BLS 379 (LN 8091)

American Ethnic Literatures

David Goldstein-Shirley, 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. 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.

This course, in addition to counting toward the Culture, Literature, and the Arts concentration <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/IAS/degrees/BLS/CLA/> and the American Studies concentration <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/IAS/degrees/BLS/AMS/> in the Liberal Studies/Interdisciplinary Studies major <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/IAS/degrees/BLS/>, 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 recommend that students take BLS 300 before enrolling in this course, but, because it is a 300-level course, I do not assume that students have a strong background in literature.

Course texts (available in the UWB Bookstore [save your receipts for a patronage refund] and in library reserve/reference). Note: Click here <http://www.bookstore.washington.edu/ubs/main.taf?area=attribute&page=university&catagory=uw_bothell&nav=on> to order books online (free shipping). Click on "Winter Quarter 2003," then enter the course line number (above) 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: Sandra Cisneros. 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 (RECOMMENDED): Gibaldi, Joseph. The MLA Handbook, 5th ed. New York: MLA, 1999. (ISBN 0873529758)
• OPTIONAL (RECOMMENDED): Lunsford, Andrea and Robert Connors. The New St. Martin's Handbook, 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001. (ISBN 0312395523)

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

Essay 1 (1250-1500 words, due Jan. 30)	55 pts.
Site visit report or essay 2 ( 1000-1250 words, due Feb. 18)	45 pts.
Learning portfolio (including reflective essay of 600-1000 words, due March 6)	45 pts.
In-class and online participation	55 pts.
TOTAL	200 pts.

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.

Final Course Grade Scale:

194-200: 4.0	180-181: 3.3	166-167: 2.6	152-153: 1.9	138-139: 1.2
192-193: 3.9	178-179: 3.2	164-165: 2.5	150-151: 1.8	136-137: 1.1
190-191: 3.8	176-177: 3.1	162-163: 2.4	148-149: 1.7	134-135: 1.0
188-189: 3.7	174-175: 3.0	160-161: 2.3	146-147: 1.6	132-133: 0.9
186-187: 3.6	172-173: 2.9	158-159: 2.2	144-145: 1.5	130-131: 0.8
184-185: 3.5	170-171: 2.8	156-157: 2.1	142-143: 1.4	128-129: 0.7
182-183: 3.4	168-169: 2.7	154-155: 2.0	140141: 1.3	0-127: 0.0

For an explanation of the University of Washington grading system, see <http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html>.

Schedule (readings listed by author; names in bold refer to novels listed above; author names followed by an asterisk are listed below under "Reserves List"):

*Reserves list (at Library Reserves Desk and, except as noted, online at <http://eres.bothell.washington.edu/courseindex.asp>; password required [announced in class: ____________]):

• Associated Students of UWB. "Maintaining Academic Integrity." Online at <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/Integrity.html>. ONLINE ONLY. NOT AVAILABLE IN LIBRARY RESERVES.
• 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.

 

This schedule is subject to change. The most current schedule will always be posted here <http://faculty.washington.edu/davidgs/EthLit03Syl.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 participation.) Late assignments will be accepted only in extenuating circumstances that could not have been anticipated, and only as specified; penalties will apply as specified. Keep all graded materials; you will need them for your graduation 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.

I will do my best to accommodate all documented disabilities (physical, learning, cognitive, or other). See <http://www.bothell.washington.edu/students/dss/index.html> for 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 getting work to me at the beginning of class when it is due, not ten minutes, two hours, or a day later. Rest assured that everyone is being treated equally.

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 participation:

Please carefully read the "Class Participation" 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.

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. 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. Of course, I hope everyone who starts the course can complete it, so your work and time and mine are put to good use!

Welcome to the course!

This page last updated January 16, 2003.

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