english 375: seminal writers in the african american...

English 375 Harper Spring 2013

1

Dr. Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper

Office: Cosby 315, Spelman College Name___________________________________

Office Phone: 404-270-5588

e-mail: (office) [email protected] or (home) [email protected]

Office Hours: Wednesday 10:30 a.m. -NOON p.m. and 1:30-4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

English 375: Seminal Writers in the African American Tradition

Course Description: This is a seminar-style course intended for upper-class English majors and

minors. It is the required course in Category I (African American and U.S. Literature). It provides

an examination of the seminal creative and critical texts in the African American literary tradition.

This course explores the dynamic relationship between literary expression and the intellectual

history that forms its context.

Prerequisites: The course is a required course for English majors or minors who have successfully

completed both English 285 (Introduction to Critical Theory) and English 280 (Introduction to

Literary Studies). Knowledge and skills from those two courses will be expected to be evident in

the students enrolled for this seminar. The course is not intended to serve non-majors/ minors.

Rationale: The phenomenon and accomplishment of twentieth century African American literature

combines emancipated writers (who may yet be the direct descendents of slaves), a significant and

growing Black reading public (with the enduring presence of a large white audience), an evolving

critical canon by Black intellectuals, and a dynamic social and political climate. This seminar

provides an opportunity to explore the significance of the convergence of these people, writings,

and times. This course is not intended to be an inclusive review of all of the important Black

American writers of the twentieth century. Rather, it is designed to reunite the creative and critical

acts by selected seminal writers in the African American literary tradition. The course is designed

to stimulate critical thinking about the stated purposes and intentions of Black literary productions,

and to explore the evolution of such works, specifically noting the contexts and language of works

that continue to influence African American artistic production.

Design: The course operates as a seminar (but it does not fulfill one of the two required 400-level

seminars for English majors). Thus, the enrollment is deliberately restricted. Informed and

insightful discussion, thorough preparation, and thoughtful reading are required of all participants.

Alice Walker The Zora Neale Hurston Stamp (U.S.P.S. 2003)


2

Behavioral Objectives for Students Completing the Course

A student successfully completing the course should achieve the following objectives (and

successful completion will be assessed by means of the parenthetical measure):

1. Identify seminal writers and texts in the African American tradition. (Text preparations,

short essays, final examination)

2. Compare aesthetic declarations by the authors. (Text preparations, class participation,

short essay, individual reports, final examination)

3. Analyze the chronological development of aesthetic statements and belletristic works, and

identify the criteria that characterize landmark and influential works in the African

American tradition. Analyze in such a way that avoids simplistic and reductive thinking.

(Major research paper and final examination)

4. Compare critical and belletristic writings by the same authors, and explain the relationship

between literary expression and intellectual and cultural history. (Short essay, class

discussion, research paper, text preparations, and final examination)

5. Explain the meaning and the significance of the institutionalization of African American

literature. (Text preparations, class participation, research paper, final examination.)

6. Research selected topics, using appropriate primary and secondary sources, both print and

electronic. (Short essay, major research paper, and text preparations)

7. Attend a current theatrical presentation in the African American literary tradition (if one is

presented) and critically assess it using the criteria that characterize landmark and influential

works in the African American tradition. If a live theatrical presentation is not available, a

film will be substituted for critical assessment. (Class participation and final

examination)

8. Explain the concept of double-consciousness and its centrality to a study of African

American literature and intellectual history. (Final examination, class participation)

9. Distinguish individual signatures among the writers under study, especially with regard to

choice of language, identifiable voice, structure, symbols, themes, etc. (Text preparations,

class discussion, short essay, individual reports, final examination)

10. Discuss current developments in African American literary criticism or creative writing.

(Final examination, research paper, and class participation)

11. Write a 15-page research paper to culminate independent research and to demonstrate

complete understanding of critical skills and to demonstrate effective writing skills. (Major

research paper)


3

Required Books:

Baldwin, James. Go Tell It on the Mountain. NY: Bantam/ Doubleday/ Dell, 1953.

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. 1952. NY: Random House. 1980 printing.

Gates, Henry Louis, and Nellie Y. McKay, editors. The Norton Anthology of African

American Literature. 2nd

Edition. NY: Norton, 2004.

Hughes, Langston. Collected Poems. Ed., Arnold Rampersad and David Roessel. NY:

Random House, 1994.

Hurston, Zora Neale. Mules and Men. 1935. NY: Harper Collins. 1990 printing.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th

Edition. NY: Modern Language

Association of America, 2009.

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. NY: Penguin/ Putnam, 1977.

Walker, Alice. The Third Life of Grange Copeland. 1970. NY: Washington Square, 2000.

Wright, Richard. Native Son. 1940. NY: Harper Collins. 1998 printing.

Required Essays and Additional Required Creative Writing: These are found within the required anthology, except as otherwise noted.

Baldwin, James. "Everybody's Protest Novel" (1949). Gates and McKay. 1699-1705.

-----. "Notes of a Native Son” (1955). Gates and McKay. 1713-1727.

Brooks, Gwendolyn and George Stavros. “An Interview with Gwendolyn Brooks.” Contemporary

Literature 11.1 (Winter, 1970): 1-20. (Access through JSTOR.)

Brooks, Gwendolyn. Maud Martha. 1953. Gates and McKay, 1649-1696.

Ellison, Ralph. "Change the Joke and Slip the Yoke" (1958). Gates and McKay. 1570-1578.

Hansberry, Lorraine. "The Negro Writer and His Roots." The Black Scholar March-April 1981:

2-12. Rpt. Gerald Early, ed. Speech and Power (Hopewell, NJ: Ecco, 1993): 129-141.

(Available as a handout or as an electronic document.)

-----. “A Raisin in the Sun.” Gates and McKay. 1728-1789.

Hughes, Langston. “The Blues I’m Playing.” Gates and McKay. 1315-1325.


4

(continued)

Hughes, Langston. "The Need for Heroes. " The Crisis 48 (June 1941): 184-85, 206. Rpt. Vol. 10

Collected Works of Langston Hughes, ed. Christopher De Santis. Columbia: U Missouri

Press, 2001, 223-229. Also available electronically, using “Black Thought and Culture” database on the

Woodruff Library’s E-Resources. (See Selected Electronic Resources below.)

-----. "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926). Gates and McKay. 1311- 1314.

Hurston, Zora Neale. “Characteristics of Negro Expression.” Gates and McKay. 1041-1053.

-----. “How It Feels to be Colored Me.” Gates and McKay. 1030-1033.

-----. "Research" (1942). Gates and McKay. 1071-1085.

Morrison, Toni. "Rootedness: The Ancestor as Foundation" (1984). Gates and McKay

2286-2290.

Walker, Alice. “Interview with John O’Brien from Interviews with Black Writers.” (1973) The

World Has Changed: Conversations with Alice Walker. Ed. Rudolph P. Byrd. New York:

New Press, 2010. 35-57. (Handout)

Wright, Richard. “Blueprint for Negro Writing” (1937). Gates and McKay. 1403-1410.

Additional essays or short creative works may be added or substituted.

Recommended Essays and Creative Writings:

Du Bois, W. E. B. “Criteria of Negro Art” (1926). Gates and McKay. 777-784.

Ellison, Ralph. “The World and the Jug” (1963-1964). Gates and McKay. 1578-1599.

Hughes, Langston. From The Big Sea (1940). Gates and McKay. 1325-1339.

Johnson, James W. "Preface" from The Book of American Negro Poetry (1921). Gates

and McKay. 883-905.

Morrison, Toni. Home. NY: Knopf, 2012. Read this to prepare for the February 16 symposium to

be held at Spelman.

Turner, Darwin. "Afro-American Literary Critics: An Introduction." (1971) From The New

Cavalcade: African American Writing from 1760 to the Present, Vol. 2, ed. Arthur P.

Davis, J. Saunders Redding, and Joyce Ann Joyce (Washington, DC: Howard UP, 1992).

(Available as a handout, by request.)

