ENG 122 American Literature II: The Civil War to the Present
Class meets MWF 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. and W 3:30 to 4:20 p.m.
| Dr. Behling Office: Confer 325 Office Phone: x6090 lbehling@gustavus.edu |
Office Hours Mon., Wed., Fri. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mon. and Fri. 3:30 to 4:20 p.m. |
General Education:
WRIT and HUMAN |
"Here is not merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations."
Walt Whitman
What Whitman realized about late nineteenth-century America has become even more manifest as we
rapidly approach the next millennium. America's literature, too, has become a wealth of texts that are created by and represent a variety of issues marked by racial, gender, and socioeconomic concerns that reflect the radical changes in national temperament. Moreover, they challenge the definition not only of "American literature," but more fundamentally, the concept of "American" identity.
This course will present you with a wide range of America's literature where voices are more often in conflict with one another than in harmony. Our task is to think critically about the "American" texts before us using several critical perspectives and to examine literary movements and innovations within their historical context. Ultimately, we will seek ways in which the literature of this "teeming nation of nations" can help us understand who we are.
In addition to regular readings and writing assignments, this course also includes a laboratory component that allows for hands-on primary source research.