ENGL 241, Spring 2002
Cheryl B. Torsney
Thursday evenings, 7-9:50 p.m.
Office: 210 Stewart Hall (293-4813)
343 Stansbury Hall (293-3107 x420)
Office Hours: Thursday evenings, 6-7 p.m. and by appointment
E-mail: ctorsney@mix.wvu.edu

OBJECTIVES:
English 241 offers the student a survey of American literature from its beginnings to the mid-nineteenth century through analyzing a variety of textual artifacts, including essays, poems, diaries, letters, and short fiction.

REQUIRED TEXT:
Baym, Nina, et al. Norton Anthology of American Literature, vol. 1. 5th ed. New York: Norton, 1994.

OPTIONAL TEXT:
Griffith, Kelley. Writing Essays About Literature. 4th ed. Ft. Worth: Harcourt Brace, 1994.

UNIVERSITY POLICY STATEMENTS:
Social Justice:
West Virginia University is committed to social justice. I concur with that commitment and expect to maintain a positive learning environment based on open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. Our university does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color, or national origin. Any suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment in this class will be appreciated and given serious consideration.

Attendance:
If a student is absent from class for any reason, that student is responsible for all work that is missed. Absences may jeopardize the student's grade in that class or possibly the ability to continue in that class.

EVALUATION:

An "A" paper presents a convincing argument through the abundant use of examples from the text. It is grammatically and stylistically masterful and asks to be read and reread. Ilsing an appropriate voice, it says perceptive things in new and striking ways.

A "B" paper is well organized and, in general, competently developed. It contains few technical errors; however, it lacks the quality of insight and ease of expression that make for an "A" paper.

A "C" paper fulfills the requirements of the assignment though it is less well organized and less precise than "A" and "B" papers. Moreover, it pays less careful attention to grammatical and stylistic excellence than do papers that earn higher marks. A "C" paper may be described as "good" or "average": nothing more, nothing less.

A "D" paper isn't sure what it's doing. Its argument isn't at all clear; it makes few effective observations about the issues at hand, displaying little evidence of logic, organization, or care in writing. A "D" paper displays serious technical problems that obscure meaning.

GRADING:

2 analytical essays (MLA style), 4-6 pages long 40%

midterm examination 20%

final examination 30%

participation (both in class and on the 10%

MIX list)

100%

IMPORTANT!!

Topics for the analytical essay must be taken from the works on the syllabus. The topic for the first essay will come from the works read until the due date; the topic for the second essay will come from works read after the due date of the first essay. Students with questions regarding potential essay topics are invited to consult with me and/or the rest of the class through the e-list.

E-MAIL DISCUSSION LIST: All students will be expected to participate in the lively discussion of class issues occurring over the class MIX list. Be sure to access your account and become familiar with the next software ASAP. All of my communication to the class will happen on MIX.

ANALYTICAL ESSAYS:

The analytical essay should grow out of a personal interest or judgment but should, in its .

finished form, offer a way to understand the work(s) of literature under discussion. It takes as its formal model the argumentative mode. The essay should present and test a specific thesis, which, more often than not, appears early in the essay. This essay is neither a biography nor a book report. It is also not a research paper, and although you may use outside sources, I do not require them. You may respond to class discussion in the essay; however, you should not merely offer a summary of what has been presented in class. Students should remember to concentrate on the fabric of the literature at hand rather than on research findings, biographical evidence, or personal experience with the reading or writing.

GROUND RULES:

1. I will not accept late papers.

2. All out-of-class work will be word-processed or typed using MLA style.

3. Students will arrive in class prepared and ready to work.

4. Students will show their classmates and the instructor the respect they demand for themselves.

5. Students who plagiarize, intentionally or not, will fail the class with an unforgivable "F." I will take all action necessary for a formal reprimand and possible dismissal from the university.

6. After the second absence (for any reason) students will be docked one letter grade per absence.

SCHEDULE OF CLASSES:

January 17: Introduction, expectations, writing sample, and "Muse of Fire" Reading for next class: 1-119.

January 24: Lecture: Renaissance Travel Writing, esp. John Smith Reading for next class: 153-246; 297-330.

January 31: The Puritans (Bradford, Winthrop, Williams) and Captivity Narratives

(Rowlandson)

Reading for next class: 246-48; 268-73; 275-79; 279-80; 330-31; 333-34("Meditation

8"); 338-39 ("Meditation 42"); 346-47 ("Upon Wedlock. . ."); 349("Huswifery"); and

350-51 ("A Fig . . .")

February 7: Puritan Poetry: Bradstreet and Taylor Reading for next class: 440-52; 474-85; 487-91; 411-22; 422-28; 355- 73

*February 14: First paper due. The Waning of Puritanism (Edwards, Kemble-Knight, ~

Sewell, Byrd) 1'

Reading for next class: 491-92; 509-23; 691-711; 712-742; 726-33; 824-28

February 21: The Enlightenment and the New Republic (Franklin, Jefferson, Paine, and Wheatley)

*February 28: Mid~erm Exam and "Ben and Me" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Reading for next class: Emerson's "Nature," "The Divinity School Address," "The American Scholar,""Self-Reliance,""Experience"

March 7: The New England Transcendentalists (film and discussion) Readingfornextclass: 1590-1626; 1717-39; 1990-2057

March 14: Demands for New Rights: Fuller, Douglass, Jacobs; "When the Lion Wrote

History"

Reading for next class: 1220-22; 1236-45; 1261-73; 1285-1305; 1480-83; 1499-1508;

1508-21

March 21: Cancelled March 28: Spring Break

April 4: Hawthorne and Poe

Reading for next class 2076-80; 2080-94; 2156-61; 2161-65

April 11: A Poet for America: Whitman (and "Voices and Visions" film) Reading for next class: Dickinson poems TBA

*April 18: Secondpaperdue. Dickinson Reading for next class: 2256-61; 2330-55; 2531-60

April 25: More class issues: Melville and Harding Davis

*May 2: Final Exam