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Hanrahan
ENGL 446
Spring 2014
ENGL 446: American Literature and the Prominence of Place (3 credits)
The New England Renaissance: Salem, Concord, Amherst, and Pittsfield
Instructor: Dr. Heidi Hanrahan; [email protected]
Office Hours: MF 2:00-5:00; and by appointment
Office Info: Knutti 201C; ph. 876-5250
Course Website: http://webpages.shepherd.edu/hhanraha/courses/eng446/eng446s14.htm
Course Meeting Time and Location: MWF 11:10-12:00; Knutti 202
“We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds…A nation of men will for the
first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The American Scholar”
“Any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one.” Henry David Thoreau, “Resistance to Civil Government”
“I like good strong words that mean something.” Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
“The wrongdoing of one generation lives into the successive ones and... becomes a pure and uncontrollable mischief.”
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables
“Consider all this; and then turn to this green, gentle, and most docile earth; consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not
find a strange analogy to something in yourself? For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man
there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half known life. God keep thee! Push
not off from that isle, thou canst never return!” Herman Melville, Moby Dick
“I dwell in Possibility – / A fairer House than Prose – ” Emily Dickinson
Course Description and Learning Goals:
What was going on in Massachusetts in the mid-nineteenth century? What can explain the amazing
outpouring of literature from writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May
Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Emily Dickinson, and Herman Melville, all living within about onehundred and fifty miles of each other, all writing within the same twenty-year period? These questions,
which have fascinated literary critics for decades, will guide us through this course, an examination of the
lives and works of the writers of what has come to be known as “The New England Renaissance.”
This course meets LEAP Goal 1 (Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World)
and LEAP Goal 2 (Intellectual and Practical Skills throughout the Curriculum). At the end of the course,
students will be able to demonstrate a wide knowledge of the literature of the New England Renaissance
and the contexts out of which it grew. They will have read, written about, and presented both nineteenthcentury and contemporary critical assessments of these texts. They will also have completed a seminarlength critical analysis of their own design and will have presented that research to their peers.
Course Texts:
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2004. ISBN: 0-393-97614-9
Dickinson, Emily. The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Reading Edition. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press,
2005. ISBN: 978-0674018242
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Emerson’s Prose and Poetry. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2001.
ISBN: 0-393-96792-1
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The House of the Seven Gables. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2005.
ISBN: 978-0393924763
Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2002. ISBN: 0-393-97283-6
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden, Civil Disobedience, and Other Writings. New York: W.W. Norton and
Company, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-393-93090-0
Hanrahan
ENGL 446
Spring 2014
*Additional readings will be available on Sakai. Please make sure you have access to a printer and/or
money on your Rambler to print out pages in a computer lab. You must have copies of all texts
and bring them to class.
Course Requirements:
1. Reading Assignments: We will do quite a bit of reading in this class, so it is important to keep up with
class assignments and take the time to read carefully and thoroughly. The assigned secondary readings are
not optional and you are responsible for having them completed as well.
2. Reading Quizzes/Discussion Questions and Short Responses: At the beginning of each class
meeting, your preparation for class will be assessed either by (very simple) reading quizzes or handing in
two typed discussion questions. You’ll know in advance which to prepare for. Additionally, you can
expect several short, out-of-class reading responses based on secondary readings. You’ll know in advance
when to prepare these.
3. Historical/Cultural Presentation with Annotated Bibliography: Once during the semester, you will
present information about a significant cultural/historical topic connected to the course. You will also
compile an annotated bibliography on your assigned topic. More information on this assignment can be
found on a separate handout.
4. Seminar Paper: Your seminar paper (13-15 pages) is the biggest project you’ll take on this semester.
We’ll spend lots of time planning and discussing these projects, and you will receive more information on
the specifics at a later date. You will also complete a formal paper proposal.
5. Paper Presentation/Response: We will devote the last week of class and our final exam time to an inhouse mini-conference, during which each of you will present shortened versions of your seminar papers
and respond to each other’s work.
