Multicultural Literature: Biculturality in Contemporary American Short Fiction
English 247 ~ Summer 2010 ~ Dr. Polyxeni Tenerelli
Time & Location: online
Course website: http://courses.cwu.edu
Office hours: by email or phone only
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (509) 963-3302
Course Description
One of the outcomes of the social justice movements of the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s was the incorporation
of previously neglected “minority” voices into the American literary canon. During multiculturalism’s
heyday (1960’s-1980’s) there was an outpouring of literary texts and academic studies that took as
central concerns the histories, oral traditions, local experiences, and unique cultural developments of
indigenous, black American, and immigrant ethnic groups in the U.S. In the 1990’s, a new wave of
American writers began to explore the experience of biculturality that has been a hallmark of
multicultural literature and a theme in American literature since its beginnings. In this class, we will
read short fiction by authors from this second wave, who work from several different marginal American
cultures: Sandra Cisneros (Mexican American), Randall Kenan (African American), Junot Diaz (Dominican
American), Jhumpa Lahiri (Bengali American), and Sherman Alexie (American Indian).
Learning Outcomes
Read stories from various American cultures with an eye toward comprehending the
particular and universal themes and events contained in the stories.
Identify the elements of fiction (plot, setting, character, point of view, style, voice, symbol,
and theme) and analyze how they create meaning in a story.
Consider how each author characterizes the kinds of social and personal conflicts that can
rise up around gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, language, generation/ age, and
geography.
Consider the scope and central theses of the assigned stories, and how they relate to
theories regarding the short story form’s suitability to narratives by and about marginalized
people.
Practice writing essays, with attention to producing compelling thesis statements,
persuasive evidence from the texts, incisive commentary, and clear writing.
Required Texts
Sandra Cisneros, Woman Hollering Creek (1991)
Randall Kenan, Let The Dead Bury Their Dead (1992 )
Junot Diaz, Drown (1996 )
Jhumpa Lahiri, Interpreter of Maladies (1999)
Sherman Alexie The Toughest Indian in the World (2000)
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Course Requirements
1. One page discussion openers and moderating: The class will be divided into discussion groups
of 5 students. For each reading assignment, I provide a discussion topic (see “assignments”
section of syllabus), and one person from each discussion group will have the task of submitting
a one page response with which to open the discussion for the day. In your one page discussion
openers, please include specific passages from the text, with page numbers cited, that illustrate
and support your answers. Openers should be about 250-300 words long. The student who
opens the discussion will also moderate the discussion. Discussion moderation entails answering
questions directed to the moderator, making comments and asking follow-up questions to
further the discussion, and providing a short summary of the main points of the discussion at
the close of the discussion period. I will read all the discussion posts and replies, and act as a coor coach moderator with the student moderator Each student must sign up for two discussion
openers and moderating sessions. Discussion openers are due by midnight the night before the
reading for the class is due.
2. Discussion board posts and responses: When it is not your turn to open and moderate a
discussion, you will submit a post on the day’s topic and offer at least two responses to the
posts in your home group. You may also go to other groups’ discussions and participate there as
well. Each week you will receive a grade on your posts and responses. There is no length
requirement for the posts and responses; keep in mind that it may be difficult to say something
substantial in very short posts, and very long posts may make the thread cumbersome.
Anywhere from one quarter to three quarter page is a good rule of thumb. You will find a
rubric, which addresses the grading standards for the discussion openers, posts, and responses,
at the end of this syllabus. Posts and responses for Monday’s reading are due by midnight
every Tuesday, and for Thursday’s reading, by midnight every Friday.
3. Participation: Your participation grade will reflect your online etiquette, and the timeliness of
your posts and responses (Did you post in time for your classmates to read and respond to your
thoughts? Did you participate throughout the discussion?).
4. Midterm & final papers: These will be four page analytical papers. The papers will be assessed
for content (quality of thesis, evidence, argumentation, and analysis) and mechanics (grammar,
spelling, punctuation, and organization). The midterm paper is due on Friday, July 9, and the
final paper is due on Friday, July 30.
Etiquette
For everyone to have a positive experience in this class, it is imperative that each of us approaches
others’ work, questions, and comments with kindness and respect. The Golden Rule is an oldie but a
goody – please treat others with the consideration with which you would like to be treated.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is the representation of another’s words or thoughts as one’s own. Plagiarized papers or
portions of papers will result in a failing grade on the paper. A persistent problem of academic
dishonesty will result in a failing grade in the course and further disciplinary action.