A Suggestion about Recommended Readings (for the BEST students):

Ideally, each student should read the full texts (belletristic and essays) by all of our primary authors

as printed in Gates and McKay. Students writing major papers on authors certainly should read

everything available in Gates and McKay. See also the Selected Bibliographies in the rear of Gates

and McKay (for our authors, pp. 2723-2731 and 2741-2744). Students writing major papers on

authors should try to locate as many as possible of the relevant sources on their author. However,


5

each year new scholarly books about our authors appear. For example, on the next page are some

excellent biographies published after the second edition of the course anthology:

Boyd, Valerie. Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston. New York: Scribner, 2003.

Jackson, Lawrence P. Ralph Ellison: Emergence of Genius. New York: John Wiley, 2002.

Rampersad, Arnold. Ralph Ellison: A Biography. New York: Vintage/ Random House, 2008.

White, Evelyn C. Alice Walker: a life. New York: Norton, 2004.

Likewise, several collections of essays have been published since our edition of Gates & McKay

was published. Here are a few titles:

Baldwin, James. The Cross of Redemption: Uncollected Writings. Ed. Randall Kenan. New York:

Pantheon, 2010.

Morrison, Toni. Conversations. Ed. Carolyn C. Denard. Jackson: U P Mississippi, 2008.

Morrison, Toni. What Moves at the Margin: Selected Nonfiction. Ed. Carolyn C. Denard.

Jackson: U P Mississippi, 2008.

Finally, there is an excellent monograph that discusses all of our authors:

Jackson, Lawrence P. The Indignant Generation: A Narrative History of African American Writers

And Critics, 1934-1960. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2011.

The true scholar searches all of the obvious sources, and the “A” students go beyond the obvious.

Our authors are seminal writers! Find the scholarship and delve into it!

SELECTED ELECTRONIC SOURCES:

http://www.hbw.ku.edu/ The Project on the History of Black Writing at the University of

Kansas. This project has a goal of rebuilding, through the use of the HBW archive, and a goal of

placing a new public face on Black literature, online and in print. Dr. Maryemma Graham is the

HBW Founder and Director. Spelman and Morehouse alumni in graduate school at Kansas are

assisting with this project.

http://www.kuce.org/hughes/resources.html#top Website for the 2002 Langston Hughes

Symposium at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. This site lists print, audio, and video

resources for the study of Langston Hughes. In the “Symposium” section, you can hear the

presentations given and see brief biographical data and some photos of the presenters (many of

whom are considered among the top scholars on Langston Hughes).

Woodruff Library has wonderful ELECTRONIC resources. You must register at the cite:

www.auctr.edu using a Spelman College computer. Once you have registered, you can access the

resources from any computer. On the home page, go to E-Resources. Choose “Databases including

GALILEO.”

http://www.hbw.ku.edu/

http://www.kuce.org/hughes/resources.html#top

http://www.auctr.edu/


6

SPECIAL RESOURCES AT WOODRUFF . Please use your web browser to consult the catalogue on

line. Use names of individual authors as both “keyword” and as “author.” Archives and special collections

in The AUC Woodruff Library should be very helpful. Remember that these sources DO NOT

CIRCULATE.

Gwendolyn Brooks Hughes 2002 Stamp

2012 Postage Stamp (U.S.P.S.)

Course Evaluation

Grades in this course will be based on the following measures:

Text Preparations (Minimum of six required) 30%

Other Preparation Assignments (Due each class period) 10%

In-class activities/ quizzes (each class period) 10%

One short responsive essay 10% Major research essay 30%

Final examination 10%

When and How You Enter: "Text Preparations" (30% of Course Grade) NOTE: Print 2 copies of each: One to hand in, one to keep

On the day when we begin our exploration of each new author or set of works, each student should

arrive in class with a written "text preparation" which will provide background and context for the

author under consideration. The Norton anthology contains the majority of what you need to

complete these Text Preps. However, A students may wish to investigate credible, reliable sources

outside of the Norton. Please note that WEAK sources are worse than using the Norton. You can

develop an “A” text prep with the Norton alone. Do NOT plagiarize! You will be evaluated not

only on what you say, but also on the correct use of facts from the source(s) you consult.

Prepare a detailed outline. Do not submit essay format. Include:

1. Two (2) significant (remarkable/ historically noteworthy) biographical notes about the

author (with sources cited properly). After each note, state WHY you deem it to be

noteworthy. These should be items about the writer’s life—NOT about the writer’s works.

Use these notes cumulatively to discover similarities and differences in these writers’

childhood experiences, their educational backgrounds, their travels, their non-literary work,

their family lives, their personal lives, etc.

2. Highlight two (2) of the author's most significant (prize-winning, pace-setting)

publications. After each work, state WHY that work is one of the most significant works for

that author. Indicate what prizes or important landmarks were achieved with the two works


7

you name. In the event of an award not directly linked to a specific publication, then you

may list a third note, so that you may list some extremely significant prize or honor awarded

to the author. Keep in mind that authors (especially living authors) may have achieved

honors or may have published works not included in older texts or publications (including

the Norton). Likewise, some honors accrue posthumously. Name the most important ones.

3. Quote two (2) interesting assertions or statements by the author, taken from the assigned

articles, interviews, and essays written BY the author. Do NOT use secondary sources

about the author. Do NOT choose the belletristic works (novels, plays, poetry) as the basis

for your quotation. Use only the prose statements by the author, either taken from the

assigned essay or interview. (Assigned articles and interviews are listed in this syllabus.)

Look for statements about what African American literature should do or what African

American writers have experienced. Look for statements about the writer’s work or

statements about the writer’s attitudes about literature or critics or audiences. DO NOT

merely use the author’s statement as a springboard for a discussion of contemporary life.

Your quotation should be selected to stimulate a deeper analysis of the author and how he or

she felt about his or her own work or about African American literature or readers or the

critics (of any race) who discussed the literature. After each properly quoted statement,

write a question (to the class) about the quotation you have provided. If possible, ask your

question during class.

4. Tips: Whether you are quoting the author or citing factual information from a secondary

source, be sure to cite properly. Maintain [or restore in brackets] full context for the

quotations. Please follow the quoted passage with your question(s) for the class.

5. Provide a works cited section for any and all texts referenced, including assigned texts. All

documentation should comply with requirements noted in Class Policies. With the brief text

preps, you do not have to use a separate page for your Works Cited section.

5. NOTE: Wikipedia is NEVER an acceptable academic source for literature.

Submit one copy of your text preparation on the FIRST DAY that we discuss each new writer.

KEEP in your possession a second copy of your text preparation to enhance your own class

participation and to assist with ongoing preparation for the final examination. If possible, ASK

your questions and point out your targeted quotations during class. You may also want to share and

discuss the biographical or publication notes you have included. These text preps will help you to

compare and contrast our nine seminal writers. These will be useful as you prepare for the midterm

and for the final exam.

The canon for this class includes nine authors. A total of SIX text preps will be required for each

student for the semester. At any time, a student may elect to skip a text prep. A student who

submits fewer than six text preps will receive a zero for each missing preparation and the grade for

that category will be impacted accordingly. Students who elect to submit MORE than six text preps

will receive a course grade based on the best six.


8

D. Akiba S. Harper

English 375

January 16, 2013

Sample Text Prep: James Weldon Johnson

Biographical

1. Spent time in “the backwoods of Georgia” teaching “black countryfolk” and found them “one”

with himself, a person of middle-class upbringing and higher education (Foster & Andrews 791).

Significant because he did spend time with common folk and did not feel himself above them.

During the early years of 20th

C. many educated Blacks seemed to be at odds with common folk.

2. In 1920 became the first Black to head the NAACP (Foster & Andrews 792). Significant

because he was a pioneer and was active in political agitation to help Blacks rise.

Publications

1. Edited The Book of American Negro Poetry (1922 and revised in 1931). This was the first

anthology of its kind or at least the first edited by an African American. The Preface forms an

important critical statement about African American literature.

2. Wrote God’s Trombones (1927), a highly acclaimed collection of poetry that endeavors to

represent the messages of African American preachers. In this work, he puts into practice one of his

stated recommendations in the Preface to The Book of American Negro Poetry. NOTE: This work

will be performed/ read by ministers/ church folk at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 2, at Hillside

Presbyterian Church, 1879 Columbia Drive, Decatur, GA 30032, If you have never seen it, you

should plan to attend. African attire is welcomed but not required. Contributions to a scholarship

program will be invited, but are not required. The event is free and public.