Grade Breakdown:
Seminar Paper: 40%
Historical/Cultural Presentation and Annotated Bibliography: 20%
Paper Proposal: 5%
Reading Quizzes/Daily Discussion Questions and Short Responses: 25%
Seminar Paper Presentation: 10%
Other Items to Note:
Attendance: You MUST attend your classes regularly and engage in the requirements for each class;
otherwise, your financial aid may be revoked either partially or in full. This would result in an amount
due by you to the University immediately. Please refer to shepherd.edu/faoweb for more details. In this
class, attendance is crucial and missed class time cannot be made up. Therefore, you are allowed THREE
absences. I will not distinguish between types of absences and you need not show me doctor’s notes, etc.
The only “excused” absences are those for school-sponsored trips and events. Any more than three
absences will reduce your grade by one third a letter grade. More than three absences and you will fail the
class. Additionally, being late to class is rude and disruptive. Don’t do it. If you are more than 10 minutes
late to class twice, that will count as one absence. Finally, if you miss class it is your responsibility to
contact me or a classmate to find out what you have missed before the next class meeting. An absence is
not an excuse for being unprepared for the next class.
Cell phones: Put them away during class. If I see them on your desk, I’ll ask you to put them away. If I
see you using them at all, I’ll ask you to leave and mark you absent for the day.
Hanrahan
ENGL 446
Spring 2014
Email/Internet Access: Please activate your Shepherd email account as soon as possible and make sure
you can get onto the internet. Email is usually the best way to get into contact with me—and I will use
your Shepherd address. You will also find the course’s website and/or Sakai page helpful. If and when
you do email me, please consider the way you present yourself in your messages. Be sure to proofread
your messages and make sure you use both proper grammar and punctuation.
Conferences/Office Hours: Remember that I am available during my office hours (and alternative times,
if necessary) if you have questions about the course or your status in it.
Academic Honor: Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Shepherd University Academic
Integrity Procedures found in the Shepherd University Student Handbook
(http://www.shepherd.edu/students/studenthandbook.pdf). Plagiarism (passing someone else’s work off as
your own or failing to correctly cite someone else’s work) and cheating will not be tolerated. All
violations of the Student Conduct Code will be reported. Some simple advice: if you have any questions
or are unsure about citing something, see me.
Turnitin: All students must upload their papers to turnitin.com before I will even begin to grade the hard
copies and papers will not be considered “handed in” until copies have been uploaded to the site. Before
Friday, January 24, please set up a user profile at turnitin.com by visiting www.turnitin.com and
clicking on the “New User” link in the upper right-hand corner. After the new user profile has been
created, you must enroll in this course using the following information:
Course ID: 7474178, Password: concord
The Academic Support Center: Please consider taking advantage of this great resource, located in the
library. You can (and should) schedule appointments with friendly and capable tutors in advance. Tutors
can help you at any stage of an assignment, from planning early drafts to revising final copies.
Disability Support Services: Disability Support Services (DSS) at Shepherd University facilitates
equitable access for every student who self-identifies as having one or more disabilities. Students
requesting any disability related accommodation should contact the Director of Disability Support
Services in Gardiner room 24, or by calling 304-876-5689. This includes students with disabilities who
require academic accommodations, students requesting specific housing accommodations for healthrelated reasons, and all other disability accommodations. Accommodation letters from the DSS office
must be provided to instructors in order to receive accommodations. Accommodations are not
retroactive; however, students decide which classes they will use their approve accommodations. For
further information please see: http://www.shepherd.edu/mcssweb/dss/default.html
Course Schedule
(Subject to revision; Readings on Sakai can be found under “Resources” in a folder called “Course Readings.”)
