University
of Florida
AML 2410 ~ Issues in American Literature and Culture
Section 1631 ~ Race and Identity Politics
Fall 2005 Tues period 8-9 [3:00-4:55pm], Thurs period 9 [4:05-4:55pm]
Classroom: WEIM 1094
Instructor:
Angelique V. Nixon
E-mail: angelnix@ufl.edu
Office: Rolfs 501
Office Hours: Tues Period 7 [1:55-2:45pm] & Thurs Period 8 [3:00-3:50pm]
Phone: (352) 392-6650 (English Dept)
Website: www.clas.ufl.edu/users/angelnix
COURSE
OVERVIEW
This course introduces specific aspects of American literature and culture
through a critical examination of race and identity politics. We will
engage in a range of issues, such as racial and ethnic identities, intersections
of race and gender, immigration, history, and the nation, among others.
Specifically, we will consider these issues in the context of American
literature and culture with a particular focus on multi-ethnic literature
(i.e. Native American, African American, Caribbean American, and Asian
American). Overall, the goal of this course is to investigate the ways
in which American identities are produced and represented in literature
and culture. We will develop strategies on how to speak and write about
these issues using contemporary tools for analysis (i.e. schools of theory
such as Feminist and Postcolonial).
COURSE
OBJECTIVES
- Identify key issues
within race and identity politics and American literature
- Understand the
influence of race, gender, ethnicity, and class on cultural productions
- Become familiar
with the historical, political, and intellectual contexts relevant to
Multi-Ethnic American literature and how these affect American literature
overall
- Develop academic
writing and research skills
- Develop a critical
vocabulary for describing literature and culture
REQUIRED
TEXTS
[All texts are available at Orange & Blue Textbooks, 309 NW 13th Street,
Ph #375-2707]
- Jen, Gish. Typical
American. Plume: New York, 1992.
- Kincaid, Jamaica.
Lucy. Plume: New York, 1991.
- Morrison, Toni.
The Bluest Eye. Plume: New York, 2000.
- Ortiz, Simon J.
from Sand Creek. University of Arizona Press: Tucson, 1981.
- Skerrett, Jr.,
Joseph T. Literature, Race, and Ethnicity: Contesting American Identities.
The Longman Literature and Culture Series, 2002.
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
- Assigned Readings:
Anthology, Three Novels, and One book of poetry (details on schedule)
- Three Formal Papers
(4 pages each): Paper One 15%, Paper Two 15%, & Paper Three 20%
- Final Essay Exam:
20%
- Portfolio of Response
Papers (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 in emails for which you will be responsible. The Class
Web page will be on my website [www.clas.ufl.edu/users/angelnix], click
Teaching, then AML 2410. During the semester, I will include information,
assignments, and links that will be useful to you for the course.
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 TWO
responses (a full two pages each) per unit and these will be collected
regularly. You must engage in the readings from the Anthology and the
other text(s) from that unit, and analyze one or two specific themes and
issues 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. By the end of the semester, you should
have SIX two page Responses in your Portfolio.
Formal
Papers
You will be writing three formal papers (four pages each) that are polished,
well-developed arguments. I will provide you with the specific parameters
and requirements for these papers. But overall, you must engage with the
anthology, the additional texts (the novel and poetry collection), and
specific issues of racial and ethnic identities, gender, ethnicity, immigration,
nation, class, and history 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 report on your final paper (details to be announced). 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. Your
grade is a reflection of the work you do.
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 2410 Race and Identity Politics
COURSE SCHEDULE
You must bring
the Longman Anthology - Literature, Race, and Ethnicity - to each class.
All readings and assignments must be completed for the designated class
period. Each week's readings from the Anthology will be selected in more
detail during the semester. We will be covering many of the readings from
each section in the Anthology, but we will not be able to read and/or
discuss all of them. All papers must conform to the guidelines for written
assignments outlined earlier. This schedule is subject to change with
notice.
Week 1 (Aug 26th)
Introduction to Course; Discuss Course Requirements, Policies, and Schedule
Unit
I - Forging an American Identity (Framing the People: Definitions and
Contestations)
Week 2 (Aug 30th
& Sept 2nd)
Longman Introduction pg. 1-10; Part I Chp. 1 Values: "Invitations
and Exclusions" pgs.11-63
Week 3 (Sept 6th
& Sept 8th)
Longman Part I Chp. 2 - "Immigrants and Attitudes" pgs. 65-129
Week 4 (Sept 13th
& Sept 15th)
Ortiz, from Sand Creek & Longman Writing Appendix pgs. 531-57
Discuss Writing About Literature, Paper One Assignment, and Requirements
Week 5 (Sept 20th
& 22nd)
Longman Part I Chp. 3 "Citizens by Conquest" pgs. 131-188
Peer Review for Paper One
Unit
II - The Politics of History (Actions of Memory: Making Ethnic & Racial
Identities)
Week 6 (Sept 27th
& 29th)
Longman Part II Introduction & Chp. 1 "Memory and History"
pgs. 189-264
Paper One DUE
Week 7 (Oct 4th &
6th)
Morrison, The Bluest Eye
Week 8 (Oct 11th
& 13th)
Longman Part II Chp. 2 "Resentments and Nostalgias" pgs. 265-314
Discuss Paper Two Assignment and Requirements
Week 9 (Oct 18th
& 20th)
Kincaid, Lucy
Conferences and In-Class Work on Paper Two
Week 10 (Oct 25th & 27th)
Longman Part II Chp.3 "Transition and Transcendence: Connecting Past
and Future" pgs.315-75
Continue In-Class Work on Paper Two
Unit
III - Defining Multiculturalism (Reconstitut(ion)ing the Nation: Problems
and Solutions)
Week 11 (Nov 1st
& Nov 3rd)
Longman Part III Introduction & Chp. 1 "Desires and Identities"
pgs. 377-456
Paper Two DUE
Week 12 (Nov 8th
& 10th)
Longman Part III Chp. 2 "Mixed Relations" pgs. 457-86
Discuss Paper Three & Oral Presentation Assignment and Requirements
Week 13 (Nov 15th
& Nov 17th)
Jen, Typical American
Week 14 (Nov 22nd)
(Nov 24th - Thanksgiving Break - NO CLASS)
Longman Part III Chp. 3 "Toward the Multiculture" pgs. 487-527
In-Class Work on Paper Three & Presentation
Week 15 (Nov 29th
& Dec 1st)
Oral Presentations
Peer Review for Paper Three
Week 16 (Dec 6th) (Dec 8th - Reading Day - NO CLASS)
Paper 3 DUE
Review for Final Exam
FINAL EXAM WEEK (Dec
13th & 15th)
Final Comprehensive Essay Exam - Details to be announced
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