ENGL 250 A: American Literature

Land Relation and Environmental Justice in American Literature  (PDF)

ENGL 250 A, M W 12:30–2:20 PM, Spring Quarter 2024

Thomson Hall THO 325

Course Description

Through a survey of American literature, this course will consider how relationships to land and water have been imagined, contested, and articulated in the United States. Our course will interrogate the ways in which interlocking systems of power, including race, gender, and settler colonialism, have shaped the land and water relations that form the basis for all life in the US. We will engage with literatures concerning early European colonial land projects and US nation-building; the American Civil War and its aftermaths; struggles for civil rights and environmental justice; feminisms; and relationships among Indigenous Peoples, European settlers, and “arrivants” from Black, Latinx, and Asian diasporas.

In reading these literatures, we will challenge understandings of “America” as a place of national belonging and a space of opportunity and freedom. If, for example, we consider the role that early American literature played in imagining and shaping a new nation on the mountains, shores, and riverways of Indigenous territory, how does that role change throughout history, as borders shift, United States projects of colonial and imperial expansion develop, and the rights of US citizens and non-citizens transform? How do authors from communities navigating systems of environmental, racial, and gender violence pursue justice and imagine possible futures through literary form? How have shifting and contested relationships to land and water shaped the emergence of particular texts and literary forms?  Finally, how have “American” texts been canonized and included in our literary histories to project a unified “map” of US territory?  When we consider which texts are often understood to represent the history of the United States, what assumptions do we reveal about who belongs in and lays claim to the places and landscapes of what is now know as the United States? 

Characteristics of Class Meeting

This course is designed primarily for an in-person, classroom learning environment. However, some class discussion, assignments, and other coursework may take place on Canvas, often asynchronously or self-paced.

Required Texts & Readings

Nella Larsen, Quicksand (1928)

Tommy Pico, Nature Poem (2017)

All other assigned readings will be available on Canvas in our weekly modules. They will be accessible via PDFs or through online access links.

You are responsible for bringing texts to class on the day they will be discussed.

Many of the texts that we will be reading represent and engage with chattel slavery, settler colonialism, and other systems of violence and oppression. These representations can be disturbing and challenging, and I ask that you assess these texts for yourself and determine what level of engagement is safe for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you need help assessing these texts.

Learning Outcomes & Course Goals

• Examine American literatures through a wide range of genres and expressive forms.
• Consider the development, expression, and transformation of fundamental concepts, ideologies, and worldviews related to land and water relations that impact how US citizens and non-citizens understand themselves and American social, political, and economic life.
• Explore a variety of the critical traditions, genealogies, and interdisciplinary formations that comprise literary studies.
• Read American literatures as critique by considering how literary form, narrative strategies, themes, and aesthetics engage with ongoing developments in United States history and American cultures.
• Expand critical thinking and writing through analyzing primary and secondary texts related to American histories, politics, and cultures.
• Perform literary analysis and writing in the context of a collaborative learning community, including class discussion, peer review, and other forms of peer-driven collaboration.
• Develop and practice skills related to academic writing including in the form of short reading responses, a thesis-driven argumentative essay, and a final essay.

Grading

• Class Participation: 150 points
• Discussion Leader/Handout: 150 points
• Groundwork Papers: 360 points (90 points each)
• Final Paper: 340 points

Any questions regarding a grade should be discussed only during office hours.

Assignments

Class Participation (150 points)

We learn best when we learn from each other. That means we all have a role in creating a learning community in which we all thrive. Therefore, you will be given points for being in community with each other, which can include coming prepared to participate in class discussion; actively and respectfully listening to others; and contributing to the success of your classmates.

There are many ways you can participate in and build our learning community. You can earn points from participating in-person, such as in class-wide discussions, in smaller groups, or in one-on-one conversations with me or your peers.

Leading Discussion (150 points)

Because we’re engaging the course texts as a community, everyone will lead discussion once during the quarter. Leading discussion, you will have the opportunity to explore passages that interest you with the class and to receive collaborative feedback on readings that you might develop further in your Groundwork Papers or your Final Paper. However, you will not be responsible for facilitating classroom discussion, standing up in front of class and presenting, or otherwise running the classroom as you lead discussion. I'll be facilitating the discussion that follows. You'll be invited to introduce your one-page handout and provide any framing comments that may help guide discussion, but you won't be responsible for fielding questions or moderating any comments that follow. 

Discussion leaders are required to prepare a one-page handout containing the following:

1. 2 or 3 critical questions that will guide our discussion.
2. Passages from assigned reading(s) relevant to your critical questions and which can focus our discussion.
3. Your own interpretations, readings, and/or critiques of the passages you have selected and which respond to your critical questions.
4. Connections to other texts we have covered in the course.

