BIS 379 (LN 2145)

American Ethnic Literatures

David S. Goldstein, Ph.D.

No understanding of the literature and culture of ethnic groups in the United States is complete without understanding how each group affected and was affected by the others. Therefore, in this course, we will take a comparative approach to these communities and their cultural productions, considering how the experiences of each group changed the lives of the others and vice versa as we study fiction produced by members of these communities.

Recent scholarship has demonstrated that modes of criticism need to be formulated for these ethnic literatures because many of those used for "mainstream," Euro-American literature are not as universal as once believed by some mainstream literary critics. We therefore will examine some first-rate criticism developed for ethnic literatures. Ethnic writers' interest in and celebration of community--an orientation perhaps at odds with the Euro-American theme of individualism--will serve as a basis of comparison among the works we study. We also will examine films that add further dimension to our understanding of ethnic literatures and the communities and experiences that they imagine and describe.

We also will learn how to think and write about literature, including a focus on critical thinking.

This course, in addition to counting toward the Culture, Literature, and the Arts concentration <http://www.uwb.edu/IAS/degrees/BLS/CLA/index.html> and the American Studies concentration <http://www.uwb.edu/IAS/degrees/BLS/AMS/index.html> in the Interdisciplinary Studies major is open to anyone interested in the topic. It will include careful consideration of issues and methods of literary study, including how and why the American literary canon developed and how it is changing. Because any career you choose will require skills in critical textual analysis, in the synthesis of disparate kinds of information, and in written and oral communication, this course should be valuable to students of any major. I strongly recommend that Interdisciplinary Studies students take BIS 300 before enrolling in this course.  Previous coursework in textual analysis (cinema or literature, for example) is helpful, but, because this is a 300-level course, I do not assume that students have a strong background in literature.  This course will provide a foundation.

Some course materials deal with mature subject matter that might make some students uncomfortable. Students who feel able to deal with emotional discomfort for the purpose of learning are welcome in this course.  Note, also, that university work typically entails encounters with materials and ideas that some may view as offensive in some way.  It is impossible for any one person to anticipate every way in which a member of a learning community will respond to any given stimulus.  As a professional, I promise to do my best to select materials that offer significant learning opportunities, and to explicate the learning outcomes that I hope for through the use of such materials.  You have a right to know why you are doing the work that I assign, and I have the responsibility to make my goals clear.  Your responsibility is to try to work through whatever discomfort or confusion or even offense that you might feel in order to learn as much as you can from the experience.  I recognize students' responses--cognitive, emotional, and evaluative--to be valid.  Ultimately, however, I ask you to recognize that stressing your mind makes it stronger, just as stressing a muscle makes it stronger.  Also, please recognize that I do not necessarily like or agree with materials that I present.  I present them only because I think that they offer learning opportunities.  Please do not assume that I advocate a point of view represented in the materials that I assign.

Course texts (available in the UWB Bookstore [save your receipts for a patronage refund] and in library reserve/reference). Note: Click here <http://tinyurl.com/6pamk> to order books online. Click on the link for the appropriate quarter, then enter the line number (LN) shown at the top of this page for "UW SLN Code" (leave other spaces blank) and hit 'enter.' All items have been ordered; contact the bookstore if some materials are not listed.

• REQUIRED: Barnet, Sylvan, and William E. Cain. A Short Guide to Writing about Literature, 10th ed. New York: Longman, 2006. (ISBN 0321330730)
• REQUIRED: Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. 1985. New York: Vintage, 1991. (ISBN 0679734775)
• REQUIRED: Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. 1984. New York: HarperCollins, 1993 (ISBN 0060975547)
• REQUIRED: Jen, Gish. Mona in the Promised Land. 1996. New York: Random House, 1997. (ISBN 0679776508)
• REQUIRED: Wideman, John Edgar. Sent for You Yesterday. 1983. New York: Houghton-Mifflin, 1997. (ISBN 0395877296)
• OPTIONAL (STRONGLY RECOMMENDED)*: Axelrod, Rise B. and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin's Guide to Writing, 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004. (ISBN 0312434030)

Grading: Your grade will be based on these assignments, which are described on separate pages online (links will be activated when ready):

Research essay (working thesis and preliminary bibliography due in midquarter portfolio on April 20; optional preliminary submission in optional portfolio submission due on May 16; final version due in final portfolio on May 30)	50 percent
Learning portfolio (including reflective essay of 600-1000 words, due May 30)	10 percent
In-class and online participation	40 percent
TOTAL	100 percent

A note about grades: I know that students often need to juggle school, work, family, and other obligations. I never second-guess students' priorities, and I never think less of students who choose to devote more time and effort to one of these other obligations rather than to an assignment or the course as a whole. I respect the maturity of students who establish their priorities, make difficult choices, and accept the consequences of those decisions. Also, remember that your grade is based solely on my professional assessment of the quantity and quality of your work, not on your effort or on my opinion of you as an individual.

