syllabus

1. -­‐-­‐-­‐Week
In-­‐Class
Activities
Homework
Week
1
4/4
Class
1
v Adding the Class
v Syllabus
v Green sheet
v Website
v QHQ
v Kaizena
v Introduction to American
Literature 1914-1945
Establish your username and explore the class webpage
Buy Your books
Read The Norton introduction: pp. 3-22 (also on website)
Read “Modernist Manifestos” pp. 335-350
Post #1: QHQ from one of these writer’s manifestos:
Marinetti Loy
Pound Cather
Williams Hughes
Class
2
Teams
v Introduction to the
“Modernist Manifestos”
v Discussion:
v Modernist Manifestos-----
• Marinetti Loy
• Pound Cather
• Williams Hughes
v Author Introduction: F. Scott
Fitzgerald and The Great
Gatsby
Read: The Great Gatsby: ALL
Post #2: Choose One
1. Write a character sketch of Daisy or Tom or Jordan,
focusing on the recurring “tag” used to describe them.
Daisy leans forward and talks in a low voice; Tom is
restless and hulking; Jordan balances something on her
chin almost in an athletic stance. What is Fitzgerald’s
purpose in thus describing them?
2. OR Discuss how the reunion of Daisy and Gatsby
signals both the beginning and the end of Gatsby’s dream
and of his success.
3. OR Trace the recurring image of eyes, and ascertain the
purposes of those images. Consider blindness on any
level as well as sight.
4. OR Your own QHQ
Week
2
4/11
Class
3
v Lecture:
o The Great Gatsby:
Historical Context
v Discussion:
o The Great Gatsby
v Author Introduction: Lois
Tyson and Critical Theory
Today
Read: Critical Theory Today: Chapter 1 Introduction 1-10
Read: Critical Theory Today: Chapter 5 New Criticism
135-164
Post #3: QHQ: New Criticism
Class
4
v Introduction to Critical
Theory.
v Lecture: New Criticism
v Discussion:
o The Great Gatsby
o QHQ: New Criticism
Read: Critical Theory Today: Chapter 4 “Feminist
Criticism” 83-130
Read: Critical Theory Today: Chapter 10 “Lesbian, Gay, and
Queer Criticism” 317-355
Post #4: QHQ: Feminist or Lesbian, Gay, and Queer Criticism

2. Week
3
4/18
Class
5
v Lecture:
o Feminist Criticism
o Lesbian, Gay, and Queer
Criticism
v Discussion:
o QHQs and The Great
Gatsby
Read: Critical Theory Today: Chapter 11 “African American
Criticism” 359-409
Post #5: QHQ: African American Criticism
Class
6
v Lecture:
o African American
Criticism
v Discussion: QHQs and
o The Great Gatsby
v Author introduction: Susan
Glaspell and Trifles
Read Trifles (1916) pp. 252-262
Post # 6: Choose one
1. In literature, a symbol represents something else, and is
often used to communicate deeper levels of meaning. What
is one important symbol in Trifles? How does Glaspell use it
to propel the plot and convey deeper levels of meaning about
her characters or themes?
2. Write a paragraph or two on how you might apply any one
of the Critical theories we have discussed to Trifles.
3. How might you read Trifles in connection with one of the
modernist manifestos?
4. QHQ Trifles
Week
4
4/25
Class
7
v Lecture: Trifles
o Historical Context and
Style
v Discussion:
o QHQs, Themes, and
o Symbols
v Author introduction:
o Willa Cather and My
Antonia
Read My Antonia (1918) Book I Introduction Chapters 1-19
Post #7: Choose one
1. QHQ CHAPTERS 1-19
2. Discuss why Willa Cather chose a male narrator and why
women dominate the novel.
3. Explore the story or relationship of Pavel and Peter.
4. Compare and contrast the lives of Jim Burden and Antonia.
Explain what drew them together and enabled them to become
close friends.
5. Compare and contrast the relationship between Antonia and
Jim in Sections 1 and 2
Class
8
v New Teams
v Lecture:
o My Antonia Book I
o Historical Context
v Discussion
o QHQs
Read My Antonia (1918) Book II and Book III
Post #8: Choose One
1.Discuss the contrasts that are developing between the
characters in this section.
2.Discuss the importance of independent women in section II.
3.Discuss the differences between the country and town girls.
4.Explain the importance of the dance pavilion to both Jim and
Antonia.
5.Explain why Willa Cather has chosen to devote one of the
books of her novel to Lena Lingard.
6.Discuss the importance of the narrator leaving Black Hawk for
college life.
7.Discuss My Antonia in terms of one or more of the Manifestos.
8.Write your own QHQ.

