ENG 221

African American Literature

Spring 2014

Tues/Thurs: 2:25pm-3:50pm

Instructor: Derek Adams

[dadams@ithaca.edu]

Office Hours (Muller 304):

Tues/Thurs: 1:00am-2:30pm

and by appointment

Course Description: This survey course traces the development of African American literature from the colonial era to the present. It is organized through the conventions of genre rather than chronology. Primarily our interest will be in how authors represent what is commonly (and problematically) known as “the black experience.” Our exploration will consider the role of violence, cultural memory, trauma, folklore, signifying, humor, and family in shaping this experience. As we go, we will also focus on the unique relationship between this body of literature and the American literary canon overshadowing it.

**This version of the course is distinctive as it will be closely linked with a sister course at Elmira College (ENGL 230 – African American Literature) , taught by Dr. Tom Nurmi, Assistant Professor of English. The two courses will share common readings, lectures, field trips, and an assignment which will require students from both colleges to read and respond to a partner’s writing and research.

Although there is no single “correct” reading of the texts under discussion, there are ways of casually misreading them. Therefore, we will ground all of our discussions and interpretations in close readings of the literary devices and strategies an author employs. This means you must read a text, and read it thoroughly, to understand how these elements come together to create meaning. Discussing racial themes at work in the literature may result in moments of cognitive dissonance likely shared by your classmates, and I hope they become part of our productive class discussions. However, we will not unnecessarily impose racial stereotypes on a work or its author. Too, you must give the literature a chance. I do not expect you to share my wild enthusiasm for the texts we are reading, but you mustn’t be dismissive of them without having read them.

- Image: “Aspects of Negro Life” (1934) by Aaron Douglass

Required Texts:

* Baraka, The Dutchman *Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass* Ellison, Invisible Man* Everett, Erasure* Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl* Morrison, Jazz* Parks, Topdog/Underdog* Wilson, Fences

* A course packet with short stories and critical essays will be available for purchase from Kenesha Chatman in Muller 309.

***Students taking this course to fulfill requirements within the ICC are reminded that they are responsible for submitting at least one completed assignment (artifact) to their electronic learning portfolio. For each submission, complete the ICC form within the directed response folio that includes a brief rationale for why you selected the artifact to show your achievement of the ICC student learning outcomes for this course and a reflection on how your learning in this particular course links to your other learning experiences.

Course Assignments and Grading:

Textual Analysis Essays (x2) [20%]IC/EC Essay & Peer Review [30%]Reading Journal [10%]Course Website [5%]In-Class Presentation [10%] Final Exam [25%]

Standard Percentage Equivalencies for the course:100 – 90% = A, 89 – 80% = B, 79 – 70 = C, 69 – 60 = D, 60> = F

A final grade of Incomplete (I) can be awarded only in very special circumstances that you have discussed with the instructor ahead of time.

Textual Analysis Essay: You will write 2 textual analysis essays. These assignments (800-words maximum) will lead you to delve deeper into the issues a particular text focuses on that we cannot fully explore in class. You may choose to write on any aspect of a text, but the essay must interpret specific lines, passages, literary devices, etc. an author employs. Despite the brevity of the assignment, I expect it to reflect your best skills as a writer.

IC/EC Essay & Peer Review: In conjunction with our sister course at Elmira College, you will write an analytical essay on Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man that will go through the peer review process. As part of that process, you will be split into teams and guided through methods of critiquing the work of your partners through our course website. We will spend time in class covering how to provide useful feedback and how to incorporate the suggestions of your peers into your essay.

Reading Journal: You will maintain a reading journal over the course of the semester. The intent is for you to informally reflect on the initial ideas and emotions you experience as you engage a text. I am interested in the connections you make between the experiences of characters and your own personal life. You might also consider writing about what the text teaches

you that you may not have previously known and/or how it relates to phenomena that we witness and experience in the 21st century. I expect your reflections to be well written, but your grade for the assignment will depend on how thoughtful and honest they are. On days when we have multiple readings due, you will select one of the readings to write on.

Course Website: For each new reading we cover in class, you are expected to post an artifact to the discussion board on the course website. The artifact might be a critical essay, an op-ed piece, song lyrics, a photograph, or anything you feel relates closely to the content of a particular text. As part of the post, you will write a single paragraph explaining the connections between the artifact and the reading. You will also comment on at least two posts from your peers.

Final exam:This is a cumulative assessment of your breadth of knowledge after completing the required reading. The exam will consist of 3 components: identifications, brief textual interpretations, and a take-home essay. The best way to prepare for the exam is to read the assigned material and pay attention during class discussions. We will also review for the final during the last day of class.

