Assimilation and Americanization

in Late 19th Century American Literature

English 395 - Spring 2011 - MWF 10AM - MYBK 210

Course Description
We will examine literature of inclusion/exclusion and assimilation/alienation in the US Instructor
across the turn of the twentieth century. Our readings, primarily fiction and
autobiography, will include writing by African Americans, Eastern European Jewish Dr. J. Michael Duvall
immigrants, Native Americans, and Chinese immigrants. Our primary means of coming 26 Glebe St. #103
to terms with these texts will be informed reading, writing, and discussion. 843.953.4833
duvalljm@cofc.edu
NB: This course will count toward the pre-1900 American literature requirement for the Office Hours: Tues. 1:30-3PM
"old" English major and the Literature in History, 1700-1900 requirement in the "new" & Wed. 1-2PM and by appt.
English major. It also counts toward the African American Studies minor.
Texts
Online Learning Management System - OAKS
Course packet in two volumes
In this section of 395, we will use OAKS (Online Academic Knowledge System), the new with most of the course readings
learning management system that will replace WebCT at the College of Charleston (available in the campus
beginning this May. OAKS will be central to this class: you will need to login to the system bookstore)
regularly to find out about upcoming reading and other assignments, to take
quizzes, submit papers, get grades and feedback on your class work, and so on. Various handouts and PDFs
available on OAKS
To log in, open MyCharleston <my.cofc.edu> in a browser and click on the acorn
image at the top of the web page on the right, just beneath the “MyCharleston” Course Goals
banner. When you log in, you should easily find a the link to the ENGL 395 course page.
Should you have any problems, contact me. We will take class time as needed to Students successfully completing
understand the system, but the primary responsibility for learning how to use it falls on your this class will be able to:
shoulders. • define, with respect to the
complexities, subjectivity,
Assignments
assimilation, and Americanization
• short miscellaneous assignments & quizzes (10% of the class grade) - short in-class and related terms/concepts and
and out-of-class reading quizzes and other assignments designed to help you think apply these in discussions of
about the readings, formulate problems and questions for class discussion, respond to literary texts
the readings, and so on. Please note: grades for in-class assignments cannot be made • discuss how literary texts work
up. out issues of marginality within
some of the historical conditions
• collaborative note-taking (10% of the class grade) - for nearly each meeting of the of the late 19th and early 20th
class, pairs of students will be responsible for taking notes and uploading their edited
• articulate a substantial, research-
notes to OAKS 24 hours before the next class meeting (this will be done twice). The notes based, textual analysis and
will be shared with the entire class. I will provide guidelines for this assignment shortly. argument
• synthesis papers (3) (30% of the class grade) - short papers (3-5 pages) that are
designed to bring together the ideas and texts discussed in each of the class's units of study. This class has four such
units (see below): for your first two papers, you will write synthesis papers for units 1 & 2. For the third paper, you will write
on your choice of unit 3 or 4. Due dates are on the course calendar in OAKS, assignment sheets forthcoming.
• critcal paper (25% of the class grade) - based on an approved proposal, you will write a 10-15 page argumentative,
researched essay focused on historically-informed analysis and interpretation of one or more literary text. A first draft will
be required. Five days at the end of the semester have been set aside for intensive peer-review and group workshopping.
• final examination (25% of the class grade) - a cumulative examination emphasizing content knowledge, analysis,
interpretation, and synthesis of connections between texts across the entire semester.

Attendance, Preparation for Class, Missed and Late Assignments

There is no grade penalty in this class for failure to attend a certain number of classes. If you are serious about your
education and I am serious about offering something that goes beyond what you could just as easily do on your own, then
the attendance issue should sort itself out. Nonetheless, attendance will be taken and I will expect you to come to class on
time.

Please note: the problem with not attending class really goes beyond missing “things,” in the sense of missing material or
“content” delivered on a particular day. When you are not here, you miss out on the conversation, and thus you miss out on

ENGL 395 - Assimilation and Americanization in Late 19th Century American Literature - Syllabus 1
the very process of the course itself. For me, the process is, in many
ways, the real “content” of the course. PERCENTAGE EQUIVALENTS FOR
FINAL COURSE GRADES
Since the conversations we will be having in this class are so important,
I feel it’s also worth saying a few words here about the kind of class
climate we all need to cultivate in order to have productive (and I hope A= 94-100 A- = 91-93
enjoyable) meetings. We will inevitably broach controversial issues in
this class: religion, race, gender, ideology, sexuality, and more. (Literary B+ = 88-90 B = 84-87 B- = 81-83 
studies puts everything on the table.) I will do my best to foster an C+ = 78-80 C= 74-77 C- = 71-73
atmosphere of mutual respect, openness, and fairness, balanced with
high intellectual standards for backing up the positions we may take. I D+ = 68-70 D= 64-67 D- = 61-63
ask you to do the same.
F = 60 and below
As for late assignments, I penalize late major assignments at the rate of
10% off the final grade per calendar day late. Other late assignments I will take on a case-by-case basis, offering some
credit for late work or no credit, depending on the nature of the assignment. However, I offer no make-ups for missed in-class
writing (another reason you should come to class).

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism

I treat plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty with utmost seriousness.  If I suspect an assignment to be
plagiarized or in some other way not the student's own work, I assign the grade of zero for the assignment and will likely
report the violation to the Honor Board for further review and action. Please consult The Honor System at the College of
Charleston, available online at <http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/honor-system/index.php>, for a full statement on the college’s
honor code.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

The College makes appropriate accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students who would like these
accommodations should apply at the Center for Disability Services located on the first floor of the Lightsey Center, Suite 104.
Students approved for accommodations are responsible for notifying me as soon as possible and for contacting me one
week before accommodation is needed. Should you have questions about disability services at the College of Charleston,
please contact the Center for Disability Services at 953-1431 or visit their website at <http://disabilityservices.cofc.edu/>.

Course of Study and Calendar of Readings & Assignments

The readings for the semester are broken into four major units, as described below.
Unit 1 - Eastern European Jewish Immigrant Writing 
Unit 2 - Chinese Immigrant Writing
Unit 3 - Native American Writing
Unit 4 - African American Writing
The first three units will be completed by Spring Break, the remaining one, after the break, followed by draft workshops for
critical papers.

The dates below are the due dates for major assignments (subject to change with ample notification) and other important
dates that you may want to record in your own calendars. For the day-to-day list of readings and assignments, see the
calendar posted on OAKS. It is imperative that you check this calendar regularly in case there are any changes and so that
you can come to class having completed the reading and otherwise adequately prepared.

Mon., Jan. 17 Martin Luther King Holiday - No Class

Fri., Feb. 4 Synthesis Paper #1
Fri., Feb. 25 Synthesis Paper #2
Mar. 7 - 11 Spring Break
Fri., Mar. 18 Synthesis Paper #3 (note: turn in either #3 or #4)
Mon., Apr. 11 Synthesis Paper #4 (note: turn in either #3 or #4)
Wed. Apr. 13 - Fri. Apr. 22 Critical Paper Workshops (Proposal & Draft Due Dates TBA)
Mon., Apr. 25 Critical Paper Due
Wed., May 4 Final Exam (8-11AM)

ENGL 400 - The Literature of Assimilation and Americanization, 1877-1919 - Syllabus 2