| Dr. Alex E. Blazer | Course Site | Assignments | Description |
| Materials | Assignments | Policies | Schedule |
Invisible Men and Women Warriors: Coming of Age Fiction
English 335: Literature of American Minorities, Winter 2008
Section 1: MWF 11:00-11:50AM, 227 Lake Superior Hall
Section 2: M 6:00-8:50PM, 1116 AuSable Hall
| Professor: Alex E. Blazer | Phone: 331-3373 |
| Office and Mailbox: 123 Lake Huron Hall | Email: blazera@gvsu.edu |
| Office Hours: MWF 10:00-10:50AM | Web: http://faculty.gvsu.edu/blazera/ |
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I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood—movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, or figments of their imagination—indeed, everything and anything except me. —Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man |
English 335 is an American minorities literature course. For this section, we will focus on twentieth-century memoir, coming of age stories, and bildungsroman (novels of spiritual and intellectual development) written by African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. One prime question will guide our reading: How are the characters' psychological worldviews transformed by their experiences in the complex cultural matrix of race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, region, and politics? We will begin in the South in the 1930s with a boy who was almost a man (Wright, "The Man Who Was Almost a Man") and a woman searching for her voice (Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God). Then we journey North to Harlem in the 1940s to examine a family's spiritual development (Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain) and a man's descent underground (Ellison, Invisible Man). Next comes Michigan in the 1960s: a lackadaisical man comes to terms with his heritage (Morrison, Song of Solomon). Jump to Spanish Harlem where a dark-skinned Puerto Rican battles not only other races but his own family and himself (Thomas, Down These Mean Streets). Childhood innocence meets harsh reality in Latino Chicago (Cisneros, The House on Mango Street). Next comes a Chinese-American woman's memoir describing her battle with the ghosts of her immigrant parents' cultural heritage (Kingston, The Woman Warrior). We conclude the course with two recently published books that (mostly) humorously define their protagonists' hybridity (Lee, Fast Food for Millionaires and Alexie, Flight). Be prepared to read nine books and numerous short stories and discuss sensitive, sometimes controversial topics regarding race, religion, and sexuality. You will be expected to read and study the material, attend and participate in class regularly, turn assignments in on time, and approach assignments with intellectual curiosity, educational investment, and academic honesty. Assignments include quizzes, a group presentation, a short paper, a research paper, and a final exam. Note that this course's prerequisite is completion of the freshman writing requirement. This couse fulfills the U.S. Diversity requirement and is part of the Perspectives from the Outside Theme.
required (GVSU Bookstore or Amazon.com)
Alexie, Flight
Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain
Cisneros, The House on Mango Street
Ellison, Invisible Man
Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
Kingston, The Woman Warrior
Lee, Free Food for Millionaires
Morrison, Song of Solomon
Thomas, Down These Mean Streets
required (online)
various stories and articles
Assignments and Grade Distribution
quizzes, 10%
In order to make sure that you are keeping up with the course reading and that you are prepared for class discussion, quizzes will be given approximately once per book. Although you will not be able to make up a missed quiz, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
group presentation, 10%
Groups of 4-5 will write a 2-3 page preliminary analysis of the work that elucidates core conflicts and developments, an annotated bibliography summarizing scholarly criticism of the work, and discussion questions. Groups will also present their finidings to the class and broach issues for class discussion.
short paper, 20%
In 5-6 pages, your MLA styled short paper will analyze the artistic, emotional, intellectual, psychological, sexual, social, or spiritual development of a protagonist.
research paper, 30%
In 7-8 pages and using 3-5 works of scholarly criticism, your MLA styled research paper will analyze a topic or text more closely and deeply than we had time to cover in class.
final exam, 30%
The in-class final essay exam will ask you to make thematic connections and distinctions among authors and texts.
Class Preparation and Participation
I expect you to come to class having read, annotated, and reviewed the assigned reading. Moreover, you should prepare at least two comments and two questions. We're going to be working with challenging works of literature; therefore, we'll all benefit from sharing our ideas and questions. If I feel that you're not participating because you're not keeping up with the reading, I will give a pop quiz.
Office Hours and Professor Email
I encourage you to stop by my office hours to discuss any aspect of the course, literature, or life. I'm happy to answer minor questions such as due dates over email, but I prefer face-to-face conversations for more substantive topics like papers and exams. Please use email etiquette.
Blackboard and Student Email
We will be using Blackboard for assignments and Netmail for class communication. It is your responsibility to update your passwords so you can use Blackboard and check your email for possible course related messages. I suggest that you forward your university email to your private email account (or vice versa) and review both my Blackboard Basics and IT's Blackboard Help.
Attendance
Section 1: MWF 11:00-11:50AM: There will be a one letter final grade deduction for every absence beyond six days. Therefore, missing seven class periods will result in a one letter final grade deduction and missing ten classes will result in automatic failure of the course. I do not excuse any class missed beyond the six days, even if you are ill or participating in extracurricular activities. Therefore, I suggest you use your six days both cautiously and wisely; and make sure you sign the attendance sheets. Habitual tardies or consistently leaving class early will be treated as absences. You can check your attendance online by looking for your course number and the last four digits of your student identification number.
Section 2: M 6:00-8:50PM: Because we are meeting only one day per week, attendance is vital. There will be a one letter final grade deduction for every absence beyond two days. Therefore, missing three class periods will result in a one letter final grade deduction and missing six classes will result in automatic failure of the course. I do not excuse any class missed beyond the two days, even if you are ill or participating in extracurricular activities. Therefore, I suggest you use your two days both cautiously and wisely; and make sure you sign the attendance sheets. Habitual tardies or consistently leaving class early will be treated as absences. You can check your attendance online by looking for your course number and the last four digits of your student identification number.