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Late Work & Rewrites
Semi-weekly assignments: I will not accept late work unless you provide a doctor’s note indicating
incapacity to participate in the class in a timely manner. Because the assignments are part of a
collaborative endeavor (the discussions), it is important that work is done on time. Midterm and final
papers: the grade will be reduced by one full letter grade per day (for example, from A to B), unless you
have corresponded with me in advance. I will accept one rewrite on midterm papers that receive a
grade of C- or below.
ADA Statement
If you require disability-related assistance please contact the ADA Compliance Officer (Bouillon 205, 9632171), and contact me about any appropriate help or adjustments I can offer.
Course Requirements & Percentage of Grade
Two one-page discussion openers and discussion moderation………….. 16%
Semiweekly posts & responses …………….. 24 %
Participation……….. 10%
Midterm & final papers…………. 25% each
Schedule of Assignments
Week 1
Monday, June 21
1. Print and read the syllabus. 2. Get the course books, and make sure you have access to a computer for
the course. 3. Introduce yourself on the discussion board, and 4. Email me your top four dates to open
and moderate the discussion of the readings. Please do this by midnight tonight!
Thursday, June 24
Read: Cisneros, “My Lucy Friend Who Smells Like Corn”, “Eleven”, “Mexican Movies”, “Barbie-Q”,
“Mericans”, “Tepeyec”, “One Holy Night”, “My Tocaya”
Discussion topic : setting. An author may choose to create a setting of a story that 1. comments on the
social environment in the story (e.g. rich New York, or backwater country), 2. creates a mood (e.g.
somber, or suspenseful), or 3. reflects the mind or emotions of a character (e.g. cheerful, or confused).
Think about the settings of today’s stories. Choose a story or pair of stories from the reading, and
discuss why you think the author chose the particular setting for the story or stories. How does the
setting comment on or contribute to the social environment, mood, or emotions in the story? What
details from the reading led you to your answer?
Week 2
Monday, June 28
Read: Cisneros, “Woman Hollering Creek”, “Remember the Alamo”, “Eyes of Zapata”
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Discussion topic: theme. When we talk about a story’s theme, we are talking about what the story is
about – not in terms of plot, but in terms of ideas. When we identify a theme, we identify a topic that
the author wants us to think about, and more specifically, what the author hopes we will learn about
that particular topic. When looking for theme in a work, consider, what is the author trying to tell you?
What does she want you to learn from this story? For the most part, authors write literature because
they have something to say, and they find a particular literary form the only way to get their message
across. Choose a story or pair of stories from today’s reading and write about a theme you find there.
What do you think the author wants you to realize or understand that you might not have understood
before reading the story?
Thursday, July 1
Read: Kenan, “Clarence and the Dead”, “Things of This World; or Angels Unawares”, “The Foundations
of the Earth”, “The Origin of Whales”
Discussion topic: point of view. Think about the point of view from which the stories are told. Is the
point of view first person (“I”), second person (“you”), third person intimate (told in the third person,
“he” or “she”, but from the point of view of a particular character), third person objective (“he” or
“she”, from a point of view outside all the characters), or third person omniscient (the author as God, all
knowing)? If there is an identifiable narrator, is he old or young, black or white, gay or straight, rich or
poor, from the city or country? If there is a third person narrator, does the narrator seem sympathetic to
a particular character who falls into some of these categories? Choose a story and discuss the point of
view from which it is told (give a specific passage to illustrate), and how the story would change if it
were told from a different point of view. How do you think the message (or theme) of the story would
change if the story were told from a different point of view of? What can you deduce about the
relationship between point of view and meaning?
Week 3
Monday, July 5
Read: Kenan, “Run, Mourner, Run”, “Tell me, Tell me”, “Let the Dead Bury their Dead”
Discussion topic: thesis & evidence. For today’s assignment, compose two possible thesis statements for
a hypothetical paper that you will write on Kenan’s short stories. (This doesn’t have to be for your midterm paper; it’s just an exercise. But if you come up with a thesis you like, you may use it for the midterm paper.) You can address anything you would like about the stories – theme, setting, point of view,
race, sexuality, class, etc. Please focus on one or two stories from the reading. Each thesis statement
should be specific; it should not be general or obvious, such as “Randall Kenan writes about race in the
southern United States in the late twentieth century.” Here are some useful “thesis-narrowing
questions” (adapted from Susan Wise Bauer’s lecture, “Writing Without Fear,” Peace Hill Press. CD.): 1.
If you are comparing two stories or two characters, how are they the same, how are they different ? 2.