Quotations by Johnson (Note: both quotations are from ONE source. If you cite two different

sources, you need to include titles in your parenthetical citation.)

1. “What the colored poet in the United States needs to do is something like what Synge did for the

Irish; he needs to find a form that will express the racial spirit by symbols from within rather than

by symbols from without, such as the mere mutilation of English spelling and pronunciation”

(Johnson 902).

In what way(s) did JWJ accomplish this desired goal in his own poetry from God’s Trombones?

2. “Negro dialect is naturally and by long association the exact instrument for voicing this phase of

Negro life [in a log cabin amid fields of cotton or along the levees]; and by that very exactness it is

an instrument with but two full stops, humor and pathos” (Johnson 901).

Thinking of dialect poetry such as Paul Laurence Dunbar’s “Antebellum Sermon” or “Little Brown

Baby,” is JWJ fair when he says dialect only can express “humor” and /or “pathos”?


9

Harper 2

Works Cited

Foster, Frances Smith and William Andrews. “James Weldon Johnson, 1871-1938.” Gates and

McKay, Norton Anthology 791-793.

Gates, Henry Louis and Nellie McKay, eds. The Norton Anthology of African American

Literature. 2nd

Ed. New York: Norton, 2004. Print.

Johnson, James Weldon. Preface. The Book of American Negro Poetry. 1921. Rpt. Gates and

McKay, Norton Anthology 883-905.

WHY IS WORKS CITED SINGLE SPACED?

In regular papers, the Works Cited page (like the other pages) will be double spaced with no

additional space between them. For Text Preps, single space is fine. You may also print double-

sided to save paper. PLEASE do submit these in hard copy.

WHERE DID I FIND THE NAMES “Foster” and “Andrews”??

In the front of the Norton Anthology before the title page, look for a sheet the lists ALL of the

contributors to the anthology (the scholars, such as Frances Smith Foster and William Andrews).

That page will give you the full names of the contributors.

Then look for another page that indicates WHICH contributing scholars wrote for which sections.

Use the names of those specific scholars when citing the biographical introduction for your author

or the introduction to the particular time period. If you have questions, let me know.

DO NOT JUST CITE GATES AND McKAY!!

Gates and McKay are the general editors for the whole book. They do NOT get the credit for

writing everything in this enormous anthology. You need to determine who wrote what. Cite all

pages of an article in your Works Cited. Only cite the page from which you are quoting in your

parenthetical citation.

CORRECT MLA DOCUMENTATION IS REQUIRED

You should have learned MLA documentation style in earlier 200-level classes. However, please

purchase an MLA Handbook if you need one, or turn to a reliable source to guide you with citing

works from an anthology (essential for text preps) and for all your citations (including journals).

Please note that on JSTOR, the “citation” they provide generally does not include the proper

mechanics (italics, etc.). YOU are expected to use proper form. Merely blocking and copying form

JSTOR will NOT provide the proper and fully correct citation form.


10

Common Mechanical Issues

In Quotation Marks Italicized (typed) or Underlined (by hand)

“Titles of Poems” Titles of Books Books

“Titles of Short Stories” Titles of Movies Movies

“Titles of Essays” Titles of Magaines Newspapers

Quotations:

An indented quotation is approximately five lines or longer. It uses all the same inner punctuation

as the original. It needs no quotation marks around it, because the indentation signals that it is a

quotation. The parenthetical citation goes AFTER the period.

One of the most promising of the young Negro poets said to me once, “I want to be

a poet—not a Negro poet,” meaning, I believe, “I want to write like a white poet”;

meaning subconsciously, “I would like to be a white poet”; meaning behind that, “I

would like to be white.” And I was sorry the young man said that, for no great poet

has ever been afraid of being himself. (Hughes, “Negro” 1311)

A shorter quotation, included in your text, has quotation marks around it. If it includes other words

or phrases that are quoted, then the inner quotation should have single quotation marks, to

distinguish those words from the whole sentence being quoted. Notice the example below.

Langston Hughes reveals his line of reasoning regarding a peer of his. He wrote, “One of the most

promising of the young Negro poets said to me once, ‘I want to be a poet—not a Negro poet,’

meaning, I believe, ‘I want to write like a white poet’; meaning subconsciously, ‘I would like to be

a white poet’; meaning behind that, ‘I would like to be white’” (Hughes, “Negro” 1311). Hughes

extends the young author’s single comment into a series of related assertions.

The parenthetical citation comes BEFORE the period in this use. Notice inside both examples that

commas and periods come INSIDE the quotation marks. Semicolons and colons come outside quotation

marks. Question marks and exclamation points go inside IF they were originally in the quotation, but

outside if they are your own marks. Pay attention to the difference in punctuating quoted words inside your

quotation.

For example: What did Hughes mean when he called the young poet “promising”?

Example #2: Hughes regrets having to answer such questions from “my own people” as “Do you think

Negroes should always write about Negroes?” (1314) Clearly those Blacks felt such a topic was limiting.


11

Works Cited

In your Works Cited, if you are only citing ONE thing from an anthology (such as the Norton

anthology), you do NOT NEED a separate entry for the anthology by itself. Just include that

information in the citation for the one thing you cited. On the other hand, if you are citing several

things from the same anthology, provide a separate entry for the anthology, so that you can

abbreviate your reference in each of the several entries from the anthology. (See syllabus.)

If the only thing you are using from the Norton anthology is Hughes’s essay, then you should have

this entry in Works Cited:

Hughes, Langston. "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926). The Norton

Anthology of African American Literature. 2nd

Edition. Ed. Henry Louis Gates

and Nellie McKay. NY: Norton, 2004. 1311- 1314. Print.

Works Cited entries should be double spaced for your essays. For the text preps, single spacing is

fine. No extra space is needed between entires when you double space, but the extra line is helpful

when you single space. Indent second and subsequent lines of each entry. Notice that except for an

entry for the anthology itself, everything else in the anthology should be listed according to the

actual AUTHOR—not according to the editors of the anthology.

Two or more sources by the same author

After locating the sources alphabetically according to the author’s last name, then arrange the

entries alphabetically by title. Do not count the words a, an, or the in determining where the titles

should be alphabetized. Write the author’s name with the first entry, but in subsequent entries, use

three hyphens followed by a period.

Brooks, Gwendolyn. Blacks. Chicago: David, 1987. Print.

---. Report from Part One. 1972. Detroit: Broadside, 1991. Print.

---. Report from Part Two. Chicago: Third World, 1996. Print.


