Syllabus
English 4675 Contemporary American Literature, Spring 2021
TR 11:00-12:15 p.m., Online
Professor
Dr. Alex E. Blazer
478.445.0964
Office Hours: TR 12:30-1:45 p.m. and 5:00-5:30 p.m. by appointment
The undergraduate catalog and graduate catalog describe English 4675/5675 as "A study of contemporary American literature." This course's topics include:
- Late 20th-century and/or early 21st-century aesthetics, such as postmodernism;
- Mid-to-Late 20th-century and/or early 21st-century philosophical and ideological perspectives, such as postmodern cultural criticism and intersectionalism;
- Mid-to-Late 20th-century and/or early 21st-century American literary movements and groups, such as the Postmodernists, the Beats, the Black Arts Movement, Conceptual Writing, and Metamodernism;
- Key texts by significant, representative Mid-to-Late 20th-century and/or Early 21st-century American writers, such as Philip Roth, Toni Morrison, David Foster Wallace, Allen Ginsberg, Amiri Baraka, and Adrienne Rich.
This course's outcomes include:
- Distinguish the ideologies and aesthetics that have shaped American literature in the mid-to-late twentieth century and early twenty-first century;
- Evaluate the literary significance of certain representative writers of American literature in the mid-to-late 20th century and early 21st century, as well as certain influential texts;
- Articulate written critical argument that requires analytical close reading of modern American literature.
In past semesters, this course has been taught alternately as a modernism/postmodern survey course, a modernism period course, a postwar literature course, and a postmodernism period course. This section will examine Postwar American Literature from 1945-1965 and include three genres—poetry, fiction, and drama. Students will compose response papers, a close reading paper, a comparison/contrast paper, a research paper, and an essay exam. For literature concentration students, this course fulfills American Topics or Post-1800 Topics. For creative writing concentration students, this courses fulfills the American Literature requirement. This course's prerequisite is sophomore status.
required (Amazon or GCSU Bookstore)
Baldwin, Giovanni' Room
Burroughs, Naked Lunch
Ginsberg, Reality Sandwiches
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
O'Hara, Meditations in an Emergency
Plath, Ariel
Pynchon, V.
Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
required (GeorgiaVIEW)
recommended (Amazon or GCSU Bookstore)
Grant, A Companion to V.
MLA Handbook, 8th ed.
Assignments and Grade Distribution
response paper, 5%
In the 3-4 page response paper, you will summarize and react to a section of Pynchon's V. as well as broach questions for class discussion.
close reading paper and presentation, 15%
You will pair up to write a 5-6 page close reading paper and 7-10 minute presentation analyzing a key passage in a single work of literature.
comparison/contrast paper, 20%
You will write a 6-8 page paper comparing and contrasting two works of literature.
research paper, 30%
You will write an 8-10 page research paper exploring a key issue or theme in a single work of literature or across two or three works of literature.
take home exam, 30%
You will write a 8-10 page take home exam comparing and contrasting ideas and issues in the work of postwar authors. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
Technology
We will use the course site for the syllabus schedule and assignment prompts; supporting documents include an attendance record, a course grade calculation spreadsheet, FAQ, a GeorgiaVIEW walkthrough, a guide to literary analysis, a research methods guide, and paper templates. We will use GeorgiaVIEW for assignment submission and the course packet; if you experience technical issues with GeorgiaVIEW, contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@gcsu.edu or 478.445.2520. We will use Zoom for large class discussions and small group activities during the scheduled class time. Check your university email for course-related messages. Use an online backup or cloud storage service to not only save but also archive versions of your work in case of personal computer calamities.
Attendance
Our course includes three kinds of participation: making a comment or asking a question in the large class lectures and discussions conducted virtually over Zoom during the scheduled meeting time, active engagement in small group activities conducted virtually over Zoom during the scheduled meeting time, and 100-200 word posts in the GeorgiaVIEW discussion board that respond to assigned reading outside of the scheduled class time yet by Sunday of the week in which the questions were posted. Each week with two meeting days, you are required to participate twice: attend 1 or 2 Zoom sessions and submit 0 or 1 discussion posts. Each week with one meeting day, you are required to participate once: either attend a Zoom session or submit a discussion post. If you do not turn on your Zoom video, or if you do not fulfill the minimum participation in a given week, then your weekly participation is considered zero. You can receive two zeros without penalty. However, for each week of below minimum participation beyond two, you will receive a one-third letter grade deduction on your final course grade. You can check your attendance here.
