Summer 2006

E f316K • Masterworks of Literature: American

Course Description

The goal of this course is to study the "masterworks" of American literature, and we will, therefore, read masterworks by some combination of African American, Asian American, European American, Native American, and Latina/o authors. Though we will discuss many aspects (literary, cultural, historical, political) of each text on the syllabus, one main interest will be in the way that these authors explore what being "American" means both to them and the community or communities that they represent. I will also provide some historical and cultural materials to help place the readings in context.

Grading Policy

Four exams, with short answer and essay questions, which cover the four general periods that we will be studying.

Texts

The Norton Anthologoy of American Literature, Shorter sixth edition, ed. Nina Baym

SAMPLE AUTHORS:
Rudolfo Anaya
William Bradford
Sandra Cisneros
Charles Alexander Eastman
William Faulkner
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Langston Hughes
Gish Jen
Flannery O'Connor
Alice Walker

back