English 519

“The Real Thing”: American Realisms of the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

Fall 2006

Monday 4:30-7:10

Dr. Karen Roggenkamp

Office:                         HL 229

Phone:                         903-886-5251

Email:                          karen.roggenkamp@tamuc.edu

Website:                       http://faculty.tamuc.edu/kroggenkamp/English519.htm

Office Hours:              Wednesday 11:00-12:00, Friday 11:00-12:00, and by appointment

I.             Course Description

English 519 is a survey of late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century literary realism and naturalism, movements that, in varying degrees, were committed to “photographic truth” and “objectivity”—or “the real thing,” as many nineteenth-century Americans termed it.  Throughout the semester, as we focus on prose fiction, we will work at defining precisely how authors of this era understood and represented “reality,” how they pushed open the boundaries circumscribing genteel literary culture, how they theorized such concepts as Social Darwinism and the urban jungle, and how they defined and redefined race, class, gender, and ethnicity. 

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

­ identify the major tenets of such concepts as romanticism, realism, naturalism, and “local

  color”

­ trace the development of literary realisms from an older, romantic tradition

­ prepare an original research paper that will be worthy of presentation at a professional

  conference

II.           Required Texts

The following works, listed below in the order we will read them, are available at university bookstores.  You may also obtain them from other sources or use editions other than the ones I have ordered through the bookstore.  For inexpensive books, take a look at Half Price Books, half.com, abebooks.com, and similar sources.

We will also be reading a number of critical essays and articles.  You will be responsible for obtaining copies of these articles, either by copying the master copy on reserve in the Literature/Languages office (143 HL), or by downloading a copy from the “electronic reserves” section of the course webpage.

Required Texts:

Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself” (1855 version only)

Rebecca Harding Davis, Life in the Iron Mills

Louisa May Alcott, Hospital Sketches

Henry James, Daisy Miller

William Dean Howells, The Rise of Silas Lapham

Frank Norris, McTeague: A Story of San Francisco

Stephen Crane, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets

Jacob Riis, How the Other Half Lives

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, The Revolt of “Mother” and Other Stories

Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Charles Chesnutt, The Marrow of Tradition

Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth

III.         Course Evaluation

Course grades will be based on a short bibliographic paper, a “conference paper,” submission of weekly class discussion questions, and class participation.

Discussion Questions                           25%

            Short Paper                                          20%

Conference Presentation                       10%

Conference Paper (15 pages minimum)  30%

Class Participation                                15%      (Total 100%)

IV.         Discussion Questions

Beginning with our next session, I will ask you to submit to the entire group, via email, two extended discussion questions on the reading assignment, or just some precise observations you have on the readings.  These will need to be submitted no later than 10:00 p.m. on the Sunday evening before each class so that all members will have time to print them out, look them over, and think about them.  Note that submission of these questions constitutes a significant portion of your grade!

V.           Papers

a.       Short Paper.  Your first paper will hopefully lay the groundwork for your longer research paper.  It will be an abbreviated bibliographic essay based on a small number (say 2-3) of critical essays written about one of the works on our syllabus which you anticipate using for your final research paper.  A bibliographic essay is a narrative discussion—a sort of review—of criticism written about a particular topic.  The essay doesn’t, however, just list secondary sources and paraphrase their major points.  Rather, it draws particular conclusions about the critical materials by analyzing and evaluating them.  The bibliographic essay compares, contrasts, and evaluates the critical works in question—it draws a picture of the secondary criticism published about a topic.  In essence, it takes a critical look at key works of criticism.

b.      “Conference Paper” and “Mini Conference” Presentations.  The other major written requirement for this class involves one scholarly research paper, which will be a culmination of your studies in English 519.  The research paper is to be a major piece of original research on any of the works we read for this class, or a related work.  We will be reading critical articles throughout the class, and you can use these as a kind of model for the type of product your research paper needs to be. 

The final draft of your research paper needs to be at least fifteen pages in length, but you will present a shorter version of your research in our class mini-conference, to be held the last two weeks of class.  In this mini-conference, I will ask you each to read a seven or eight page paper (no more than fifteen minutes of reading time)—think of this as a trial run for turning your work in this class into an actual conference paper! 

I will not grant extensions on papers or discussion questions unless merited by truly exceptional circumstances.  Late work will only be accepted by prior arrangement between us and with documented proof of your inability to complete the assignment on time due to extenuating circumstances (scheduled school activity, significant illness, death in the family, etc.).  The work may also be subject to a reduction in grade by 1/3 of a mark per day late. 

VI.         Attendance

Read everything, and come to class (on time!!!) prepared to talk about what you have read.  Your attendance in class—and your arrival on time—is crucial and required, and a significant portion of your grade for this course will be based not only on attending class but on participating as well.  According to the tamuc student handbook, “students are expected to be present for all class meetings of any course for which they are enrolled.”  I will keep attendance, and you can expect your grade to be docked for unexcused absences.  By departmental policy, students are permitted to make up work for excused absences—examples of excusable absences may include participation in a required or authorized university activity or a death in the immediate family.  If you know you are going to be absent, please make arrangements with me in advance.

VII.       Additional Statements of Policy

a.     Instructors in the Department of Literature and Languages do not tolerate plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty, and acts of plagiarism can lead to immediate failure of the course.  Instructors uphold and support the highest academic standards, and students are expected to do likewise.  Penalties for students guilty of academic dishonesty include disciplinary probation, suspension, and expulsion (Texas A&M University—Commerce Code of Student Conduct 5.b[1,2,3]).  Examples of plagiarism include but are not limited to cutting and pasting information directly from online sources, copying material from books without providing source documentation, taking essays wholesale from online sources, having someone else write a paper for you, and turning in work that you have already submitted for another class.

b.      Students requesting accommodations for disabilities must make arrangements through the Academic Support Committee.  For more information, please contact the Director of Disability Resources and Services, Halladay Student Services Building, Room 303D, 903-886-5835.

c.       All students enrolled at the University must follow the tenets of common decency and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment.  Standards of decency and acceptable behavior extend to the use of cell phones and instant messaging—please turn them off in the classroom unless you are awaiting a real emergency call for some reason.  Additionally, please note that I enforce standards of inclusiveness in my classes.  What that means is that I do not tolerate discrimination and disrespect in regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

d.      You are responsible for reading and understanding all the information on this syllabus, as well as on any additional materials I distribute during the course.

VIII.     Assignment Schedule

See the following table for a complete schedule of assignments.  Please have each reading completed in time for class.  Some slight changes may occur during the course of the semester.  Please note that while I have tried to be reasonable in the amount of reading assigned each week, English-department graduate-level courses have a demanding reading load, by nature.  I would advise you to budget time for your class work every day and to read ahead whenever you have time.