English 126-001: Ethnic American Literature
Gustavus Adolphus College, Spring 2008
Dr. Jaime Cleland
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 10:30-11:20 a.m., Confer 125
Office #: Vickner 314
Office hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. and by appointment
Phone: x6085
E-mail: jcleland@gac.edu
Web site: http://www.gustavus.edu/~jcleland

COURSE DESCRIPTION & GOALS:
What is ethnic American literature? What makes a text “ethnic,” and who decides whether it is ethnic or not? What are the advantages, disadvantages, and responsibilities of writing ethnic American literature? How do ethnic writers locate, build on, and/or diverge from preexisting literary traditions? How much cultural knowledge is necessary in reading ethnic texts? What connections can we draw between ethnic American texts, and when should we insist on the distinctness of individual cultures? In this class we will read a variety of significant ethnic American texts in our quest to explore these issues; along the way, you should not only gain knowledge of these texts, but also improve your writing and critical thinking.

TEXTS:
Required:
Antin, Mary. The Promised Land.
Hoffman, Eva. Lost in Translation.
Lee, C.Y. The Flower Drum Song.
Hwang, David Henry. Flower Drum Song.
Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.
Morrison, Toni. Beloved.
Additional shorter selections available through Moodle; please download and bring to class

Suggested:
As in any English course, you will want to have access to a good dictionary; a writing manual (such as Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference) that addresses issues of essay structure, grammar, and style; and the MLA style manual.

OTHER RESOURCES:
You are encouraged to visit the writing center, located in Confer 232. This is a good place to get feedback at any stage of your writing, whether you’re brainstorming ideas, cleaning up surface errors, or anywhere in between. When you write, you should imagine an intelligent peer who may or may not know something about your topic already, and the writing center is a great place to find people like this in person. For more information about the writing center, visit http://gustavus.edu/writingcenter/ To make an appointment, call x6027. I’m also available outside class during office hours (see below). Whether you are meeting with me or the writing center, you will be best served by scheduling an appointment as far in advance of the deadline as possible. You won’t want to hear that major changes should be made to your essay 24 hours before it’s due.

CONTACTING ME:
Feel free to stop by my office during office hours (MWF 2:30-3:30) to talk about your writing, the readings, how the class is going for you, or any related issues. If you need to talk to me and your class or work schedule prevents you from coming in at this time, check in with me to make an appointment. Please note that if I’m in the office but the door is closed, I’m not available for a meeting. My office phone extension is 6085, but e-mail is a better bet because I check it more reliably. I make an effort to respond to e-mails within 24 hours, except on weekends (messages sent on Friday may not receive responses until Monday) and while traveling.

REQUIREMENTS:
Short Essays (60%)
You will write six short (2-3 page) essays in response to the readings, each worth 10% of your final grade. Outside sources are optional, but all texts, including the primary works, must be documented in accordance with MLA style. Be aware that I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE PAPERS. Please plan ahead for last-minute contingencies, whether illness, emergencies, writer’s block, deadlines for several classes, and computer crises. If you know in advance that you will miss class on a due date, talk to me to make arrangements for submitting work in advance. If you come to me on the due date without an essay, I will certainly express sympathy but will not grant an extension.
Final Exam (20%)
Expect a final exam that covers the whole sweep of the semester; questions may be essay, objective, or both. It’s also possible that our final will have a take-home format. Stay tuned!
Informal Writing & Participation (20%)
There will be some lecturing this semester, but much more discussion and group activity. This means that you need to be ready and willing to ask questions, speculate, ponder, give your own readings of the text and evaluate those of others. Taking good notes as you read will help you to do this. The success of our course depends on your preparedness and participation! At least once a week, I will ask you to do some informal writing in or out of class to help focus your thinking and improve class discussion. These assignments will be graded on a check, check plus, check minus basis, and while I will drop one or two of your lowest scores at the end of the semester, this writing cannot be made up. Keep in mind that you cannot participate if you are not in class (whether absent or tardy), and any absences beyond three will affect your grade directly. I don’t distinguish between “excused” and “unexcused” absences, so please plan ahead and save your three absences for major illnesses or real emergencies. You are responsible for any work that you miss; make advance arrangements for handing in any assignments and contact a classmate for notes. During class, it is okay with me if you eat or drink, as long as you can do so without distracting yourself or others, but electronic devices (cell phones, ipods, etc.) are strictly prohibited.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
As a member of the Gustavus Adolphus College community, you have signed and are responsible for the Honor Code. In submitting any work for this class, whether an examination, formal essay, or informal writing, you are implicitly agreeing to this pledge: “On my honor, I pledge that I have not given, received, or tolerated others’ use of unauthorized aid in completing this work.” In this class, you are responsible for documenting your writing according to MLA style. Most of our work this semester will consist of close reading, which means that any additional research is irrelevant; what I care about is what you have to say about a text, not what famous scholars, Wikipedia, or anyone else has to say about it. Please avoid the temptation of Googling “just to get ideas.” The minimum result of academic dishonesty in this course will be a zero for the assignment, 10 additional points off your final grade, and a report to the dean’s office. If you have any questions about this policy or the workings of MLA style, please ask!

