Fall 2007

E 314L • Approaches to Ethnic and Minority American Literatures

Course Description

The main goal of this course is to study the broad range of ethnic American literatures in order to prepare students to be English majors. We will approach the work of African American, Cuban American, Indian (Bengali) American, Caribbean American, and Native American authors from cultural, historical, and formal perspectives. In particular, we will look at ways that readings differ for the same text depending on the perspectives used by the critic. We will also spend considerable time working on skills that will help students succeed in future English classes. Some of those skills include: conducting library research, preparing for classroom discussion, becoming familiar with the vocabulary of English majors, close reading, and writing about literature, as well as finding and incorporating secondary sources into essays.

Grading Policy

Eight 1-page reading responses: 20% Two 2-3 page papers: 30% Final 5-page essay: 30% Peer reviews of essays: 5% Class participation, in-class writing, and attendance: 15%

Texts

Alexie, Sherman. Reservation Blues. New York: Warner, 1995. Kincaid, Jamaica. Lucy. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2002[1991]. Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999. Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. New York: Plume, 1970. Troyano, Alina / Carmelita Tropicana. "Milk of Amnesia." I, Carmelita Tropicana: Performing Between Cultures. Boston: Beacon Press, 2000. Supplemental primary and secondary readings TBA

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