12

GRADING SCALE for the Text Preps

A- (90-94) and A (95-100) = SUPERIOR (correct, insightful, creative, coherent) 1. Follows stated instructions for formatting assignment 2. Includes all elements required and quotes from the correct sources. 3. Asks insightful questions that relate clearly to the quoted sources. “Insight” implies that the student has shown full comprehension of the quoted passage and has formed a question that pushes the reader into a more thoughtful reading and analysis of the original source. This “insight” shows awareness of the reading done by the “average” student and presses that student to a more astute comprehension or consideration of that original source. This insight may (but does not have to) link the assigned reading to a reading by another author we have read (or who is included in the Norton Anthology of African American Literature). 4. Is expressed clearly, precisely, and concisely. 5. Uses proper MLA techniques for quoting from and citing sources. 6. Reflects consistently correct grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and proper style of documentation according to standard English usage. 7. Shows superior originality of thought and perception. The paper says something new or interesting about its subject or finds an unusual way of examining old evidence. The writer seems to have understood things in the readings that her classmates may have missed. 8. May have identified superior secondary sources for sections one or two (biographical or noteworthy publications). B- (80-83) / B (84 – 86) / B+ (87- 89) = GOOD (correct and authoritative, but conventional or somewhat limited in originality or fresh perspective) 1. Follows stated instructions for formatting assignment 2. Includes all elements required and quotes from the correct sources. 3. Asks questions that relate clearly to the quoted sources. These questions show full comprehension of the quoted passage. These questions are authoritative and thoughtful. 4. Is expressed clearly, precisely, and concisely in almost every line. 5. Uses proper MLA techniques for quoting from and citing sources. 6. Reflects consistently correct grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and proper style of documentation according to standard English usage. C- (70-73) / [ C (74 – 76) / C+ (77- 79) = AVERAGE (Adequate, but flawed by errors, irrelevance, or limited scope) 1. Follows stated instructions for formatting assignment 2. Includes all elements required and quotes from the correct sources. 3. Asks questions that relate clearly to the quoted sources. These questions show full comprehension of the quoted passage. These questions may be rather “obvious,” but they correctly probe the quoted passage. 4. Uses proper MLA techniques for quoting from and citing sources. 5. May contain grammatical and mechanical errors, but is free of habitual deviations from standard English usage. 6. May lack mastery of sentence form and power, but will be free of virulent sentence structure errors. D (60-66) / D+ (67 – 69) = BELOW AVERAGE (Errors overshadow good qualities. Such overshadowing errors may include, but are not limited to the following:) 1. Follows only some of the stated instructions for formatting assignment 2. Neglects to include all elements required. 3. Quotes from an incorrect source (such as the novel or from a secondary source rather than the assigned essay by the seminal writer being discussed). 4. Asks questions that do not always relate clearly to the quoted sources. These questions may not show full comprehension of the quoted passage. The questions focus upon a flawed concept. 5. Contains errors in the use of proper MLA techniques for quoting from and citing sources. 6. Contains so many grammatical and mechanical errors that the reader is distracted from the meaning and the message of the assignment. 6. Contains virulent sentence structure errors. 7. Contains numerous trite or wordy expressions. 8. Seriously errs in the comprehension of the subject of the discussion or seriously errs in the use or interpretation of supporting data. F = below 60 TOTALLY UNSATISFACTORY 1. Serious errors in any area. 2. Fails to follow instructions. 3. Topic or contents are completely inadequate. 4. Shows academic dishonesty (including plagiarism or failure to cite sources)


13

EXCEPTIONAL CLASS PARTICIPATION In a seminar class, such as this one, everyone must participate. Therefore, points for the class grade

come from EXCEPTIONAL participation. Exceptional participation may include but is not limited

to answering or raising questions, bringing to class printed information relevant to class topics,

announcing in class events of value to the class, sharing via e-mail useful announcements, and

clarifying due dates or other requirements. Academically valid websites, videos, audio clips,

articles, etc. may be shared with the class as a means of demonstrating exceptional class

participation. If any audiovisual or computer-based technology is needed to share in class, the

instructor will need several hours advanced notice, since our classroom is not yet equipped for the

21st century. Note: You can’t possibly “participate” if you are absent!

We have a Facebook GROUP for the class. Each student will be required to share a link to at least

ONE article. Each student will be required to make at least TWO comments to an item shared by a

member of the group. Each student will be required to LIKE at least three items or comments by

others. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. You do not have to be “friends” with the instructor or with each other

to participate in the group. You may create a new identity/ account to use with the group if you

like. A few individuals outside the class have been invited to participate. These include alumnae

and African American literature experts. Your participation in the group will be included as part of

your participation in the class. The group is called “Seminal Writers in the African American

Tradition.” The administrator is Donna Akiba Sullivan Harper. Please send your request to be

added to the group.

Quizzes

Unannounced quizzes may be given during the semester.

Individual Reports

Each student will select a critical essay about the author of the day or about the essay or novel or

poem (etc.) by the author of the day and will be responsible for giving a critical summary and

leading a discussion of that secondary source. As appropriate, the discussion leader shall direct the

class to relevant portions of the work we all have read (highlighting passages, etc.). Discussion

leaders must provide full bibliographical citations to the critical essay about which they are

reporting. (Reference may come electronically in an advanced email to the class, by way of

handouts during class, or by writing the citation on the board during class.) Commentary must

include some biographical or bibliographical consideration of the author of the secondary source

being summarized and discussed. Each student must gain the instructor’s approval for the

presentation prior to delivery, at least one full day (24 hours) before class.

Suggestions about individual reports from Breanna Washington (Fall 2011):

In your preparation, analyze the essay and identify the main thesis of the article. Begin your report

with a question for the class based upon the thesis of the article you read. (This is a question they

should not necessarily be able to answer BEFORE they hear about your article.) Direct your

question to the class, realizing that responses from your classmates may (or may not) be what you

expected. Then, as you highlight the article, direct the class to the key points you identified

throughout the essay. Your report might need to focus on only part of a work (so that your

comments do not “spoil” the next student’s report, or so that you do not merely echo what a

previous class session has already covered). Nevertheless, if the ideas in the essay you are

https://www.facebook.com/groups/125243997643335/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/125243997643335/


14

explicating require some reference to the other sections, make those connections briefly, so that

your essay’s key points can be appreciated fully.

When presenting an essay to the class, it is essential that you explain only the key details of the

essay. The author will state and analyze many parts of a book; however, you cannot talk about

EVERY single detail the author talks about. Find the main arguments, present them, and then allow

the class to delve more deeply into their own critical analysis as scholars. By the end of your report,

the class should have a clearer (and newer, more insightful) answer to your original question.

Short Essay due electronically by 11:50 p.m. Feb. 8, 2013_(10% of course grade) Consider Montage of a Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes (1951) and Mules and Men (1935) by

Zora Neale Hurston . To what extent do these two works celebrate the kind of Black aesthetic

developed by the New Negro writers? Cite at least one statement by a member of the New Negro

Movement (which might include the authors themselves). Also cite at least one scholarly article to

substantiate an observation about the work. Document carefully, including citations for each

primary source, the statement by the member of the New Negro writers, and the statement by the

scholar. Cite whether you summarize, paraphrase, or quote verbatim. Only quote when the

phrasing is remarkable. Your essay must be 4 – 6 pages, and your works cited page will be an

additional page. Do not create a separate document for the works cited page. It should be the next

consecutive page number in your document. No title page is needed, but do create a title for your

essay. Your title should suggest your thesis. Submit your essay electronically by 11:50 p.m. on

Friday, Feb. 8.

Instructions for Major Research Paper (30% of Course Grade) Due electronically

by 11:50 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2013. Submit electronically before 11:50 p.m.

I. Background: What to Read, Analyze, and Document

A. Primary source: Re-read, and form your own critical assessments of one of the

following books: Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin, Maud Martha by

Gwendolyn Brooks, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, Song of Solomon by Toni

Morrison, or Native Son by Richard Wright. Take notes of your own critical

assessments. Cite page numbers in the primary text to substantiate your own critical

assessments.

B. Secondary documents: Read and analyze the critical and popular reception of the work

at the time it was initially published or as close as possible to that time. Look for book

reviews, advertisements, interviews, and references. Archival collections of African

American newspapers may offer some help. Your selected bibliography should list ALL

of these references, whether you cite them or not.

C. Secondary documents: Read and analyze scholarly discussions of the work through the

decades since it was published. Some critics will discuss other critics. Some scholars

have their own unique ideas about the work. Take careful notes to observe what is

unique about a particular essay. Remember that some of our own seminal writers have

discussed works by our other authors, so include essays by our seminal writers, if

appropriate.


15

D. Secondary documents: Look for the most recent discussions of the work that you can

find. Even a brief mention might be useful, because the mention might bring the work

into comparison with a more recent author or work.

E. Regarding secondary documents: Look for articles in scholarly journals and references

in book-length studies. Electronic sources are welcomed. (JSTOR and other full text

citations are excellent.) Be sure to analyze any websites for quality. Remember that

children can create and post web sites. PLOT SUMMARIES ARE NOT USEFUL!!

F. Regarding your analysis of the secondary sources: As part of your analysis of the

critics, observe the significance of the date and place of publication. Evaluate WHO is

writing and to what audience. What other works has the critic written? Has the critic

received academic awards? Is the critic a full professor, an associate professor, or an

assistant professor? (Note the author’s position NOW, if he/she is still alive.)

G. Selected bibliography: Use proper MLA form to include the wide chronological array

of secondary discussions AND the primary source.

