Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Course description
What it meant to be an American writer was, in the nineteenth century, an evolving concept, and the
literature produced in that period reflects both an attraction to and resistance of the ideas of national
identity and an individual voice. This course will approach questions of identity and voice as literary
concerns that were marked by the political—slavery, expansionism, and the extermination of Native
Americans—and informed by the developing technologies of photography, detection, decoration, and
natural history.
Required texts
Available at Off-Campus Books on Campbell Road (972) 907-8398:
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Norton)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays & Poems (Library of America)
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown & Other Short Stories (Dover)
Herman Melville, Melville's Short Novels (Norton)
Edgar Allan Poe, Tales of Terror and Detection (Dover)
Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (Princeton UP)
Assignments from other texts (marked in the syllabus with a *) will be available via UTD online reserves
unless otherwise announced in class.
With the exception of Dickinson's poems, the above editions are recommended but not required. Many
assigned texts may be available online; these are acceptable for use only when printed versions are brought
to class for reference. Please draw texts from academic (.edu) or other reputable sites (e.g., gutenberg.org).
Course requirements
Students must:
◇ Act respectfully towards the viewpoints of others—those present in class and those whom we will read.
◇ Be prepared and present in all class sessions. Four absences, latenesses, or unprepared presences will
result in the final grade being lowered by one full grade. More than four absences may result in failure of
the course. Phones, pagers, and similar devices must be turned off during class.
◇ Complete all assignments on their own and on time. Reading is the primary assignment and must be taken
seriously. Students are also responsible for participating in class discussions and completing all writing
assignments—in addition to other work announced in the course of the term.
Please see me in the event that these requirements become difficult to meet.
Evaluation
Student performance will be evaluated on an A-F grading scale, with components weighed as follows:
Weekly response papers 35%
Contribution to class 15%
Midterm exam 25%
Final exam 25%
Assignments
Each Monday: Brief (approximately 300 words) writing assignments based on the reading are due.
These will be an opportunity for you to demonstrate your engagement with the texts as well as your
involvement in the class discussions. Grades for these will be a check (grade equivalent of 85%), check plus
(grade equivalent of 95%) or zero. Keep in mind that work must be above average to receive credit. This
means that careful and steady reading habits are essential. Late assignments will not be accepted. In case of
illness or emergency, they may be emailed to me before the class meeting time if a hard copy is also
delivered in or by the next class.
◇ If not announced in class on Wednesday, assignments will be posted the following Thursday at:
http://spgoldberg.edublogs.org/.
Wednesday 10-15: Midterm exam is due in class. The exam will consist of three questions about key
texts engaged during class and will be handed out and explained one week prior to the due date. Each
question should generate a 600-700 word response, for a total length of 1,800-2,100 words; exams should
demonstrate proficiency with the texts as well as familiarity with ideas discussed in class.
Monday 12/15: Final exam is due in my office by 10 am. Format and evaluation criteria is same as
those for the midterm, above.
Schedule of readings and assignments, DUE ON THE DATE LISTED
W 10-8 Hawthorne, "The Artist of the Beautiful" & Melville, "Hawthorne and His Mosses" *
M 10-27 Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: Preface + chapters 1-8
W 10-29 Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: chapters 9-11 (Appendix optional)
M 11-10 Melville, "Benito Cereno": pages 34-69 (up to the shaving scene)