English 472A –
American Studies: Walt Whitman
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Course overview
Required Texts
Topic and Reading Schedule
Assignments and Marking
Academic Dishonesty
Equity, Human Rights,
Discrimination and Harassment
Instructor: Paul Milton
Office: Arts 146
Phone: 807-9418
e-mail: [email protected]
Class meetings: MTh 8:30-noon, Arts 110
Office hours: MTh 12:30-2:30
Course overview
Arguably, Walt Whitman stands in relation to American literature as Shakespeare
stands in relation to English literature. His writings touch on many of the key historical
and cultural issues of his day, yet he remains a significant force in contemporary
American cultural discourse. Our task will be to develop both collective and personal
understandings of what Whitman represents as a writer and a cultural figure. We will
discuss his self-conscious production of a public poetic persona in response to the
cultural nationalism of the 19th century; we will investigate his claims to be a
representative poet; we will discuss his interventions in 19th century discussions of
gender, sexuality and the body; we will examine his responses to the Civil War; we will
view him both as poet of the city and the open road; and we will look into his influence
on 20th- and 21st-century American culture. Above all, we will embrace the Whitmanian
spirit by forming a vital collective unity out of our provocative and fertile diversity.
Required Texts
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, and other writings. Ed. Michael Moon. Norton.
Jack Kerouac, On the Road. Penguin.
Allen Ginsberg, Howl, and other poems. City Lights.
Topic and Reading Schedule
Date
May 9
May 12
May 16-19
May 23
May 26
May 30
June 2
June 6
Please complete the assigned reading prior to coming to class.
Topic and readings
Introduction to the course -- biographical and thematic overview
“I greet you at the beginning of a great career” – “Starting from Paumanok”
(15); “There Was a Child Went Forth” (306); “Prefatory letter to Ralph Waldo
Emerson” (636); “Emerson to Whitman” (637).
“I celebrate myself” -- “Song of Myself” (26-78).
VICTORIA DAY: LOAFE AND INVITE YOUR SOUL
“The equable man” – 1855 “Preface” (61-36); “Out of the Cradle Endlessly
Rocking” (206-12); “By Blue Ontario’s Shore” (286-299).
“Poet of the Body” – “To the Garden the World” (78); “From Pent-Up Aching
Rivers” (79); “I Sing the Body Electric” (81); “A Woman Waits for Me” (87);
“Spontaneous Me” (89); “Out of the Rolling Ocean the Crowd” (92); “As Adam
Early in the Morning” (96); “Vocalism” (322); “Unfolded Out of the Folds” (329).
“The secret of my nights and days” – “In Paths Untrodden” (96); “Scented
Herbage of My Breast” (97); “Whoever You are Holding Me Now in Hand” (99);
“When I Heard at the Close of Day” (105); “Are You the New Person Drawn
toward Me?” (105); “I Saw in Louisiana a Live-Oak Growing” (108); “I Heard It
Was Charged Against Me” (110); “We Two Boys Together Clinging” (111);
“What Think You I Take My Pen in Hand” (114); “O You Whom I Often and
Silently Come” (116).
”The Real War” – “First O Songs for a Prelude” (234); “Beat! Beat! Drums!”
(237); “From Paumanok Starting I Fly Like a Bird” (238); “Come Up From the
Fields Father” (253); “Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night” (255); “A
March in the Ranks Hard-Prest and the Road Unknown” (256); “A Sight in Camp
in the Daybreak Gray and Dim” (257); “The Wound Dresser” (259); “Over the
Carnage Rose Prophetic a Voice” (265); “The Artilleryman’s Vision” (266); “Turn
O Libertad” (274); “To the Leaven’d Soil They Trod” (275); “When Lilacs Last in
the Dooryard Bloom’d” (276); excerpts from Specimen Days, (774-79).
June 9
”City nested in bays! My City!” – “City of Orgies” (107); “To a Stranger” (109);
“Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (135); “A Broadway Pageant” (203); “Give Me the
Splendid Silent Sun” (262); “Sparkles from the Wheel” (328); “Faces” (388);
“Mannahatta” (397).
June 13
“I inhale great draughts of space” -- “Song of the Open Road” (126); “Song of
the Redwood Tree” (173); “Pioneers! O Pioneers” (192); “This Compost” (309);
Film: Beautiful Dreamers.
“I ordain myself loos’d of limits” – Jack Kerouac, On the Road.
