Transcript title

Survey American Literature I

Credits

4

Grading mode

Standard letter grades

Total contact hours

40

Lecture hours

40

Recommended preparation

WR 121Z.

Course Description

Reading and interpretation of writings from the diverse cultures which inhabited, colonized or developed this country through material from the Civil War period. Includes the Native American oral tradition, the journals of Columbus and other explorers, the diaries of settlers in the British colonies, and more traditional forms of literature through the mid-19th century. Need not be taken in sequence.

Course learning outcomes

1. Students will understand the features of pre-Civil War American literary historical periods (such as Pre-Colonial, Colonial, Federal, Romantic, Transcendentalism).
2. Students will understand the development and impact of the establishment of an American literary “canon.”
3. Students will analyze how American literature can reflect the American experience, psyche and identity of Americans, as well as reflect the diverse cultures and perspectives which comprise the body of literature in America before the Civil War.
4. Students will supply a range of reading strategies to analyze and interpret a variety of literary texts within their historical and literary contexts.
5. Students will use informal and formal writing to analyze and interpret literary works integrating textual evidence following MLA guidelines.

General education/Related instruction lists

• Cultural Literacy
• Arts and Letters