English 244-001: Literature and Culture of the 1950s
Gustavus Adolphus College, Spring 2008
Dr. Jaime Cleland
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 1:30-2:20 p.m., Confer 331
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:
Often dismissed as dull and conformist, the 1950s percolated under that placid surface. The 1950s gave us the Beats, the civil rights movement, the seeds of the women’s liberation movement, and a new youth culture, including rock and roll. Suburbanization and the nuclear family were essential themes, but so was the cold war, which led to McCarthyism, the Korean War, the backyard bomb shelter, and movies about alien invasion. This course will reassess the 1950s and consider ways in which the decade continues to resonate with us today.

TEXTS:
Required:
Allen Ginsberg, Howl
Jack Kerouac, On the Road
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son
Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
Valerie Taylor, The Girls in 3-B
Arthur Miller, The Crucible
Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita
Online course pack including:

• John Cheever, stories
• Charles Schulz, “Peanuts”
• Norman Mailer, “The White Negro”
• Gwendolyn Brooks, poems
• Sylvia Plath, poems
• Hisaye Yamamoto, stories
• Commentaries by Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, David Riesman, William H. Whyte.

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:
Group presentation (15%)
Throughout the semester, we will have small group presentations on historical and cultural contexts of the literary readings. A list of possible topics will be distributed, and will include various aspects of the cold war, the civil rights movement, and gender and sexuality. Early in the semester, I’ll do a “demo” presentation on suburbanization. In addition to the presentation, you and your group will create and distribute a handout for the class outlining key points and useful resources.
Short essay (15%)
An essay of 3-4 pages, based on interviews you conduct about memories/perceptions of the ’50s.
Term paper (20%)
As the culmination of this course, you will write a 10-page essay on an aspect of 1950s literature and culture. While the essay should be inspired in some way by the work we do in class, the specific subject and argument should be defined by your own interests. I’m glad to discuss your project, drafts, etc. before the due date; please plan ahead so that you have time to revise based on what we talk about in the meeting. Finally and importantly, I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE PAPERS. They are due in class on the due date. Please keep this in mind when you are tempted to procrastinate – inevitably, something will come up, your printer will break, etc. If for some reason you will not be in class on the due date, make arrangements with me beforehand.
Prospectus & Annotated Bibliography (10%)
In the prospectus and annotated bibliography, you will outline the term paper project you intend to write, indicating its focus and overall argument. The bibliography should include at least five secondary sources that you plan to incorporate in the term paper, with brief annotations summarizing the source and indicating its relevance to your own work. Your thinking on the subject may, of course, continue to evolve as you work on the project, but the prospectus should get you oriented toward an interesting issue and a manageable writing project. The prospectus and annotated bibliography will be due around midterm.
Final exam (20%)
The final will include objective and essay sections. The objective half will include both identification of texts we’ve read and historical information covered during class presentations. The essay half will ask you to make an argument based on class readings and will be open book.
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: Introduction to course.

Conformity

Feb. 13: Presentation
Feb. 15: Cheever, stories

Feb. 18: Selections from Riesman and Whyte
Feb. 20: Selection from Schulz, “Peanuts”

Rebellion

Feb. 22: Ginsberg, Howl

Feb. 25: Kerouac, On the Road (3-50)
Feb. 27: On the Road (51-102)
Feb. 29: On the Road (102-156) Short essay due

March 3: On the Road (156-205)
March 5: On the Road (206-254)
March 7: On the Road (255-310)

March 10: Mailer, “The White Negro”

Civil Rights

March 12: Presentation
March 14: Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son, section II (57-114)

March 17: Notes of a Native Son, section III (117-175)
March 19: Brooks, poems Prospectus due

March 20-28: NO CLASS (Spring break)

March 31: Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, Acts I & 2
April 2: A Raisin in the Sun, Act III

“Feminine Mystique"

April 4: Presentation

April 7: Plath, poems
April 9: Yamamoto, stories
April 11: Taylor, The Girls in 3-B, chapters 1-7 (1-56)

April 14: The Girls in 3-B, chapters 8-16 (56-118)
April 16: The Girls in 3-B, chapters 17-25 (119-177)
April 18: Selections from Beauvoir and Friedan

Cold War

April 21: Presentation
April 23: Miller, The Crucible, Acts I & II
April 25: The Crucible, Acts III & IV

April 28: Film: On the Waterfront
April 30: On the Waterfront
May 2: On the Waterfront

Overview

May 5: Nabokov, Lolita (3-55)
May 7: Lolita (55-105)
May 9: Lolita (105-144)

May 12: Lolita (145-199)
May 14: Lolita (200-252)
May 16: Lolita (252-309)

May 19: Presentations Term paper due
May 21: Presentations

Final exam: Monday, May 26, 8-10 a.m.