University
of Florida
AML 2070 ~ Survey of American Literature
Section 7486 ~ Women Writers of Color
Fall 2007 T Period 5-6 [11:45am-1:40pm] TH Period
6 [12:50-1:40pm]
Classroom: MAT 0051
Instructor:
Angelique V. Nixon
E-mail: angelnix@ufl.edu
Office: Turlington Hall 4415
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10-11:30am or By Appointment
Phone: (352) 392-6650 (English Dept)
Website: www.clas.ufl.edu/users/angelnix
COURSE
OVERVIEW
This course introduces specific aspects of American
literature through a study of significant writers, forms, and issues-specifically
novels by women of color with a particular focus on race, gender, and
class. We will read novels in conjunction with theoretical essays that
offer insights as well as social and historical contexts for the literature.
We will engage in a range of issues, such as the politics of history and
identities, intersections of race, gender, class and sexuality, liberation
struggles, language, migration, labor, and displacement, among others.
Overall, the goal of this course is to write critically about literature,
and to develop strategies on how to speak and write about significant
social and political issues using contemporary tools for analysis (i.e.
schools of theory such as Feminist and Postcolonial).
COURSE
OBJECTIVES
- Identify
key issues within contemporary American literature by women of color
- Understand
the influence of race, gender, sexuality, and class on cultural productions
- Understand
the significance of social and political issues in writings by women
of color
- Become
familiar with the historical, political, and intellectual contexts relevant
to multi-ethnic American literature and how these affect American literature
overall
- Develop
strong academic writing strategies, along with analytical and research
skills
- Develop
a critical vocabulary for describing and writing about literature
REQUIRED
TEXTS
[All texts are available at Orange & Blue Textbooks,
309 NW 13th Street, Ph #375-2707]
- Danticat,
Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory. New York: Soho, 1994.
- Erdrich,
Louise. Love Medicine. New York: Perennial HarperCollins, 1995. (1984).
- Kingston,
Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York: Vintage, 1989. (1975).
- Lahiri,
Jhumpa. The Namesake. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
- Morrison,
Toni. Sula. Vintage International: New York, 2004. (1973).
- Viramontes,
Helena Maria. Under the Feet of Jesus. New York: Penguin, 1995.
RECOMMENDED
TEXTS
- A
comprehensive grammar/style handbook will be necessary for this class.
(Suggestions: Prentice Hall Reference Guide to Grammar and Usage)
- A
comprehensive desk dictionary and thesaurus will be necessary for this
class.
OTHER
MATERIALS
- Two
Folders: one for your Portfolio of Responses and one to hold all other
writing and notes.
THE WORK OF THE COURSE
(Details under Assignments & Course Schedule)
Assigned Readings: Course Packet and Seven Texts
Three Formal Papers: Paper One 15%, Paper Two 15%, & Paper Three 20%
Final Essay Exam: 20%
Portfolio of Response Papers ( total, 2 pages each): 15%
In-Class Performance (Includes an Oral Presentation): 15%
COURSE
POLICIES
Class
Attendance and Participation
You are allowed only THREE class hour absences, and each absence after
those three will lower your grade by a letter grade each time. An excused
absence requires documentation such as a doctor's letter or written proof
of participation in a University related event. Six or more class hour
absences, excused or unexcused, will result in an E unless you successfully
apply for a grade of W. Tardiness in class is also not permitted. Two
late arrivals in class are equivalent to one absence. In-class writings
will be done, some of them unannounced, and cannot be made up. Class work
requires that you bring the text and the folder containing your work to
every class. If you don't, you will be asked to leave, and this will count
as an absence. In general, this is an active course requiring active participation.
You have to be here.
Email
and Class Web page
You are expected to check your email regularly; I will frequently give
class information, assignments, and links in emails for which you will
be responsible. The Class Web page will be on my website.
Courtesy
Pagers or cellular phones should be turned off or not brought into the
classroom. Disruptive behavior, as defined in the Student Handbook, will
not be tolerated.
Gordon
Rule
This is a "Gordon Rule" class, which means that you must write
6,000 words and achieve a grade of "C" or better to receive
credit. You must complete all the assignments to pass this course.
