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Modern Native American
Literatures
Syllabus for
English 375
Fall 2004
M, W
|
Professor: Alicia Kent, PhD Phone: 762-3285 Email: aakent@umflint.edu |
Office:
354 French Hall Office hours: M & W and gladly by appointment |
“We are what we
imagine. Our very existence consists in our imagination of ourselves. Our best
destiny is to imagine, at least, completely, who and what, and that we are. The greatest tragedy that
can befall us is to go unimagined.”
--N. Scott Momaday, “The Man Made of
Words”
Course
Description:
There are plenty of texts about
Native Americans, including “great American novels” such as James Fennimore
Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans,
“as-told-to” personal narratives and ethnographies, and a plethora of films,
but it has only been recently that writing by
Native Americans has become more widely recognized and examined. With the publication of N. Scott Momaday’s
Pulitzer Prize winning novel, House Made
of Dawn, in 1968, literature by First Nations authors has enjoyed a
literary “renaissance,” as Kenneth Lincoln termed it, with a notable increase
in the writing and publication of literature by Native Americans. But publication of such writings began as
early as 1774, and the first novel by a Native American writer was published in
1854. This course traces the roots of
this literary renaissance from some of the earliest writings by Native
Americans to the recent mainstream interest in writings by indigenous peoples
of
Focusing on what Native American literary critic Paula Gunn Allen calls
“modern genre” literatures, we will look at several different kinds of writing
published in the modern era, including the novel, short story, poetry,
autobiographical writing, and film.
While we will not be examining oral and traditional literatures in
depth, we will recognize their roles in creating the diverse literary
traditions of First Nations people. With
over 300 cultural traditions, we cannot cover all of the tribal groups in
Required
Course Texts
All required books will also be available
on reserve at the UM-Flint Thompson Library for 3-hour checkout.
Required
1. Mourning Dove, Cogewea (1927): (novel)
2. D’Arcy McNickle, The Surrounded (1937): novel
3. Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony (1977): mixed genre novel
Penguin
4. Linda Hogan, Mean Spirit (1990): historical novel
Ivy Books; ISBN: 0804108633
5. N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain (1969): mixed genre autobiography
6.
Sherman Alexie, Reservation Blues (1995): novel
Warner Books; ISBN: 0446672351
Recommended
1. Vine
Deloria, Custer Died For Your Sins: An Indian
Manifesto
2. A. Lavonne Brown Ruoff, American Indian Literatures: An Introduction, Bibliographic Review, and Selected Bibliography
Modern Language Association of
3. Indian Country Today (newspaper by and about Native Americans), available at www.indiancountry.com.
Supplemental Course
Available 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.
Ø 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 or e-mail 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.
Ø 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. You may use ideas from your response papers
to develop into a longer literary analysis essay.
Alternative Paper Assignment: For the second paper, if you
would like to design an alternative 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 possibility. For example,
if you are an education major, you might consider designing a classroom unit on
one of the course texts or on Native American literatures more generally. Or you might consider designing your own
Native American Literature course. In
the past, students have also designed a service learning project and carried it
out during the semester. Others have
done paintings/drawings representing course themes and readings. I’m open to a variety of possibilities, so
just come talk with me about your ideas and we can figure something out.
Ø Response Papers. There is no midterm or final exam in this
course. Instead, you will periodically write
response papers throughout the semester on the assigned readings. These 1-2 page papers are due at the
beginning of class, and their due dates are listed in the “Course Schedule”
below. The assignments for the response
papers will be handed out one week before they are due. If you miss class, it is your responsibility
to get the assignment from Blackboard.
The response papers will be graded check plus, check, check minus (or
zero if you do not hand it in). There
are nine response papers in all, and you can miss one response paper without your grade being affected.
Ø 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 and in-class writing assignments.
Ø Blackboard Discussion. You
are expected to post comments to the Discussion Board and respond to your
classmates’ posts periodically. Discussion
Board posts contributions count for a portion of your participation grade and
can improve your participation grade.
Ø 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) 25
%
Essay 2 (5-7 pages) 25
%
Response Papers 20
%
Leading Discussion 10
%
Participation 20 %
(includes Blackboard posts)
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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. In an emergency, you may e-mail me your paper as an attached file if you
are not able to hand in a hard copy by the paper deadline; the e-mail and
attached file must be sent to me by the paper deadline.
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 Accessibility Services is also an excellent resource for students with accessibility
needs, and I will work closely with you and that office to address all needs. Paula Pollander is available in the Office
of Accessibility Services in 264 UCEN, 762-3456 to provide direct assistance.
Writing
Help:
The
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.
General
Education/Assessment:
This course counts
as an ethnic literature and/or American literature course for English
majors. As an upper-level English
course, English 375 assumes that you have taken a college-level literature
course and have experience in literary analysis.
This course also
fulfills a General Education cs3 requirement.