H. Your selected bibliography will indicate the extent of your scholarship. Do not list

sources you failed to read. DO list ALL of the articles, interviews, and book reviews

you read, whether you cite them or not. Do not list sources you failed to read.

I. Demonstrate academic integrity! Do NOT block and copy passages from these works.

Take notes. If you value the phrasing of a concept in the original essay, quote it

properly. If you value the ideas in a secondary source but you choose not to quote

directly, remember to cite the source properly. Record citations of all sources you read,

and include all of them in your selected bibliography.

II. What to Write (MINIMUM of 15 pages of text)

Discuss the manner in which you think your selected belletristic work (or some specific theme,

character, or passage in it) has been assessed by critics and scholars during the time of its

publication and subsequently. Include any cultural, social, or historic factors that may have

impacted the critical treatment of the work. This should equal about two-thirds or ten pages of your

essay.

Compare or contrast your own assessment of the work to those written previously. What new

insight can you offer? (If your insight is something no other critic has discussed, then your contrast

must establish what has already been written in order to show the uniqueness of your critical

approach.) This should equal about one third or five pages of your essay.

III. Reminders about documentation and your selected bibliography

A. Your discussion will be clearest if it points to specific passages in the book. Such

specificity should be more effective than generalized comments about the book as a whole.

You may choose different specific passages to highlight different points of discussion. If

your secondary source is quoting from a different edition of the primary source, then you

need to locate the passage they are citing and cite the PRIMARY source in your own

edition. You should NEVER merely quote the primary text as it is cited in a secondary

source.


16

B. Your citation of the critical assessments should be honest and accurate. If Evelyn White

cites John O’Brien, look for the ORIGINAL work by John O’Brien rather than relying

upon the passage Evelyn White quotes. However, if you cannot or do not locate the

original, then accurately indicate that you are referring to a secondary interpretation of

someone else’s work. Your text or your parenthetical citation should clearly indicate that

you are using a passage as quoted by Evelyn White. Do not pretend to have read a work.

Your scholarship must be trustworthy. Your selected bibliography should ONLY list

sources you have actually read. YOUR selected bibliography should not list sources only

quoted by someone else. Do cite them properly, even using the rare footnote, if necessary.

But do not list sources in your selected bibliography if you did not read them yourself.

C. Your selected bibliography is PART of your document, not a separate document. While

the minimum of 15 pages of text does not include your selected bibliography, that

bibliographical listing should begin a NEW page that is the next consecutive number of

your pages. If your text ends on page 15, then the selected bibliography begins page 16.

Baldwin stamp (2004) U.S.P.S. Wright stamp (2009) U.S.P.S.

Final Examination (10% of the Course Grade)

A closed-book, comprehensive final examination will be given on the day and time assigned by the

Registrar. Here is the website for the Spring 2013 Final Exam Schedule:

http://www.spelman.edu/docs/registrar/finalexam2013_spring.pdf?sfvrsn=0

I teach two sections of ENG 375 this semester. You may take the exam with either class, but let me

know by the last day of class which day you will take the exam. The 9:25 class has its exam

scheduled for Thursday, May 9, 10:30 a.m. The 3:50 class has its exam scheduled for Friday, May

10, at 8:00 a.m. NO OTHER TIMES will be offered except by request of the Office of

Undergraduate Studies.

The final exam will be worth 10% of the total course grade.

Students who need extra time or any other accommodations must provide official documentation

from the Office of Disability Services.

http://www.spelman.edu/docs/registrar/finalexam2013_spring.pdf?sfvrsn=0


17

Reading Due Dates and Outline of Class Texts (including books and articles) are listed on pages 3-4 of this syllabus).

1/17: Introduction to the Course. Overview of syllabus. Explain “text preps” (30% of course

grade).

1/22: Recall perspectives introduced at the turn of the 20th

century, with Du Bois and Booker T.

Washington. Highlight Johnson’s “Preface.” Who were the artists, critics, patrons, and readers in

the New Negro Movement? Recall FIRE!! from ADW 112. What was so radical about those New

Negroes? Students will choose authors and dates for individual reports and discussion leadership.

Required reading: Hughes, “The Blues I’m Playing,” “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,”

and Hurston, “How It Feels to be Colored Me.” Recommended reading: article by DuBois and

excerpt from The Big Sea by Hughes.

1/24: What was Zora Neale Hurston trying to achieve? Required reading: Hurston,

“Characteristics,” “Research,” and the first 30 pages of Mules and Men (including introductory

essays and foreword). Text Prep on Hurston due. Film: “Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun”

2008. Dir. Sam Pollard (84 min.)

1/29: Mules and Men: What was the achievement? (Have completed the reading of Mules and

Men.) Film: “Without Fear or Shame” from “I’ll Make Me a World.” 1999. PBS. (60 min.)

1/31: Hughes, “The Need for Heroes” and from Collected Poems: Montage of a Dream Deferred

(387-469) Text prep on Hughes due, questions based on “Need” or “Negro Artist.” What

should black authors choose as their subjects? How can music appear as poetry? Compare

Hughes’s representations of music to Hurston’s representations of folklore. Film: Langston

Hughes, the Dream Keeper. Dir. St. Clair Bourne (1988) (60 min.)

2/1 HAPPY 111th

BIRTHDAY to LANGSTON HUGHES!!

2/5: Conclude discussion of Montage. Did Hughes fulfill his own assertions about the need for

heroes in this work?

2/7: Morrison, “Rootedness.” Text prep on Toni Morrison due. Begin discussion of Song of

Solomon. Examine symbolism in the opening of the novel. Film: Toni Morrison: Uncensored.

2/8: Short essay is due electronically by 11:50 p.m. tonight.

2/12: Continue discussion of Song of Solomon. Symbolism? Allusions?

2/14: Conclude discussion of Song of Solomon. What does Milkman lose? What does he gain?

2/16: Toni Morrison Symposium at Spelman College. 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Focus on Home.

Illustrious scholars will be here. Attendance is expected. Details will be on MOODLE.


18

2/19: In class: Discuss Richard Wright, “Blueprint.” Text prep on Wright due today. Film: “Richard Wright: Black Boy.” Dir. Madison Davis Lacey (1994) (86 min.)

2/21: Discuss Native Son. How did it change the opportunities for Black writers?

2/26: Conclude discussion of Native Son. Have read Baldwin, “Everybody’s Protest Novel.” To

what extent to you agree with Baldwin’s assessment of Bigger Thomas? Bring to class (to hand in) the title of the belletristic work you will focus upon and five critical

sources about that work you have identified for major researched essay. Schedule conferences to

discuss major paper.

2/28: Ellison, “Change the Joke.” (Recommended, “The World and the Jug.”) Text prep on

Ellison due.

3/5: Begin discussion of Invisible Man. (Through chapter 17) Symbolism and hidden meaning.

Film: Ralph Ellison: An American Journey. Dir. Avon Kirkland. (2002) 87 min.

3/7: Discuss Invisible Man.

Break --- March 11-15

3/19 Conclude Invisible Man.

3/21: No class meeting today.

3/26 Hansberry. "The Negro Writer and His Roots." Text prep on Hansberry due today.

3/28 Hansberry, “Raisin in the Sun.” Film: “A Raisin in the Sun” 4/2 Begin discussion of Gwendolyn Brooks. Have read the Interview with Stavros and poems in

Norton Anthology. Text prep on Brooks is due today, based on interview. Film: Gwendolyn

Brooks interview at the Library of Congress. 30 min.

4/4 Have read Maud Martha. Same Chicago setting—three works. Discuss ways Wright,

Hansberry, and Brooks represent the lives and settings in Chicago in their works. If we expand our

view to “urban setting,” consider Hughes in this comparative view.

4/8 Major class papers are due electronically by 1 p.m.

4/9 Discuss “Notes of a Native Son” and “Everybody’s Protest Novel” by Baldwin. Film: James

Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket. Dir. Karen Thorsen. (1990) 87 min. Text prep on Baldwin is due today.

4/11 No class meeting today. Founders Day.

4/16 Baldwin and Go Tell It. How is the text narrated? What difference does point of view make?