Late
Assignments
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned date. Papers
will NOT be accepted after the class in which they are due. Even with
an excused absence, students should make every attempt to turn assignments
in on time.
Academic Honesty
As a University of Florida student, your performance is governed by the
UF Honor Code, available in its full form at http://www.reg.ufl.edu/01-02-catalog/student_life/.
The Honor Code requires Florida students to neither give nor receive unauthorized
aid in completing all assignments. Violations include cheating, plagiarism,
bribery, double submissions, and misrepresentation, all defined in detail
at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/honestybrochure.htm. Plagiarism is
the presentation of the words or ideas of another as one's own. You would
commit plagiarism by using, without crediting the source: 1) Any part
of another person's essay, speech, or ideas (even if paraphrased or expressed
in your own words); 2) Any part of an article in a magazine, journal,
newspaper, or any part of a book, encyclopedia, CD, online internet page,
etc.
Grade
Complaints
For individual assignments, you should discuss any grade dispute with
the instructor. For final grade disputes, meet with the instructor first
before taking the matter to the English Department (4008 Turlington).
At that time, you must have all the work you completed for the course.
Students
with Disabilities
The University of Florida complies with the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with
the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide
documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation
to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
Harassment
In this course, we will be reading sources that originate from different
cultural situations. You are likely to read and hear rhetoric and arguments
in this class that you disagree with. It is even possible that some of
the texts in this course may offend some students. If you know that you
are easily offended by texts that challenge your sensibilities and that
express religious or political views other than your own, then you may
want to consider registering for a different section of this course. That
said, you will not encounter material in this course that discriminates
against any race, gender, or religion. The classroom should be a place
of critical exploration and lively discussion. Different opinions are
encouraged, sought out, and necessary to make this class function; and
such differences should be discussed respectfully among those who disagree.
However, making discriminatory comments on the basis of race, gender,
ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc., toward any group or individual
constitutes unacceptable behavior and violations of this policy can result
in disciplinary action.
ASSIGNMENTS
Guidelines
for Written Assignments
- All assignments
must use MLA style. All disciplines at the university use a particular
style manual. In English, we use MLA. You will need to consult a handbook
for directions on how to cite and quote texts in MLA style.
- All assignments
must be typed. You must use a word processor. The ink must be black,
Font must be Times New Roman, 12 point, and the paper must be white.
- All assignments
must be double-spaced so comments can be written between the lines.
- All assignments
must have one-inch margins on all four sides and must be stapled.
- All assignments
must be paginated using MLA style guidelines (Top Right Corner).
- All assignments
must be proofread for technical/grammatical correctness.
- Papers that do
not conform to all of the above will not be accepted.
- Always save your
writing on a disk or CD, hard drive, via email, as well as a paper copy.
It is a good policy to always save copies of work for all your classes.
Response
Papers
The semester is divided into Three Units. You are required to write ONE
response (a full two pages) per unit and these will be collected regularly.
You must engage in the readings from the course packet and at least one
novel in that unit. Also, you should analyze one or two specific themes
that we have discussed for that particular unit. Choose the readings and
issues you are most interested in because these responses will help you
to develop your paper topics.
Formal
Papers
You will be writing THREE formal academic papers that are polished, well-developed
arguments. For each paper, you will engage with the major themes of each
unit through a critical examination of two to three texts by using the
tools for analysis (theoretical frameworks) covered in the course. I will
provide you with the specific prompts and requirements for these papers,
and we will work on them extensively in class. Overall, you must engage
with the novels, course packet, and specific issues of identity, history,
immigration, labor, and the intersections of race, gender, sexuality,
and class that we will be engaged in throughout the semester.
In-Class
Performance
In-class performance consists of all in-class work, quizzes, participation,
class discussions, and an oral presentation. The oral presentation will
be a five-minute report on your final paper and you will prepare a working
thesis and annotated bibliography of sources. You are expected to put
forth effort for this course in class and outside of class, and therefore,
your grade for performance and portfolio will reflect the quality of your
work, not the quantity. This class will require you to write regularly.
Consequently, there is no time to "make up" work missed.
