Course Assignments

Changes to the syllabus will be made to accommodate class needs as necessary. These changes will be reflected in the online syllabus. If you need to contact me by e-mail at fidallas@svsu.edu, the e-mail message should contain the course number and section, as well as your name in the subject line to prevent your e-mail from being misplaced as possible spam.

The reading and response assignments will provide an opportunity to examine and critique African American literature from various perspectives that consider historical, economic, political, religious and cultural contexts. Quizzes provide the opportunity for the student to assess their understanding of literary analyses of texts and associated features. The focused research presentation offers an opportunity for students to discuss and interpret literary texts in a more specific manner. The research paper offers the student an opportunity to more thoroughly investigate and comment on a particular author and that author's works.

Course weekly schedule:
Activities are DUE on the date indicated by the course schedule. Please review to plan your time wisely.

Reading responses:
Each student will turn in a two- or three-page typewritten response to the reading on the day indicated by the schedule. Please use one-inch margins, and double-space your writing. The font size should be at least 10-point but no larger than 12-point. Please do not justify the text, or use proportional spacing to "extend" your response, or I will reduce your grade as necessary. The grade on your response will be based on these criteria, and your reading response should address one of the following prompts--or you may fashion a question of your own choosing. Please ensure that you provide evidence of having read the assigned readings. In your response indicate the prompt or question being responded to, and cite specific page numbers of the text that you refer to in your response, if you do so:

• How does the reading examine "African American literature"?
• Relate a similar story from your experience to one in the reading.
• Which character do you admire the most? Why?
• Identify or select a sentence or two that strikes you as important or controversial. Why?
• Select a literary term from A Handbook to Literature and explain its use in the text.
• Explain the use of figurative language in the reading.

Quizzes:
There will be a quiz every three weeks about the previous weeks assigned reading, and selected literary terms. Quizzes will not be made up if missed.

Focused research presentation:
For each of the three novels we read, each student will do additional research into an area that will offer additional insight on an historical, economic, political, religious or cultural aspect that bears on the text under discussion. The student will then informally present this information, taking the time to link the insights to the text under discussion, as well as respond to any questions from the class.

Individual student conferences:
In order to provide effective and timely student feedback about the course, two conferences will be scheduled during the semester in order to give feedback on the course thus far and to discuss your research paper. These are scheduled for September 27th and 29th, and again on November 8th and 10th.

Mid-term examination:
This exam is scheduled for October 13, and will cover readings assigned in the class thus far. It will consist of identifying characters and relationships, their situations, and connections to literary terms discussed thus far. There will be some short answers, matching responses, and identification of thematic plots. There is no make up.

Research paper:
A major paper of five- to seven-pages will be due on December 1st. The topic will be an exploratory examination of an author listed on page 1114 of New Bones. This examination will discuss one or more of the author's works, and critique or analyze how that work relates to a historical or contemporary situation, or how that work exemplifies any of the literary terms we will discuss in class. More detailed information on this research paper will be discussed later. An author choice is due September 13th. A specific theme of exploration and outline is due September 22th. The first draft of the paper (including 5 to 10 sources, only of which two may be Internet web sites) is due October 18th. The second draft is due November 15th. The final version is due December 1st. Each of the first two drafts will be read and commented on by your classmates. We will discuss thematic ideas and how to set up an outline in class, as well as review the research paper rubric and guidelines.

Portfolio and response:
You will keep your response papers, focused research presentation materials, and the research paper topic/outline information, and first and final drafts in a plain two-pocket folder. This folder and its contents will be considered your class portfolio. At the end of the course, you will review your work on Black literature and respond to the prompt: "Is African American literature necessary to show the complexity of life, or can non-Black authors address this complexity? Why or why not?" Your response should be two to three pages long, in a simliar format as the reading responses. The portfolio and your response to the prompt are due December 13th by 5 p.m.

Final examination:
This exam is scheduled for December 13, and will cover Blanche on the Lam, Ghost Singer, and Patternmaster. There is no make up.