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Home » Academics » Courses » Liberal Arts courses » ENG 2100 » Syllabus ENG 2100

ENG 2100 Multicultural Voices in Contemporary American Literature

Spring 2012

Instructor: Gábor Molnár

Office: Room 226

Office Phone: 413-3026

Mobile: 06-30-483-9551

Email: gamolnar@gmail.com

Required Texts

Typical American by Gish Jen
Tracks by Louise Erdrich
Jazz by Toni Morrison
In addition to the above works, we will be reading poetry and short stories that will be in photocopy form.

Course Overview

"Literature that is widely taught today includes writings by women and members of other historically marginalized groups. Whether added to traditional literary courses or studied as separate traditions (Asian-American literature' , Postcolonial literature in English' ), these writings are often studied as representations of the experience and thus culture of the people in question (in the US, of African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, and US Latinos, as well as women). Such writings, though, bring to the fore questions about how far literature creates the culture it is said to express or represent. Is culture the effect of representations rather than their source or cause?"

Jonathan Culler, Literary Theory. A Very Short Introduction

This course is an introduction to some of the many voices in contemporary literature of a culturally diverse America—a nation made up of different people who migrated, or immigrated, or were enslaved and brought to a new continent. The objectives of this course are at least twofold, as it is a literature course with a strong focus on the social, economic, and political aspects of American life.

We will measure the concepts of the melting pot and the American Dream against the literary themes of self-identity, alienation, and adaptation. We will read novels, short stories, and poetry by Americans of African, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American ancestry. We will be both critical and appreciative readers in order to gain a deeper understanding of the diversity in American culture.

On the other hand, special attention will be paid to the way literary works are written. Techniques of close reading will be used to try to identify individual styles of authors and how they are informed by their cultural background. The role of language and representation in the creation and management of social problems will be of primary importance.

Assignments and Grading

Attendance and Participation: The course will be conducted in a discussion format. Your reactions to the human struggles and your insights into the themes in multicultural literature are valuable components to the overall success of this course. Therefore, not only your attendance, but also your participation as a well-prepared reader is vital to the quality of class discussion and to your interpretation of the literature. The instructor will provide essential information in the form of mini-lectures, but the majority of class time will be spent discussing out-of-class reading assignments. (30%)
Attendance will also be taken at the beginning of each class. More than three unexcused absences will result in a lower attendance/participation grade. (-10% for each additional absence)
Mid-term examination: Short essay questions and one longer essay covering all the reading up to that date. (30%)
Research paper/Oral presentation: An analytical paper that offers cultural and literary interpretations or deals with character or thematic analysis from of one of the works discussed in the course. Though papers can and should include cultural and historical research, they should primarily focus on close textual interpretation of the chosen literary works.
Each student will give a short oral presentation and lead a discussion about his/her paper with the class on the days indicated in the schedule. (40%)

Course Policies

Late work: Assignments are due at the BEGINNING of class on the specified date.

Plagiarism: Using the ideas and/or words of others without giving them due credit is plagiarism, and an offense under the Honor Code. I expect that the work you submit will be your own, regardless of assignment length. Any suspected plagiarism will be reported and any proven plagiarism will result in an "F" for the assignment.

Help outside of class: I would be glad to discuss any problems you are having with the readings or the assignments. Contact me by email to make an appointment.

Schedule

1 Feb Introduction writing: introductory essay

3 immigration and poetry reading:

8 readings in African-American

10 readings in Asian-American poetry

15 Typical American pgs. 1-74. character; the experience of immigration

17 Typical American pgs. 75-174. methods of characterization (focalization)

22 Typical American pgs. 175-235. setting

24 Typical American pgs. 235-end plot resolution

1 Mar critical writing: session 1 planning, annotation, citation

3 Tracks pt 1 point of view

8 Tracks pt 2 culture and narration

10 Tracks pt 3 conflicting values

15 Tracks pt 4 plot resolution

17 Mid-term examination

22 critical writing: session 2; review of midterm essays

24

29 Jazz pgs. 1-51.

31 Jazz pgs. 53-97; research paper ideas, outlines due (1 page)

5 Apr Spring break no class

7 Spring break no class

12 Jazz pgs. 97-165.; review of paper outlines

14 Jazz pgs. 165-end

19 no class

21 Review, oral presentations 1; first drafts due (3-5 pages, 600-1000 words)

26 Review, oral presentations 2

28 The Color Purple (film by Spielberg) pt 1; review of first drafts

3 May The Color Purple (film by Spielberg) pt 2

5 Hispanic American literature

10 review, course evaluation

12 final papers due (8-10 pages, 2000-3000 words)