19

4/18 Discuss Go Tell It on the Mountain. Focus upon family dynamics and representation of

women in the novel.

4/23 Begin discussion of Alice Walker, Third Life. Text prep on Walker due (questions based on

her interview with John O’Brien, not on this novel.) Share questions, especially those that allow us

to see what Walker had in mind when she wrote her first novel.

4/25 Alice Walker, Third Life. How does Walker’s representation of the South differ from Hurston’s? How

does Walker present violence differently than does Wright? Film: Interview and reading: Alice Walker, Fannan

Foundation, 60 minutes, 1989.

4/30 Last day of class. Receive a study guide for the final exam. Conclude discussion of

Third Life. How does Ruth’s representation differ from that of John in Go Tell It or Maud

Martha in Brooks’s novella?

5/2-5/3: Reading Period.

So that final grades may be calculated promptly, absolutely no papers (including Text Preps)

will be accepted after 12:00 noon on 5/3.

FINAL EXAM date: The 9:25 class has its exam scheduled for Thursday, May 9, 10:30 a.m.

The 3:50 class has its exam scheduled for Friday, May 10, at 8:00 a.m.

HARPER’S CLASS POLICIES ATTENDANCE and PROMPTNESS Students should attend all classes promptly and fully prepared. NO unexcused absence shall be acceptable.

NO cuts are automatically allowed, because according to the Spelman College Bulletin, each student is

expected to attend class, participate in class discussion, and fulfill course requirements by established

deadlines.

The instructor maintains attendance and class participation records, and she believes absences or conspicuous

silences reflect a lack of concern and responsibility. Moreover, an unexcused absence on the date of a quiz

results in a zero for the quiz grade.

Furthermore, the instructor may revise assignments and due dates. Absence can lead to a student's ignorance

regarding assignments. Students who cut class, therefore, must accept the consequences for their actions.

Note that the college bulletin also grants instructors the right to administratively withdraw a student who

violates established course policies and procedures, including the policy for class attendance. The instructor

reserves the right to DROP from the roll any student with the equivalent of three weeks of unexcused

absences. Absences of two or more consecutive class days (i.e., one week or more of class), may be

excused officially only through the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Please inform the

instructor (as circumstances permit) of any unusual circumstances that mandate your absence from class.

TARDY ARRIVAL: We shall begin class promptly. After a ten-minute grace period, during which anyone

who must arrive late should do so discretely, the door of the classroom will be closed, and students will not

be permitted to disturb the class by arriving late. Thus, allow time for finding a parking space, needing to

walk down rather than use the elevator, etc. If a professor in a class immediately before ours is holding you

late, share this syllabus with him or her!


20

COMPENSATING FOR ABSENCES: KNOW YOUR CLASSMATES

Students who miss class for certified and excused reasons should FIRST consult a reliable classmate

(or two) to determine what occurred in class. Toward this end, each student should collect names and phone

numbers of a few reliable classmates at the beginning of the semester. Assignments should have been sent to

class ON TIME by a classmate or IN ADVANCE by the student herself. Students are held responsible for

learning about any changes in the syllabus, revisions in assignments, changes in due dates, handouts, missed

quizzes, etc., which may occur during class. The instructor teaches the students attending class; the teacher

does not hold tutorials for those missing class. Once having determined what occurred during the missed

class, the student might schedule a conference with the instructor, send an e-mail message, or phone the

instructor to gain further explanation or clarification--as could any student who attended class.

CONFERENCES Students are invited to meet with the instructor by appointment to seek detailed explanation of assignments,

lectures, or class discussions. Students may also discuss anticipated methods of developing major papers.

Please do not expect the instructor to read several drafts of a paper OR to consult eagerly with students who

have accumulated a record of unexcused absences. Conferences cannot replace classes. Students who receive

a grade below "C" on an essay or major test should schedule a conference within one week after receiving

the grade. The student has sole responsibility for initiating this conference.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE

CELL PHONES, PAGERS, and WATCH ALARMS: Please turn all beeping, buzzing, and other

sound-producing devices to the "OFF" or "SILENT" position when you are seated for class. Repeated failure

to observe this courtesy to everyone's concentration will be considered a disruption of class and will be noted

with demerits in class participation. Not only should these devices not ring, buzz, or vibrate, but they should

be put out of sight for the duration of our class.

RE: FOOD AND BEVERAGE IN CLASS: The policies linked to the Cosby Building request that

students refrain from ever bringing to that environment any foods or drinks. Under no circumstance should a

student consume in class any noisy foods (e.g. chips), foods with strong aromas, or foods that stain desks or

papers. Leave NO trash behind.

ACADEMIC DECORUM

While we shall endeavor to nurture and sustain the critical inquiry and mutual respect that Paulo Freire

considers a problem-solving method of education, we will do that while upholding the highest standards of

excellence of each other. We shall enter discussions in an orderly manner. We shall address each other by

name (and work to learn each others’ names). Our diction and dialect in class shall retain academic

standards. We shall refrain from the use of profane language. As much as possible, we shall respect the

beliefs of our sister scholars. We shall expect that our own beliefs will be respected. If we are offended, we

shall inform the person(s) who offended us, thereby giving them an opportunity to ameliorate any damage.

We shall forgive those who ask our forgiveness, thus allowing us all to LEARN from our mistakes.

RESPECT FOR TIME

In our prompt arrival and our prepared participation, we shall respect each other’s time as being

valuable. We shall avoid frivolous comments and distracting questions, but we will respect all

sincere comments and questions. In class, the mutual good of the maximum number shall be our

goal. Individual issues and concerns may need to be addressed in individual conferences or via

personal e-mail or phone exchanges.


21

BATHROOM NEEDS: As mature young women, Spelman students should attend to normal personal

needs before or after class. Tissue should be in the student's bag. Just as tardiness is not acceptable,

departures from class during the class period are also not acceptable. Medical exceptions should be

authorized by the Dean of Undergraduate Studies or another official College office as indicated by a medical

authority.

USE OF LAPTOPS, CELL PHONES, TABLETS, ETC., IN CLASS: Many excellent contributions to

class can result from the use of computers and other devices with access to the web. However,

anyone who abuses the privilege by sending email, using social networking sites, working on

papers for other classes, or otherwise being disengaged from the focus of the class will lose the

privilege of having access to the device during class. The instructor has a zero tolerance policy for

abuse. Pervasive abuse by many will result in the banning of all devices from the classroom.

WRITTEN COMMUNICATION WITH THE INSTRUCTOR: Please consider your audience when

sending notes, letters, or emails to the instructor. Please use standard English and full spellings of all words.

(Text abbreviations are unacceptable.) Your email messages should have an informative subject line (not

just your name or my name).

Communication requires a two-way exchange. Your having sent a message does not equal communication.

Once you receive a reply, the circle of communication is complete.

PREPARATION OF PAPERS (Especially in an English Class!!)

PAPERS: ALL written work must conform to the following descriptions of format,

documentation, and timely submission.

1. PAGE PREPARATION--ALL PAPERS—in class or out of class, including examinations a. State your full name, date of submission, and course name and/or number on a separate title

page or in the upper right-hand corner of the first sheet for short assignments.

b. Maintain a one-inch margin on all borders. Extend the left margin to 1.5 inches IF

binding the paper along the entire left side.

c. Number your pages (upper right hand preferred) for pages 2 and beyond. Page one should

be the first page of TEXT, not the cover page.

d. Print your name on each page. Format documents to number pages and provide your name

as "Header" in word-processed documents.

e. Proofread the final draft. Correct errors neatly.

f. Staple the paper at the upper left corner before class. Students are expected to own and use

their own staplers! The instructor frowns upon students who drift into faculty or

administrative offices asking to use professors' or assistants' staplers. The writing center

MAY have such supplies for the chronically under-supplied student.

g. Use proper MLA designation of titles, distinguishing titles of poems from titles of books.

2. For TYPEWRITTEN AND WORD-PROCESSED PAPERS NOTE: ALL out of class papers MUST be typed or word-processed. Identify your resources now.