MLA Style and Length Requirements
Part of writing in a discipline is adhering to the field's style guide. While other disciplines use APA or Chicago style, literature and composition follows MLA style. Assignments such as in-class exams, discussion board responses, informal/journal writing, and peer review may be informally formatted; however, formal assignments and take-home exams must employ MLA style. One-third of a letter grade will be deducted from a formal paper or take-home exam for problems in each of the following three categories, for a possible one letter grade deduction total: 1) margins, header, and heading, 2) font, font size, and line-spacing, and 3) quotation and citation format. A formal paper or take-home exam will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it does not end at least halfway down on the minimum page length (not including Works Cited page) while implementing 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spacing, and 1" margins. Each additional page short of the minimum requirement will result in an a additional one-third letter grade penalty. Before you turn in a formal paper, make sure your work follows MLA style by referring to the MLA style checklist. Feel free to use these templates that are preformatted to MLA style.
Late Assignments
We're all busy with multiple classes and commitments, and adhering to deadlines is critical for the smooth running of the course. There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day (not class period) for any assignment that is turned in late. I give short extensions if you request one for a valid need at least one day before the assignment is due. I will inform you via email if I cannot open an electronically submitted assignment; however, your assignment will be considered late until you submit it in a file I can open. Because your completion of this course's major learning outcomes depends on the completion of pertinent assignments, failing to submit an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within five days of its due date may result in failure of the course. Failing to submit a final exam or final paper within two days of its due date may result in failure of the course.
Academic Honesty
The integrity of students and their written and oral work is a critical component of the academic process. The Honor Code defines plagiarism as "presenting as one's own work the words or ideas of an author or fellow student. Students should document quotes through quotation marks and footnotes or other accepted citation methods. Ignorance of these rules concerning plagiarism is not an excuse. When in doubt, students should seek clarification from the professor who made the assignment." The Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog define academic dishonesty as "Plagiarizing, including the submission of others’ ideas or papers (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained) as one’s own. When direct quotations are used in themes, essays, term papers, tests, book reviews, and other similar work, they must be indicated; and when the ideas of another are incorporated in any paper, they must be acknowledged, according to a style of documentation appropriate to the discipline" and "Submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course," among other false representations. As plagiarism is not tolerated at GCSU, "since the primary goal of education is to increase one's own knowledge," any student found guilty of substantial, willful plagiarism or dishonesty may fail the assignment and the course. This course uses plagiarism prevention technology from TurnItIn. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
Passing or Failing of the Course
There are three ways to fail the course: failing to regularly participate in class, plagiarizing, failing an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade, be it from poor quality, lateness of submission, or a combination of poor quality and lateness. By contrast, students who regularly participate, complete their work with academic integrity, and submit assignments on time will pass the course. You can calculate your final course grade here.
Writing Center
Writing consultants will work with any student writer working on any project in any discipline. To learn more about Writing Center locations, hours, scheduling and services, please go to https://www.gcsu.edu/writingcenter. If you have questions about the Writing
Center, send an email to writing.center@gcsu.edu.
Required Syllabus Statements
Additional statements regarding COVID-19, Religious Observance Policy, Assistance for Student Needs Related to Disability, Student Rating of Instruction Survey, Academic Honesty, Student Use of Copyrighted Materials, Electronic Recording Policy, Academic Grievance or Appeals, and Fire Drills can be found here.
Recommended COVID-19 Links
BOR Management of Risk details University System of Georgia policy regarding exposure of students, employees, or others to unsafe environments or activities. BOR Code of Conduct maintains that University System of Georgia employees will protect human health and safety. GC COVID-19 Reporting & Confirmed Cases lists the number of infections reported by faculty, staff, and students. DPH County Indicator Reports provides weekly test positivity rates for Baldwin County. COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool calculates the probability of an infected person attending a gathering of 10, 15, 20, or 25 people in a given county. Pandemics Explained COVID-19 Risk Levels provides recommendations for local governments regarding contact tracing and stay-at-home orders based on level of containment or spread in a state or region.
- Readings without links are located in books to be purchased. Linked readings are located on the internet. Readings marked GeorgiaVIEW are loctated in the course packet.
- Recommended texts and recordings are recommended but not required.
- This schedule is subject to change, so check back for possible revisions.
