Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 306i"
COURSE NAME: "Slavery in the Literary Imagination- HONORS (This course carries 4 semester hours of credits. A minimum CUM GPA of 3.5 is required)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2024

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:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
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. From that understanding, students will then consider how aspects of these narratives are deployed or reworked in a selection of novels. 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.
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.

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, focusing on both form and content. Novels to be read include Jane Austen's Mansfield Park, Toni Morrison's Beloved, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the recent retelling of that novel, James by Percival Everett 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.

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.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Local Bookstore
Beloved	Ton	Random House	10:9780099760115
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn	Mark Twain	Norton	9780393284164	Almost Corner Bookshop
James	Percival Everett	Palgrave McMillan	9781035031245	Almost Corner Bookshop
Never Let Me Go	Kazuo Ishiguro	Faber and Faber	978-0-571-25809-3	Almost Corner Bookshop
Mansfield Park	Jane Austen	OUP	10:9780199535538	Almost Corner Bookshop
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl	Douglass and Jacobs	Modern library	978-0-679-78328-2	Almost Corner Bookshop

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Two essays 1, 500 words for the first essay (20%) and 2,000 words for the second (25%)	Essays should be typed and follow MLA style guidelines and include secondary sources. The first essay is worth 20% of the final grade and the second essay is worth 25% of the final grade.	45%
Presentations (2)	Class size depending, students will do one to two short 10 minute visual and oral presentations which will provide historical context to our reading for the week. Powerpoints should demonstrate research on the topic along with a final Works Cited slide in MLA citation style.	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	Students will be given an essay prompt in advance of the exam and will be expected to arrive at the exam with a planned outline for an essay which they will write in the 2.5 hours of the exam period. Essay plans will be submitted along with their final essay (about 1,000 words).	20%
Term Test	The term test is designed to assess your understanding of slave narrative conventions and forms and their application to the class readings.	15%
Honors student assignments	Students who take this course for Honors are required to write 1,500 more words of critical writing and to do an extra presentation on a topic to be arranged with the Instructor.	Pass Fail

-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.

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.

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.

SCHEDULE

EN 306 or EN 306H Transatlantic Influences: Slavery and Literature

Week 1

Tues.
Introduction to the course and its requirements

Thurs
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.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Thurs.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Week 3

Tues.

Chapter Selections from Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Thurs.

Chapter Selections from Harriet Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

Fri. Makeup day for Thanksgiving

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Week 4

Tues.

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Thurs.

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Week 5

Tues.

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Thurs.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Read Toni Morrison's essay on Twain in the Norton edition of the novel

Week 6

Tues.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Thurs.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Week 7

Tues.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Thurs.

MID-TERM EXAM

Week 8

Tues.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Thurs.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Week 9

Tues.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Thurs.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Week 10

Tues.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Thurs.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Week 11

Tues.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Thurs.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Week 12

Tues.

Percival Everett James

Thurs.

Percival Everett James

Week 13

Tues.

Percival Everett James

Thurs. NO CLASS Thanksgiving Holiday

Week 14

Tues.

Percival Everett James

Thurs.

Summing Up

EN 306 or EN 306H Transatlantic Influences: Slavery and Literature

Week 1

Tues.
Introduction to the course and its requirements

Thurs
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.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Thurs.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

Week 3

Tues.

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Thurs.

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Fri. Makeup day for Thanksgiving

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Week 4

Tues.

Jane Austen Mansfield Park

Thurs.

Week 5

Tues.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Thurs.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Week 6

Tues.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Thurs.

Toni Morrison Beloved

Week 7

Tues.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Thurs.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Week 8

Tues.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Thurs.

Kazuo Ishiguro Never Let Me Go

Week 9

Tues.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Thurs.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Week 10

Tues.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Thurs.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Week 11

Tues.

Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Thurs.

James, Percival Everett

Week 12

Tues.

James, Percival Everett

Thurs.

James, Percival Everett

Week 13

Tues.

James, Percival Everett

Thurs. NO CLASS Thanksgiving Holiday

Week 14

Tues.

James, Percival Everett

Thurs.

Summing Up