Course Objectives
1. Students will build a solid foundation for their study of American English, and American Literature, in keeping with the language requirements and objectives of required courses in the English Majors program. Students will gain knowledge of and be able to comprehend the works of major literary figures and periods and understand the relationship between selected writers and their respective social moments and their historical significance. American literature and culture are influenced by diverse human backgrounds and experiences, deriving from the underlying socio-economic forces that drove world exploration and colonialism, and continuing through industrialization, modernity and globalization. Demonstrated on tests, quizzes and in essays.
2. Student will grasp the process whereby different political aspects of American society, including democracy, the rule of law, civil rights, property rights, freedoms of speech and conscience, and the notion of social progress have lead to innovations in human thought and social practice, as well as to deep social divisions and dissent. Many of these cultural developments derive from the Western Tradition, (e.g. Greek political ideals, the Roman legal tradition, Christianity, the medieval concept of chivalry, the industrial revolution, European colonialism, etc.). Students will examine the ways that American literature provides a lens by which to view how America came to exert important influences on world history. The obverse process, viz. the ways in which American culture has been influenced by other world civilizations, will also be examined. While exploring this issue, the benefits and problems of intercultural and intercivilizational encounters and outcomes will also be investigated.

Course Objectives
1. Students will build a solid foundation for their study of American English, and American Literature, in keeping with the language requirements and objectives of required courses in the English Majors program. Students will gain knowledge of and be able to comprehend the works of major literature figures and periods and understand the relationship between selected writers and their respective social moments and their historical significance. American literature and culture are influenced by diverse human backgrounds and experiences, deriving from the underlying socio-economic forces that drive world exploration and colonialism, and continuing through industrialization, modernity and globalization. Demonstrated on tests, quizzes and in essays.
2. Student will grap the process whereby different political aspects of American society, including democracy, the rule of law, civil rights, property rights, freedoms of speech and conscience, and the notion of social progress have lead to innovations in human thought and social practice, as well as to deep social divisions and dissent. Many of these cultural developments derive from the Western Tradition, (e.g. Greek political ideals, the Roman legal tradition, Christianity, the medieval concept of chivalry, the industrial revolution, European colonialism, etc.). Students will examine the ways that American literature provides a lens by which to view how America came to exert important influences on world history. The obverse process, viz. the ways in which American culture has been influenced by other world civilizations, will also be examined. While exploring this issue, the benefits and problems of intercultural and intercivilization encounters and outcomes will also be investigated.

American Literature is a fourth-year required course. This course introduces students to American literature, from colonial times up through the present day, and the historical concerns that mark particular literary epochs. What vision do American writers have of their country, and how do they express their own relationship to it? Students will also consider these issues in a larger sense, so that students not only develop an understanding of American literary history but also how any particular country develops a vision of itself through its literature.

American Literature is a fourth-year required course. This course introduces students to American literature, from colonial times up through the present day, and the historical concerns that mark particular literature epochs. What vision do American writers have of their country, and how do they express their own relationship to it? Students will also consider these issues in a larger sense, so that students not only develop an understanding of American literature history but also how any particular country develops a vision of itself through its literature.

The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym, et. al. Shorter 8th Ed.
New York: WW Norton & Company, 2013.

The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym, et. al. Shorter 8th Ed.
New York: WW Norton & Company, 2013.