History of American literature 1.S3.EP.38
The course complements the Literary Interpretations 2 in the winter semester (the third semester).
Course objectives:
- to convey the knowledge of the ideological and aesthetic hallmarks of Modernism, Postmodernism, Puritan literature, the Enlightenment, the Romantic novel and realism;
- to present major problems, currents and motifs characteristic of discussed periods of American literature;
- to place the cultural heritage of the United States of America in the broader context of the world’s heritage;
- to shed light on interconnections between the American literary and philosophical heritage and the world’s literary and philosophical heritage;
- to make students apply basic terminology used in literary studies and related discipline
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Course content:
Modernist poetry: Avant-Garde: e.e. cummings (“The Cambridge Ladies,” “next to of course god America,” “Buffalo Bill’s defunct,” “pity this busy monster, manunkind,” “it may not always be so;”) Imagism: William Carlos Williams (“Young Sycamore,” “The Red Wheelbarrow,” “This is Just to Say”); A transitional poet: Robert Frost (“Mending Wall,” “The Road Not Taken”);
Summing up of Modernism, an overview of major trends in Modernist prose
Postmodern literature and Postmodern Aesthetics: Toni Morrison, “Recitatif,” Maxine Hong Kingston, “No Name Woman” (excerpts from The Woman Warrior); A presentation of Postmodern aesthetics and an overview of Postmodern prose
History of first English speaking colonies in America; John Smith, The General History of Virginia, New England – an excerpt
Puritan literature:
• Anne Bradstreet, “Upon Burning of Our House”
• Edward Taylor, “Upon a Spider Catching a Fly,” “Huswifery,” “Meditation One,” “Meditation Eight”
• William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation – excerpts
Literature of the Enlightenment:
• John Hector St. John de Crẻvecoeur, Letters from an American Farmer: “What is an American”
• Benjamin Franklin, The Autobiography (fragments)
Summing up of the Enlightenment; the Great Awakening; slave narratives of the period
Transcendentalist literature:
Introduction to Transcendentalism
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The Essay on Self-Reliance”
Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself,” Leaves of Grass
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter; An overview of other Romantic novels
Beat poetry: Allen Ginsberg, “Supermarket in California”
An overview of selected realist prose works: Mark Twain, Henry James.
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Methods of instruction/ forms of classroom activity:
lecture, presentation, discussion, reading of literary works, analysis and interpretation of selected literary works, group and individual assignments, written work, audio-visual equipment; e-learning/MSTeams option if needed
Field of study
Student workload
Study level
Education profile
Type of course
The semester in which the subject is carried out
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes acc to PQR
Knowledge:
The student knows and understands:
1. the ideological and aesthetic hallmarks of such literary periods as Puritan literature, the Enlightenment and Romanticism (k_W11/ P6S_WG)
2. the theories, methodology and general and terminology of literature (k_W02/P6S_WG)
Skills
Student can:
3. present major problems, currents and motifs characteristic of discussed periods of American literature; (k_U01/P6S_UW)
4. analyse texts and do research using knowledge of literature (k_U06/P6S_UK)
5. apply basic terminology used in literary studies and related disciplines (k_U07/ P6S_UO)
Social competences
Student:
6. is able to shed light on mutual interconnections between the American literary and philosophical heritage as well as the world’s literary and philosophical heritage (k_K02/P6S_KK)
7. is ready to place the cultural heritage of the United States of America in the broader context of the world’s literary, philosophical and cultural heritage (k_K03/ P6S_KO)
Assessment criteria
Evaluation of learning outcomes :
1. Written test – 70% of the final grade (outcomes: 1,2,4,5,6,7)
2. Active participation in class discussion (outcomes 1,2,3,4,5,6,7), individual and group assignments (outcomes 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) - 30%
Criteria of evaluation
Test marks are graded according to the following framework:
0 – 50 points / grade 2,0 (fail): 0–49%
51 – 60 points / grade 3,0 (average): 50–60%
61 – 70 points / grade 3,5 (plus average): 61–70%
71 – 80 points / grade 4,0 (good): 71–80%
81 – 90 points / grade 4,5 (plus good): 81–90%
91 – 100 points / grade 5,0 (very good): 91–100%
Individual and group assignments are graded according to the following criteria:
1) analysis and interpretation of selected materials
2) precision and exhaustiveness
3) linguistic correctness and manner of delivery
Bibliography
Further reading:
Abrams, M. H. (1993) A Glossary of Literary Terms. New York, Harcourt.
Baldick, C. (1996) Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford, OUP.
Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology American Literature. New York: Norton, 2002.
Bradley, A. et. al. The American Tradition in Literature. New York: Random House, 1980.
Cunliffe, M. The Literature of the United States. New York: Penguin, 1986.
Day, Martin. A Handbook for American Literature. New York: Crane, Russak, 1976.
Lauter, Paul. The Heath Anthology of American Literature: Colonial Period To 1800, Volume A. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Company, 2005.
-------. Heath Anthology of American Literature, Vol. 2. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Company, 2005.
Salska, Agnieszka. Historia Literatury Amerykańskiej XX wieku. Kraków: Universitas, 2003.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: