美國文學(一)

This course introduces students to some major authors and literary works in American literature before the Civil War. We will highlight several antebellum issues, such as settler colonialism, slave narratives and the abolitionist movement, romanticism and the gothic, and the intersectionality of race, gender, and other social differences.

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Policies Class Attendance You have to check your attendance each week. Whenever you miss one hour of class, I will dock 1 point (out of 10). Our TA 陳湘勻 (rita80579@gmail.com) will be in charge of the roster. If you have not let our TA know your attendance within the first ten minutes of each hour, your attendance score will suffer. Once you check your attendance, you do not have to do it again in the next hour(s). If you have to miss classes for legitimate reasons (official or sick leave), please let the TA and me know in advance. I will not count your legitimate leaves as absences unless there are more than TWO times. If you miss more than TWO classes (even for legitimate reasons), those absences will more or less affect your final score. If you are on personal leave, you are not entitled to any exemption. Group Report On our schedule, you will see a dual report system: the numeral ([1], [2], and so on) are for readings assigned to the whole class; the alphabetic ([A], [B], and so on) are for unanthologized novels or unrequired readings. For each text in the numeral system, usually 2-3 people will introduce the author (always refer to our textbook and elaborate on one or two things of your interest), summarize the assigned text, and point out important themes in 15 minutes. If you are in charge of a long text, emphasize crucial events or episodes. For each text in the alphabetic system, usually 2 people will summarize the assigned text and show us crucial issues in 10-15 minutes. In each presentation, there should be only one student in charge of the plot summary. If people in a previous group have introduced the author of your assigned text, you do not have to. Unless you report in a careless manner, you may expect to obtain 90-100 points (out of 100) for your one-time report. Discussion and Participation We will not have quizzes this term, but I may show you some questions for practice whenever we finish a required text. In place of quizzes, you have to either express your opinions on our readings in class (at least four times) or submit two short response papers in a written form (each 200-500 words in English or 500-1000 words in Chinese). Due to the word limits, summarize your text in a sentence or two or simply highlight your reactions to a certain issue in the text. Mid-Term Assignment You will have take-home assignments. All questions will come from lecture or discussion. 10-15% of the questions come from group reports. Final Assignment You have to answer two essay questions (out of three or four) for your final exam. This will also be a take-home examination, unless we will have class in person. MOST Project Proposal If you are interested in submitting a MOST project proposal (科技部大專學生研究計畫申請書), the proposal could replace your mid-term and final assignments. You do not need to have me as your advisor, but you will need one to complete your proposal. I will grade your proposal according to the MOST guideline. Such proposals require commitment, and you need to have a decent literature review. Ideally, your topic should focus on antebellum American literature. But as long as you could convince me of the significance of your project, I will honor your choice.

Class Attendance: 10% Group Report: 10% Discussion and Participation: 20% Mid-Term Assignment: 30% Final Assignment: 30%

Baym, Nina, et al., editors. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Shorter 9th ed., vol. 1, W. W. Norton, 2017. Please use the 9th edition. We will read some texts only available in the new edition. It will also be easier to locate passages during lecture if we use the same edition. Our week 15 readings will be available online.

地點

HC409

時間

Office Hours: T. 14:00-16:00 or by appt.

聯絡方式

Instructor: Richard (chku@nycu.edu.tw) Tel: 03-5712121, ext. 58117 TA: Rita 陳湘勻 (rita80579@gmail.com)