Week 1 |
T, 1-19 |
Bishop, "The Armadillo" (1965) (GeorgiaVIEW) Lowell, "Skunk Hour" (1959) (GeorgiaVIEW) Lowell, "Memories of West Street and Lepke" (1959) (GeorgiaVIEW) |
R, 1-21 |
Brooks, Annie Allen (1949) (GeorgiaVIEW) Baym, "American Literature since 1945" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: Essential American Poets, "Gwendolyn Brooks" |
|
Week 2 |
T, 1-26 |
Ginsberg, Reality Sandwiches (1963) (GeorgiaVIEW) (Read the following poems: "My Alba," "The Green Automobile," "Siesta in Xbalba," "On Burroughs' Work," "Love Poem on Theme by Whitman," "Malest Cornifici Tuo Catullo," "Dream Record: June 8, 1955," "A Strange New Cottage in Berkeley," "My Sad Self," "I Beg You Come Back & Be Cheerful," "To An Old Poet In Perú, ""Aether") Karl, "The Fifties and After: An Ambiguous Culture" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: Cusatis, "Postwar Literature 1945-1970" (GeorgiaVIEW) |
R, 1-28 |
Ginsberg, concluded Beach, "The New American Poetry and the Postmodern Avant-Garde" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: Reading at the Vancouver Conference, July 31, 1963 |
|
Week 3 |
T, 2-2 |
Baraka, Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note (1961) (GeorgiaVIEW) Baraka, "Hunting Is Not Those Heads on the Wall" Beach, "From the Harlem Renaissance to the Black Arts Movement" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: From a Reading at the Asilomar Negro Writers Conference, Pacific Grove, California, early August, 1964 Recommended: Democracy Now!, "January 10, 2014" |
R, 2-4 |
Creeley, For Love: Poems 1950-1960 (1962) (GeorgiaVIEW) Creeley, "A Sense of Measure" (GeorgiaVIEW) Moramarco and Sullivan, "New Maps for Contemporary Poetry" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: Essential American Poets, "Robert Creeley" |
|
Week 4 |
T, 2-9 |
O'Hara, Meditations in an Emergency (1964) |
R, 2-11 |
O'Hara, "Personism: A Manifesto" (GeorgiaVIEW) |
|
Week 5 |
No Class: Family Medical Emergency |
|
R, 2-18 |
Plath, Ariel (1965) Beach, "The Confessional Moment" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: Poetry Off the Shelf, "Gimme Fever" |
|
Week 6 |
T, 2-23 |
Plath, concluded Baldwin, Giovanni's Room, 1-102 (1956) |
R, 2-25 |
Baldwin, 103-69 Bland, "Fire and Romance: African American Literature Since World War II" (GeorgiaVIEW) Henderson, "James Baldwin, Homosexual Panic, and Man's Estate" (GeorgiaVIEW) |
|
Week 7 |
T, 3-2 |
Burroughs, Naked Lunch, 1-101 (1959) |
R, 3-4 |
Burroughs, Naked Lunch, 101-96 Punter, "William Burroughs: The Scene of Addiction" (GeorgiaVIEW) Tanner, "Rub Out the Word" (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: Burroughs, Naked Lunch, 197-89 |
|
Week 8 |
T, 3-9 |
No Class: Spring Break |
R, 3-11 |
Writing and Conferencing Day |
|
Week 9 |
T, 3-16 |
Salinger, "I'm Crazy" (1945) (GeorgiaVIEW) Salinger, "A Slight Rebellion off Madison" (1946) (GeorgiaVIEW) Salinger, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" (1948) (GeorgiaVIEW) Scofield, "Aspects of the American Short Story 1930-1980" (GeorgiaVIEW) |
R, 3-18 |
Pynchon, V., Chapters One to Three, 1-96 (1963) |
|
Week 10 |
T, 3-23 |
Pynchon, V., Chapters Four to Seven, 97-228 |
R, 3-25 |
Pynchon, V., Chapters Eight to Ten, 229-332 Recommended: Grant, A Companion to V. Recommended: Pynchon Wiki: V. |
|
Week 11 |
T, 3-30 |
Pynchon, V., Chapters Eleven to Thirteen, 333-436 |
R, 4-1 |
Pynchon, V., Chapters Fourteen to Epiloge, 437-547 |
|
Week 12 |
T, 4-6 |
Cheever, "The Swimmer" (GeorgiaVIEW) O'Connor, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" (GeorgiaVIEW) O'Connor, "Good Country People" (GeorgiaVIEW) |
R, 4-8 |
Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Act One, 1-63 (1955) Bell, "American Drama in the Postwar Period" (GeorgiaVIEW) |
|
Week 13 |
T, 4-13 |
Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Acts Two and Three, 64-201 Recommended: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) |
R, 4-15 |
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, Act I, 1-75 (1959) |
|
Week 14 |
T, 4-20 |
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, Acts II-III, 76-151 Recommended: A Raisin in the Sun (1961) |
R, 4-22 |
Writing and Conferencing Day |
|
Week 15 |
T, 4-27 |
Albee, The American Dream (1961) (GeorgiaVIEW) |
R, 4-29 |
Baraka, Dutchman (1964) (GeorgiaVIEW) Recommended: From the Berkeley Poetry Conference, July 1965 |
|
Finals |
R, 5-6 |