“What thought you have of me now” – Allen Ginsberg, Howl and other
poems; Ed Folsom, "What a Filthy Presidentiad!": Clinton’s Whitman, Bush’s
Whitman, and Whitman’s America; David Chezzem, Lose Walt Whitman and
You Lose America; “Goodbye My Fancy” (468)
June 16
June 20
Assignments and marking
Assignments are due at 11:59 p.m. on the date noted below and should be submitted as
a file attachment to a WebCT Vista e-mail message addressed to me.
Assignment
Journal one (500 words)
Four additional journal entries (500 words each)
Essay proposal/bibliography
Essay (2,500-3,000 words)
Participation
Value
0%
40%
10%
40%
10%
Date Due
May 9
variable
June 3
June 22
N/A
Journal – This assignment consists of five periodic entries throughout the term. The
first entry is mandatory, but not marked. Then the student may choose four of six due
dates for submission: May 12, May 19, May 26, June 2, June 9, June 16. Journal
entries should be 500-750 words long and must reflect a personal response to the
material we are reading or discussing. The journals will be evaluated on the basis of
their originality and on the rigour of their responses. I will accept creative responses as
long as they are accompanied by a self-reflexive explanation of their contribution to your
developing concept of Whitman. Each entry will be graded out of 10.
Essay Proposal – Each student will submit a proposal explaining his or her plans for
the term paper. The proposal should offer a hypothesis and an explanation of how the
student intends to proceed. The proposal should also indicate key primary texts that will
be examined and suggest how this essay relates to existing criticism on the topic. The
proposal should include an annotated bibliography of five secondary sources that might
be used.
Term paper – Each student must submit a term paper of 2,000-2,500 words on a topic
to do with Whitman or his influence. The paper must make reference to at least five
good secondary sources. Topic suggestions will be available elsewhere on WebCT, but
students are encouraged to develop their own potential topics in consultation with the
instructor. The paper must conform to MLA style and expectations.
Exam – Nah, I don’t think so.
Participation – I expect that our classes will be centred around discussion rather than
straight three-hour long lectures. So the easiest way to obtain your participation marks
is by participating in discussion. But for me, participation reflects your engagement with
the subject matter in a variety of ways. You may also register your participation by
talking with me outside of class time in my office hours or by corresponding with me
through e-mail. Through whichever medium, you should endeavour to show me that
you are thinking about the course material and developing your understanding of
Whitman’s work and influence.
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
In accordance with Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies policy, I include here the following
statement from the Dean’s office about plagiarism:
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. Students should note that plagiarism is not
limited to copying from printed material; copying from the web or from material submitted for
another course are also examples of plagiarism. In this course students are expected to follow
the MLA rules for documentation at all times. Students guilty of plagiarism will have their
names submitted to the Dean’s office and will automatically receive a grade of 0 for the
assignment; they may also receive a grade of 0 in the course. Other penalties will also
apply for students who have already been convicted of plagiarism. Students are required to
make themselves aware of the UBC policy on plagiarism by consulting
http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/okanagan/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,958
http://okanagan.students.ubc.ca/calendar/index.cfm?tree=3,54,111,959
http://learningcommons.ubc.ca/get-study-help/academic-integrity/
Now my comments on plagiarism. Plagiarism involves the attempt to represent the work of
others as your own. Research requires that you make use of others’ work, but you must
explicitly and completely indicate the source of all ideas, original words and data. We will
discuss the proper ways to document these legitimate borrowings. If I receive a paper that I
suspect of plagiarism, I will return the paper to the student with marks and comments withheld.
If your paper is returned with the comment “mark withheld” on it, you must see me immediately.
The comment “mark withheld” does not in itself indicate a charge of plagiarism; I may wish to
speak to you for other less serious reasons before assigning a grade to a paper. If I suspect
plagiarism, I will outline the evidence and offer the student an opportunity to explain. If I am
convinced that plagiarism has occurred, I will assign a grade of zero with no option for rewrite
and refer the matter to the Dean. Ignorance of the definition of plagiarism is no defence in these
matters. Students must take care and be supremely vigilant of any potentially questionable
contexts. If at all in doubt, feel free to contact me before submitting your paper and I will be
happy to answer any questions or concerns you might have. The vast majority of students
approach their work with pride and integrity, but the fact remains that I alone catch four
plagiarists each year on average.
Equity, Human Rights, Discrimination and Harassment
UBC Okanagan is a place where every student, staff and faculty member should be able
to study and work in an environment that is free from human rights based discrimination and
harassment. If you require assistance related to an issue of equity, discrimination or
harassment, please contact the Equity Office, your administrative head of unit, and/or your unit’s
equity representative.
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Equity Advisor: ph. 250-807-9291; email [email protected]
Web: www.ubc.ca/okanagan/equity