Course Objectives:

1. Analyse the characters and modes of dramatization of some representative fiction written in the United States in the 20^th century.
2. Describe different narrative techniques used by those selected American writers of the period.
3. Compare and contrast some of the social and psychological themes and literary images developed by those fiction writers.
4. Analyse the links between American literature and American society with respect to political advocacy, explicit or implicit criticism of middle-class values, and the persistent invocation of the American dream.
5. Evaluate samples of literary criticism by commenting on the intellectual rigor, bias and style of each critic.
6. Identify selected excerpts and comment on their significance.
7. Compare cinema productions of these great books and compare them with the masterpieces themselves.

Evaluation and Grading:

Students will be evaluated and graded by the following criteria:

1. Class participation and attendance: 10% (no more than 5 unexcused absences are permitted).
2. Final: 20% (open book)
3. Presentation: 15%
4. Research Paper: 15%
5. 4  in-class essays and out-class assignments: 40%

The following criteria will be considered for any writing assessment in this course:

1. Outstanding GradeA/A-:

This is outstanding writing which reflects a perceptive and thoughtful response to the assignment.  It is well organized with excellent development of its ideas and reflects the writer's command of appropriate rhetorical strategies.  The prose is vigorous and fresh, and the writer is clearly in control of the standard conventions of English prose.  There are no errors in the mechanics of writing

1. Very good Grade B/B-:

This is very good writing that fulfils the assignment and shows evidence of clear thought and good planning.  It is well organized with good supporting details.  The writing is fluent, and there are only minor errors in the mechanics of writing which do not detract from a reading of it.

1. Satisfactory  Grade C/C-

This is satisfactory writing that fulfils the assignment and is adequately developed.  The writing is clear and coherent with relatively few errors in usage and mechanics, but the writer fails to demonstrate any particular strength that would mark this writing above average.

1. Below Average Grade D/D-

This is below-average writing which fulfils the assignment but exhibits major problems in writing.  It may have difficulty with the presentation of ideas (e.g., lack of clear thesis, weak organization, poor development of ideas, or incoherence), or it may reflect poor control of the conventions of standard English prose (e.g., poor use of idiom, inappropriate diction, poor spelling) or be marred by enough errors in the mechanics of writing to seriously distract the reader.

1. Unsatisfactory  Grade F

This is writing that relates to the topic but is so poorly presented that it fails to fulfil the assignment.  It fails to present its basic ideas, either because of poor organization and lack of clarity or because the writing reflects a lack of control over the basic conventions of standard English usage.  There may be sentence boundary problems, poor use of idiom, inappropriate diction (words used incorrectly), agreement errors, or verb tense problems.

-The grades in letters for the in-class and out-class assignments are equivalent to the following numbers:

A     : 10

A-    : 9.5

B+    : 9

B     : 8.5

B-    :8

C+   : 7.5

C     :7

C-  : 6.5

D+: 6

D: 5.5

D-: 5

Below that is a failing grade (F)

Final Assessment   Criteria:

A = 95-100     B = 83-86     C = 72-75

A- = 91-94      B- = 80-82    C- = 68-71

B+ = 86-90     C+ = 76-79    D = 60-68

Presentations

Each student is expected to read all the assigned material and to come to class prepared to engage in discussions and to answer any quiz questions, so each student is required to read all the novels and criticism assigned on every lecture. In addition, at the beginning of the course, each student will be assigned a presentation on one aspect in one of the 4 novels and will assume the responsibility of leading the class in discussions that will allow us to comprehend the most important elements in each novel. The presentations should tackle:

Biographical data of the novelist

Plot summary of the novel

Setting

Characters

Themes

Conflicts

Structures

Narrative techniques and modes

Review of the Critics

- To make their presentations worthwhile, students are requested to research and write an essay (research paper) of about 1600 words min. on the novels they are presenting. The research paper is due the same day of the presentation. It should be double-spaced, typed with proper margins and it should follow the MLA standard of citation and in-text documentation. The presentations should be at least 40 minutes long.

Quizzes:

Our major business in this class is to read. In order to encourage you to so and in order to reward your diligence, we will have a short quiz every week. If you have done the reading, these quizzes will seem very easy. If you have not, not only will you do poorly, you will have to suffer through one of the most boring things possible: a lengthy discussion of something you haven’t read. At the end of the semester, all of these will be averaged together to form a major grade.