at creating an open and respectful
environment in the classroom. Our goal is to engage in discussions that are as courteous,
thoughtful, and productive as possible. These guidelines are adapted from Prof. Patrizia Longo’s
guidelines for Academic Conduct:
●
Please come to class fully prepared to engage in classroom activities for the
next hour and a half. Please try not to leave the classroom at any time, as your
departure and re-entry will distract our attention from classroom activities. Also,
please be sure to turn off all cell phones and other electronic devices when you
come to class. You may bring drinks to class, but please, no food.
●
During discussions, please listen carefully to your classmates. Treat their
opinions, beliefs, and perspectives with respect.
●
Only one person should be talking at a time; no one should engage in private or
side conversations.
●
Try to frame your contributions to class discussion in ways that will not
intentionally offend others. You are welcome to have strong opinions and beliefs,
but don’t present them as the final word on the matter.
●
Don’t withdraw from the discussion when you hear things you disagree with.
Instead, pose a thoughtful question or ask for clarification. And be sure to
question and analyze your own assumptions in the process.
●
Be sensitive to signs that others want to speak, and encourage those who want to
speak to do so. Try at all times to foster a respectful and courteous exchange of
ideas in the classroom.
SCHEDULE
Week 1
3
Aug. 31
Introduction – What is Autobiography?
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
4
Sept. 2
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography (handout)
Bill Clinton, My Life (handout)
Sept. 7
bell hooks, “writing autobiography” (handout)
Zora Neale Hurston, “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” (handout)
DUE: Draft of Autobiographical Sketch
Sept. 9
Kingston, Woman Warrior, pp. 1-16
Sept. 14
Introductory Presentation: Woman Warrior
Kingston, Woman Warrior, pp. 17-53
Sept. 16
Response Presentation: Woman Warrior
Kingston, Woman Warrior, pp. 54-109
Sept. 21
Kingston, Woman Warrior, pp. 110-209
Writing Workshop: Developing Paper Topics
Sept. 23
Writing Workshop: Developing Thesis Statements
Writing Workshop: Proper Citation of Sources
Due: One-page essay proposal
Sept. 28
Introductory Presentation: Black Boy
Wright, Black Boy, pp. 1-101
Sept. 30
Response Presentation: Black Boy
Wright, Black Boy, pp. 102-44
DUE: Essay #1
Oct. 5
Wright, Black Boy, pp. 145-222
Oct. 7
Wright, Black Boy, pp. 223-57
Oct. 12
Introductory Presentation: Dust Tracks on a Road
Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road, pp. 1-86
Oct. 14
Response Presentation: Dust Tracks on a Road
Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road, pp. 87-142
Oct 19
Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road, pp. 143-232
Oct. 21
Introductory Presentation: Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo
Acosta, Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo, pp. 11-70
Oct. 26
Response Presentation: Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo
Acosta, Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo, pp. 71-127
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
5
Oct. 28
Acosta, Autobiography of a Brown Buffalo, pp 128-99
Writing Workshop: Developing Paper Topics
Nov. 2
Writing Workshop: Refining the Argument
Due: One-page essay proposal
Nov. 4
Introductory Presentation: Storyteller
Silko, Storyteller, pp. 1-62
Nov. 9
Response Presentation: Storyteller
Silko, Storyteller, pp. 63-139
Nov. 11
Silko, Storyteller, pp. 140-265
Due: Essay #2
Nov. 16
Introductory Presentation: Way to Rainy Mountain
Momaday, Way to Rainy Mountain, pp. 1-41
Nov. 18
Response Presentation: Way to Rainy Mountain
Momaday, Way to Rainy Mountain, pp. 42-89
Nov. 23
Writing Workshop: The Autobiographical Sketch
Nov. 25-28
THANKSGIVING RECESS
Nov. 30
Writing Workshop: The Autobiographical Sketch
Dec. 2
DUE: Revised Autobiographical Sketch and Critique
Dec. 6-9
Final Exam Period