Please submit your one-page handout to Canvas no later than 9:00 AM on the day you’re scheduled to lead discussion. This allows me time to incorporate your questions and ideas into the plan for the day’s class.

Groundwork Papers (2 double-spaced pages each; 90 points each, 360 points total)

You will submit 4 short papers that will help you build the “groundwork” for your Final Paper, for Leading Discussion, and for priming discussions in class. These papers will give you space to explore moments in course texts and class discussions that you find interesting, provocative, and/or problematic. Although you’re encouraged to develop your own ideas and draw on your own opinions, these papers should still contain some core features also found in the Final Essay: they need to have a clear topic and focus, and to develop close reading(s) of specific passages/moments in one or more assigned texts. That being said, they do not need to strictly follow the conventions of a formal academic essay, such as a highly developed introduction and conclusion, polished transitions from one idea to the next, etc. 

In other words, Groundwork Papers are more than personal reflection; they are spaces to practice close reading and literary analysis, while also serving as spaces of creativity and intellectual curiosity.

Final Essay (Friday, May 31 by 11:59 PM; 5 double-spaced pages; 350 points)

Your Final Essay should emerge from one or more Groundwork Papers, from Leading Discussion, and/or from discussions started in class. From this initial work, you will develop a longer, formal academic essay. This essay will make a thesis-driven argument based on several close readings of texts we cover in this course. You will receive a separate prompt for this assignment, and we will go over its requirements in more detail in class.

Through the process of developing your Final Essay, you will demonstrate the extent to which you have met our Course Goals and Learning Outcomes. As such, this course does not have a Final Exam.

Extra Credit

UW and Seattle are constantly hosting events, exhibits, and readings that may enrich our engagement with course materials. On occasion, I will share opportunities to participate in these events and earn extra credit. You will be able to earn extra credit by attending events and submitting a critical reflection.

Office Hours

My office hours will be held synchronously via Zoom on Mondays from 10:00–11:00 AM and in-person on Wednesdays from 3:00–4:00 PM . Although students are free to drop in at any time during the office hour, I encourage you to sign up for a 20-minute appointment slot beforehand to minimize wait time. See the Zoom and Office Hours Sign Up module for link to the sign up page.

Late Assignments

You have a 24-hour grace period that you can use for one assignment this quarter. After that, for every 24 hours that an assignment is late, 3% of an assignment’s grade will be deducted. After 7 days of no submission, an assignment will no longer be accepted.

While this is course policy, please contact me ahead of time if you anticipate that you won’t meet an assignment deadline.

Academic Integrity

The University takes academic integrity very seriously. You are ultimately accountable for the work that you submit for this course. For this reason, it’s important to take care in properly citing work that you quote, paraphrase, or otherwise summarize in assignments. Academic integrity also extends to representing work that you have not substantially done yourself as your own. Here, I’m talking primarily about the use of AI-based tools like ChatGPT. While these tools can certainly be helpful if used critically, they can also call into question the academic integrity of submitted work if they are used poorly. We will discuss academic integrity in more detail in class and set expectations as a learning community.

In any case, if you’re uncertain about if something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.

Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by (include information for specific campus office).

Accommodation & Learning Access Equity

Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.

If, for whatever reason, you cannot meet an assignment due date or need more time, please do not hesitate to contact me, and we can work out an alternative timeline that meets your needs. You do not need to disclose any information or explain why you need accommodation. No questions asked—just be sure to let me know as soon as you need help.

Religious Accommodation

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Safety

Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested.

Title IX statement on sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination. 

The UW, through numerous policies, prohibits sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination and expects students, faculty, and staff to act professionally and respectfully in all work, learning, and research environments.

For support, resources, and reporting options related to sex- and gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination, refer to the UW Title IX’s website, specifically the Know Your Rights & Resources guide. Should you wish to make the Office of the Office of the Title IX Coordinator aware of a Title IX concern, visit the Make a Title IX Report webpage. 

Please know that if you choose to disclose information to me about sex- or gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination, I will connect you (or the person who experienced the conduct) with resources and individuals who can best provide support and options. You can also access additional resources directly:

• You can request anonymous support, from SafeCampus 
• You can request confidential support, from a confidential advocate.
• If you know you want to submit a formal complaint, contact the Civil Rights Investigation Office.

Please note that some senior leaders and other specified employees have been identified as Officials Required to Report. If an Official Required to Report learns of possible sex- or gender-based violence, harassment, or discrimination they are required to contact the Office of the Title IX Coordinator and report all the details they have in order to ensure that the person who experienced harm is offered support and reporting options.