Remember that the writing center and the computer centers become crowded at peak times.

a. Type accurately.

b. Use Times New Roman, size 12 font to determine the length of your paper. If your

creativity then motivates you to change your font, do so AFTER determining that the length

in the “standard” font meets the stated length requirements. Do not attempt to compensate

for brevity by using a larger font.


22

c. Use standard 8 and 1/2 by 11-inch white (or pale pastel) typing paper.

d. See that the printer uses dark ink. Instructor may refuse papers too faint to read. Near letter

quality (NLQ), ink jet, or laser printing is best.

e. Use widow-orphan protection to avoid single lines dangling on pages.

f. Observe standard typing conventions: use two hyphens to create a dash [--]; indent 5 spaces

(or tab once) for new paragraphs.

g. Double space

3. For HANDWRITTEN (in class) papers

a. Write legibly, avoiding confusing, idiosyncratic, non-

conventional penmanship. If the instructor can’t read it, the

words mean nothing.

b. Use 8 & 1/2 x 11-inch lined loose-leaf paper. Never tear

paper from a spiral notebook unless the page is perforated to

create a smooth, unsquiggly edge.

c. Use white paper (or off-white recycled paper).

d. Use blue or black ink. (Other colors with permission.)

e. Write on only ONE side of the paper.

4. Documentation and Style--ALL PAPERS

a. This instructor requires that papers should follow the MLA style of documentation,

including parenthetical references to authors and page numbers plus a complete and accurate page

of Works Cited. Instructions on this style appear in English 103/ 193 texts, such as Diana Hacker &

Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference or from the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

(7th

ed.). Support may also be obtained in the Comprehensive Writing Center.

b. ALL PAPERS CITING ANY TEXTS, WHETHER COURSE TEXTS OR

SECONDARY SOURCES, REQUIRE "WORKS CITED" PAGE AND IN-TEXT CITATION OF

SOURCES USED.]

c. Your works cited page is a part of your essay. Do not create a separate document for

the Works Cited page(s). If your paragraphs end on page 15, then your Works Cited page is page

number 16.

d. Failure to document sources merits a failure on that paper. Thus a paper

submitted without a works cited page is a failed paper.

e. Academic dishonesty results in an “F” for the course.

5. Policies on Submitting Papers a. Students should make and keep copies of ALL major written work.

b. All papers should be emailed to the instructor at the Spelman email address

([email protected]).

c. Only after a student receives a REPLY “paper received” should the student understand that the

submitted paper has been received in proper format.

d. Please submit papers as “Word” documents or PDF documents.

6. THE BALDWIN PROVISION: In the past Dr. Harper sometimes was accused of being a bit

slow in grading papers. However, students can use slow grading to their own advantage. To

qualify for this provision, the student must submit a completely acceptable version of the required

mailto:[email protected]


23

work ON TIME. If a student learns in class (or discover elsewhere) information that she knows will

improve the quality of her paper--already submitted ON TIME, but not yet graded--the student may

submit a revised draft of the paper. Don't ask about it, just DO IT. Clearly mark this revision

"BALDWIN PROVISION" and date the new version according to the actual date submitted (NOT

the original due date).

Examples of times to employ the Baldwin Provision might include new awareness of proper

punctuation, awareness of a new critical source, or new insight based on a film or lecture outside of

class. If Dr. Harper has not yet graded the paper, she will substitute the revised paper, grading it

instead of the original "final" draft. This substitution should result in a higher grade, if the student

truly understood the new information and applied it properly. If time should permit even a second

revision or a third one, you are welcomed to continue to submit improved drafts. Once the paper

has been graded, no subsequent revision will be accepted. (Students may thank Spelman alumna

Sylvia Baldwin for discovering this provision.) The Baldwin Provision does NOT apply (a) when the first version submitted (on time) was

obviously substandard, (b) when the first version submitted is significantly different from the Baldwin

version (i.e., on a different subject or taken from a completely different perspective), (c) when the first

version was submitted LATE, or (d) to any quiz or examination.

MISSING WORK: NO ONE may pass the course without having submitted all assignments. Work

submitted very late may receive only 10 points in the grade book, but 10 > 0. Students showing zero on

assignments (i.e., they never handed in any attempt at the work) will not have completed ALL the work

required for the course, and therefore, regardless of the strength of other grades, must FAIL the course.

(Unannounced quizzes may be missed, but a missed quiz = zero.)

An EXCUSED absence, as noted by the Academic Dean, may result in an extended due date but will

NOT excuse the student from completing the work.

MAKE-UP WORK: No make-up work will be assigned.

EXTRA CREDIT: In general, no extra credit work is assigned or accepted.

LATE WORK: All out-of-class work is due AT THE BEGINNING of the class. Work submitted

after the due date will be penalized ONE LETTER GRADE per two week days late. (Ex. Due Fri.,

4/13. Emailed on Tues., 4/17 = ten points penalty.

Use this policy to your best advantage. If you KNOW your paper is SORRY and PATHETIC, then

DON'T hand it in just to be on time. Take a day or two, and submit an excellent paper. An excellent

paper (say a 95) penalized five points is still a 90, and penalized ten points is still an 85. By

contrast, a paper which does not follow all instructions (therefore, a 50) will suffer even though it

was submitted on time. A plagiarized paper will receive zero points.

DO NOT, however, let the policy ruin you. Taking a week beyond the due date could destroy even

an outstanding paper with substantial penalties. You might do better to submit a decent paper

(following all instructions) on time, and then use the Baldwin provision to try to craft an A+ paper

before Dr. Harper has graded the one you submitted. Minimum grade = 10 (better than a zero).

* Students with excused absences may be excused from penalty IF the excuse is received

promptly. Excuses received at the end of the semester may not remove late penalties for work

assigned in advance of the excused period.

* Professor reserves the right to REFUSE to accept work after the last day of class.


24

BOTTOM LINES: (1.) Better a little late than on time and pathetic. (2.) Always better

late than never, since NEVER = zero. (3.) Too late is almost as bad as never.

Ralph Ellison Toni Morrison

W A R N I N G ! !

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING both qualify as F work, not only for the essay or test in question, but

possibly also for the entire course. Please consult the College-Wide Spelman College policy on Academic

Honesty for a full explanation. Dr. Harper does prosecute dishonesty.

PLEASE NOTE: Lifting sentences, paragraphs, ideas, or papers from the Internet equals cheating.

Failing to cite sources from the Internet equals plagiarism. The Internet poses new challenges to integrity,

but we are able to meet that challenge.

Students should help to preserve the value of their own grades earned by reporting any suspicions of

academic dishonesty to the professor. Your reports will be held in confidence, but your testimony may be

needed. Please do not be afraid to report dishonesty. Better yet, do not behave in dishonest ways.

Because electronic information is volatile and easily reproduced, respect for the work and personal

expressions of others is especially critical in computer environments. Violations of authorial

integrity, including plagiarism, invasion of privacy, unauthorized access, and trade secret and

copyright violations, carry heavy penalties. To avoid these, do not copy or change anyone else's

work. Do not copy software. Do not enter files that you are not authorized to enter. Spelman so-

called "sisters" have lifted entire papers from hard drives (or disks). Guard your intellectual

property! Help us to maintain high standards of integrity, students. Report dishonesty. Encourage

your classmates to engage fully in the academic experience, growing in wisdom. Academic

dishonesty is worse than a crime; it disrespects our elders, for whom education was a privilege and

a responsibility.

COMPUTER STRATEGIES FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION:

1. Protect your documents. Do not leave a document on screen if you leave the site--even

for a minute. Do not leave your disks unguarded. Do not save individual intellectual

work to a hard drive in a lab or on any computer which is not your own. Caution your

roommates to maintain high standards of integrity.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING USE OF COMPUTERS


25

2. Always make back-up copies of your work. Stuff happens! E-mail documents to

yourself at alternative e-mail accounts. Always have a back-up!!

3. Remember to SAVE as you work--at least every 15 minutes or every 2 pages--

whichever comes first. Power failures happen! ALSO, public facilities may close and

delete all documents at a specific published hour, so if you neglected to save, all your

work is lost.

4. Print hard copies of significantly revised drafts of works in progress. Thus, even if

stuff happens to both your disks, you will have a draft to submit or from which to

begin re-typing.

