Return to Alicia Kent’s homepage

 

Major Novelists: Hurston and Wright

Syllabus for English 358, Section 01

Fall 2003

 

 

Professor: Alicia Kent, PhD

Office: 326 French Hall

Phone: 762-3285

Email: aakent@umflint.edu

 

 

Office hours:     M 11:30 am to 12:30 pm

W 2:30-3:30 pm, and gladly by appointment

Class:               M, W 1-2:15 p.m., FH 354

Class e-mail address: Eng358@list.flint.umich.edu

 

“Few authors in the black tradition have less in common than Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright.”

            --Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

 

Course Description:

Considered two of the most important American novelists of the twentieth century, Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright represent two very different approaches to literary representation.  Throughout the semester, we will examine writings by both authors for the connections alongside the differences between these two writers, the places where their approaches to literature both diverge and converge. 

The goals of this course include: to further develop your skills of literary analysis, to expand your critical thinking about race and ethnicity in American society, and to deepen your knowledge and understanding of two important figures of the American literary canon.  As an upper-level English course, this class assumes that you have taken a college-level literature course and have experience in literary analysis.  While this course is focused on two authors perhaps best known for their novels (Hurston for Their Eyes Were Watching God and Wright for Native Son), we will read not only these novels but also their autobiographical writings, essays, and short stories to get a sense of the many different genres, topics, and issues they explored in their careers.  We will also watch some film adaptations of their works and their lives. 

 

Required Course Texts:

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

 

1.      Black Boy (American Hunger)

by Richard Wright

Harperperennial Library; ISBN: 0060929782

 

2.      Uncle Tom’s Children

by Richard Wright

Perennial; ISBN: 0060812516

 

3.      Native Son and “How ‘Bigger’ Was Born”

by Richard Wright

Harperperennial Library; ISBN: 0060812494

 

4.      Dust Tracks on a Road

by Zora Neale Hurston

HarperCollins; ISBN: 0060921684

 

5.      Their Eyes Were Watching God

by Zora Neale Hurston

HarperCollins (paper); ISBN: 0060931418

 

6.      The Complete Stories

by Zora Neale Hurston; introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Sieglinde Lemke

Perennial; ISBN: 0060921714

 

7.      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.  There is NO final exam for this class.

 

·        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 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.

 

·        2 Essays. These 5-7 page essays, based on one or two of the course texts, will focus on a topic of your choosing.  I will hand out some ideas for topics and more detailed guidelines during the course of the semester, but you are encouraged to choose a topic of your own creation.  These are NOT research papers and should focus on analysis of the literature we are reading.

 

  • Alternative Paper Assignment:  For the second paper, 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.  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.)

 

·        Book Analysis.  In one semester, we cannot cover all of the material written by or about these two prolific writers.  So, I will provide a list of other works written by and about these authors; from this list, you will choose one book, read it, and write a 3-page analysis of this text, including a summary and review of it.  As part of your analysis, you will also include a 3 sentence synopsis of your analysis and you will e-mail me this synopsis; I will then compile all of the brief synopses in an annotated bibliography and share it with the class.  Your choice of books is due early in the semester.  You will be given time in the schedule without other assigned reading, but you are encouraged to get started on reading this text early in the semester and will need to send me your chosen texts by the date listed below. 

 

·        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.  Short presentations of your work will also be a part of participation.  Participation could also include occasional quizzes on the assigned reading, short response papers due at the beginning of class, and in-class writing assignments.

 

·        E-mail Discussion.  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 a portion of your grade and can also improve your participation grade.

 

·        Leading Discussion. Once during the semester, you will be responsible for leading the class discussion for a portion of the class period, designing discussion questions, and asking follow-up questions to push the class in their thinking about the assigned reading.  You may lead discussion alone or with another student (it’s your choice).  Early in the semester, I will hand out more detailed information about leading discussion and will ask you to choose your top choices for discussion leading dates; I will then assign you to one of those dates.

 

Grading:

Essay 1 (5-7 pages)                           20 %

Essay 2 (5-7 pages)                           25 %

Book Analysis                                   20 %

Participation                                      20 %

(incl. presentations and e-mail)

Leading Discussion                            15 %

 

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. 