The Cultural Studies
(American Culture) area option examines the nature, life and thought of
American cultures. This course addresses
the following General Education student outcomes:
·
Enhancing
one's understanding of one's position within and relationship to the global
community
·
Enhancing
understanding of diversity as a national and global phenomenon with a
particular focus on the American experience.
·
Students
will develop an appreciation for cultural, racial, and gender differences,
similarities and contributions at both national and global levels.
The University, in its commitment to achieve its educational
objectives, measures and assesses student outcomes. The results of these measurements provide
feedback to the Department and to the College and are used to improve our
courses. Student papers and other
assignments from this course may be used in connection with the Departmental
and/or College/School General Education Student Outcomes Assessment. All student products used for this purpose
will not include the student’s name to shield the identity of work from
individual students.
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
What Is Native American Literature?
WEEK 1: August 30, September 1
M Introduction
to Native American Literatures
Ø Peter Blue Cloud, “The Old Man’s Lazy” (poem)
Ø Joyce carlEtta Mandrake, “Who Am I” (poem)
Ø Brian Swann, “Introduction, Only the
Beginning” (essay)
Ø Robert F. Berkhofer, Jr., “The Idea of the
Indian” (essay)
Ø Interview with Sherman Alexie, "I Hated
Tonto (Still Do),” available at http://www.fallsapart.com/tonto.html
** Friday, September 3: Syllabus response to
me due on e-mail **
WEEK 2: September 6, 8
M No Class: Labor Day holiday
W Begin
Sherman Alexie, Reservation
Blues (1995) to page 129
Response
Paper due: What’s an Indian anyway? (Reservation
Blues)
WEEK 3: September 13, 15
M Continue Reservation Blues to page 220
W Finish
Response
Paper due: Why are there white people in Reservation
Blues?
From Oral to Written: Early Publications
WEEK 4: September 20, 22
M Reading on Eres: William Apess
Excerpts of A Son of the
“An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man”
(1833)
Ø “The School Days of an Indian Girl”
Ø “The Soft-Hearted Sioux”
also available at http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/zitkala-sa/stories/stories.html)
Response
Paper due: “I didn’t know Indians wrote stuff back then”: Issues in Early Publication
(Apess and Zitkala-Sa)
WEEK 5: September 27, 29
M Begin Mourning Dove, Cogewea (1927), pages 9-96
W Continue Cogewea to page 150
WEEK 6: October 4, 6
M Continue Cogewea to page 227
Response
Paper due: Who’s the writer anyway? (Cogewea)
W Finish Mourning Dove, Cogewea (1927)
WEEK 7: October 11, 13
M
W Screening
of Point of View: Boomtown
**Essay
1 Due: Wednesday, October 13 **
Renewal: The Native American Literary Renaissance
WEEK 8: October 18, 20
M Begin D’Arcy McNickle, The Surrounded (1937) to page 106
W Continue The Surrounded to page 148
WEEK 9: October 25, 27
M Continue The Surrounded to page 236
W Finish D’Arcy McNickle, The Surrounded (1937)
Response
Paper due: What kind of ending was that? (The
Surrounded)
**
Last Day to Drop Classes: Friday, October 29 **
WEEK 10: November 1, 3
M Reading on Eres: Paula Gunn Allen, “The Sacred Hoop: A
Contemporary Perspective” (essay)
Linda Hogan, Mean Spirit (1990) to page 115
W Continue Mean Spirit to
page 206
Response
Paper due: Yeah, but did that really happen? (Mean Spirit)
WEEK 11: November 8, 10
M Continue Mean Spirit (1990) to page 322
W Finish Linda Hogan, Mean Spirit
(1990)
Response
Paper due: What’s a person to do? (Mean
Spirit)
WEEK 12: November 15, 17
M Reading on Eres: N.
Scott Momaday, “The Man Made of Words” (essay)
Video: Interview with N. Scott Momaday
W N. Scott Momaday, The Way to
Rainy Mountain (1969)
Response
Paper due: I thought this book would be so easy because of all the pictures! (The Way to Rainy Mountain)
Revision: Contemporary Writings
WEEK 13: November 22, 24
M Begin Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony
(1977) to page 93
W Continue Ceremony to page 139
Video: Interview with Leslie Marmon Silko
Thanksgiving
Break: November 25-28
WEEK 14: November 29, December 1
M Continue Ceremony to page 214
W Finish Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony
(1977)
Response
Paper due: What kind of ceremony was that anyway? (Ceremony)
WEEK 15: December 6, 8
M Reading on Eres:
Ø Recent Poetry
Ø Joy Harjo
Ø Carter Revard
Ø Vine Deloria, Jr., “Indian Humor” (essay)
Screening of Smoke Signals, screenplay by Sherman Alexie
W Finish Smoke Signals
** Essay
2 Due: Monday, December 13 by