4. Prepare documents with a header giving your name and with page numbers printed in the

UPPER RIGHT corner. Maybe you can thwart a sloppy and inattentive academic thief.

5. NEVER permit a person to borrow your document--even for a class you have already

completed. You may (and should) share your bibliographical resources, but never give away

the results of your own independent intellectual process. Sharing that information is a form of

academic dishonesty.

6. Write your name on the label on your computer diskettes or attach a tag with your

name to flash drives. Flash drives are EASILY lost or left behind.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

At the heart of Spelman College’s mission is academic excellence, along with the development of intellectual,

ethical and leadership qualities. These goals can only flourish in an institutional environment where every member

of the College affirms honesty, trust, and mutual respect. All members of the academic community of Spelman

College are expected to understand and follow the basic standards of honesty and integrity, upholding a

commitment to high ethical standards. Students are expected to read and abide by the Spelman College Code of

Conduct (see the current Spelman College Student Handbook) and are expected to behave as mature and

responsible members of the Spelman College academic community. Students are expected to follow ethical

standards in their personal conduct and in their behavior towards other members of the community. They are

expected to observe basic honesty in their work, words, ideas, and actions. Failure to do so is a violation of the

Spelman College Academic Integrity Policy. Violators will be subject to the sanctions outlined in the Spelman

College Bulletin.

All academic writers use ideas, words, and short passages from others in their own writing. The

difference between plagiarism and scholarship is proper attribution of sources! Reference and citation

are required parts of academic writing. Material from outside sources, whether quoted, paraphrased,

summarized, or simply referred to, must always be accompanied by acknowledgement of the source.

Failure to acknowledge the contributions of others’ words or ideas to your work is plagiarism.

Understanding the various kinds of plagiarism and understanding the specific methods of attributing

sources can be complicated, so be sure to ask as many questions as you need to.

I strongly encourage you to read the full Academic Integrity Policy and come to me with any questions

you may have. I will post the full policy on our MOODLE page, and I can email you a copy, if you like.

Accommodations, Disabilities, and Academic Support Spelman College is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs. If you

have a documented disability (or think you may have a disability) and, as a result, need a reasonable


26

accommodation to participate in this class, complete course requirements, or benefit from the College’s

programs or services, contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) as soon as possible. To receive

any academic accommodation, you must be appropriately registered with ODS. The ODS works with

students confidentially and does not disclose any disability-related information without their permission.

The ODS serves as a clearinghouse on disability issues and works in partnership with faculty and all

other student service offices. For further information about services for students with disabilities, please

contact the ODS at (404) 270-5289 (voice), located in MacVicar Hall, Room 106.

I assume that all of us learn in different ways, and that the organization of any course will accommodate

each student differently. For example, you may prefer to process information by speaking and listening,

so that some of the written handouts I provide may be difficult to absorb. Please talk to me as soon as

you can about your individual learning needs and how this course can best accommodate them. If you

do not have a documented disability, remember that other support services, including the Writing Center

and the Learning Resources Center, are available to all students.

Scenes from “A Raisin in the Sun” (2004)

Additional Audio-Visual Resources

For “Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun”

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/zora-neale-hurston/jump-at-the-sun/93/

http://newsreel.org/video/ZORA-NEALE-HURSTON

“Zora is my Name.” [American Playhouse] (1990) starring Ruby Dee, Lou Gosset, et. al. Director,

Neema Barnette. (90 min.) This film represents the life of Zora Neale Hurston and acts out several

stories from Mules and Men. If you would like to schedule a viewing, let the instructor know.

The audio CD from Speak, So You Can Speak Again: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston (Lucy

Anne Hurston, Doubleday, 2004) contains songs and interviews with Hurston. Several of

these are captured in “Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun.”

For “Richard Wright: Black Boy”

http://newsreel.org/video/RICHARD-WRIGHT-BLACK-BOY

For “Ralph Ellison: An American Journey”: http://newsreel.org/video/RALPH-ELLISON

For “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket”

http://newsreel.org/video/JAMES-BALDWIN-THE-PRICE-OF-THE-TICKET

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/zora-neale-hurston/jump-at-the-sun/93/

http://newsreel.org/video/ZORA-NEALE-HURSTON

http://newsreel.org/video/RICHARD-WRIGHT-BLACK-BOY

http://newsreel.org/video/RALPH-ELLISON

http://newsreel.org/video/JAMES-BALDWIN-THE-PRICE-OF-THE-TICKET


27

GRADING SCALE

This scale applies to anything being evaluated, but will be used especially to evaluate essays, essay exams, and oral contributions to class. Oral contributions include every word spoken. A- (90-94) and A (95-100) = SUPERIOR (correct, insightful, creative, coherent) 1. Clearly and effectively states a significant and original thesis. 2. Fully develops each component of the thesis with solid supporting evidence. Shows insightful interpretation of supporting data. Shows awareness of the stances of others. Includes exceptionally useful sources. Documents sources correctly. 3. Follows an appropriate method of organization and progresses logically and purposefully. 4. Displays unity and coherence. 5. Is expressed clearly, precisely, and concisely. 6. Employs a useful variety of sentence structures, matched to rhetorical strategies. 7. Employs active verbs and active voice (generally), and disdains wordiness or verbal crutches. 8. Reflects consistently correct grammar, punctuation, and mechanics, and proper style of documentation according to standard English usage. 9. Shows superior originality of thought and perception. The paper says something new or interesting about its subject or finds an unusual way of examining old evidence. The writer seems to have understood things in the readings that her classmates may have missed. B- (80-83) / B (84 – 86) / B+ (87- 89) = GOOD (correct and authoritative, but conventional or somewhat limited in originality or fresh perspective) 1. Correctly states a thesis (not especially significant or insightful). 2. Fully develops each component of the thesis with solid supporting evidence, and competently includes appropriate

sources, perhaps not exceptional ones. Documents sources correctly. 3. Displays points #3 - 8 from the A work. 4. Lacks complete originality of concept or superior depth of thought, but is nevertheless authoritative and thoughtful. C- (70-73) / [ C (74 – 76) / C+ (77- 79) = AVERAGE (Adequate, but flawed by errors, irrelevance, or limited scope) 1. States a central idea (but may not be structured effectively as a strong thesis statement). 2. Shows some awareness of effective organization. 3. Offers adequate supporting detail for the central idea, but may fail to develop each component fully. Shows correct interpretation of supporting data. Documents sources correctly. 4. May contain grammatical and mechanical errors, but is free of habitual deviations from standard English usage. 5. Focuses upon a conspicuous or obvious--but CORRECT-- central point. 6. May lack mastery of sentence form and power, but will be free of virulent sentence structure errors. D (60-66) / D+ (67 – 69) = BELOW AVERAGE (Errors overshadow good qualities. Such overshadowing errors may include, but are not limited to the following:) 1. Fails to state or stick to the central idea. 2. Drifts significantly from a logical pattern of organization. 3. Neglects adequate development of two or more major points. Neglects the use of appropriate sources of support. 4. Contains distracting grammatical, mechanical, or sentence structure errors. 5. Contains numerous trite or wordy expressions. 6. Focuses upon a flawed concept, showing serious error in the comprehension of the subject of the discussion or serious errors in the use or interpretation of supporting data. F = below 60 TOTALLY UNSATISFACTORY 1. Serious errors in any area. 2. Fails to follow instructions. 3. Topic or contents are completely inadequate. 4. Shows academic dishonesty (including plagiarism or failure to cite sources) I = Incomplete. The grade of "I" will only be given in special circumstances, such as serious illness. The incomplete involves only work at the end of the semester. This grade requires permission from the Dean of Undergraduate Studies.

NOTE: No grades are changed unless the professor has made a mathematical error.


28

4th

Hour Justification: Seminal Writers (ENG 375), as taught for four hours, requires students to view several documentary

and creative films. In Spring 2013, students are also expected to attend the Toni Morrison Symposium

on Saturday, Feb. 16. The films and the Toni Morrison Symposium total more than 15 additional

hours beyond the ordinary time required for homework and papers for a less intense version (3 hr.

credit) of the course.