Return to Alicia Kent’s homepage

 

Introduction to American Ethnic Literatures

Syllabus for English 213, Section 02

Winter 2003

Course Theme: “What Is America”

 

 

 

Professor: Alicia Kent, PhD

Office: 326 French Hall

Phone: 762-3285

Email: aakent@umflint.edu

 

 

Office hours:     T, 1 to 2 p.m.

R, 10 to 11 a.m.

and gladly by appointment

Class:               T, R 11:15am-12:30 pm

554 FH

Class e-mail address: multiethnic213@list.flint.umich.edu

 

 

 

Course Description:

 

            This course provides an introduction to the rich and varied ethnic literatures that make up American literature.  We will look at writing in several genres, including novels, poetry, and autobiographical writing, focusing on literature written in the twentieth century by American ethnic writers.  In addition, we will examine the socio-historical context that has shaped the American literary canon as a multicultural one and the American landscape as a site of intercultural encounter.

 

The course is arranged historically around the theme of “What Is America.”  Throughout our semester-long journey, we will be interrogating the multiple, and sometimes contradictory, definitions of American culture.  Starting at the beginning of the twentieth century, we will explore the way that American Dream has been defined, redefined, and deferred, focusing particularly on Eastern European Jewish immigration, the Great Migration of African Americans, and the internment of Japanese Americans.  We will then explore the many and varied ways that different cultures in the United States come into contact with one another, first by concentrating on border issues and then by examining issues of indigenous peoples living in the United States as “nations within a nation.”  Finally, we will briefly explore the future of a multicultural America and imagine possibilities for what America might become.

 

The goals of this course are three-fold: one, to teach you skills of close reading, interpretation and literary analysis; two, to enhance your understanding of the multicultural context that has shaped American literature; and three, to develop your interest in continuing the study of multiethnic literatures in the United States and beyond.  The underlying question we will seek to answer is: How can we define our own places in America while including others’ definitions of what it means to be an American?

Required Course Texts:

 

All books are also available on reserve at the UM-Flint Thompson Library for 3-hour checkout.

 

1.      Anzia Yezierska, Red Ribbon on a White Horse

Persea Books; ISBN: 0892551240

 

2.      John Okada, No-No Boy

University of Washington Press; ISBN: 0295955252

 

3.      Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

Prentice Hall (K-12); ISBN: 0679755330

 

4.      Arturo Islas, The Rain God

Avon Books; ISBN: 0380763931

 

5.      Louise Erdrich, Tracks

Harper Perennial; ISBN: 0060972459

 

6.      Course Readings on-line at ERes, UM-Flint’s Electronic Reserve

http://reserves.lib.umflint.edu/                      password: 1234

You must have a UM-Flint username and password to access this website.

 

 

Course Requirements: 

 

You must complete all of these requirements to receive a passing grade in this course.  If you do not complete one of these requirements (such as failure to hand in a paper or failure to meet the attendance requirements), you cannot pass the course.  For your own protection, you should keep a copy of everything you turn in to me.

 

·        Attendance.  Your attendance is required.  If you accumulate more than three absences, your participation grade will be lowered one-half grade (5 points) for every subsequent absence.  If you accumulate eight absences, you will fail the course (except in cases where you and I make alternative arrangements because of extenuating circumstances).  I do not make distinctions between excused or unexcused absences—all absences count.  Please let me know during the first two weeks of classes if you must miss a class for religious observance, important scheduled events that conflict with class, or other unavoidable reasons for missing class.  If you miss class, please get notes from another student and then come talk to me about the material you’ve missed.  Out of respect for your classmates, please come to class on time.  If tardiness to class (more than 10 minutes) becomes a persistent problem, I will count lateness as absences.

 

·        Participation.  This class emphasizes discussion and interaction with course issues.  It also includes a significant amount of reading.  You are expected to come to class having read all the readings assigned for that day and prepared to discuss the material.  You must bring the day’s reading assignment to class.  You will need an e-mail account that you can access on a regular basis.  You are expected to post e-mail comments to the class e-mail list and respond to your classmates’ e-mails periodically.  E-mail contributions count for 5 percent of your grade and can also improve your participation grade.  Participation could also include occasional quizzes on the assigned reading, short response papers due at the beginning of class, in-class writing assignments, attending extra-curricular events, and bringing artifacts of popular culture to class to analyze.  Some of these activities will be required; others will be your choice.