M 1/13: Introduction to the course
W 1/15: Emerson, “The American Scholar”
F 1/17: Emerson, Nature
M 1/20: No class—MLK Day
W 1/22: Emerson, “Self Reliance”
F 1/24: Emerson, “The Poet;” Presentation: Emerson as Mentor; Make sure you have enrolled in our
course on turnitin.com by today
Hanrahan
ENGL 446
Spring 2014
M 1/27: Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience”
W 1/29: Thoreau, Walden, 1-70
F 1/31: Walden, 70-137
M 2/3: Walden, 137-224
W 2/5: Thoreau, “Slavery in Massachusetts;” Pick one piece from the "Reviews and Posthumous
Assessments" section to read (your choice) and one essay from the "Modern Criticism" section
Presentation: Slavery and the New England Renaissance
F 2/7: Thoreau, catch-up/closing discussion; Alcott, “Transcendental Wild Oats” (Sakai)
M 2/10: Alcott, Little Women, 1-121; Presentation: The Alcott Family
W 2/12: Little Women, 121-198; Presentation: Childhood and the Nineteenth Century
F 2/14: Little Women, 198-283
M 2/17: Little Women, 283-end; Presentation: The Women’s Rights Movement and the New England
Renaissance
W 2/19: Little Women, closing discussion; Read entire “Nineteenth-Century Reviews” section and pick
one of the following pieces from the “Modern Critical Views” section: Estes and Lant, Stimpson,
Keyser, or Sicherman
F 2/21: Alcott, “Behind a Mask” (Sakai); Presentation: Alcott’s Long and Varied Career
M 2/24: Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown,” “The Minister’s Black Veil” (Sakai); Presentation:
Hawthorne and Puritanism
W 2/26: Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables, 1-52; Presentation: Hawthorne, Salem, and Witches
F 2/28: The House of the Seven Gables, 52-123
M 3/3: The House of the Seven Gables, 123-178
W 3/5: The House of the Seven Gables, 178-end
F 3/7: Hawthorne, closing discussion; Read Hawthorne’s letter to Horatio Bridge and Melville’s letter to
Hawthorne; Pick one of the following pieces from the “Recent Criticism” section: Gilmore,
Michaels, Brown, Trachtenberg, Anthony, Lang, or Castiglia; Presentation: Hawthorne and
Melville
M 3/10, W 3/12, & F 3/14: No Classes—Spring Break
M 3/17: Melville, Moby-Dick, 1-101
W 3/19: Moby-Dick, 101-165; Presentation: Whaling
F 3/21: Moby-Dick, 165-214
M 3/24: Moby-Dick, 214-305
W 3/26: Moby-Dick, 305-367
F 3/28: Moby-Dick, 367-407
M 3/31: Moby-Dick, 407-end; Paper Proposals due
W 4/2: Moby-Dick; Read all of the section “Melville Letters at the Time of Moby-Dick;” pick two reviews
from the “Reviews of Moby-Dick” section; read Parker, “Damned by Dollars”
F 4/4: Dickinson, “A Bird, came down the Walk” (359), “A narrow Fellow in the Grass” (1096), “A
Route of Evanescence” (1489), “A still – Volcano – Life –” (517), “I’m Nobody! Who are you”
(260), “I taste a liquor never brewed –” (207), “Much Madness is divinest Sense” (620), “The
Soul selects her own Society” (409); Presentation: The Dickinson Manuscript Wars
Hanrahan
ENGL 446
Spring 2014
M 4/7: Dickinson, “I dwell in Possibility” (466), “Publication – is the Auction” (788), “Tell all the truth
but tell it slant” (1263), “They shut me up in Prose –” (445), “This was a Poet” (446); Letters to
Thomas Wentworth Higginson (Sakai); Presentation: Dickinson and Higginson
W 4/9: Dickinson, “Apparently with no surprise” (1884), “‘Faith’ is a fine invention” (202), “He fumbles
at your Soul” (477), “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers –” (314), “Some keep the Sabbath going to
Church” (236), “The Bible is an antique Volume” (1577)
F 4/11: Dickinson, “After great pain, a formal feeling comes” (372), “Because I could not stop for Death”
(479), “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” (340), “I heard a Fly buzz – when I died” (591)
M 4/14: Dickinson, “Empty my Heart, of Thee” (393), “I cannot live with you” (706), “One Sister have I
in the house –” (5), “She rose to His Requirement – dropt” (857), “Title divine, is mine” (194),
“Wild nights – Wild nights” (269); Letters to Susan Gilbert Dickinson (Sakai); Presentation:
Dickinson and Susan Gilbert Dickinson
W 4/16: Dickinson discussion, continued
F 4/18: No class—Spring Weekend (possible snow make-up day)
M 4/21: Seminar Paper Presentations; Seminar Papers due
W 4/23: Seminar Paper Presentations
F 4/25: Seminar Paper Presentations
W 4/30: Seminar Paper Presentations (Final Exam Period: 12:00-2:00)