Week 1
Th., 1/30 – What will the course be like?
Turn in
- Contract suggestions
Week 2
Th., 2/6 – This is America?
Turn in
- Letter of Introduction
- Annotate any of the documents on Manifold at least once.
Read
- de Tocqueville: Democracy in America (Ch. 1-2)
- Irving: History of New York (“Account of the Author”, “To the Public”, Book I-Chap. 5, Book II-Chap. 1)
- Irving: Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (“Rip Van Winkle”)
- Dickens: American Notes (Chap. IV)
Week 3
Th., 2/13 – Sentimental Economies
Turn in
- Response 1
- Post: Sadiq, Ahadova, Martinez
Read
- Foster: The Coquette (all)
- Stanton: Report of the Woman’s Rights Convention (all, but focus on “Declaration of Sentiments”)
- [In future versions of this course, maybe sub Fern: Ruth Hall (chapt. 1) for Stanton]
Week 4
Th., 2/20 – Exiles
Turn in
- Response 2
- Post: Gobin, Sagu, Botta, Hussaini
Read
- Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter (“The Custom-House”-Chap. XI)
- Truth: “Ain’t I a Woman?”
Week 5
Th., 2/27 – Imps
Turn in
- Response 3
- Post: Yadgarov, Reiss, Holmes, Lalchand
Read
- The Scarlet Letter (Chap. XII-End)
- Woolson: Rodman the Keeper (“Felipa”)
Week 6
Th., 3/5 – Withdrawing
Turn in
- Response 4
- Post: Chiew, Montoya, Sabbagh
Read
- Emerson: Essays: First Series (“Self-Reliance”)
- Thoreau: Walden (“Economy” [From beginning to the first break]; “Where I live and What I lived for”; “Sounds”; “Visitors” )
- Melville: “Bartleby, the Scrivner: A Story of Wall Street”
- Whitman: “Death in the School Room: A Fact”
- Gilman: “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Week 7
Th., 3/12 – Rebels
Turn in
- Response 5
- Post: Melgar, Joseph, Giamaras
Read
- Gray: Confessions of Nat Turner
- Douglass: Narrative of Frederick Douglass
Week 8
Th., 3/19 – “The Lowly”
Read
- Stowe: Uncle Tom’s Cabin (TBD)
Week 9
Th., 3/26 – Low Theory
Turn in
- Essay 1
Read
- Jacobs: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (TBD)
- Halberstam: The Queer Art of Failure (“Low Theory”)
Week 10
Th., 4/2 – Quiet Riot (choose last novel)
Turn in
- Response 6
- Post: Avalo, Gregov, Asare
Read
- Douglass: Oration Delivered in Corinthian Hall, Rochester
- Peabody: “Resistance to Civil Government”
- Melville: “Benito Cereno”
Week 11
NO CLASS
Week 12
NO CLASS
Week 13
Th., 4/23 – Sensational Politics
Turn in
- Response 7
- Post; Aroca, Sami, Mohan
Read
- Brown: Clotel (TBD)
- Douglass: My Bondage, My Freedom (TBD)
- Barnum: The Life of P.T. Barnum (Chapt. VII)
Week 14
Th., 4/30 –
Turn in
- Response 8
- Post: Yolanda, Patwary, Long
Read
- Twain: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (TBD)
- Morrison: “This Amazing, Troubling Book”
- Eliot: “Introduction to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn“
Week 15
Th., 5/7 –
Turn in
- Response 9
- Post: Rasic, Moy, Kaur
Read
- Twain (TBD)
Week 16
Th., 5/14 – LAST DAY OF CLASS
Read
- Twain (TBD)
. . . and beyond
Su., May 24 – LAST DAY TO TURN IN ALL WORK