 

·        1 midterm exam and 1 final exam.  The exams will be given in two formats: as a take-home exam and as an in-class exam.  Each student may choose which format he/she prefers.  The two formats are different in focus and format and are designed to allow you to choose the format that you prefer.  The format will be discussed more thoroughly in class, but here is a quick overview.

·        In-class option.  The in-class exam will focus on material discussed in class and on course readings.  The in-class exam, which will be taken during one class period, will have two components: one section will require you to define key concepts and terms discussed in class; the second will ask you to answer a question by writing an essay that compares two course texts.  The final exam will be cumulative, with an emphasis on the second half of the course.  If you opt to do the in-class exam, please bring two blue books to the exam.

·        Take-home option.  The take-home exam will consist of one 4-5 page essay that discusses three course texts.  It is due at the beginning of class on the date of the scheduled in-class exam.  I will hand out the take-home exam questions one week before the due date.  No late exams will be accepted.

 

·        Quotation Anthology and Response Paper:  Throughout the semester, you will be gathering your favorite quotations from the course readings.  Partway through the semester, you will hand in 3 of these quotations, along with a four-sentence analysis of each quotation.  At the end of the semester, you will hand in an anthology of these quotations, which will include 10 quotations representing the different works read, a four-sentence analysis of each quotation, and a short paper (2 pages) analyzing the themes and connections among these quotations.  More specific guidelines for the paper will be handed out during the semester.

 

·        Alternative Paper Assignment:  If you would like to design an alternative paper assignment of your own that more closely fits your field of study, you are welcome to do so instead of doing the quotation anthology; please see me early in the semester to discuss this assignment.  (For example, if you are an education major, you might consider designing a classroom unit on one of the course texts.  In the past, students have also designed a service project and carried it out during the semester.)  A written proposal outlining your project is due partway through the semester when the rest of the class hands in the first quotations.

Grading:

 

 

Participation                         15 %

E-mail Participation                 5%

Midterm                                           25 %

Quotation Paper                               25 %

Final                                                30 %

 

 

Note: I use a 100-point grading scale for all assignments:

 

87-89   B+

77-79   C+

67-69   D+

 

93-100 A

83-86   B

73-76   C

63-66   D

 

90-92   A-

80-82   B-

70-72   C-

60-62   D-

59 and below   E

 

 

Deadlines:

 

All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date and must be typed.  I take deadlines very seriously.  No extensions will be given except in the rarest of circumstances.  Late papers will be docked by a half-grade (5 points) for each day late.  All assignments, including extra credit and rewrites, are due at the latest by the last class meeting, Thursday, April 17.

 

Note these deadlines now:
Assignment
Due Date

Syllabus Response

 

Friday, Jan. 10 by e-mail

 

 

 

Quotation Anthology

 

 

                        First 3 quotations

 

Tuesday, Jan. 28

                        All 10 quotations with paper

 

Tuesday, March 11

 

 

 

Midterm

 

Tuesday, Feb. 11

 

 

 

Final

 

Tuesday, April 29

 

 

Accessibility:

 

One of my goals is to make the course and the classroom as accessible as possible for all students.  Please come talk to me if you have any concerns about accessibility.  The Office of Disability Services is also an excellent resource for students with disabilities, and I will work closely with you and Disability Services to address all needs.  Disability Services is located at 264 University Center, and the phone number is 762-3456.

 

 

Writing Help:  

 

The Marian E. Wright Writing Center is an excellent on-campus resource for help with writing, and it’s FREE!  You need an appointment to work on a paper with a tutor, so call (810) 766-6602 to set one up or stop by the Writing Center in 559 French Hall.  Check out the Writing Center’s website for great writing info:

                        http://www.flint.umich.edu/Departments/writingcenter/

 

 

Plagiarism and Academic Honesty:

The University's Academic Honesty Policy prohibits cheating, fabrication of work, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism.  Plagiarism includes the purchase of academic work from others, copying material directly from another source without attributing it to that source, using the ideas of another person without giving that person credit (even if you are not using a direct quote and have put the concepts into your own words, you must cite your source).  Please talk with me if you are unclear or have concerns about plagiarism.

