English 250: Great American Books
Instructor: Ellen M. Bayer
Office: HEAV 307D
Office Hours: MWF 10:30-11:20, or by appointment
Email: ebayer@purdue.edu
Class Website: http://www.digitalparlor.org/sp08/bayer1/
Course Overview
In Great American Books we will read and discuss a variety of texts that range from the middle of the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth century. The texts have been grouped into pairs that share similar themes and ideas, including (very broadly): the American landscape; American Indian life; human nature; and race. These larger themes will serve as sounding boards for our discussions of the texts and will help us to put paired texts into “conversation” with each other. We will also consider what makes a book both “great” and “American,” and will explore how the texts chosen for the course fit these labels, or how they perhaps challenge traditional notions of what makes a book “great” or “American.”
This is a learner-focused course, which means there will be a small amount of lecturing done on the instructor’s part, and a great amount of student-led discussion. Please note that you are expected to participate in class discussions on a regular basis. Plan to complete all readings by the assigned dates and be prepared to discuss the material and answer any questions that may be posed by the instructor and/or your classmates. Participation will be tracked each class period.
Great American Books will be reading-intensive. The reading load will be quite substantial, and you are expected to come to class having completed all required reading and prepared to discuss the material. Students who do not keep up with reading assignments (and, in turn, cannot participate in class) will find it difficult to do well in this course.
Texts required for this course (available at Von’s) are: Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Zitkala-Ša’s American Indian Stories, Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Herman Melville’s Typee, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, and Toni Morrison’s Beloved.
Course Requirements
Class participation = 20%
Two 5-7 page analytical papers = 20% each
Mid-term exam = 20%
Final exam = 20%
Attendance Policy and Participation
Attendance and participation will be tracked for every class. You are allowed six absences without penalty. These absences may be for any reason. If you miss more than six classes you will fail the course. No exceptions. If you do miss class, be sure to check the website for any changes to the reading schedule/assignments. It is also a good idea to contact me to see if you missed any additional announcements.
Participation points will be awarded as follows: Missing class for any reason results in a zero; merely showing up will earn you one point; showing up and contributing something to the discussion will earn you two points; and showing up and contributing significantly to the discussion in a way that demonstrates you have read and thought about the material will earn you three points. Anything beyond that earns you four points. 0 points = F, 1 point = D, 2 points = C, 3 points = B, 4 points = A.
Classroom Environment
Please be considerate of your instructor and classmates. Show up on time, keep your cell phone turned off, etc. Class discussions should remain professional; harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. It’s fine to debate ideas and to disagree, but please do so in a respectful manner.
Paper Guidelines
Papers must me double-spaced with one-inch margins and written in 12 point Times font. Please use MLA formatting for headings. Papers are due in class, at the beginning of class. Late papers will receive a penalty of one dropped letter grade per day it is late (i.e. an “A” paper will receive a “B” if it is one day late, etc.). If you email your paper you are solely responsible for making sure I receive the correct file and that it is on time.
Plagiarism
Borrowing someone else’s thoughts, ideas, or words without proper citation is considered plagiarism. Plagiarism is a violation of university policy and can result in failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and other disciplinary action. If you have questions about this issue, please come and see me. Please also look over Purdue’s policy on Academic Dishonesty: http://www.purdue.edu/odos/osrr/integrity.htm
Reading Schedule
M 1/7 Introduction
W 1/9 Walden; “Economy”
F 1/11 Walden; “Where I lived and What I Lived For” through “Sounds”
M 1/14 Walden; “Solitude” through “The Village”
W 1/16 Walden; “The Ponds” through “House Warming”
F 1/18 Walden “Former Inhabitants” through “Conclusion”
M 1/21 No Class, MLK Day
W 1/23 On the Road; Part 1, Chapts. 1-10
F 1/25 On the Road; Part 1, Chapts. 11-14
M 1/28 On the Road; Part 2, Chapts. 1-9
W 1/30 On the Road; Part 3, Chapts. 1-6
F 2/1 On the Road; Part 3, Chapts. 7-11; Part 4, Chapts. 1-6
M 2/4 On the Road; Part 4, Chapts. 4-6; Part 5
W 2/6 American Indian Stories; “Preface” through “Iya, the Camp-Eater”
F 2/8 American Indian Stories; “Impressions of an Indian Childhood” through “The Great Spirit”
M 2/11 American Indian Stories; “The Soft-Hearted Sioux” through “America’s Indian Problem”
W 2/13 American Indian Stories (Magazines); “The Indian’s Awakening” through “Indian Gifts to Civilized Man;” “America, Home of the Red man” through “Letter to the Chiefs and Headmen of the Tribes”
F 2/15 American Indian Stories (Poetry, etc.); “Side by Side” through “A Dakota Ode to Washington”
M 2/18 Lone Ranger and Tonto; “Every Little Hurricane” through “The Only Traffic Signal”
W 2/20 Lone Ranger and Tonto; “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona;” “Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire;” “Distances;”
F 2/22 Lone Ranger and Tonto; “Jesus Christ’s Half-Brother;” “A Train Is an Order of Occurrence;” “Imagining the Reservation;” “The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor”
M 2/25 Lone Ranger and Tonto; “Indian Education;” “The Lone Ranger and Tonto;” “Family Portrait;” “Witnesses, Secret and Not”
W 2/27 Lone Ranger and Tonto; “Flight;” Junior Polatkin;” Midterm Review
F 2/29 Midterm Exam
M 3/3 Typee; “Preface” through Chapter 5
W 3/5 Typee; Chapters 6-11
F 3/7 Typee; Chapters 12-18
M 3/10 – F 3/14 No Class, Spring Break
M 3/17 Typee; Chapters 19-25
W 3/19 Typee; Chapters 26 through “Appendix”
F 3/21 Slaughterhouse Five; Chapters 1-2
M 3/24 Slaughterhouse Five; Chapters 3-4; Chapter 5 up to pg. 137
W 3/26 Slaughterhouse Five; Second half of Chapter 5 through Chapter 6
F 3/28 Slaughterhouse Five; Chapters 7-8
M 3/31 Slaughterhouse Five; Chapters 9-10
W 4/2 Sound and Fury; Pages 3-53
F 4/4 Sound and Fury; Pages 54-124
M 4/7 Sound and Fury; Pages 125-190
W 4/9 Sound and Fury; Pages 191-251
F 4/11 Sound and Fury; Pages 252-321
M 4/14 Beloved; Pages 3-53
W 4/16 Beloved; Pages 54-98
F 4/18 Beloved; Pages 99-145
M 4/21 Beloved; Pages 146-199
W 4/23 Beloved; Pages 200-260
F 4/25 Semester Wrap-up and Review
Changes to the reading schedule will be announced in class and posted on the website.