MLA Style
Formal assignments should adhere to the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. Formal papers and take-home exams require MLA style while in-class exams, discussion board responses, informal writing, and peer review may be informally formatted. One-third of a letter grade will be deducted from a formal paper or take-home exam for problems in each of the following four categories: 1) header, heading, and title, 2) margins, font, and line-spacing, and 3) quotation and citation format. Before you turn in a formal paper, make sure your work follows MLA style by using the checklist on the MLA style handout.
Late Assignments
There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day (not class period) for any assignment that is turned in late. I sparingly give short extensions if you request one for a valid need; however you must make the request 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. I neither read nor grade assignments that are turned in more than five days late for whatever reason, be it extension or computer error. Failing to submit (or resubmit) an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within five days (not class periods) of its due date will result in automatic failure of the course. Failing to submit (or resubmit) a final exam or final paper within two days of its due date will result in automatic failure of the course.
Plagiarism
Do not do it. Section 223.01 of the Student Code states: "Any ideas or material taken from another source for either written or oral presentation must be fully acknowledged. Offering the work of someone else as one's own is plagiarism. The language or ideas taken from another may range from isolated formulas, sentences, or paragraphs to entire articles copied from books, periodicals, speeches or the writings of other students. The offering of materials assembled or collected by others in the form of projects or collections without acknowledgment also is considered plagiarism. Any student who fails to give credit in written or oral work for the ideas or materials that have been taken from another is guilty of plagiarism." As a general rule, I fail plagiarized assignments, and so plagiarists usually fail the course as well.
Failure of the Course
There are three ways to fail the course: 1) failing to regularly attend class, 2) plagiarizing, 3) 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.
Withdrawal
The deadline withdrawing from a class is Friday, February 29 at 5:00PM.
Disabilities Support Center
If there is any student in this class who has special needs because of a learning, physical, or other ability, please contact me and Disabilities Support Services (DSS) at 616-331-2490. Furthermore, if you have a disability and think you will need assistance evacuating this classroom and/or building in an emergency situation, please make me aware so I can develop a plan to assist you.
Center for Writing
The Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors provides appointment, walk-in, and instant messenger assistance for planning, drafting, revising, and editing papers.
Section 1: MWF 11:00-11:50AM [scroll down to see the schedule for Section 2: M 6:00-8:50PM)
Before reading each story, read a literary biography from the Literature Resource Center.
This schedule is subject to change, so listen in class and check online for possible revisions.
Hughes, "Mulatto" and "Theme for English B" (online) Esteves, "Here" (online) Morales and Morales, "Ending Poem" (online) |
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Wright, "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" (online) |
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Bambara, "The Hammer Man" (online) |
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Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1-195) |
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Hurston, continued |
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| Hurston, concluded | ||
| Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain (1-263) | ||
| Baldwin, continued | ||
Baldwin, concluded |
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No Class: Snow Day |
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Ellison, Invisible Man (1-295) |
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Ellison, concluded (296-581) |
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| Morrison, Song of Solomon (1-216) | ||
| Morrison, continued | ||
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Morrison, continued (216-337) |
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| MLA Style | ||
| Morrison, concluded | ||
Film Screening: Real Women Have Curves |
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| Film Screening, concluded | ||
| No Class: Professor at Conference | ||
Rodriguez, "Aria" (online) |
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| Thomas, Down These Mean Streets (1-192) | ||
Thomas, continued Drop Deadline: Grade W |
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| No Class: Spring Break | ||
| No Class: Spring Break | ||
| No Class: Spring Break | ||
Thomas, concluded (193-337) |
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| Díaz, "Drown" and "No Face" (online) | ||
| Diaz, concluded | ||
| Cisneros, The House on Mango Street | ||
| Cisneros, continued | ||
Cisneros, concluded |
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Kingston, The Woman Warrior (1-209) |
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| Kingston, continued | ||
Kingston, concluded Vang, "Ms. Pac-Man Ruined My Life" (online) |
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Film Screening: The Namesake |
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| Film Screening, concluded | ||
| film discussion | ||
Lee, Free Food for Millionaires (1-562) |
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| Lee, continued | ||
| Lee, concluded | ||
Alexie, Flight (1-181) Roberts, "Writing Examinations on Literature" (online) |
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| Alexie, continued | ||
| Alexie, concluded | ||
| Exam 10:00-11:50AM |
Before reading each story, read a literary biography from the Literature Resource Center.
This schedule is subject to change, so listen in class and check online for possible revisions.
Hughes, "Mulatto" and "Theme for English B" (online) Esteves, "Here" (online) Morales and Morales, "Ending Poem" (online) Wright, "The Man Who Was Almost a Man" (online) Bambara, "The Hammer Man" (online) |
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Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1-195) |
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Hurston, concluded Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain (1-263) |
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Baldwin, concluded Ellison, Invisible Man (1-295) |
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Ellison, concluded (296-581) Morrison, Song of Solomon (1-216) |
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Morrison, concluded (216-337) |
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Film Screening: Real Women Have Curves |
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Rodriguez, "Aria" (online) Thomas, Down These Mean Streets (1-192) |
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No Class: Spring Break |
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Thomas, concluded (193-337) Díaz, "Drown" and "No Face" (online) |
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Cisneros, The House on Mango Street |
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Vang, "Ms. Pac-Man Ruined My Life" (online) Kingston, The Woman Warrior (1-209) |
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Film Screening: 90-100 minute film like The Namesake to be determined by class suggestion |
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Lee, Free Food for Millionaires (1-562) |
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Alexie, Flight (1-181) Roberts, "Writing Examinations on Literature" (online) |
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