 

 

Other Concerns: 

If you have any special concerns you wish to discuss (e.g., you are a returning adult student; you have a disability that requires accommodation; English is not your first language; you are very shy in discussion; or there are other factors I should know about that will affect your performance in class), please feel free to come talk to me.  My office door is open to hear your concerns.  You are welcome to come see me at my office, call me, or e-mail me.  I am very willing to set up appointments with you to discuss papers or other questions you have about the course.  If you cannot make office hours, let me know, and we’ll set up another time to meet.

 

I look forward to working with you this semester!

Course Schedule

 

Unit I: Defining America

Key Concepts: race as a social construction; ethnicity; double consciousness

 

WEEK 1: January 7, 9

Introduction

Handout in Class: Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”

Handout in Class: Langston Hughes, “Let America Be America Again”

Handout in Class: W.E.B. Du Bois, “Double Consciousness”

** Friday, January 10: Syllabus response to me due on e-mail **

 

Unit II: The American Dream, the Dream Deferred

Key Concepts: immigration and internal migration; internment; “white privilege”’

 

WEEK 2: January 14, 16

In-Class Video: Understanding Race on January 14

ERes: Claude McKay, “America”

ERes: Langston Hughes, “Theme for English B”

Anzia Yezierska, Red Ribbon on a White Horse

 

WEEK 3: January 21, 23

Monday, January 20: Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday

Anzia Yezierska, Red Ribbon on a White Horse

ERes: Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches

ERes: Langston Hughes: “I, too, Sing America,” “Good Morning,” “Harlem”

ERes: Pat Mora, “Immigrants”

 

WEEK 4: January 28, 30

In-Class Video: My America... or Honk if You Love Buddha

John Okada, No-No Boy

** Tuesday, January 28: 3 quotations/excerpts (from any of the texts covered thus far) with your analysis due **

 

WEEK 5: February 4, 6

John Okada, No-No Boy

Review for Midterm

Tuesday, February 4: Hand out take-home midterm in class

 

WEEK 6: February 11, 13

** Tuesday, February 11: Midterm, choice of either in-class or take-home exam **

Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

 

WEEK 7: February 18, 20

Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun

ERes: Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”

            Friday, February 21: Last Day to drop classes

 

Winter Break: February 23-March 2

 

Unit III: America as Contact Zone

Key Concepts: contact zone; borderlands; mestiza; hybridity

 

WEEK 8: March 4, 6

ERes: Gina Valdez, “English con Salsa” (poem)

Arturo Islas, The Rain God

 

WEEK 9: March 11, 13

Arturo Islas, The Rain God

** Tuesday, March 11: Quotation Anthology (with Response Paper) due **

 

WEEK 10: March 18, 20

Arturo Islas, The Rain God

 

Unit IV: Defining One’s Place in America

Key Concepts: diaspora; home; nations within a nation

 

WEEK 11: March 25, 27

ERes: Chitra Divakaruni, “Indian Movie, New Jersey” (poem)

Louise Erdrich, Tracks

 

WEEK 12: April 1, 3

Louise Erdrich, Tracks

ERes: Tato Laviera, “AmerRican” (poem)

 

WEEK 13: April 8, 10

In-Class Video: Honey Moccasins on April 10

Louise Erdrich, Tracks

 

Unit V: What Will America Become? Possibilities for the Future

Key Concepts: systemic change

 

WEEK 14: April 15, 17

ERes: Margaret Walker, “For My People” (poem)

ERes: Langston Hughes, “Let America Be American Again”

Wrap up and review

Tuesday, April 15: Hand out take-home final in class

 

** Final Exam / Take-Home Due Date        Tuesday, April 29 at 10:30 am – 1 pm **

Return to Alicia Kent’s homepage