ACCOMODATIONS:
The Advising and Counseling Center asks, “If you have a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical, learning or attentional disability that may have an effect on your ability to complete assigned course work, please contact Laurie Bickett, Disability Services Coordinator, in the Advising Center. She will review your concerns and decide with you what accommodations are necessary.” Laurie Bickett can be reached at x6286. Please let me know if you have documentation through the center so that we can make appropriate arrangements. The sooner you contact me, the easier it will be for both of us.

Feb. 11: What is ethnic American literature?
Feb. 13: Ronald Takaki, “Between ‘Two Endless Days’: The Continuous Journey to the Promised Land,” in A Different Mirror (handout)
Feb. 15: The Promised Land, Introduction-Chapter III (1-49)

Feb. 18: The Promised Land, Chapters III-VI (50-109)
Feb. 20: The Promised Land, Chapters VII-IX (109-162)
Feb. 22: The Promised Land, Chapters X-XIII (163-206)

Feb. 25: The Promised Land, Chapters XIV-XVII (207-250)
Feb. 27: The Promised Land, Chapters XVIII-XX (251-286)
Feb. 29: Lost in Translation, first half of “Paradise” (3-52)

March 3: Lost in Translation, second half of “Paradise” (52-95) Essay 1 due
March 5: Lost in Translation, “Exile” (97-164)
March 7: Lost in Translation, first half of “The New World” (165-221)

March 10: Lost in Translation, second half of “The New World” (221-280)
March 12: Marianne Hirsch, “Pictures of a Displaced Girlhood,” in Displacements (available as an e-book at http://www.netlibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=596)
March 14: Takaki, “Searching for Gold Mountain: Strangers from a Pacific Shore,” in A Different Mirror (e-reserve)

March 17: The Flower Drum Song, part one, chapters 1-5 (3-56)
March 19: The Flower Drum Song, part one, chapters 6-7 (57-92) Essay 2 due

March 20-28: NO CLASS (spring break)

March 31: The Flower Drum Song, part two, chapters 1-3 (95-150)
April 2: The Flower Drum Song, part two, chapters 4-8 (150-201)
April 4: The Flower Drum Song, part two, chapters 9-12 (201-244)

April 7: Flower Drum Song (film)
April 9: Flower Drum Song (film) Essay 3 due
April 11: Flower Drum Song (film), “The Golden Age of the Broadway Song” (e-reserve), “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘Chopsticks’ Musicals” (e-reserve)

April 14: Aiiieeeee!, preface and introduction (e-reserve); Hwang’s introduction to Lee’s novel (xiii-xxi)
April 16: Flower Drum Song, Prologue and Act One (5-63)
April 18: Flower Drum Song, Act Two (65-98), introduction (ix-xiv), afterword (99-115)

April 21: Takaki, “The ‘Giddy Multitude’: The Hidden Origins of Slavery” and “No More Peck o’ Corn: Slavery and its Discontents,” in A Different Mirror (e-reserve)
April 23: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: “Preface by the author,” “Introduction by the editor,” chapters I-IX (3-81)
April 25: William L. Andrews, To Tell a Free Story, chapter 1 (e-reserve) Essay 4 due

April 28: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: chapters X-XVIII (82-159)
April 30: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: chapters XIX-XXVIII (160-223)
May 2: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: chapter XXIX-end (224-306)

May 5: Beloved (1-59)
May 7: Beloved (60-124) Essay 5 due
May 9: Beloved (125-186)

May 12: Beloved (187-235)
May 14: Beloved (236-277)
May 16: Beloved (279-324)

May 19: Morrison’s foreword to Beloved (xv-xix), “The Slave Mother” and selections from Beloved: A Casebook (e-reserve)
May 21: Course wrap-up Essay 6 due

Final exam: Friday, May 23, 1-3 p.m.