The course examines selected examples of American literature from pre-Columbian Native American documents through nineteenth-century literary writing. Taught in seminar format and based on reading, discussion, and active participation, the course places literary texts in their historical and cultural contexts. Readings include early exploration narratives and selected texts from colonial America, samples of nineteenth-century short fiction, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and selected poems by prominent authors, such as Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Students are expected to read and actively prepare the assigned texts.
Course requirements: will be discussed in the first session
Credit requirement: an 8 to 10-page (3,500 to 4,500-word) research paper in English.
Required text: Baym, Nina et al., eds. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vols. A, B, and C. New York: Norton, 2012. Print. Access to texts and additional required texts will be discussed in the first session.