3. Week
5
5/2
Class
9
v Review: Historical Context
v Lecture
o My Antonia Books II and
III
o Themes and Style
v Discussion
o QHQs
Finish My Antonia (1918): Book IV and Book V
Post #9: Answer one of the following prompts:
1. Compare and contrast Tiny Soderball and Lena
Lingard’s success with money.
2. Discuss why Willa Cather chose to have Antonia return
to the Shimerda farm as an unwed mother.
3. Discuss the differences between the Cuzak household
and the Shimerda household from many years before.
4. Write your own QHQ
Class
10
v Lecture
o The
American
Dream
o My
Antonia
Books
IV
and
V
v Author
Introduction:
Pound
and
Williams
v Paraphrasing
Poetry
Read:
William
Carlos
Williams
“The
Red
Wheelbarrow,”
and
“To
Elsie.”
Read:
Ezra
Pound
“In
a
Station
of
the
Metro.”
Post
#10:
Choose
one
1. QHQ
on
“In
a
Station
of
the
Metro”
2. A
new
critical
reading
of
“In
a
Station
of
the
Metro”
Post
#11:
Choose
one
1. QHQ
on
either
of
the
William’s
poems
for
today’s
reading.
2. Paraphrase
“The
Red
Wheelbarrow”
or
6-­‐9
lines
from
“To
Elsie.”
Week
6
5/09
Class
11
v The
Chair
Poet
v Lecture:
Imagism
v Imagist
Poetry
o “In
a
Station
of
the
Metro.”
o “The
Red
Wheelbarrow”
o “To
Elsie”
v Author
Introduction:
o Wallace
Stevens
and
Mina
Loy
Read:
Mina
Loy
295-­‐96
and
“Parturition”
296-­‐99
Post
#12:
Respond
to
one
of
the
following
prompts:
1. QHQ
on
the
“Parturition”
2. Discuss
“Parturition”
in
conjunction
with
Loy’s
Manifesto.
3. Discuss
“Parturition”
in
conjunction
with
one
critical
theory
Read:
Wallace
Stevens
“The
Snow
Man”
283
1923
“The
Emperor
of
Ice
Cream”
284
1923
Post
#13:
1. Paraphrase
either
poem.
Be
original!
2. Discuss
the
modernist
aspects
of
one
or
both
of
these
poems.
3. Or
a
brief
“new
critical”
reading
of
one
poem
4. Or
do
a
QHQ
for
either
“The
Snow
Man”
or
“The
Emperor
of
Ice
Cream”
Class
12
v New
teams
v Lyric
Poetry
o “The
Snow
Man”
1923
o “The
Emperor
of
Ice
Cream”
v Stream
of
Consciousness
o “Parturition”
v Exam
Preparation
Review
for
Exam
Vocabulary,
Theory,
All
Reading
a. Rules
of
Writing:
Multiple
Choice
b. Fill
in
the
blank
c. Theory
Identification
d. Passage
Identification/Character
Identification
e. Who
said
it?
f. Essay
Question