Grade
Distribution and Scale
Paper One 15%
Paper Two 15%
Paper Three 20%
Portfolio of Response Papers 15%
In-Class Performance (Includes Oral Presentation) 15%
Final Essay Exam 20%
Course
work will be returned to you with a letter grade. When calculating your
final grade, letters will be counted as follows:
- A+ = 100 || B+
= 89 || C+ = 79 || D = 65
A = 95 ||||| B = 85 |||| C = 75 |||| E = 50
A- = 91 |||| B- = 81 ||| C- = 71
At the end of the
semester, your number grades will be averaged and your final grade for
the course will be calculated as follows:
- 100-90 = A ||
89-86 = B+ || 79-76 = C+ || 69-65 = D
85-80 = B |||| 75-70 = C |||| below 65 = E
AML 2070 Women Writers of Color
COURSE SCHEDULE
You
must bring the course packet to each class, along with the novel we are
covering that week. All readings must be completed for the designated
week - by the Tuesday class period of each week. Due dates for the assignments
will be determined as the course progresses. Each novel will be covered
over a two week period (page numbers to be read will be discussed each
week). All papers must conform to the guidelines for written assignments
outlined earlier. This schedule is subject to change with notice according
to the needs of the class.
Week
1 (Aug 23rd)
Introduction to Course; Discuss Course Requirements, Policies, and Schedule
Unit
I - Memory, History, and Identity
Week
2 (Aug 28th & 30th)
Angela Davis & Elizabeth Martinez, "Coalition Building Among
People of Color" (packet)
Angela Davis, "Reflections on Race, Class, and Gender in the USA"
(packet)
Audre Lorde, "Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference"
(packet)
Week
3 (Sept 4th & 6th) [Holiday on Sept 3rd - Labor Day]
Morrison, Sula (read first half)
Patricia Hill Collins, "The Power of Self-Definition" (packet)
Week
4 (Sept 11th & 13th)
Morrison, Sula (finish)
Lecture on Writing about Literature, Paper One Assignment, and Requirements
Week
5 (Sept 18th & 20th)
Erdrich, Love Medicine (read first half)
Paula Gunn Allen, "Introduction to Spider Woman's Granddaughters"
Week
6 (Sept 25th & 26th)
Erdrich, Love Medicine (finish)
Peer Review for Paper One
Unit
II - Migrant Workers, Class, and Labor
Week
7 (Oct 2nd & 4th)
Paper One DUE
Kingston, The Woman Warrior (read first half)
Trinh T. Minh-ha, "Commitment from the Mirror-Writing Box" (packet)
Week
8 (Oct 9th & 11th)
Kingston, The Woman Warrior (finish)
Week
9 (Oct 16th & 18th)
Viramontes, Under the Feet of Jesus (read first half)
Viramontes, "Nopalitos: The Making of Fiction" (packet)
Discuss Paper Two Assignment and Requirements
Week 10 (Oct 23rd & 25th)
Viramontes, Under the Feet of Jesus (finish)
Cherrie Moraga, "Art in America con Acento" (packet)
Gloria Anzaldua, "Speaking in Tongues" (packet)
Peer Review for Paper Two
Unit
III - Migration, Displacement, and Assimilation
Week
11 (Oct 30th & Nov 1st) [Holiday on Nov 2 - Homecoming]
Paper Two DUE
Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory (read first half)
Danticat, "We Are Ugly, But We Are Here" (packet)
Week
12 (Nov 6th & 8th)
Danticat, Breath, Eyes, Memory (finish)
Discuss Paper Three & Oral Presentation Assignment and Requirements
Week
13 (Nov 13th & 15th) [Holiday on Nov 12 - Veteran's Day]
Lahiri, The Namesake (read first half)
Trinh Minh-ha, "Not You/Like You" (packet)
Week
14 (Nov 20th) [Thanksgiving Break - Nov 22-24]
Lahiri, The Namesake (finish)
In-Class Work on Paper Three
Week
15 (Nov 27th & Nov 29th)
Oral Presentations
Peer Review for Paper Three
Week 16 (Dec 4th - last class)
Paper 3 DUE
Review for Final Exam
FINAL
EXAM WEEK (Dec 8th, 10th - 14th)
Final Comprehensive Essay Exam - Details to be announced
|
|