ENGL 2715 - American Literature: Beginnings to 1865

Credit Hours: 3.00

Objectives:

1. Identify significant genres, themes, and literary devices in primary texts of American literature
2. Analyze the significance of literary devices in primary texts of American literature

Outcome 2: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to develop an individual interpretation of a writer’s conception of the world and the system of values that accompanies it.

Objectives:

1. Recognize and discuss a writer’s use of the common themes of a period or movement in American literature
2. Evaluate the place of historical forces or events in a writer’s work
3. Analyze the writer’s role in literary movements or the writer’s place in the historical development of American literature
4. Discuss the socioeconomic and/or cultural background presented in the world of a writer’s work
5. Compare multicultural aspects of the various worlds presented in works being studied, if relevant

Outcome 3: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to evaluate primary texts as aesthetic creations through the oral and/or written application of appropriate criteria.

Objectives:

1. Argue for appropriate criteria for making an aesthetic judgment of a literary text.
2. Apply criteria that are most relevant to a specific literary text.
3. Express an aesthetic response to a literary text through the application of relevant criteria.

Outcome 4: Upon completion of this course students will be able to write essays that combine literary analysis with standard documentation format.

Objectives:

1. Employ appropriate sources.
2. Analyze an aspect of American literature.
3. Synthesize the results of research and analysis of the literature.
4. Document sources used according to standard format.

• Communication: The graduate can communicate effectively for the intended purpose and audience.
• Critical Thinking: The graduate can make informed decisions after analyzing information or evidence related to the issue.
• Global Literacy: The graduate can analyze human behavior or experiences through cultural, social, political, or economic perspectives.
• Information Literacy: The graduate can responsibly use information gathered from a variety of formats in order to complete a task.
• Quantitative Reasoning: The graduate can apply quantitative methods or evidence to solve problems or make judgments.
• Scientific Literacy: The graduate can produce or interpret scientific information presented in a variety of formats.

1. Definition: What are the identifiable literary characteristics of American literature before 1865?
2. Reading the Literature:
   1. Indigenous literary tradition
   2. Literature of Exploration
   3. Puritanism
   4. Age of Enlightenment
   5. Political writings of the American Revolution
   6. Growth of autobiography
   7. Romanticism
   8. The Debates over Race and Slavery
   9. The Woman Question
3. The Writer’s System of Values.:
   1. Common Themes
   2. Historical Developments
   3. Socioeconomic Backgrounds
   4. Multiculturalism
4. The Writer’s Conception of the World:
   1. Development of Narrative
   2. Development of American Voices and Forms