Group presentations: There are two parts to this assignment. First, you will be partnered with a classmate and charged with putting together an in-class presentation. This 20-minute oral presentation will elaborate on an author’s larger body of work and will provide the class with a greater context for understanding the text we are examining. You might consider it an introduction to our in-class discussion. Feel free to use things like notes, outlines, and handouts, but do NOT simply read from a piece of paper or from PowerPoint slides. All group members must contribute equally to (and during) the presentation. A sign-up sheet will be circulated at the beginning of the second week of class. Second, you will write a 600-word response that explains the process behind your presentation.

Course Policies:

Students with Documented Disabilities In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case by case basis. Students must register with the Office of Student Disability Services and provide appropriate documentation to the college before any academic adjustment will be provided.

Attendance

Your presence is required at every one of our scheduled class meetings. You are also expected to arrive on time. Arriving 10 minutes late for class will count as half an absence. Anything more the 10 minutes counts as a full absence. Both will result in a reduction in your overall grade. I am well aware of the unpredictable madness of everyday life taking place beyond the boundaries of Ithaca College. Therefore, you will be granted 3 excused absences over the course of the semester. Just be certain to inform me of your absence as early as possible. On your sixth absence from class (essentially three full weeks of class time), you will be administratively dropped from the course.

Classroom Conduct

This one is simple – use your manners. Be respectful of others. Absolutely no talking on the phone or texting! No Facebook. No MySpace. No YouFace. Be attentive. No food or drink.

Plagiarism

The theft of the intellectual property of another individual or entity, whether it be purposeful or unintentional, is a serious offense that carries with it severe consequences. The offender will immediately fail the assignment with no chance for resubmission and will have to meet with me outside of class to discuss the infraction. The circumstances behind the plagiarism may warrant even further action as outlined in the Student Handbook. Refer to the Student Conduct Code (http://www.ithaca.edu/policies/vol7/volume_7-70102/), the “Plagiarism” library tutorial, and visit me during office hours if you have further questions.

Course Schedule:WEEK ONE (1/21, 1/23) – SLAVE NARRATIVES

Tues - Classroom introductions / Syllabus ReviewThurs - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

“Blueprint for Negro Writing” (Wright) & Criteria for Negro Art (DuBois) – course packet

Journal due to the dropbox

WEEK TWO (1/28, 1/30)Tues - Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

“What to a slave is the 4th of July” (Douglass) – on Sakai

Thurs - Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlJournal due to the dropbox

WEEK THREE (2/4, 2/6)

Tues - Incidents in the Life of a Slave GirlThurs - selections from The Souls of Black Folk (DuBois)–

course packet“Atlanta Exposition” (Washington) – on Sakai

Journal due to the dropbox

WEEK FOUR (2/11, 2/13) – NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES Tues - Invisible ManThurs- Invisible Man

Journal due to the dropboxArgumentative Framework Outline due in class

WEEK FIVE (2/18, 2/20)Tues - Invisible ManThurs- Invisible Man

First draft of Ellison Essay due / Peer Review

WEEK SIX (2/25, 2/27)Tues - “Sonny’s Blues”Thurs - “Sonny’s Blues” & “Notes of a Native Son” – course

packetJournal due to the dropboxFinal draft of Ellison Essay due / Peer Review

WEEK SEVEN (3/4, 3/6)Tues - selections from The Conjure Woman Dies – course packet

Thurs - “Ethics of Living Jim Crow” (Wright) – course packet

Journal due to the dropbox

Spring Break – March 8-16: NO CLASS!!

WEEK EIGHT (3/18, 3/20)Tues - JazzThurs - Jazz

Journal due to the dropbox

WEEK NINE (3/25, 3/27)Tues - JazzThurs - Erasure

WEEK TEN (4/1, 4/3)Tues - ErasureThurs - Erasure

Journal due to the dropbox

Essay One due to the dropbox

WEEK ELEVEN (4/8, 4/10) – POETRYTues - poetry selections from Hughes and Dunbar – course

packet“The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” (Hughes) – on

Sakai Thurs - poetry selections from Brooks and Lorde – course

packet Journal due to the dropbox

WEEK TWELVE (4/15, 4/17) – DRAMATues - Topdog/Underdog Thurs - Topdog/Underdog

Journal due to the dropbox

WEEK THIRTEEN (4/22, 4/24)Tues - FencesThurs - Fences

Journal due to the dropbox Essay Two due to Sakai at the beginning of class

WEEK FOURTEEN (4/29, 5/1)Tues - The DutchmanThurs - Wrap up / Teacher Evaluations

(We will likely meet in an alternate location for this class session)

FINAL EXAM: Wednesday, May 7 – 7:30am-10:00am