 

Note these deadlines now:
Assignment
Due Date

Syllabus Response

 

Friday, Sept. 5 (e-mail to me by midnight)

 

 

 

Leading Discussion Preferences

 

Wednesday, Sept. 10

 

 

 

Choice of Book for Analysis

 

Wednesday, Oct. 1 (e-mail me by midnight)

 

 

 

Essay 1

 

Wednesday, October 15 by start of class

 

 

 

Book Analysis

 

Wednesday, November 19 by start of class

 

 

(e-mail synopsis to me by midnight)

Essay 2

 

Wednesday, December 10 by start of class

 

 

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/

 

Reminder for English Majors:

If you are an English major or considering becoming one, you should be aware that the English Department requires each English major to complete an Individual Major Portfolio before graduation.  Your portfolio will include 5 examples of your writing.  Save all copies of the papers you write in your English and linguistics courses; you will need an unmarked “clean” copy of each paper.  For more details, feel free to ask me or speak with an English Department advisor.

 

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 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 accessible via e-mail in particular.)  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

 

WEEK 1: September 3

Introduction

 

Major Novels

WEEK 2: September 8, 10

M   Reading on ERes: Harlem Renaissance essays

Ø      “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” by Langston Hughes (1926)

Ø      “Criteria of Negro Art” by W.E.B. Du Bois (1926)

Ø      “Characteristics of Negro Expression” by Zora Neale Hurston (1935)

Ø      “Blueprint for Negro Writing” by Richard Wright (1937)

W  Begin Their Eyes Were Watching God to 50

      Video: Without Fear or Shame: 1920-1937

 

WEEK 3: September 15, 17

M   Continue Their Eyes Were Watching God to 115

W  Continue Their Eyes Were Watching God to 168

 

WEEK 4: September 22, 24

M   Finish Their Eyes Were Watching God

      Reading on ERes: Reviews of Their Eyes by Richard Wright, Alain Locke

W  Begin Native Son to 70

 

WEEK 5: September 29, October 1

M   Continue Native Son to 171

W  Continue Native Son to 254

**Wednesday, October 1: Send me your book choice for Book Analysis assignment**

 

WEEK 6: October 6, 8

M   Video: Zora Is My Name! (Yom Kippur)

W  Continue Native Son to 393

 

WEEK 7: October 13, 15

M   Finish Native Son, “How ‘Bigger’ Was Born” (in Native Son)

W  Video: Versions of Native Son

**Wednesday, October 15: Essay 1 Due**

 

Autobiographical Writing

WEEK 8: October 20, 22

M   Begin Dust Tracks on a Road to 87

W  Continue Dust Tracks to 142

** Friday, October 24: Last Day to Drop Classes **

 

WEEK 9: October 27, 29

M   Continue Dust Tracks to 232

W  Finish Dust Tracks (read the Appendix Chapters to 285)

 

WEEK 10: November 3, 5

M   Begin Black Boy to 122

W  Continue Black Boy to 178

 

WEEK 11: November 10, 12

M   Continue Black Boy to 257

W  Continue Black Boy to 328

 

WEEK 12: November 17, 19

M   Finish Black Boy

      Video: Richard Wright: Black Boy

W  Video: Richard Wright: Black Boy

**Wednesday, November 19: Book Analysis Due**

 

Short Stories

WEEK 13: November 24, 26

M   Early Short stories by Hurston

Ø      “John Redding Goes to Sea”

Ø      “Spunk”

Ø      “Muttsy”

Ø      “Sweat”

Ø      “The Gild Six-Bits”

W  Later Short stories by Hurston

Ø      “Story in Harlem Slang”

Ø      “The Conscience of the Court”

Ø      “The Tablets of the Law”

 

Thanksgiving Break: November 27 to November 30

 

WEEK 14: December 1, 3

M   Short stories by Wright in Uncle Tom’s Children

Ø      “Big Boy Leaves Home”

Ø      “Down by the Riverside”

W  Short stories by Wright in Uncle Tom’s Children

Ø      “Fire and Cloud”

Ø      “Bright and Morning Star”

 

WEEK 15: December 8, 10

M   Paper workshop

W  Paper presentations

**Wednesday, December 10: Essay 2 Due**

 

Return to Alicia Kent’s homepage