Schedule (readings are cited by author and are listed below under "Reserves List"):

*Reserves list (except as noted, in "Course Documents" area of Blackboard):

• Kolb, Harold H., Jr. "Defining the Canon." Redefining American Literary History. Eds. A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff and Jerry W. Ward, Jr. New York: MLA, 1990. 35-51.
• Lauter, Paul. "The Literatures of America: A Comparative Discipline." Redefining American Literary History. Eds. A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff and Jerry W. Ward, Jr. New York: MLA, 1990. 10-34.
• Lowe, John. "Multicultural Literature in the United States: Advent and Process." U.S. Society and Values 5.1 (February 2000): 7-10.
• "Policy on Academic and Behavioral Conduct." Online. <http://www.uwb.edu/students/policies/integrity.html>.

Media list:

• Girls Like Us. Dir. Tina Di Felicitiantonio and Jane C. Weaver. Independent Television Service, 1997. BOT-1874. 60 min. View in class on April 18.
• In Black and White: John Wideman. Dir. Matteo Bellinelli. RTSI Swiss TV and California Newsreel, 1992. BOT-617 pt. 6. 26 min. View in class on April 27.
• Mississippi Masala. Dir. Mira Nair. Black River Productions, et al., 1991. BOT-588. 117 min. View on your own before May 23.
• Once Upon a Time ... When We Were Colored. Dir. Tim Reid. BET Pictures, 1995. BOTDVD-36. 113 min. View in class on April 27 and May 2.
• Separate Lives, Broken Dreams. Dir. Jennie F. Lew. KPIX and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, 1994. BOT-2004. 49 min. View in class on May 9.
• Smoke Signals. Dir. Chris Eyre. ShadowCatcher, 1990.  BOTDVD-53.  129 min.  View on your own before April 6 class.
  

This schedule is subject to change. The most current schedule will always be posted here <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/BIS379Syl.html> for your reference, and changes will be announced in class, by e-mail, or both. This course has no final examination.

Keep a copy of all submitted work. No extra credit or paper re-writes will be permitted except as noted, but I will gladly assist you with your work. In-class exercises cannot be made up for any reason because the group interaction is irreproducible. (See below for information on contribution.) Keep all graded materials; Interdisciplinary Studies majors will need them for their senior seminar portfolio.

In accordance with University policy, I give Incompletes only if you are passing the course and attending class to within two weeks of the end of the quarter, and then only in extenuating circumstances that can be proven.

If you believe that you have a disability and would like academic accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services at (425) 352-5307 or at rlundborg@uwb.edu. After an initial intake appointment, you should be prepared to provide documentation of your disability in order to receive assistance. See <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/students/dss/index.html> for more information.

I am very strict about deadlines, for two reasons: (1) I have very limited grading time, and late papers make it hard for me to return graded papers in a timely manner; and (2) I want everyone to have exactly the same amount of work time for the sake of fairness. Please do not put me in the position of trying to decide arbitrarily how late is "late." Take responsibility for submitting work when it is due, not ten minutes, two hours, or a day later. (Note that many assignments are due electronically on days and at times when we are not meeting in class.) Rest assured that everyone is being treated equally. Late assignments will be accepted only in extenuating circumstances that could not have been anticipated, and only as specified; disincentives will apply as specified.

IMPORTANT: I insist on academic integrity. You are responsible for understanding all aspects of University regulations regarding academic integrity. Breaches of academic integrity, including but not limited to cheating (e.g., copying another person's work or obtaining examination answers in a dishonest manner) and plagiarism (i.e., using another person's words or ideas without proper acknowledgment), whether intentional or accidental, will result in a zero for the assignment or examination; additional sanctions may be imposed by the University administration. Note that American rules regarding plagiarism might differ markedly from those in other countries. You can find more information in the University Handbook and in the document, "Avoiding Academic Misconduct" <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>. I will help you any way I can so you can succeed while maintaining academic integrity. I truly want you to do well. Visit my office hours often!

About class communication:

Please carefully read the "Class Communication" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Communication.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

About contribution:

Please carefully read the "Class Contribution" document at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Partic.html>, which I consider to be part of this syllabus.

Be considerate of your instructors and classmates. Please turn off cell phones, pagers, and watch alarms before entering a classroom. Also, be aware that entering a classroom after class has started distracts your instructor and your classmates. If you must do it, please try to enter through a back door, if possible. That probably will distract your instructor (for which you should later apologize), but at least it will reduce the disruption you cause your classmates.  Laptop policy: You may use a laptop computer during class only for taking notes for this course.  Please do not use your laptop to work on other courses, check e-mail, or engage in other distracting activities.  I reserve the right to forbit laptop usage if it is abused or if it distracts me or other students.

If you need to drop: You and I both invest a significant amount of time and effort having you in this course, so it is unfortunate when students do not complete a course that they began, especially a course, like this one, in which other students were denied entry. Sometimes, however, students need to drop a course for good reasons. If that should become the case, I ask, as a favor, that you send me an e-mail message notifying me that you are dropping the course. Of course, I hope everyone who starts the course can complete it, so your work and time and mine are put to good use!

Continued enrollment in this course indicates your acceptance of the terms of this syllabus.  If you have questions or concerns about any of the assessment criteria, goals and learning outcomes, or materials, please let me know immediately so we can address them.

Welcome to the course!

This page last updated April 8, 2006.

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