English 270B-02, Survey of American Literature, second half/Dr. Clifton Snider
Spring 2008/Office: MHB-506; phone: (562) 985-4247
TTh, 2-3:50 p.m./e-mail: csnider@csulb.edu
Room: LA2-100/Hours: TTh 3:55-4:30 p.m.

web site: www.csulb.edu/~csnider (has important course material and links)

Introduction

This course is designed to give you a broad, critical overview of American literature from the second half of the 19th century to the present.

Course Goals

• To be introduced to a variety of American authors and their works from second half of the 19th century to the present.
  

• To analyze these works as a class (the so-called Socratic method) in order to discover their various meanings.
  
  
• To gain a general overview of the literary and historical trends of each main period; because of time constraints we can not get a complete view.
  
  
• To analyze an important work (or works) from each period (see below) in an analytical paper carefully and insightfully in two research papers.
  

• Analytical Research Papers are 4-5 pages long, typed, double-spaced, worth up to a 100 points each. Your thesis-driven paper will be in MLA style and require at least two secondary sources (do not use Wikipedia or any other unauthorized Internet source or reference work; databases such as the MLA Bibliography are fine to find sources; if in doubt, see me). You may use our text, but it does not count as one of the 2 secondary sources. Along with a true rough draft (not a printout or copy of your final paper), you must include in your folder copies of each page you use from secondary sources. Each source must have written on it sufficient bibliographical information (author, title, publication, year).  I will not accept the paper without a rough draft. Put all of this in either a regular-size file folder or a folder with pockets. NO BINDERS. Failure on any of these requirements will cost 5 points per failure. A more complete description of the assignment is on each of the assignment pages on my web site.
  

• Analytical Questions. Starting the second week, I will assign 2-3 students to bring in 2-3 analytical questions about that day's reading or about the author if the question illuminates the reading. You get up to 10 points for this, but to get the points you must present the questions to the class and be prepared to discuss them, and if you agree to do the questions and do not (without an acceptable reason; see Attendance Policy) I will deduct the points from your total points. Type them with your answers and give those to me on the day you present your questions.
  
  
• Unannounced reading quizzes (worth up to 10 points each, 2 points per question) are factual questions with the purpose of getting you to read the assignments carefully and testing whether you've done so. There are no makeups for the quizzes, but you do have an opportunity for making up some points through doing the extra credit option.
  

• Some of our works may deal with controversial subjects. Discussion of an offensive subject, I’m sure you must know, does not necessarily imply endorsement of it. You may read or hear language you find offensive (this may include the videos). If any of this bothers you, probably you should not be in this class.
  
  
• Absolutely no cell phones, iPhones, BlackBerries, laptop computers or any other electronic devices are allowed during class time, except for those needed for a disability. Please respect your classmates and me by paying attention to what we are doing in class without interrupting us. Do not work on other material during class.
  
  
• Plagiarism has increasingly become a serious problem. You will fail the course if I discover you have plagiarized, whether intentionally or not. Remember that using anyone else's words without quotation marks, even if you give credit to your source, is plagiarism. See the Schedule of Classes. And read the chapter on plagiarism in the MLA Handbook.
  
  
• See also the Resolving Differences Handbook on the CSULB web site. If you have any complaints, you must follow university policy or risk the lowering of your final grade.