FF:AJ25006 Lit. of the American South - Course Information

AJ25006 Literature of the American South

The course is not taught in Autumn 2011

Extent and Intensity

0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).

Teacher(s)

Mgr. et Mgr. Kateřina Prajznerová, M.A., Ph.D. (lecturer)

Guaranteed by

Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek

Course Enrolment Limitations

The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 12 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Course objectives

Focusing on twentieth-century authors, this course offers an insight into the literature and history of three distinct geocultural regions: the Mountains, the Coast, and the Deep South. The readings include autobiography, novels, poetry, as well as travelogue, and offer a variety of perspectives from authors of diverse generations and ethnic backgrounds. Together, the readings comprise a mosaic that encapsulates as well as complicates the character of the American South..
The course objectives include: 1. To become familiar with the diversity of southern writing. 2. To improve critical thinking and academic writing skills. 3. To gain a deeper appreciation of how literature affects us and enriches our perception of the world.

Syllabus

• week 1 / Introduction to the course and class policies
• I. The Mountains
• week 2 / Lee Smith, Oral History (RP)
• week 3 / Ron Rash, The World Made Straight (RP)
• week 4 / Awiakta, Selu (RP)
• week 5 / Dykeman, French Broad (RP)
• week 6 / reading week: no class
• II. The Coast
• week 7 / Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides (KW)
• week 8 / Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides (RP)
• week 9 / Linda Hogan, Power (RP)
• week 10 / Gloria Naylor, Mama Day (RP)
• III. The Deep South week 11 / William Faulkner, Light in August / Absalom, Absalom! (RP)
• week 12 / Lillian Smith, selections from Killers of the Dream (PP&AB)
• week 13 / Conclusion, course evaluations

Literature

• Pat Conroy, The Prince of Tides
• Awiakta, Selu
• Gloria Naylor, Mama Day
• Lee Smith, Oral History
• Dykeman, French Broad
• William Faulkner, Light in August
• Linda Hogan, Power
• Lillian Smith, Killers of the Dream
• Ron Rash, The World Made Straight

Teaching methods

This class meets once a week for ninety minutes. Is is a seminar that consists of weekly written assignments and emphasizes student-oriented activities such as small group discussions, oral presentations, and peer-review workshops.

Assessment methods

Class sessions will include short lectures, audio-visual learning, student presentations, team work, and discussion.
For full credit: Class participation 10% Response papers 30% Oral presentation 20% Key-word definition 10% Paper proposal and annotated bib. 10% Final research paper 20%
For partial credit: Class participation 30% Response papers 70%
Assignment Guidelines
Participation
You are expected to attend all class sessions, and actively participate in class discussion. If you must miss a class, please let me know in advance or e-mail me an explanation soon afterwards.
Response papers (RP)
Purpose: to read critically, notice details, make connections, return to key passages, gain a deeper appreciation of the assigned texts, take notes and gradually build up a course portfolio, clearly formulate one’s own thoughts in writing, get personalized feedback from the instructor, be prepared to participate in class discussion Form: two pages, MLA format, creative title Content: no research, “only” your own creative / critical thoughts, discoveries and opinions based on the primary reading(s), analytic mini-essays rather than records of personal impressions, narrow focus (particular themes, images, narrative techniques, characters, relationships, issues, contexts, and so on) Style: clear argumentation, coherent paragraphs, integrated citations, academic language Due dates:
Oral presentation
Purpose: to articulate your own argument, use a variety of audiovisual aids, lead a discussion Form: fifteen minutes of being in charge of the class, written outline (including a title) and bibliography, additional materials pertinent to the topic (optional) Content: your own creative / critical thoughts and discoveries and opinions based on the primary reading and supported by/in dialogue with two or three secondary sources Style: easy to follow argumentation, logical organization (preview, introduction of the thesis and secondary sources, main points, supporting evidence, conclusion, discussion), appropriate pacing, variety of presentation strategies (textual examples and audiovisual aids) Due date: Please sign up for a week of your choice at the beginning of the semester. Drop a hard copy of your outline into the essay box or e-mail it to 68450 at mail.muni.cz by noon on the preceding Monday.
Key-word definition (KWD)
purpose: to begin the first stages of research related to the course and potentially to the research paper content: your own definition of a particular concept, place, relationship, phenomenon, event, feature, etc., inspired by the primary readings and supported by information from at least two secondary sources form: one to two pages, a works cited list, double spaced, MLA format style: a fully developed paragraph, integrated citations, academic language Due date:
Paper proposal and annotated bibliography (PP&AB)
Purpose: to organize your materials and your ideas in preparation for the first research paper, to receive feedback on your research before you start writing Form: title, a full paragraph or a detailed outline, an annotated list of sources, MLA format, double-spaced Content: a concise introduction to your topic, a list of your research questions, a preliminary version of your main argument, an outline of structure, a list of the primary as well as secondary sources, a five-sentence summary of each source highlighting why it is useful to you Style: precise, academic language, careful and complete bibliographic information Due date:
Research paper
Purpose: to examine some aspect of southern literature that interests you, to develop your ideas with the help of a variety of sources, to formulate an argument and support it by convincing evidence Content: preferably, your paper will focus on one (or two or three) of the works we have studied. You may also discuss an author whose work we have not looked at but who is in some way connected to the issues we have covered. You may analyze various literary features (the use of imagery, sources, style) through one critical approach or another, but I especially welcome interdisciplinary perspectives that in some way connect literature and history. Form: ten to twelve pages (excluding the works cited page), MLA format, use endnotes or footnotes only for informative/explanatory notes Style: clear organization, coherent paragraphs, integrated citations and references, academic language Due date:

Language of instruction

English

Further Comments

The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.

• Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2011, recent)
  
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