English 206-02: American Literature II
Spring 2003
Mondays and Wednesdays, 2-3:15
Hibbs 428

Professor Bryant Mangum
Office: 307 Anderson House, 913 W. Franklin St.
Phone with voice mail: 828-1255;  e-mail: bmangum@vcu.edu
Web Page: http://www.Bryant.Mangum.com

(for print copy, click here)

I. Book List (Books available at the Carriage House)

Main Text:

The American Tradition in Literature (vol. II, ), ed., Perkins and Perkins,  published by McGraw-Hill. 10th ed.

Additional: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
American Short Story Masterpieces, ed. Carver and Jenks. Laurel.
 

II. Written assignments: There are two options, one of which includes an optional paper. It will be to your advantage to do the optional paper, particularly if you are on the borderline between two grades. In any case, I will use it only to help your grade, so you need not worry that it will pull your grade down. (You should be sure to check the note below on class participation, which will be figured into your grade.) Feel free to come by and discuss your average with me at any time. The two grading options with approximate numerical values are as follows:

A. Without the paper

1. One midterm essay: 25%
2. Three (or four) short answer hour tests approximately 13% of final grade
each; 40% of total grade)
3. Class Participation and Reader Response Papers: You are encouraged to
participate in class discussions and at various times you will write a brief response (approximately one page) to a work by an author that we are reading that week. I will announce these assignments a week before they are due. 5%
4. Final examination: the final exam will contain an objective part which covers material since the last hour test (this will be the final hour test), and an essay part which will be cumulative (essay part=30% of final grade)

B. With the paper

1.Midterm essay: 25%
2.Three (or four) short answer hour tests (10% of final grade each-30% of total grade)
3.Reader Response Papers (see above). 5%.
4.The optional paper (10% of final grade)*See V
5.Final examination (30% of final grade)
 

III. Class Participation and Attendance: Much of our class will consist of discussion of the works that we are reading. You are encouraged to contribute to class discussions and your participation will be figured into your final grade, particularly in borderline cases. If you miss more than five classes for any reason you will receive a grade of F for the course. From the beginning of week two a tardy counts as an absence.
 

IV. Objectives

A. The first objective has to do with close, careful reading of the texts of the works in question. We will consider such things as the significance of plot, character, conflict, and theme. We will work on this objective in our class discussions.

B. The second objective has to do with historical context, which we will establish for each of the works discussed.

The main divisions that will be helpful in establishing historical context are these:

1. The Age of Realism: 1865-1910
2. The Modern Period: 1914-1945
3. The Postwar II Period: 1940-1973
4. The Contemporary Period: 1973-present C. The final major objective will address thematic concerns, particularly as several major issues assert and reassert themselves throughout the period.
 

IV. Grading scale. On your essay exams and papers you will receive letter grades rather than numerical ones. For reader response entries you will receive a check. On the short answer tests you will receive numerical grades. I use a ten point scale.

90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
0-59 F

V. Optional Paper.

The optional paper should be three to five typed pages. Select some work from the period (1865-present) from American literature and isolate a narrow aspect of the work. Then write a paper in which you support the thesis that addresses the issue you have isolated. In other words, the paper is a short, thesis-support paper in which you develop the thesis you have constructed about an American work that has been written since 1865. You may focus on a specific image, a character, a conflict, or any other narrow problem that you find in the work. Be sure that you organize the paper in such a way that it has a formal introduction, body, and conclusion. Support your thesis with concrete details from the text of the work. If you have questions about the topic, see me.

VI.  VCU Honor System:  "Virginia Commonwealth University recognizes that honesty, truth, and integrity are vlaues central to its mission as an institution of higher education."  this class will be conducted in strict adherence to VCU's Honor System policies, which can be found in the VCU Resource Guide.

VII.  Students with Disabilities:  "Virginia Commonwealth University is committed to providing students with disabilities equal opportunities to genefit from all programs, services and activities offered."  Students with disabilities should identify to the instructor at the beginning of the course the services they will need.  For further information on this policy, refer to VCU Resource Guide.

VIII.  For Daily Schedule of  Assignments, click here