4. Week
7
5/16
Class
13
v Lecture
v Introduction
to
Essay
#1
v Author
Introduction:
§ William
Faulkner
v Midterm
Exam
Familiarize
yourself
with
potential
topics
for
essay
#1
Read:
“Barn
Burning”
800-­‐12
Post
#14
QHQ
“Barn
Burning”
Post
#15
Provide
a
brief
character
analysis
or
discuss
a
symbol
de
Spain
Fire
Sarty
The
soiled
rug
Abner
Snopes
Blood
Lennie
Snopes
Class
14
v Lecture
“Barn
Burning”
o Historical
Context
o
Style.
o Characters
and
Symbols
§ How
to
write
a
response
to
literature.
Read:
Langston
Hughes:
“The
Negro
Speaks
of
Rivers,”
“I,
too,
sing
America,”
and
“The
Weary
Blues”
Post
#16:
Choose
one
1. What
connections
can
be
made
between
race
and
blues
music
in
"The
Weary
Blues"?
2. What
do
you
think
it
means
to
have
a
soul
that
is
deep
as
rivers?
How
does
“I,
too,
sing
America”
make
you
think
about
what
it
means
to
be
an
American?
How
is
"America"
presented
in
this
poem,
and
how
does
it
make
you
feel
about
America?
Read
Zora
Neale
Hurston:
“The
Eatonville
Anthology”
530-­‐
38
and
“How
it
Feels
to
Be
Colored
Me”
538-­‐541
Post
#17
Choose
one
1. Community
is
the
primary
bond
among
the
stories
contained
in
"The
Eatonville
Anthology."
How
does
the
image
of
a
front
porch
act
as
a
symbol
of
the
social
concept
of
community?
Cite
specific
incidents
from
the
story
that
prove
this
connection.
2. How
does
the
narrator's
viewpoint
direct
the
reader's
understanding
and
approval
of
the
citizens
presented
in
"The
Eatonville
Anthology"?
Discuss
specific
examples.
3. QHQ:
“How
it
Feels
to
Be
Colored
Me”
Week
8
5/23
Class
15
v Author
Introduction:
§ Langston
Hughes
§ Zora
Neale
Hurston
Lecture:
The
Harlem
Renaissance:
Historical
Context
The
Poems
of
Langston
Hughes
Zora
Neale
Hurston
§ “The
Eatonville
Anthology”
§ “How
it
Feels
to
Be
Colored
Me”
Post
#
18
In
300
words,
consider
one
of
our
previous
texts
through
the
lens
of
African
American
Criticism.
Read
“American
Literature
since
1945”
pp.
3-­‐19
Read
Mary
Klages
“Postmodernism.”
There
is
a
link
to
this
article
on
the
website
home
page.
Post
#19
QHQ
on
Klages
Essay
#1
due
Friday
at
noon

5. Class
16
v Essay
#1
Questions?
v Applying
African
American
Criticism
v Am
Lit
since
1945
v Postmodernism
§ Klages
§ Author
Introduction:
Ralph
Ellison
Read
“Postmodern
Manifestos”
400-­‐17
Post
#20
QHQ
on
one
of
the
following:
Sukenick
Gass
Thompson
Olson
O’Hara
Bishop
Ammons
Lorde
Read
Ralph
Ellison,
“The
Prologue,”
and
“Battle
Royal”
from
Invisible
Man.
206-­‐224
Post
#21
Choose
one
1. What
does
the
reader
know
about
the
narrator
solely
on
the
basis
of
the
Prologue?
Explain
both
what
he
reveals
about
himself
explicitly
and
what
inferences
can
be
drawn,
justifying
your
findings
as
you
go
along.
2. Why
would
the
audience
listening
to
the
narrator’s
speech
have
reacted
so
strongly
to
the
narrator’s
mistake?
Discuss
the
implications
of
his
slip
of
the
tongue.
QHQ
Essay
#1
due
Friday
at
noon
Week
9
5/30
Class
17
v New
Teams
v Lecture:
Postmodernism
o Postmodern
Manifestos
v Lecture
o “Prologue”
Think
about
“Battle
Royale”
Read
Allen
Ginsberg
pp.
490-­‐492
Howl
and
“A
Footnote
to
Howl”
pp.
492-­‐500
Post
#22:
Choose
one
1. Paraphrase
8-­‐10
lines
from
Howl.
2. QHQ
HOWL
Class
18
v Finish
Ellison
o “Battle
Royal”
o Historical
Context
o Themes
and
Style
v Lecture
o Introduction
to
The
Beats
o Author
Introduction:
Ginsberg
o Howl
o Themes;
forms
and
devices
v Author
Introduction:
o Gloria
Anzuldua
o Maxine
Hong
Kingston
Read
Gloria
Anzuldua
pp.
837-­‐38
La
conciencia
de
la
mestiza/
Towards
a
New
Consciousness
838-­‐49
and
“El
Sonavabitche”
858-­‐62
Post
#23:
Choose
One
1. QHQ:
La
conciencia
2. Discuss
themes
or
meaning
in
“El
Sonavabitche”
3. Discuss
Postmodernism
or
Feminist
Theory,
or
Minority
Theory
in
terms
of
Anzuldua
Read
Maxine
Hong
Kingston
Warrior
Woman:
Part
1
“No
Name
Woman”
793-­‐801
Post
#24:
Choose
one
1. Discuss
a
theme
from
the
reading
2. QHQ
3. Comment
on
the
text
via
a
critical
lens.

