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SPRING 2013
Turlington Hall, Rm. 1315
MWF Period 4 (10:40 – 11:30 am)
Instructor: James M. Davidson, Ph.D.
Office: Turlington B134
Email: davidson@ufl.edu
Office Hours: Monday 2-5 pm (and by appointment)

Description: This course presents a historical overview of the American Slave Narrative. Participants will obtain knowledge of the narrative form as it evolved through time, first as a force for social change in the broader abolitionist literature, then as biography for selected African-American leaders, and finally as an attempt to record a history, through the ex-slave narratives of the 1930s. The narratives will be viewed through various lenses -- as literature, as political discourse, as biography, and ultimately as a window through which we may view the conditions of slavery. Through lectures, I will introduce the readings and provide broad overviews of the overarching topics and issues within the Slave Narrative as a genre. A good portion of class time, however, will be spent discussing and critiquing the readings.

Required Readings:
1. 2002 The Classic Slave Narratives. Edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Signet Classics. New American Library, New York.

2. 2000 Voices From Slavery: 100 Authentic Slave Narratives. Edited by Norman R. Yetman. Dover Publications.

3. 2000 (1901) Up From Slavery, by Booker T. Washington. Signet Classics. New American Library, New York. (or read digital text on line, at: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/WASHINGTON/cover.html)

1. 1988 The Slave Narrative: Its Place in American History, by Marion Wilson Starling. (Second Edition; originally published 1981). Howard University Press, Washington, DC.

Participation in class discussions is expected, and each student’s input will be crucial. Students are expected to have read the readings for that day, and come to class prepared to discuss them.

The writing component for this class consists of two critical essays on key readings to be assigned throughout the semester. Each essay will be three to five pages in length, double spaced, 12 point font, and one-inch margins. These will be corrected and returned with comments.

There will be three non-cumulative exams, the format of which will be a mixture of objective questions (e.g., true false, multiple choice, etc), and short answer or essay questions. There will also be a final exam, following this same format, but comprehensive and cumulative.

Grading:
Exams 1 thru 3 (20% each)                 60%
Essays 1 and 2 (5 % each)                  10%
Attendance/Class Participation:          10%
Final Exam (comprehensive)               20%

A final letter grade will be assigned at the end of the semester, according to this scale:

A         (93-100%)
A-        (90-92%)
B+       (88-89%)
B         (83-87%)
B-        (80-82%)
C+       (78-79%)
C         (73-77%)
C-        (70-72%)
D+       (68-69%)
D         (63-67%)
D-        (60-62%)
E          (59% or below)

Attendance: Regular attendance is expected. Excessive unexcused absences will detract from the student’s final grade (see above).

Make-up Exams:
If an exam is missed, and the absence was pre-arranged, or in the event of illness accompanied by a physician’s note, a make-up exam will be given. No make-up exams will be given for students who miss the testing period due to unexcused absences.

Accommodating Students with Disabilities:
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 in turn must provide this documentation to me when requesting accommodation.

Academic Honesty:
The University reminds every student of the implied pledge of Academic Honesty:
“on any work submitted for credit the student has neither received nor given unauthorized aid.”

THIS REFERS TO CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM, WHICH WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THIS CLASS
Consult the Student Guide at www.dso.ufl.edu/stg/ for further information. To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings (any pieces of information) that are not common knowledge; quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words; or paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words.

Students caught cheating will be referred to the University administration for disciplinary action, the consequences of which can include failure of this course, and possible expulsion from the University.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas (Chapters 10 through 11 and Appendix)