Is what appears on the surface what is really going on, or can you argue the reverse; what appears on
the surface is a cover for a deeper or hidden reality? 3. When? Pinpoint a particular time that
something began to happen (e.g. a relationship unraveled, a sense of identity began to form), and argue
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why you chose that point in the story as the beginning. Try to come up with two strong thesis
statements. Then, choose the one that you think would work better for a paper. Why do you think that
one is better than the other? What are the strong points and weak points of your chosen thesis? What
evidence and counter-evidence do you find in the text to support or argue against your thesis?
Thursday, July 8
Read: Diaz, “Ysrael”, “Fiesta 1980”, “Aguantando”, “Boyfriend”
Discussion topic: voice & style. Think about the voices you hear in the stories for today. Are they ironic
or sincere, young or old, male or female, trustworthy or not, educated or not? Think about Diaz’s style,
especially his use of colloquial and street language. Is his prose always “low”, or is it sometimes “high”
too? Why do you think that Diaz uses street language? Whose voices do we hear in Diaz’s stories that
we do not usually hear in standard narratives that we find in the media or literature?
Friday, July 9
** Midterm paper due by midnight **
Week 4
Monday, July 12
Read: Diaz, “Edison, NJ”, “No Face”, “Negocios”
Discussion topic: symbol. How does Diaz use symbols to convey meaning? You can think about how
often the reader comes across references to masks, superheroes, and flight in Diaz’s stories. Choose an
image or symbol and trace its appearance in one or more of the stories that we have read by Diaz (one
of the stories can be from last week’s reading). What might Diaz be trying to convey about the
experience of immigration with the images and symbols he uses?
Thursday, July 15
Read: Lahiri, “A Temporary Matter”, “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine”, “Interpreter of Maladies”,
“Sexy”
Discussion topic: plot. In each of the stories for today, one could argue, the nature of the relationship
between two or more characters changes in the course of the plot. Choose one story and write about
the point at which you think a particular relationship changes. Does the author leave clues earlier in the
narrative that this change is coming, or is it a surprise to the reader?
Week 5
Monday, July 19
Read: Lahiri, “Mrs. Sen’s”, “This Blessed House”, “The Third and Final Continent”
Discussion topic: genre. Authors often draw on other genres to make their writing richer. Kenan draws
on science fiction; Diaz draws on superhero narratives; Cisneros’ poetic sensibility is evident in her
prose; with Lahiri, some readers find her stories to be more like fables (fantastic) than chronicles
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(realistic). A traditional fable is a pithy story about animals, with human characteristics, that illustrates a
moral (think Aesop). More broadly, fables contain an element of fantasy or other-worldliness, and teach
us a lesson about the world we live in. What do you make of the characterization of Lahiri’s stories as
fables?
Thursday, July 22
Read: Alexie, “Assimilation”, “Class”, “South by Southwest”, “Indian Country”
Discussion topic: character. Stories usually revolve around the desire of a central character or
characters. Choose a character from one of the stories assigned for today, and discuss what that
character wants, what is standing in the character’s way, and how the character attempts to overcome
the obstacles. Is he or she successful; why, why not? Do you detect clues in the text that intimate how
the author might feel or want you to feel about the character?
Week 6
Monday, July 26
Read: Alexie, “Saint Junior”, “Dear John Wayne”, “One Good Man”
Discussion topic: like/ dislike. What was your favorite or least favorite passage from one of the stories
we read for today? Why? How does that passage related to the author’s work (that we have read) as a
whole?
Thursday, July 29
Course surveys due today.
Friday, July 30
** Final papers are due by midnight tonight. **
Discussion Board Rubrics
Discussion Opener & Moderating (0-8 points each)
Mentions at least 2 specific passages from the reading. (1 point)
Discussion at a critical level, not just recitation of plot. (3 points)
Length of posting approximately 1 word processing page (250-300 words). (1 point)
Moderating discussion. (3 points)
Discussion Board Posts & Responses (0-3 points each week)
3 points:
Rich in content, thought, insight, analysis
New connections, ideas, made with depth and detail
All required postings in early and throughout discussion
Meaningful participation in student’s home group
Few grammatical or stylistic errors
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2 points:
Substantial information thought, insight, and analysis
New ideas or connections but lacks depth and/or detail
All required posting in, but some not in time for others to read and respond
Meaningful participation in student’s home group
Several grammatical or stylistic errors
1 point:
Generally competent; information is thin and commonplace
Few, if any new ideas or connection; rehash or summary of other postings or of plot
All required posting in, but most at the last minute without allowing for response time
Participation in student’s home group
Obvious grammatical or stylistic errors; errors interfere with content
0 points:
Rudimentary and superficial analysis
No new ideas; “I agree with…” statement
Some, or all, required postings missing
Minimal or no participation in student’s home group
Obvious grammatical or stylistic errors; makes understanding nearly impossible.
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