6. Week
10
6/6
Class
19
v Lecture
o La
conciencia
de
la
mestiza/
Towards
a
New
Consciousness
o “El
Sonavabitche”
o “Warrior
Woman”
o Historical
Context
o Themes
and
Style
v Discussion
o Intersections
of
identity
and
oppression
v The
American
Dream
v Introduce
Essay
#2
v Author
Introductions:
o Sherman
Alexie
o Sandra
Cisneros
Read
Sherman
Alexie
1207
“This
is
What
it
Means
to
Say
Phoenix
Arizona”
1213
Post
#25
1. What
is
Sherman
Alexie
saying
in
this
story
about
the
role
of
storytelling?
2. Discuss
POV
and
how
or
why
it
is
important
to
the
plot.
3. Discuss
the
relationship
of
Thomas
and
Victor.
4. Discuss
this
story
in
terms
of
postmodernism,
minority
theory,
or
multiculturalism.
Read
Sandra
Cisneros
“Woman
Hollering
Creek”
1131-­‐1139
Post
#26
1. Discuss
a
theme:
love
and
passion
or
sex
roles
or?
2. Discuss
the
text
in
terms
of
postmodernism
or
in
articulation
with
a
postmodern
manifesto.
3. Discuss
the
story
as
it
reads
through
a
feminist
and/or
minority
lens.
Begin
Essay
2
Class
20
v Lecture
o Sandra
Cisneros
o “Woman
Hollering
Creek”
o Historical
Context
o Themes
and
Style
o Multiculturalism
o Sherman
Alexie
o “This
is
What
it
Means
to
Say
Phoenix
Arizona”
o Style
and
genre
v Discussion
v Author
Introduction
o Cormac
McCarthy
Read
The
Road:
Post
#27:
Choose
one
1. What
caused
the
devastation
of
the
land?
Provide
the
clues
you
used
to
come
to
your
conclusion.
2. Discuss
a
theme
from
the
novel:
Destruction,
survival,
isolation,
death,
or
hope
3. Examine
the
concept
of
trust
and
mistrust
in
The
Road.
4. Analyze
the
symbol
of
innocence
and
how
it
pertains
to
the
son
in
The
Road.
5. Introduce
another
concept
or
symbol
Week
11
6/13
Class
21
v Lecture
o The
Road:
The
Age
of
Terror
o The
apocalypse
o Themes
o Concepts
o Symbols
v Discussion
o QHQ
v The
Future
o Self-­‐Assessment
o Last
Chair
Poet
Post
#:
28
(The
last
one)
1. Discuss
the
novel
as
a
postmodern
work
2. Use
a
critical
lens
to
start
a
discussion
3. Discuss
the
American
Dream
as
it
manifests
in
The
Road
4. QHQ
Write
Self-­‐Assessment
Work
on
Essay
2

7. Class
22
v Last
Chair
Poet
v Discussion:
The
Road
v The
Quarter
in
Review
v Introduce
Final
Exam
Prepare
for
Final
Exam
Finish
Essay
2
Do
revision
Week
12
6/20
Final
Class
v Final
Exam
v Essay
#2
Due
before
class
v Revision
of
Essay
#1
Due
before
class
Have
a
great
summer