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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "EN 399 H"
COURSE NAME: "Special Topics in English Literature: Transatlantic Connections: Slavery and Literature - HONORS (This course carries 4 semester hours of credits. A minimum CUM GPA of 3.5 is required)"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2019
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Shannon Russell
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 10:00-11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above.
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
An in-depth treatment of a current area of special concern within the field of English Literature. Courses offered previously include: Dickens and Englishness; Race, Class, Gender, Culture: The American Dream in Literature; The Innocents Abroad: Perceptions of Italy in American, European and British Writing; Topics in World Literature: Masterpieces in Western Fiction.
This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 300-level literature classes are required to produce 5-6,000 words of critical writing.
May be taken more than once for credit with different topics.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course considers the importance of the transatlantic slave trade and its aftermath to American and British fiction. Following a brief survey of the historical context of slavery and the slave trade, students will read British and American slave narratives and consider their creative afterlife in a selection of novels. They will be introduced to the literary conventions of the genre of slave, free men and free women writings through analysis of the autobiographies of Ouladah Equiano, Mary Prince, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Jacobs. From that understanding, students will then consider how aspects of these narratives are deployed or reworked in a selection of novels, including Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Charles Dickens's Dombey and Son, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, and Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad. Focusing on the transatlantic links between these texts, topics for discussion will include: the relevance of gender in these narratives, the politics of the family, conceptions of freedom and national identity, the construction of reading and education as a liberating force, contemporary anxieties about capitalist economies and new technologies, and ethical debates about what it is to be human.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of the course, students will understand the conventions of slave narratives and their context, as well as the way those conventions are translated into later fiction. They will also have created their own Storymap project.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl | Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs | Modern Library | 978-0-679-78328-2 | | | | | |
| Dombey and Son | Charles Dickens | OUP | 978-0-19-953628-3 | | | | | |
| Never Let Me Go | Kazuo Ishiguro | Faber and Faber | 978-0-571-25809-3 | | | | | |
| Underground Railroad | Colson Whitehead | Little Brown | 978-0-7088-9840-6 | | | | | |
| Mansfield Park | Jane Austen | OUP | ISBN-10: 9780199535538 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Two essays 1,500 words each | Essays should be typed and follow MLA style guidelines and include secondary sources. Each essay is worth 20% of the final grade. | 40% |
| Presentation | Students will do a visual and oral presentation which will provide historical context to our reading for the week. This material may be developed into the final Storymap project. | 10% |
| Participation | Attendance is mandatory and does not contribute to participation grades. Participation involves class collaboration and demonstration that students have read and engaged with the material. Students may be asked to do reader responses or to formulate discussion questions for the day's reading. | 10% |
| Final Exam | | 20% |
| Term Test | | 10% |
| Storymap Project | Students will receive training in how to use Storymap JS and will produce a storymap on an assigned topic. Storymaps might be related to plotting the influence of slave narratives on a specific novel, or mapping the use of slave tropes and concerns between novels. Storymaps can also explore a theme related to our discussion of slavery and literature. Suggested topics will be provided. The material used in the presentations may also be developed in the Storymap project. In this project students are expected to include written material with appropriate MLA citations. | 10% |
| Honors assignment | Students who take this course for Honors will meet with me to devise what will be done to complete their qualification. Students may be asked to read extra material and will be required to do some more critical writing. They may want to give an additional presentation. Deadlines for completion of Honors requirements are to be determined by the second week of class. | Pass-Fail (a pass is a B grade) |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance is mandatory. Students who miss more than three classes -- whether absences are justifiable (religious holidays, illness, funeral attendance) or not -- will be required to produce an additional five-page essay assignment to be arranged with the instructor and due no later than the last week of classes, to avoid an overall reduction of their final grade for the class. Final grades are reduced by one grade level (an overall final grade of A- will change to B+, for example) once absences exceed three in a semester. Should absences exceed six, students will be asked to withdraw from the class or will be required to do additional work beyond the extra essay assignment, to justify their participation in the course. It is advisable to notify the professor by the beginning of the second week of classes, if you know you will be absent from class for religious or other reasons. Two late arrivals count as one absence.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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EN 399 Transatlantic Influences: Slavery and Literature
This is a Moodle course. More detailed information about readings and assignments are to be found on the Moodle each week. On registration for the class, students will be given the Moodle key to access the course.
Week 1
Tues. Sept. 3
Introduction to the course and its requirements
Thurs. Sept. 5
Historical context to British and American slavery, and the transatlantic slave trade.
Read excerpts from The Narrative of the Life of Ouladah Equiano and The Narrative of Mary Prince, Written by Herself
Week 2
Tues. Sept. 10
Jane Austen Mansfield Park
TRAINING DAY for STORYMAP Projects
Tues. Sept. 17
Jane Austen Mansfield Park
Thurs. Sept. 19
Jane Austen Mansfield Park
Fri. Sept. 20 (Makeup day for Nov. 1)
Jane Austen Mansfield Park
Week 4
Tues. Sept. 24
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
Thurs. Sept. 26
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
Week 5
Tues. Oct. 1
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs
Thurs. Oct. 3. FIRST ESSAY DUE
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs
Week 6
Tues. Oct. 8
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Harriet Jacobs
Thurs. Oct. 10
Charles Dickens Dombey and Son
Week 7
Tues. Oct. 15
Charles Dickens Dombey and Son
Thurs. Oct. 17
Charles Dickens Dombey and Son
Week 8
Tues. Oct. 22
Charles Dickens Dombey and Son
Thurs. Oct. 24
Charles Dickens Dombey and Son
Week 9
Tues. Oct. 29
NO CLAS (Makeup class Storymap presentations in last week of class TBA)
Thurs. Oct. 31 Term Test
Week 10
Tues. Nov. 5
Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go
Thurs. Nov. 7
Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go
Week 11
Tues. Nov. 12
Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go
Thurs. Nov. 14
Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go
Week 12
Tues. Nov. 19
Colson Whitehead The Underground Railroad
Thurs. Nov. 21
Colson Whitehead The Underground Railroad
Week 13
Tues. Nov. 26 Second Essay Due
Colson Whitehead The Underground Railroad
Thurs. Nov. 28 Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 14
Tues. Dec. 3
Colson Whitehead The Underground Railroad
Thurs. Dec. 5
Summing up and Storymap presentations
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